April 30: Aberdeen native and Aberdeen Christian graduate David Rohrbach was named the head coach of the year at North Central University in Minneapolis. He is in his second season as the women’s basketball coach and his Rams won their regional tourney this season to advance to the national tourney.
May 1: De Smet native and former SDSU standout Damon Wilkerson and his Nebraska teammates will play Boise State in Sioux Falls Nov. 15. The Nebraska men’s basketball team is returning to the Sanford Pentagon for the fourth year in a row in 2026.
May 4: Long-time Canton wrestling coach Nick Joslyn died at age 69. He was a coach and teacher for 37 years, including at Canton from 1989-2017. He helped turn Canton into a wrestling powerhouse, as the C-Hawks won their first state title in 2012 with 16 state team titles (dual and individual team) after that.
May 6: Women basketball fans in South Dakota will be treated to a battle between Division I regional foes USD and Creighton. The teams will play Nov. 11 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
May 7: The 2026 Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction delivered another historic moment for South Dakota State Athletics as the annual event surpassed $3 million for the first time. The funds raised at the 2026 JASA equate to approximately 142 full tuition scholarships at SDSU and will cover nearly 60% of the university’s total student-athlete educational expenses for the 2025-26 academic year.
May 9: The WNBA tipped off its 30th season with a nationally televised game in a WNBA Finals rematch. Defending champion Las Vegas defeated the Phoenix Mercury 99-66. The Aces are coached by Rapid City native Becky Hammon while the Mercury are coached by Jefferson native Nate Tibbets. The Aces got their rings for winning the 2025 WNBA title.
May 9: Well-known South Dakota sports historian Dave Kemp of Sioux Falls has died. The Sioux Falls O’Gorman graduate was born May 12, 1952.
May 10: The 72nd season of dirt auto racing kicked off at Casino Speedway in Watertown. Feature winners were Wissota Street Stocks: Jason Marko (Watertown); Wissota Modifieds: Tony Konold (Clear Lake); Wissota Midwest Mods: Tommy Nichols (Watertown); Wissota Late Models: Mike Stearns (Aberdeen); Scott’s Gen X Lates: Parker Gilbertson (Watson, MN); and Wissota Hornets: Jeff Rohner (Willmar, MN).
May 13: The Sioux Falls School District is partnering with the Minnesota Vikings to launch girls flag football programs for middle and high school students beginning in fall 2026. The program will be offered at middle schools and all high schools. Startup costs, including coaching staff, uniforms and equipment, will be covered through a grant from the Vikings. Girls flag football has seen rapid growth nationwide in recent years, including increased collegiate interest and inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games, its debut in the international games.

May 15-16: USD ended one of its best softball seasons, despite a 21-36-1 record. In its first national tourney appearance in the USD program’s 48 years of existence, the Coyotes nearly upended the nation’s fourth-ranked team. Host Nebraska (47-6) nipped USD 4-1 in the regional opener May 15. USD held a 1-0 lead thanks to Autumn Iversen’s homer going into the fourth inning. Then USD pitcher Madison Evans survived a bases-loaded, no outs bottom of the fourth to protect her team’s 1-0 lead. However, the Big Ten champion Cornhuskers add two runs in the fifth and sixth to get the win. USD defeated No. 25 Louisville 4-2 in the next game before being eliminated by No. 18 Grand Canyon (AZ). USD coach Robert Wagner and his Coyotes ended the season ranked No. 19 in the final mid-major poll.
May 18: USD softball coach Robert Wagner and USD have parted ways with no explanations offered.
May 21: Augustana softball coach Gretta Melsted resigned to take the same job at the University of Minnesota. In the past 20 years under Melsted, the Vikings won eight regular-season conference titles, six tourney titles, 14 NCAA tourney appearances and four trips to the Division II national championships. She guided the program to its second national championship in 2019. Her Augie teams went 813-313.
May 23: The Sioux Falls Stampede are the 2026 USHL champions as they defeated the Muskegon (MI) Lumberjacks 4-3 in double overtime to win the Clark Cup. JJ Monteiro scored two goals, including the game winner. Stampede goalie Linards Feldbergs was the tourney MVP. This is the fourth title (2019, 2015 and 2007) for Sioux Falls, which is coached by Ryan Cruthers.
May 24: Fourth-seeded SDSU won the Summit League Baseball Tournament to advance to the DI tourney. It was the Jacks’ second Summit League title and first since 2013. Coming into the tourney, SDSU was 0-19 against Oral Roberts in SL tourney play and 0-6 against them this season, but the Jacks defeated the Golden Eagles twice in tourney play to claim the crown. Coach Rob Bishop’s SDSU team (24-31) were led by all-tourney team selections Owen Siegert, Luke Jones, Nate Wachter, Nic Werk, Kaden Rylance and Ty Madison.
May 26: Former NSU and Aberdeen Central multi-sport standout Nancy (Grosz) Hoeke will be inducted into the South Dakota Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Nov. 21 during the 2026 State Volleyball Tournament. In 30-plus years of coaching volleyball, her teams won 449 matches. She was at Milbank most of her career (25 years), where her Bulldogs won state titles in 2004 and 2007 and were state runners-up in 2007 and 2009. Milbank won 48 straight matches from 2004-05 and 38 straight from 2006-07.
May 28: Aberdeen native Austin Hieb has been hired as deputy athletic director at SDSU. For the last four years, Hieb served as the AD at the University of Jamestown, helping the Jimmies successfully transition from NAIA to NCAA DII. He also formerly worked at Northern State.
May 29: Groton sophomore Ryelle Gilbert broke a 38-year-old school record held by a famous South Dakotan. Gilbert ran the 800 meters in 2:22.55 at the state track meet. The previous school record was held by Augustana University president and former South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth who ran a 2:22.98 for Groton in 1988.
May 30: Northwestern senior Ella Boekelheide wrapped up one of the greatest running careers in South Dakota high school history. For the second year in a row, she was the state track champion in the 3,200 meters, 1,600 meters and 800 meters. She added an anchor leg on the Wildcats’ state champion medley relay team (Brenna Halvorsen, Rachel Melius and Elexis Kramp) this season. She has won 13 individual state titles (three in cross country and 10 in track).

Email us at dave@sdsportscene.com if you think we missed something or if you have an event you would like us to consider for this feature.