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event you would like us to consider for this feature.
Oct. 29: DWU volleyball coach Lindsay Wilber won her 200th career match with the Tigers in a three-set sweep over Dordt. She is in her 12th season at DWU and is the school’s all-time winningest volleyball coach. Wilber’s husband is NSU men’s basketball coach Matt Wilber.
Oct. 31: Former NSU standout Eric Kline was inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame in Florida. Kline helped the Wolves advance to the NAIA Final Four twice and finish as national runners-up in 1994. The three-time All-American helped the Wolves to a 88-16 record in three seasons.
Nov.1: USD defeated rival North Dakota 26-21 during Native Heritage Day in Vermillion. The Coyotes wore special helmets honoring South Dakota’s nine tribes. The football game featured Native American culture, recognized Native alumni, students and staff and kicked off with the Lakota Flag Song sung by MahpĂya LĂşta Middle School from the Pine Ridge reservation in southwest South Dakota. The students left on their 350-mile, one-way trip to Vermillion at 4 a.m. Saturday, and returned after the game.
Nov. 1: Warner native Cody Larson continues to tear up the track, and cross country course, at SDSU. The standout runner battled with 2024 Summit League men’s cross country champion Abraham Chelangam of Oral Roberts to win the 2025 championship in record time at Ashland (NE). Larson covered the 8,000 meters in 23 minutes, 15.59 seconds. He and Chelangam sparred for the advantage throughout the race until Larson pulled away in the final stretch. Larson not only earned All-Summit League, but also was the men’s MVP. Also making all-conference were SDSU’s Cashton Johnson (Harrisburg) who was fourth, and Dale Johnson (Sterling, IL) who was fifth. Larson has been setting records, winning races and earning awards in track as well.
Nov. 1: The SDSU volleyball team defeated USD in a thrilling 3-2 (22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 19-25 and 15-8) match. Six of the last nine matches between the two rivals have gone five sets. USD leads the all-time series 61-43.
Nov. 2: Former SDSU standout pitcher Blake Treinen and his Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series over Toronto 5-4 in 11 innings in Game Seven. It was one of the most thrilling series in MLB history, with an 18-inning game, walkoff hits, amazing pitching, thrilling base running and spectacular defense. Treinen, 37, also won World Series with the Dodgers in 2024 and 2020.
Nov. 2: On the verge of a career season, Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft had his season come to an end when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Carolina. The third-year player from Timber Lake and SDSU was becoming one of the NFL’s biggest stars with 489 yards receiving (344 yards after his catches) and six touchdowns.
Nov. 3: Three Division I coaches with South Dakota ties got first wins at their schools during the season-opening Field of 68 national event at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on YouTube. Bryan Petersen was promoted from assistant to head coach at SDSU, and his Jackrabbits defeated Merrimack (MA) 75-66. Yankton native Matthew Mors led the Jacks with 16 points, nine rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocked shots. Also at the tourney was the coach Petersen took over for, as coach Eric Henderson and his Drake Bulldogs defeated Northern Arizona 77-71. Also, former NSU and Mitchell standout Ryan Miller had his Murray (KY) State Racers at the event, and they defeated Omaha 85-77. Miller was an assistant coach at Creighton last year before taking the head job at Murray State. His nephew, Mason Miller, scored 12 points and had six rebounds for the Racers.
Nov. 3: After a tight first half, Wyoming outplayed the NSU men’s basketball team in the second half to register a 99-75 exhibition win over the Wolves in Laramie. The Cowboys are coached by former NSU standout Sundance Wicks.
Nov. 6: Rapid City native and world champion billiards player Shane Van Boening has earned a record 19th consecutive selection to represent Team USA at the 2025 Mosconi Cup Dec. 3-6 in London. This milestone has cemented Van Boening’s legacy as one of the most respected and enduring champions in American pool history. Since his debut in 2007, he’s been a staple for Team USA, bringing his ability, determination and national pride to every match on the sport’s most electrifying stage.
Nov. 7: Former Spearfish standout Matt Martin and his 2005-06 Montana Grizzly basketball teammates were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. The Grizzlies went 24-7 that season, won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and won its first-round NCAA Tournament game against the Nevada Wolfpack 87-79. Martin scored more than 1,000 points for Montana and is a former NSU assistant.
Nov. 7: The USD women’s basketball team defeated Air Force 75-50 in Vermilion behind Angelina Robles’s 22 points. It was a rare opportunity for Air Force junior Jayda McNabb to return to her home state as the former Rapid City Stevens multi-sport standout has started all her 68 career games for the Falcons.
Nov. 7: Winless in the 2024 football season, McLaughlin won its first state football title in 2025. The Mustangs defeated White River 28-8 in the DakotaDome to win the Class 9B All Nations Football Conference championship. Quarterback John Eagle Jr. led the Coach Kenny Comeau’s Mustangs with 152 yards passing and two touchdowns along with a rushing TD and an interception on defense. During the season, McLaughlin honored 2024 graduate Renzo Bull Head, a 20-year-old college student who has been missing since March as the search for him continues. Renzo is an active member of his community and his brothers, Tyler and Zack Bull Head, were on the 2025 team.
Nov. 8: The host USD football team defeated SDSU 24-17 for the first time since 2021. South Dakota running back L.J. Phillips Jr. rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including a 32-yarder for the only points of the second half. The Jackrabbits still lead the series that dates back to 1889 (6-6 tie) 58-54-7. Here are some memories of the 119-game SDSU-USD rivalry:
In 2021, USD’s Jeremiah Webb hauled in a multi-tipped 57-yard Hail Mary pass from Carson
Camp on the final play of the game to defeat SDSU 23-20. The play was the 2021 Sports
Illustrated Play of the Year.
In 2012 in honor of the renewed series as Division I schools, a USD billboard near Brookings
promoted the 2012 football game. The billboard said, “Have an old friend for dinner” and
showed a coyote running down a jackrabbit.
The matchup once inspired “Kill The Bunny” themed floats during the 1954 Dakota Days
homecoming parade in Vermillion.
The two teams have played each other twice in one season in 12 different years. They split
seven times, and SDSU won both games four of the years and USD won both one year.
Nov. 12: The USD women’s tennis team of Vermillion has signed the winningest girls’ tennis player in nearby Yankton High School history. Yankton senior Nora Krajewski signed with the Coyotes after posting a 164-13 high school singles’ record and a 150-23 record in doubles’ with sister and partner Sabrina Krajewski. Nora won three singles’ state titles and two state doubles’ titles. Nora and Sabrina won 58 consecutive matches (including the two state titles) to end their high school careers. Nora is Yankton’s first DI tennis recruit. Nora and Sabrina are the sisters of 2024 ParaOlympian badminton silver medalist Miles Krajewski.
Nov. 13: The USD women’s basketball team (4-0) defeated Kansas State 72-71 in Manhattan. The Coyotes got a three-pointer with one second left from Patience Williams off an assist from Alyssa Bartlett. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference were undefeated and were receiving votes in the DI national poll. It was the first USD win over a Power Conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) opponent since 2022 when the Coyotes defeated Ole Miss and Baylor in the NCAA Tournament.
Nov. 13: Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy defeated Elkton-Lake Benton 46-22 to win the Class 9AA football state title. The Phoenix of coach Dustin Tschetter were led by game MVPs Riley Tschetter, Luke Peters and Tate Sorensen. It was the last year for the co-op, as Marion will join with Parker next season and Freeman and Freeman Academy will continue on. Also, for Freeman native and F/M/FA assistant coach Kent Mueller, it was his 17th state championship game appearance. As a head coach or assistant, Mueller’s teams have won 14 state titles.
Nov. 14: St. Thomas More won its first state football championship by nipping Elk Point-Jefferson 48-38 in the Class 11B finals. Game MVPs Brody Lee, Noah Wald and Broeden Sales led coach Austin Hagen’s Cavaliers to the title. STM finished as state runners-up in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2014. STM long-time assistant and former athletic director Craig Nowotny, 71, is celebrating his 50th year in coaching football this year.
Nov. 14: Under coach Steve Steele, Pierre won its eighth football state title in the last nine years by outlasting Yankton 56-35 in the Class 11AA finale. Two sophomores, who came on late in the season, led the way for the Governors as Porter Hunsley had 171 yards rushing along with five touchdowns while quarterback Jerren Deal passed for 287 yards and three TDs. Others playing key roles included junior Carter Schiefelbein and seniors Cooper Terwilliger and Max Bogenhagen. The Governors (9-3) continued their streak of appearing in nine straight championship games. Pierre sent 14-year-old Jakob Van Balen out to accept the championship trophy. Jakob is the brother of former Pierre player Aiden Van Balen, who died in a car accident June, 4, 2025, at the age of 16. Aiden was honored all season in a variety of ways by the Pierre team and community. In 10 seasons as Pierre head coach, Michigan native Steele has a 94-24 record, with six of those losses coming in his first season in 2016. In Steele’s tenure, the Governors have won eight state titles, including seven state titles in a row (2017-2023). During that time, Pierre also has registered winning streaks of 20 and 18 games along with its 2024 state runner-up finish.
Nov. 14: Former NFL standout center Jason Kelce and wife Kylie Kelce, were in Sioux Falls to watch the USA Olympic Curling Trials the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
Nov. 15: The USD football team (8-4) used 300 yards and five touchdowns passing from Aidan Bouman to defeat Southern Illinois 53-51 in five overtimes. The teams each scored seven points in the first OT, and eight in the second. In the fifth OT, Bouman hooked up with Larenzo Fenner for the winning two-point conversion.
Nov. 15: The Nebraska men’s basketball team defeated Oklahoma 105-99 in what both coaches described as an electric and at times, deafening, atmosphere in front of 3,463 fans at a sold-out and stuffed Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast combined for 54 points for the Cornhuskers while Nijel Pack led the Sooners with 27 points. The teams combined to make 47 percent (29) of their three-point attempts. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg repeatedly praised the “phenomenal” and “unbelievable” atmosphere at the Sanford Pentagon, calling it a “great venue.”
Nov. 15: The NSU women’s basketball team led by Izzy Moore (16 points) defeated Nebraska-Kearney 65-60 to give coach Paula Krueger her 100th win as head coach of the Wolves. NSU also got a combined 30 points from Morgan Fiedler, Lily Klein and Megan Counts. Krueger is in her eighth season with the Wolves with a 100-91 record.
Nov. 15: Rapid City native and one of the world’s greatest billiards players, Shane Van Boening, won the Ultimate Pool USA Grand Finals National Open. He defeated a 480-player field to earn the $20,000 top prize in North Carolina.
Nov. 16: Two South Dakota college football teams didn’t earn playoff bids in their respective divisions despite stellar seasons. Coach Josh Anderson and his Dakota State Trojans went 8-2 and finished ranked 24th in the NAIA nation. The last time DSU got eight wins was in the 2017 season. Missing the DII playoffs were Coach Jerry Olszewski and his Augustana football team. The Vikings went 9-2 this season and were ranked 22nd in the nation.
Nov. 16: For the second time in as many games, the USD women’s basketball team used a buzzer-beater to claim victory, beating Idaho State 64-63 in Pocatello (ID). Angelina Robles hit the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to lift the Coyotes past Idaho State. On Thursday, USD’s Patience Williams made a three-pointer with less than two seconds left to lift the Coyotes past Kansas State.
Nov. 16: The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 in the 112th Grey Cup to win the Canadian Football League championship. One of Saskatchewan’s defensive standouts is Caleb Sanders, who played for SDSU from 2018-2022.
Nov. 16: The 2025 United States Olympic and Paraolympic Curling Team Trials for Men’s and Women’s curling took place from Nov. 11-16, 2025 in the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.
Nov. 17: After getting off to a 4-0 start, the Purdue men’s basketball team is the No. 1 rated team in the nation. A big reason for the Boilermakers’ success is former SDSU standout Oscar Cluff, who has 46 points, 44 rebounds, eight blocked shots and five assists so far this season in four starts.
Nov. 18: The SDSU volleyball team swept North Dakota 3-0 to complete an unbeaten Summit League season. Sylvie Zgonc, Rylee Martin and Joslyn Richardson were among the SDSU leaders. SDSU is now 22-3 and 16-0 in the conference to end the regular season. The Jackrabbits are the first Summit League team to go undefeated since USD went 16-0 in 2019.
Nov. 20-22: All three of South Dakota’s high school volleyball classes (AA, A and B) gathered in Rapid City for the sport’s annual state tournaments. The event featured seven of the 10 active winningest volleyball coaches in the state:
Warner’s Kari Jung (27 seasons) 802-145, eight state titles.
Northwestern’s Nora Groft (24) 732-104, nine state titles.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Darci Wassenaar (23) 699-143, 13 state titles.
Harrisburg’s Ronette Costain (30) 543-258, seven state titles.
Chester’s Jean O’Hara (25), 588-163, four state titles.
Mitchell’s Deb Thill (35), 517-500, one state title.
Harding County’s Tammy Bruha (22), 484-234.
Each of the seven coaches have accumulated their wins as head coaches at the same school.
Nov. 21: The 101st volleyball match between Warner and Northwestern was another one to remember in the storied history between the two rivals. Warner defeated its 10-mile neighbor to the south, Northwestern, 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 25-17, 25-27, 15-13) in the State B semifinals. Northwestern leads the overall series 56-45. Even though they are two of the smallest schools in the state, both programs are among the best and most consistent in results and fan bases in the state regardless of class. Since 1993, Northwestern has won 12 state titles and finished as state runners-up six times. Since 2002, Warner has won eight state titles and finished as state runners-up eight times.
Nov. 22: Cody Larson of SDSU earned a spot in the DI national cross country champion in Columbia (MO). The Warner native finished 98 th in a personal best time of 29 minutes, 34.2 seconds for 10,000 meters. There were 259 competitors. Samuel Habtom of New Mexico won the race in 28:33.9. Only six Jackrabbits in program history have earned spots in the prestigious DI race: Garry Bentley (1972, 1973, 1974), Cyle Wold (1973), Trent Lusigan (2013, 2015), Joel Reichow (2015, 2016) and Carson Noecker (2024). Wold is a Veblen graduate.
Nov. 22: Harrisburg won its fourth State AA volleyball title in a row. Coach Ronette Costain (a Webster native) and her Tigers have won 111 of their past 113 matches. The Tigers were led by senior Gabi Zachariasen, who had a hand in all four state titles.
Nov. 24: Both the USD (6-0) and SDSU (5-0) women’s basketball teams are receiving votes in the national DI poll. Connecticut is ranked first and the Jackrabbits got 24 votes and will face No. 12 North Carolina this week. USD got three votes.
