May 20: Little Wound graduate and Colorado Christian University senior Lance Christensen Jr. finished at the national runner-up at the NCAA DII Golf Championship. On the final day, Christensen Jr. was in eighth place, but rallied with an 8-under par 64 round to finish with a 203, four shots behind medalist Octavio Laurent of the University of South Carolina/Beaufort. In 2019, Christensen won the State A golf title, becoming the first golfer from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to win a state title. He often had to drive long distances to find a place to practice. Becoming an All-American was especially meaningful because he was able to come back from a serious injury. One year before on May 20, 2025, Christensen tore his hamstring.
May 29: Jacob Kindelspire of Leola won the Class B shot put state title in Sioux Falls with a throw of 52 feet, six inches. At the 2025 state meet, Kindelspire finished in last place with a throw of 36-7.
June 1: Michelle (Bruns) Kirk will be inducted into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame July 7 in Minneapolis. The Hecla native was one of the most accomplished players in the history of women’s basketball at Southwest Minnesota State from 2001-05. She was a three-time All-NSIC performer and the player of the year in 2004-05. She had 1,645 career points and 493 assists.
June 2: Aberdeen Central seniors Olivia Braun, Emma Dohrer and Chloe Vikander led the Golden Eagles to their second straight State AA golf title. Braun also won her second consecutive state individual title. Dohrer finished third and Vikander, who had a hole-in-one on the final day, tied for 13th. Coach Kim Zimmerman also received all-state finishes from Kyley Wirebaugh (tied for fourth) and Geneieve Golz (tied for 22nd ).
June 6: It has been quite a week for Faulkton senior Spencer Melius. On May 28-30 at the state track meet in Sioux Falls, he won the javelin and placed in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles. On June 1-2 in Brookings, he played in the state golf tourney. On June 6 in Brookings, he competed in the high school football Senior Bowl in Brookings.
June 6: Sioux Falls Jefferson defeated Sioux Falls Washington 11-0 to win its second consecutive State AA softball title. Coach Ed Whiting and his SFJ Cavaliers have now won 33 straight games.
June 6: Ever since high school softball was sanctioned and its first season played in 2023, Castlewood has established itself as a powerhouse in the Class B ranks. The Warriors won titles in 2023, 2025 and 2026 and finished as state runners-up in 2024. Coach Craig Horn’s Castlewood teams have gone 69-21 over the past four seasons.
June 9: Maddyn Greenway has been named the 2025-26 MaxPreps National Female Athlete of the Year. The Providence Academy standout won 13 state championships in basketball, soccer and track. She is the daughter of former Mount Vernon and NFL standout Chad Greenway.
June 12: Rapid City Stevens graduate and Oregon sophomore Simeon Birnbaum won the Division I national championship in the 1,500 meters. He also is national collegiate record holder in the event. His best time so far in a mile race is 3:56.64.
June 13: The New York Knicks won the NBA title. One of the Knicks staff members is Carson Shanks, an assistant video coordinator. Shanks is the son of Mike Shanks, the 7-footer who helped Huron win a state title and who played for Northern State. The younger Shanks, a 7-foot-2 native of Apple Valley (MN), played three seasons at North Dakota and one at Loyola/Chicago, helping the Ramblers advance to the 2018 Final Four. Carson also served as an assistant at Minnesota-Duluth and on the coaching staff of the Milwaukee Bucks.
June 17: Former Sioux Falls Washington and NSU standout basketball player Gary Evjen has died at age 76. The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame inductee and two-time All-American was the first South Dakota college basketball player to collect more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
June 18: The waterskiing Aberdeen Aqua Addicts are celebrating their 30th anniversary this summer. It also made a $100,000 investment in its home facility on the southwest edge of the city. It performed a free show at Dahme Lake to show off its new 682-seat aluminum bleachers.
June 20: Colman native Josie Mousel won the goat tying title at the College National Finals Rodeo. The University of Wyoming junior also won the all-around title to lead her Cowgirls to a national runner-up in the team standings to champion Texas A&M. Also, Sturgis native Jack Ford of McNeese State (LA) finished as the national runner-up in saddle bronc riding.
June 23: Legendary dirt-track auto racer Ron Droog of Aberdeen has died at age 78. Known and respected by his X car and as “Mr. X-citement,” Droog was a dominating force from 1975-1998 in the Dakotas, winning track titles and weekly and special races.
June 26: One of the nation’s most icon and respected auto racing flagmen Doug Clark of Sioux Falls has died at age 73. He was a prominent figure at Knoxville (IA) Raceway and Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, but he worked at tracks throughout the nation. He is a member of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.
June 25-26: Coming off a Super Bowl championship with the Seattle Seahawks, NFL star offensive lineman Grey Zabel was the keynote speaker for the 2026 South Dakota Governor’s Agricultural Summit in his hometown of Pierre.
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.
