2007 spring rabbit tracks

RABBITRABBITtracks

P a s s i o n a t e . R e l e n t l e s s . C h a m p i o n s .

Volume 13, No. 1 South Dakota State University Spring 2007

G O B I G . G O B L U E . G O J A C K S .

Competing at the highest level, graduating, being sociallyresponsible, and creating memorable experiences have been coreexpectations of the athletic program for our student-athletes. Theseexpectations have been a foundation of Jackrabbits for decades.

When the decision to go Division I was made there were many concerns that theprogram would not be able to continue these expectations at the highest level. Iam proud to say that our coaches and staff have not only been able to maintainthese expectations, but have actually strengthened the program in all areas.

We have been able to demonstrate that we can compete with the nation’s best. Weare graduating our student-athletes at the highest rate in recent years andimproved our overall cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes in everyprogram are engaged in community service more than ever and student-athletesreport their experiences have improved significantly as they practice and compete.

It is a tribute to our coaches and staff for all they have accomplished in thetransition to Division I. The unknowns they faced as the transition began couldhave easily changed a solid Jackrabbit tradition that had been built through manyyears. Not only did they embrace the move to Division I, but they have handledthe challenges, going against all wisdom reported by universities who hadpreviously gone through the process.

Join me, whenever you can, to thank our coaches and staff for the professionalmanner in which they have handled the transition and especially for providing ourstudent-athletes with a Division I experience that is exceeding expectations.

Go Jacks!A message from Fred Oien

— Fred OienSDSU Athletic Director

Tip your cap to the coaches


Rabbit tracksSpring 2007, Vol. 13, No. 1

SDSU President David L. ChicoineSDSU Athletic Director Fred OienSDSU Sports Information Director

Jason HoveSDSU Assistant Sports Information Director Ryan SweeterAssociate Athletic Director/External Affairs Keith MahlumEditor Andrea Kieckhefer, University Relations

Contributing WritersDave Graves, Kyle Johnson, Cindy Rickeman, Denise Watt, University Relations

Designer Kristine Madsen, University RelationsPhotographer Eric Landwehr, University Relations

Rabbit Tracks is produced by University Relations in cooperation with the SDSU AthleticDepartment at no cost to the State of South Dakota. Please notify the Athletic Departmentoffice when you change your address.

Athletic Department South Dakota State UniversityBox 2820, Brookings, SD 57007Telephone: 1-866-GOJACKSFax: 605/688-5999Website: www.gojacks.com

Cover photo, counterclockwise from upper left: Cole Irish, 1995, an all-American in 1996Greg Geary, 2005, career leader in five hitting categoriesPeter Torgerson, 1989, threw 13 consecutive shutout inningsHarry Forsyth, 1951, began play in 1948 in State’s second yearDave Manke, 1976, an all-American in 1976

1,200 copies printed by the SDSU Athletic Department at no cost to the State of South Dakota. PE069 5/07.

60 years on the diamond — From Forsyth to Geary ........................2

Megan Vogel — The epitome of the women’s program ..................12

WNIT — History made with at the Women’s NIT ........................13

Michael Loney — A basketball player and a role model..................14

The wrestling room — It’s special for what happens inside ..................16

Jim Woster — Call him Will Rogers or the ultimate booster................18

Unsung heroes — Athletes honor those outside the arena ....................20

Gateway found — Jacks join noted football conference..................23

Ryan Meyer — State’s first D-I athlete in national meet ................24


2 • Rabbit tracks

Sixty years ago, Ernest Wingen and his teammates had to push-start a short-wheeled, white Aggie bus to get to games in Le Mars, Iowa, Huron, Vermillion,and Minneapolis.

This February, Coach Reggie Christiansen and his thirty-member traveling teamboarded a charter flight out of Sioux Falls for a three-game series in Sacramento,California.

That illustration shows how the SDSU baseball program has transported itselffrom its charter team in 1947 to the current level.

Wingen, a right-handed pitcher out of Salem, was among the World War IIveterans returning to campus. “We just wanted to go out and have some fun,” he saidof the creation of that first diamond squad at State.

Chris Iverson is a senior utilityman from Pierre on this year’s squad.He walked on as a freshman and is still playing today to fulfill a dream of playing

college baseball.

Like a typewriter and a laptopWingen’s squad took to the field nine times, playing in gray flannel uniforms withbutton-down shirts. Iverson’s squad—wearing SDSU yellow, synthetic-blend tops andsnug, white stretch polyester pants—played nine games before February ended.

The squads may look as different as a manual typewriter and a laptop computer,but beneath the surface there’s similarity.

Wingen, a retired teacher now living in Spirit Lake, Iowa, declares, “We had a lotof fun. The same as fun is today. If you’ve got baseball in your blood, when the ballstarts hitting the mitt, you want to go out there and play ball.”

Iverson says, “For me the passion of baseball is always the same. I always want tokeep on playing. The fire for me is always the same—whether it’s practice or playinga game in the summer.”

Wins, losses, fun, and friendsThrough the years, SDSU has had plenty of scoreboard success, posting 955 wins.

Of course, there also have been 823 losses and four ties (through the 2006season). Harry Forsyth, who caught from 1948 to 1951, acknowledges that his teamtook some lickings, “but it was fun.”

Don’t misunderstand; none of the generations of SDSU baseball players haveenjoyed losing. The accomplishments of sixty years of ball at State fill trophy rooms.But 1971 all-American Dean Krogman recalls what can’t be seen in a display case.

“What stands out more is the people you met and played with,” the Brookingsresident says.

For Krogman, that was Jim Langer, Lyle Pagel, and Bob Bozied. For Wingen, it

on the diamondAmusing stories, awesome achievementshighlight SDSU baseball history

Jake Rogers, a shortstop on the 2006 team.

60 years60 years

6 0 y e a r s o f S D S U b a s e b a l l

was Forsyth, equipment manager Johnny Johnson, and LyleMcCormick.

Each player has his own group of diamond friends andspecial memories. In this issue, Rabbit Tracks looks at selectedhighlights and memories through the decades.

The beginningA pitcher with strong arm, weak eyesBaseball was king in South Dakota, and indeed in the nation, asAmerican servicemen exited the military after World War II andthe nation again had the opportunity to pursue leisure.

Harry Forsyth ’51, who grew up playing Legion and townball in Redfield, remembers “amateur baseball was a big dealthen; a lot more than it is now. Of course, there wasn’t anytelevision. Every little town had a team and they’d just ring thefield with their cars and watch the games. There weren’t anylights, so every Saturday and Sunday afternoon there weregames.”

But, according to the Jack Rabbit yearbook, there hadn’t beenvarsity baseball at State for “twenty-odd years” before the 1947season.

That team formed because “a bunch of us wanted to playbaseball. We gathered in the Barn and started playing catch andpepper,” recalls Wingen, who, like many on the team, wasreturning to college after serving in World War II.

They were guided by Duane “Doc” Shefte, a returning

veteran who had a year of school left.He coached State for one year, compiling a 5-4 mark before

beginning a long career as a military recreation director. Heading the Jackrabbits in 1948 was coaching legend Jack

Frost, who is best known as a basketball coach and athleticdirector, but in those days coaches never had just one sport. “Heand [football coaching legend] Ralph Ginn came together,”Forsyth recalls.

“Baseball wasn’t like it is now. We had fifteen to twentygames scheduled and hopefully got in fourteen or fifteen. Thefields weren’t what they are today, and it didn’t take much rain tomake them muddy.

“But we had a lot of fun. Our big trips were to Sioux Cityand Omaha,” the catcher recalled.

Bidding for a no-hitterThere were no southern swings to get in early season games, butthere was some good baseball. Ernest Wingen remembers taking ano-hitter into the seventh inning of a May 28, 1947, game at LeMars, Iowa, against Western Union.

Doc Shefte pulled Wingen. “‘It looks like you’re gettingweak,’” Wingen remembers Shefte telling him. Wingen didn’tthink that, but he didn’t say so.

“You didn’t argue. You don’t argue with the coach,” Wingensays.

State’s first no-hitter came in a 1-0 win May 5, 1949, againstthe University of South Dakota at Prentice Park in Vermillion.Forsyth was catching and lanky left-hander Bob “Spud”Grosshuesch was pitching.

Spud had good natural ability, but lacked vision, literally.“Spud couldn’t see very well. He couldn’t see fingers, but he

could see my mitt,” Forsyth says of his battery mate, who woreglasses when not on the field. “I would lay the mitt on my knee.Up was the fastball, down was the curve ball. If I wiggled it, itwas a change up.

“I kept moving my fingers, but Spud couldn’t see them.Nobody ever figured out our signals.”

Rabbit tracks • 3

State’s 1966 pitching staff, from left, Dick Barnes, Bernie Van Essen, Ed Maras, and Bill Iverson.

This 1962 promotional shot is taken in what was then the LivestockPavillion. It doubled as an indoor practice facility for the baseballteam. The catcher is Jerry Matthiesen. The batter is Al Huether.


4 • Rabbit tracks

The ’50sA coach with a big heart for baseball, his playersErv Huether (pronounced Heater) arrived for Forsyth’s junioryear and coached the 1950 team to a 7-2 mark. It was his first ofthirty-three years at the helm, retiring after the 1983 season witha record of 319-376 and six conference titles.

Harry Forsyth played for Huether, was his assistant coachfrom 1955 to 1967, and was his boss (athletic director) inHuether’s final years as coach.

“Erv was a great guy. He always had a smile on his face andeverybody liked him. He loved baseball. He came in the fall of’49 as assistant football coach, freshman basketball coach, andbaseball coach,” Forsyth remembers.

Bob Ehrke ’54, a retired pharmacist living in Rapid City,calls Huether “a real gentleman.

“He treated us well. He was a fun guy to play for. Heshowed you how to do it, but was never too critical of anybody.When we went on road trips, the rules weren’t very tight. I guesswe never needed too many rules.

“I don’t know anybody who played for him that didn’trespect him. He was not a critical type of person. He loved towin. He was just as happy as we were any time we won.”

Huether, 88, still lives in Brookings but was unavailable forinterview.

Huether had no scholarships for recruiting in those days.However, the football and basketball programs did. Many baseballplayers got financial help from football or basketball scholarships.Ehrke played basketball.

But he made his mark in baseball, playing minor league ballfor 3 ½ years, reaching the Double A level.

Challenging the CanariesEhrke got a taste of pitching against pro batters when Statehosted the Sioux Falls Canaries, a Class C team in the NorthernLeague, at Hillcrest Park in 1953. It was Ehrke’s junior season andthe Canaries had just come back from spring training.

“They beat us 6-2. I think I walked more people than Iusually did. I’m sure I was nervous,” he remembers.

But the game was a moral victory for the team and a notchmark for Ehrke. The slender, 6-4 right-hander struck out elevenCanaries.

“It was good for our program and good for me. Everybodywas pleased with the game. People thought it was going to be arout and it was a good game,” says Ehrke, who notes that a goodcrowd came out on a chilly night to see how the local boyswould fare against the pros.

A conference tocompete inIn the Ehrke era, State played teams like Gustavus Adolphus,Buena Vista, and Mankato Teachers College.

By 1958, the established North Central Conference hadadded baseball to its list of sponsored sports. In 1959, State wonits first conference crown by beating Iowa Teachers College 3-2behind team MVP Chuck Risse.

He threw a four-hitter and drove in the winning run againstthe defending conference champion.

1960sAn upset on the Golden Gophers diamondThe ’60s saw SDSU win three conference titles, including back-to-back crowns in 1965-66.

One of the most memorable games in that decade cameduring one of the program’s least memorable seasons. The 1963squad was 7-13 overall, 1-5 in the NCC, but the Jacks got theirfirst win of the season at Nebraska.

Jerry Matthiesen hit a game-winning home run in a 4-3

RIGHT: BillyMcMacken, athree-time all-American, showsthe form thatallowed him towin eighteengames andstrikeout 156batters in 210innings between1987 and 1990.He was evenmore feared atthe plate, settingcareer records inalmost everycategory. His.713 sluggingpercentage is stilla school mark.BELOW: HeadCoach ReggieChristensen(opposite page,pointing) and histeam at SiouxFalls StadiumMay 16, 2006.


Rabbit tracks • 5

victory over the Cornhuskers.“[Coach] Erv [Huether] always took those southern trips”

and the team took some lickings, recalls Ron Lenz, the retiredsports information director who enrolled at State in 1962.Huether also would schedule games against the University ofMinnesota.

Jim Langer, now of Ramsey, Minnesota, played for Huetherfrom 1967 to 1970.

Games in those southern trips were against teams that hadbeen playing for a month. “With most of those teams, we wouldget thumped. It was mostly for us to get some games in. Youwouldn’t throw a baseball outside until you went south,” Langersays.

The last win vs. U of MIn 1966, the Jackrabbits took their lickings against New Mexicoand Arizona State in their southern swing.

Huether’s squad did pick off Wyoming and split with ArizonaState to take a 2-9 mark against Minnesota. The Jackrabbits andthe Gophers had met thirteen times since 1947 and had onlygotten the better of their big city foes twice.

The ’66 team, which went on to win the NCC with a 10-2mark, was armed with Ed Maras, Bill Iverson, and Bernie VanEssen.

Maras, who went to play ball at the AAA level, lost theopener 2-0. In the nightcap, Iverson and Van Essen handcuffedthe Gophers on four hits and Dick Barnes, a transfer fromMinnesota, beat his former team with three hits, including a solohomer.

The schools wouldn’t meet again until 2005 and the ’66 winremains the Jacks last win over Minnesota.

The Gophers had claimed doubleheader sweeps over SDSUin Maras’ sophomore and junior years. With half of the teamMinnesota natives, to finally claim a win from the Big Ten schoolwas satisfying individually and as a team.

“As a kid growing up, I wanted to play at Minnesota,” Marasrecalls. “Between the two games, I got five hits.”

Satisfied with StateIt was enough for Dick Seibert, who coached the Gophers from1948 through 1978, to tell Maras that he could have played forMinnesota. But the Windom High School graduate was happy tohave played for Huether.

“Coach Huether was easygoing but loved his baseball. Hedid a lot for us . . . He was the kind of guy I stayed in touch withover the years,” Maras says.

A tight end on the football team, Maras remembers thatwhen Huether was serving as assistant football coach, he wouldtalk baseball during the football season and, come winter, wouldfind facilities where the team could throw and hit.

“If he could find a building with sixty feet, we were there,”Maras recalls.

1970sA baseball team and a pit crewIn the ’70s, SDSU claimed conference titles in 1973 (shared withNorth Dakota State) and 1975.

The 1973 team was the first State squad to advance in post-season competition. (There were no Division II playoffs in theearly years of the State program.) Playing in Maryville, Missouri,

Sluggers on the1969 team, are,from left, OwenHillberg, DickPuckett, BobBozied, DeanKrogman, and JimLanger. Bozied,Langer, andHillberg wereeach all-conference thatseason andKrogman was all-conference thenext three years.

the Jackrabbits went 1-2.The 1975 team hosted the Midwest Regionals, but

dropped games to Missouri-St. Louis and Nebraska-Omaha.

The decade also produced two all-Americans—DeanKrogman in 1971 and Dave Manke in 1976. Both werethree-time all-conference players—Krogman at catcher(’70) and first base (’71-’72), and Manke in the outfield(’74-’76).

It was still the era of the multisport athlete. Krogman,an Adrian, (Minnesota), High School graduate, wasrecruited by Ralph Ginn (football), Jim Marking(basketball), and Erv Huether (baseball). Each coach gavehim a scholarship.

The opportunity to play each sport, an option hewouldn’t have had at Minnesota, lured him to SDSU.

Viva Las Vegas (New Mexico)Only once in Krogman’s era (1969-72) did State have a winningrecord, but there always was plenty of fun, especially on thesouthern trips. With eight or nine players in each of three stationwagons, the team would head for places like Albuquerque and LasVegas, New Mexico.

Krogman and Langer were teammates in 1969-70.Langer says when the team headed to New Mexico, “Erv

would go to sleep and we would put it to the floor. He wouldwake up and say ‘We’re making good time.’ We’d stop for gas andeat. We’d drive straight through.

“We’d make Albuquerque in twenty-four hours. We’d makewarp time as soon as Erv went to sleep. That’s when the speedlimit wasn’t an issue.”

A team in need of a mechanicPushing those vehicles, one of which was hauling the equipmenttrailer, had its consequences.

“One time we blew up a car,” Langer recalls. “The car filledup with smoke. There was oil on the windshield. It washilarious.”

Krogman remembers that the windows were rolled downand players had their heads stuck out the window to avoidasphyxiation. But they were able to nurse the car into a Chryslerdealership for repairs.

Another time, one of the team’s vehicles ran out of gas onthe interstate about five miles from Brookings.

Lacking a tow chain, the guys pushed the car back toBrookings. “I made Langer do most of the work,” Krogmanquips.

1980sA new coach and a national tournament berth

The Mark Ekeland era began in 1984 and it began at anunparalleled level. SDSU won twenty-seven games, the first ofnineteen straight twenty-plus win seasons, and claimed its onlyMidwest Regional title and World Series berth.

Ekeland inherited a team coming off a disappointing 14-16season and made key recruits in the summer.

Ron Lenz, sports information director then, says, “We hadsuch a conglomeration of people that it was unbelievable.”

Daryl Deneke, the Legion player of the year from Huron,arrived in 1983 after transferring from Liberty University in SanDiego. Mark Noble, who was from El Cajon, California, hadbeen spending summers on his uncle’s farm in Iowa and decidedto go to school here.

Larry Heffley had been going to school at Pennsylvania, buthis school dropped baseball. So he looked for other schools withhis major—wildlife and fisheries. He was a two-time all-conference third baseman for Ekeland.

Tim Johnson, a late recruit by Ekeland, made an impact hisfreshman year (1984) and was all-conference in 1985-87.

Dave Lane, who was recruited by Huether, was so respectedby his senior teammates that he was elected as captain in hissophomore year.

Two other Huether recruits, pitchers Greg Kallevig and RichMorehouse, were drafted in 1985 after their junior years.

Ekeland observes, “If you believe in destiny, with the guyscoming back and me coming in as coach, it really made us a teamto be reckoned with.”

6 • Rabbit tracks


ABOVE: The 1984 team celebrates its regional title at Huether Fieldat SDSU. BELOW: Brian Peterson ’85 ranks fourth on the SDSU career list insacrifice flies with eleven.


Preparing for a title runBut the success of 1984 was more than just the stars lining up inplace. It also was a matter of work and attitude.

“I have to credit the willingness of the players to have thingsmore structured. I came in and structured an off-season programwith conditioning and harder work in the weight room. I wantedcontact with them after fall baseball,” Ekeland says.

During fall play, he also was an assistant football coach.So he would get the baseball team started at 2:30 p.m. at

Huether Field, then run around the fence to football practice,leaving the team with his graduate assistant. On occasionalSundays, the Jacks would scrimmage a team like Southwest State.

SDSU managed a 5-5 mark on its southern trip and was 15-10 with a couple weeks left in the season.

But State then won twelve of its next thirteen games inclosing the regular season and winning the North CentralConference title and the Midwest Regionals. To win theconference tournament, SDSU had to twice beat Mankato, whichwon the crown every year between 1982 and 1990, except 1984.

A stubborn pitcherThe Jackrabbits also had to beat Nebraska-Omaha, which hadtaken three of four regularseason games.

The 1-0 win overUNO included some tensemound drama betweenEkeland and Mark Hofer,now in his seventh year asprincipal at West CentralHigh School. There weretwo on, none out, Stateclinging to a 1-0 lead.

“It looked like weneeded a change [inpitchers],” Ekeland recalls.

Coach Ekeland walked

to the mound, but “Mark was pretty vehement that he wasn’tcoming out. I just turned around and walked back,” Ekeland says.

Sports Information Director Ron Lenz recalls that Hofer, anall-conference pitcher, reared back and threw harder. He got twostrikeouts and a pop out from the next three batters.

Ekeland says, “You could see it in his eyes, he was fired up. Itrusted his intensity and my gut feeling. You have to know theplayer to realize he has a feel for the rhythm of the game. You seeit in his eyes and make the decision.

Never losing focusThe opener of the Midwest Regional may have seemed like lifeand death. SDSU clung to a 3-2 lead over Lewis University ofIllinois, a former NAIA national champ, with two outs in theninth inning and runners on base.

A line drive zinged back at pitcher Greg Kallevig. It struckhis shoulder and he dropped like a rock.

“Everybody was wondering what happened to our starpitcher,” Ekeland says. While several teammates rushed toKallevig, the ball ricocheted to shallow left-center field.“Shortstop Dave Lane had the sense to follow the ball and catchit over his shoulder,” Ekeland says.

Rabbit tracks • 7

Jackrabbit baseball coachesfrom 1950 to the present areshown in this May 3, 2005,photo taken at Bob SheldenField. Pictured, from left, areErv Huether (1950-1983),Mark Ekeland (1984-2003),Jack Reynolds (2004), andReggie Christiansen (2005-present).

Nick Adams (14) and histeammates celebrate a winagainst North Dakota Stateat Bob Sheldon Field April21, 2006.

SDSU then took two of three fromMissouri-St. Louis to advance to the WorldSeries.

When Rich Morehouse got the finalout, his teammates rushed the field yelling“Surf ’s up,” Ekeland says. “A little old teamfrom South Dakota was going to thenational tournament [in Riverside,California]. It was a pretty big deal.”

SDSU went two and out atRiverside, but reaching the WorldSeries was an unprecedentedaccomplishment.

“How do you top that? Iguess I heard that all my career.Looking back, I never thoughtthat would be the only timewe would go to the nationaltournament because I knewwe could compete,”Ekeland says.

1990sA stretch of greatsuccess and timelyrainsWhile SDSU neveradvanced to the World

Series again, the first half ofthe decade was State’s most

successful ever.From 1990 through 1995, the Jackrabbits only missed the

regional playoffs in 1991. Four consecutive conference titles werewon in 1992-95. In 1993 and ’94, SDSU won thirty-nine gameseach season with the 1994 team holding a school record .790winning percentage.

Ekeland recalls the 1991 season for a game the Jackrabbitsdidn’t win.

In an early season game against Division I baseball powerOklahoma University, SDSU’s Jeff LaMontagne was “pitching thegame of his life.” But the umpire tightened the strike zone. Thelead off batter walks, a routine ground ball takes a bad bounceover the third baseman’s head.

“They end up scoring three and we lost by one. . . . Thatwould have been a great win for us. Division II beating DivisionI doesn’t happen very often,” Ekeland says.

Cloudy skies smile on StateThe 1992 march to the regional tournament was notable for thegame that wasn’t played.

The University of North Dakota was hosting the conferencetournament. SDSU opened with a 5-2 win over St. Cloud Stateand saw Tracy Langer (son of Jim Langer) hit a three-run homerto send UND to a 5-3 defeat.

In the first championship game, Morningside beat SDSU 9-

7. The second game was rained out.Conference rules stated that in such situations, the

tournament winner would be the team that was undefeated goinginto the championship round. Morningside had come out of thelosers’ bracket, so SDSU was declared champion.

“I went over to their dugout [with tournament officials], andtold them we really respected their program and were sorry wecouldn’t settle it on the field,” Ekeland says.

In 1995, rain washed out Saturday’s games, creating a single-elimination conference tournament on Sunday. SDSU whippedUND 15-3 to advance to the regional playoffs.

Rewriting State standardsIn 1993 and 1994, all-American Trevor Schulte pitched his wayinto the record book with twenty-one straight wins.

Schulte set an NCAA Division II record by winning his finalten games in 1993 and his first eleven games of 1994. The streakbegan after an early season loss to Central Missouri and endedwith a regional playoff loss to Central Missouri.

A number of school records were set in the ’90s. Thoseinclude:

• Most games played — Doug Sehr, 198, 1991-94;• Most runs scored — Cole Irish, 172, 1993-96;• Batting average — Irish, .449, 1996;• Home runs — Terry VanEngelenhoven, 17, 1993;• Total bases — Billy McMacken, 1990, and

VanEngelenhoven, 1993, both 127;• Pitching appearances — Chad Coley, 70, 1990-93;• Wins — Schulte, 26, 1991-94;• Strikeouts — Schulte, 226, 1991-94.


8 • Rabbit tracks

RIGHT: TimmGronseth, left, andDane Kallevig, right,congratulate BillyMcMacken after ahome run in the late1980s. He led theteam in home runsin his all-Americanseasons of 1988,’89 and ’90.

LEFT: Greg Geary(2002-05) toppedMcMacken’s homerun total by one (43to 42). Geary also isthe career leader inhits (256), at bats(692), doubles (54)and total bases(439).

2000sWas that Notre Dame we just beat?Mark Ekeland’s career came to an unexpected end shortly beforethe 2004 season was to begin.

Two weeks before the spring season was to begin, Ekeland’sdoctor told him that his failing liver would not allow him tocontinue coaching. An interim coach, Jack Reynolds, was broughtin for the season.

“I didn’t know how sick I was,” says Ekeland, the SDSUintramural coordinator since January 2005.

“I was upset at myself that I couldn’t go to Florida [for theseason-opening games],” Ekeland says. Rather than filling outlineup cards, he was looking for a transplant donor. In August2004, he received 60 percent of the liver of a living donor.

Now healthy, he still regrets that he had to put the team in asituation where it didn’t know the coach.

Reggie takes the reinsReggie Christiansen, a small-town California boy who had beenan assistant at the University of Kansas, was hired July 19, 2004, tobecome the Jackrabbits’ sixth head coach. He overtook a teamentering its first year in Division I.

The 2005 team went 17-38 with several lopsided losses. Butthere was one big win. On March 19, SDSU was playing NotreDame at Evansville, Indiana. The Irish were coming off a fifty-win season and a trip to the NCAA tournament, and wouldreturn there again in 2005.

Notre Dame was pitching Jeff Samardzija, also a record-setting wide receiver for the Irish.

But that day, his pitching wasn’t up to par and the Irish madefive errors. “We pitched extremely well. Dalton Decker threw

four innings of scoreless relief and we had timely hitting.Everything that could go right for us did go right,” Christiansensays. The result was a 13-7 win.

Chris Iverson, then a sophomore, remembers, “It was just ourday to upset them. You were just kind of playing against the ball, itdidn’t sink in until after the game that ‘Wow! We beat Notre Dame.’”

Clipping the JayhawksThe next milestone in the Christiansen era came in SDSU’s 2007season opener, a 6-5 triumph over Kansas in a game played at theMetrodome in Minneapolis. Kansas, the defending Big 12champions, entered the game 5-0 and “pitched their top guys andplayed their top guys,” Christiansen says.

“They’d go ahead and we’d hit a home run. Plus we playedgood defense to give us an opportunity to win.”

Nick Adams and Cal Lewis clubbed solo shots and JakeRogers hit a two-run game-winner in the eighth inning.

An all-time team?Obviously, there have been dozens of Jackrabbits with outstandingcareers. As retired SID Ron Lenz asks, “How would you pick anall-time team? It would be just about impossible.”

Names like McMacken, Geary, and Irish would quickly comeup on the list, but what about Maras, Ehrke, and Kallevig. Thearguments could take us to the 2008 season and still not besettled.

Ekeland observes, “Every player made a difference whetherthey ended up all-conference or not. To win twenty or thirtygames, one player does not make a team.”

For sixty years, the spirit of the team has been the story.Dave Graves


Rabbit tracks • 9

SDSU baseball historyOverall record 955-823-3 (through 2006)May 3, 1947 — First game, a 4-0 win in Brookings over theUniversity of South Dakota. Finished the season 5-4 under DocScheft, who coached for only one year.

April 22, 1949 — First game for SDSU coaching legend JackFrost. The Jacks beat Westmar 10-6. Frost goes 8-14 in twoseasons as baseball coach.

April 14, 1950 — Erv Huether loses his coaching debut 9-8 in 11innings to Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa. There would behundreds more, and hundreds of wins. He retires after the 1983season with a 319-376 career mark and six conference titles.

March 25, 1984 — Mark Ekeland loses his coaching debut 8-4 toOklahoma City. Ekeland would coach twenty seasons, finish with a555-351 record, and lead SDSU to five conference titles.

Feb. 16, 2005 — Reggie Christiansen begins his coaching career,losing 8-2 to Kansas, where he served as an assistant coach fortwo years before taking the SDSU job.

Coach Erv Huethercarries bats into theBarn for a winterpractice in 1966.

V

10 • RabbitTracks

All Megan Vogel was hoping forwas to see some playing time.After all, the SDSU basketball

team was loaded again, returning fourstarters from a squad that a fewmonths earlier had captured the 2003NCAA Division II championship.

“I thought if I can just play alittle bit then I would be happybecause I knew they were anexperienced team,” recalls Vogel. “Idefinitely wasn’t expecting anything.Looking back it has been anunbelievable experience.”

As it turned out, the St. Peter,Minnesota, native got her wish and then some. She was in thestarting lineup for the Jacks’ 2003-04 season opener and has nevermissed the opening bell, starting all of SDSU’s 120 games duringher four-year run.

“Megan earned her starting spot as a freshman,” observesHead Coach Aaron Johnston. “ It is always hard to predict wherean incoming freshman will fit into our rotation, but it was clearthat Megan was ready for a big role early in her career.”

And, what a role the team’s lone senior has since fulfilled.She is to graduate in May with a degree in health, physicaleducation, and recreation, the 5-foot-11 Vogel wrapped up hercareer ranking second in points, third in three-point field goalsmade, fifth in rebounds, first in free throws made and attempted,and first in free throws made in a season.

In addition, she is one of only two players in school historyto score at least 400 points every year of her career, joiningShannon Schlagel, the program’s all-time scoring leader.

So, it’s not surprising when Johnston labels Vogel one of themost complete players in the history of the program.

“There are very few things that Megan doesn’t do well,” hesays. “She’s extremely versatile, which means she is someone whocan play either on the perimeter or in the post position.

“A lot of her success comes from the fact that she puts agreat deal of time into her game,” adds Johnston. “Whether it’sduring the season or the off-season, she’s always working toimprove herself.”

Traits of a leaderInterestingly enough, while growing up in St. Peter, Vogel’s sportof choice wasn’t basketball.

“I wanted to play hockey because my dad was a hockeyplayer in college,” she says of Fred Vogel who starred for theUniversity of St. John’s in Collegeville, Minnesota.

What the bump and bang nature of hockey did for Vogel wasproduce a style of play that Jackrabbit fans have greatlyappreciated over the years.

“I really like to be a physical player,” she acknowledges. “Ilike to attack the rim, andof course, I like to shoot,too.”

If not those hockeytraits, then maybe hergutsiness comes from theblack belt in tae kwon doshe earned in highschool? “I don’t knowabout that,” she says. “Ihaven’t been able to do it[tae kwon do] much sincecoming to college.”

Combine a physical nature with a personality that exudesstrength and confidence, Vogel easily fits the definition ofleadership.

“Megan is a very driven person and that always comes acrossto her teammates,” cites Johnston. “Megan was fortunate to learnfrom some great leaders when she first came, and now she isdoing the same thing for our younger players.

“She is a very good communicator and is someone who getsalong well with anybody. But more importantly, she is someonewho cares deeply about SDSU and SDSU women’s basketball.”

stands for VogelFor four victory-laden seasons,State has stood on the shoulders of its valued forward

“I feel very honored to beincluded with players likeMelissa Pater, BrendaDavis, Stacie Cizek,Heather Seiler, andShannon Schagel.”

– Megan Vogel

stands for Vogel

M e g a n V o g e l

Athletic value in many waysIt would not be shocking to findVogel with the Jacks next season asa graduate assistant coach. Shewants to make the collegiate sceneher career platform, either as acoach or an athletic administrator.

“My ultimate goal is to be acollege basketball coach,” she says.“I want to be a graduate assistantand get my first taste of coachingsomewhere.”

Away from the court, Vogel ispresident of the Student-AthleteAdvisory Council, an organization

composed of two members of each athletic team. It serves as acommunication link between athletes, coaches, and administratorsto solve common problems.

In addition, when Compliance Coordinator Kathy Heylenswas looking for a student-athlete to serve on the NCAA DivisionI Certification Steering Committee, she turned to Vogel.

“Megan was chosen because of her strong senior leadership,”says Heylens. “She is committed to academic and athleticexcellence, personal development, and service to SDSU and thecommunity. Megan has been instrumental in enhancing thequality of student-athletes’ experiences at SDSU.”

Quizzed about her knack to lead, Vogel responds withouthesitation, “I like to take the initiative. I don’t like to sit back.”

Vogel, who led the Jacks with 17.5 points per game thisseason, was named to the Division I All-Independent squad forthe second straight year in 2006-07. Combining stats and a 3.83cumulative grade point average, she was named to this year’sESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team,becoming the fourth Jackrabbit women’s basketball player to earnacademic all-America honors, and the first one in the universitydivision, which consists of Division I programs.

A Player of the Week recipient three times this year, she willalways be mentioned among the school’s best, a testimony shefinds personally humbling.

While uncomfortable discussing her accomplishments on thecourt, she opens up quite well when it comes to the team.

“I feel very honored to be included with players like MelissaPater, Brenda Davis, Stacie Cizek, Heather Seiler, and ShannonSchagel,” Vogel says.

“When I look back on my career, I can think ofthe big time games and wins like the win againstNorth Dakota in overtime to go to the Elite 8 or thewin against Kentucky for our first Division I win.However, while those games were great experiences,none of them mean as much to me as the people andrelationships that I have formed over the years,” sheadds.

A person, not just a playerAll-State honors poured in for Vogel in high school.Major schools like Boston College and the Universityof Minnesota courted her intensely, but only wanted

her to walk-on and earn a scholarship at a later date. Division IIIschools also inquired with little to offer.

Letters and phone calls were their common correspondence.When SDSU came calling, though, the dialogue was a freshchange.

“SDSU was the first school to actually sit down and talk,”relates Vogel. “They spent the most amount of time recruiting meand came to most of my games. They put in a lot of time, butmore importantly, they treated me like a person more thananybody else and notjust abasketballplayer.”

Beinga graduateofGustavusAdolphusCollege inSt. Peter,plus the factthat formerJacks’standoutsJenniferSylvester andAngie Lokenwereproducts ofthe area,Johnston wasfamiliar withthe recruitinglayout. Likewisewhen it came toVogel, thecoaching staff knewit had a prize catch.

Vogel steppedright into the startinglineup, leading theteam in rebounding,second in scoring,third in assists, fourth

“We realized Megan hadgreat basketball skills,and as we got to knowher, we also felt she wasthe kind of person wewanted to have on ourteam, too.”

– Head Coach Aaron Johnston

Rabbit tracks • 11

12 • Rabbit tracks

in steals, and fourth in three-point field goals made.“As with any recruit, we look for abilities and talents that fit our offense

and defense,” says Johnston. “We realized Megan had great basketball skills, andas we got to know her, we also felt she was the kind of person we wanted tohave on our team, too.”

Awesome experienceVogel was honored at Senior Night February 23 when SDSU hosted NorthDakota State University. The Jacks rolled to an 86-51 win, sweeping the seasonseries against the Bison, en route to a final record of 25-6.

SDSU has posted a 48-22 record against fellow Division I foes, aremarkable achievement since leaving Division II only three years ago. And, it’sno accident the mark occurred during Vogel’s tenure. In fact, the Jacks havelogged a 91-29 overall record since she donned the yellow and blue for thefirst time in 2003-04.

“Not many players have seen both sides of the transition from Division IIto Division I,” observes Johnston. “Megan is one of those pioneer athletes inour department for that reason.”

A pioneer with the unique distinction of logging the most travel miles ofany Jackrabbit player to date.

Vogel has packed her bags over the years for games in Alabama, Arkansas,California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, NewJersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Shehas even left the country for contests in the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

“I’ve been fortunate to see places that I would never have dreamed ofseeing on my own,” she says. “To do it playing basketball, something that Ilove, has been an unforgettable experience, truly awesome.”

Her involvement with SDSU athletics does run deep, even though herinitial steps on campus were rather shallow.

“When I was a freshman I was really homesick and didn’t know if I couldmake it all four years,” says Vogel. “Now I think of this as my home. If I had togo back and decide to come here all over again, I would do it again in asecond.”

Kyle Johnson

Quick facts on Megan VogelHometown: St. Peter, Minnesota.Major: Health, Physical Education and Recreation.Freshman awards: First-Team All-North Central Conference, All-NorthCentral Region team.Sophomore awards: Honorable Mention All-Division I Independentteam.Junior awards: First-Team All-Division I Independent team; namedDivision I Independent Player of the Week.Senior awards: First-Team All-Division I Independent team; threetimes named Division I Independent Player of the Week; ESPN TheMagazine Academic All-American second team; one of three teamcaptains. Selected 19th overall in the WNBA draft by Washington.Career rankings: 1,850 points (second), 783 rebounds (fifth), 194three-point field goals (third), 492 free throws made (first), 632 freethrows attempted (first), 154 free throws made in a season (first).Career notes: 15.4 career scoring average; scored in double figuresin 98 of 120 games; scored twenty or more points thirty-one times,with career best thirty-two as a senior.


Jacks hit national stageW o m e n ’ s N I T

No team in the history of women’s basketball in SouthDakota accomplished what South Dakota StateUniversity did in 2006-07.

“This has been a great season, one of the more importantyears that we’ve ever had here at SDSU,” says Jackrabbit HeadCoach Aaron Johnston. “It ranks right up there with the nationalchampionship we won at the Division II level.”

The Jackrabbits finished 25-6, losing to Wyoming in thequarterfinal-round of the National Invitational Tournamentbefore a record-crowd of 11,215 in Laramie’s Arena Auditorium,March 25.

Yes, that’s right, the women’s NIT, just a few notches belowthe more prestigious NCAA Tournament. But, for all practicalpurposes, it was like an NCAA event for the Jacks, who were thefirst team in history to be invited to play in the NIT while intransition from NCAA Division II to Division I status.

SDSU’s inaugural appearance in the Division I postseasonevent was quite remarkable, especially considering the Jacks areonly in the midst of the transition process from Division II.SDSU will be eligible for NCAA postseason competition in2008-09.

Fans behind successThis year’s Jacks received a first-round bye in the forty-eight-team NIT field. In the second round March 17 in Frost Arena,SDSU knocked off Illinois State in front of 5,719—a recordattendance for a single women’s home game that an NIT sitecoordinator labels “electrifying.”

“Wow” was the initial reaction of Illinois State Head CoachRobin Pingeton when describing what took place momentsbefore. “You guys have a great ball club, and there’s no doubt inmy mind why your team couldn’t compete at a very high level inthe NCAA Tournament.”

Five days later, the “wow” continued. The Jacks rallied to beatIndiana before another home record crowd, this time 6,053.Through forty NIT games up to that point, SDSU had two ofthe three highest attendance figures of any tournament home site.

Felisha Legette-Jack, the Indiana head coach, was taken backby what her Big Ten Conference school witnessed.

“At Bloomington we are a growing program, here at SDSU,you guys already have one,” she says. “This is a first-class situation.Our team is young and will get better, but what a vision to havebefore us, to come here, and see how it’s supposed to be done.”

As for the rockin’ nature inside Frost, Legette-Jack onlyshook her head, observing, “It’s great to see your players be partof this kind of atmosphere. With the magnitude of this intensity,with the student body support, man I wish we could bottle thestudents up here and take them with us. To play in front ofsomething like this is what it’s all about.”

Competing at high levelJohnston, who was named Division I Independent Coach of theYear for the second straight season, calls 25-6 “An awfully goodrecord, especially considering the schedule we played. We defeatedsome really good teams.

“The players deserve a lot of credit to show that it can bedone,” adds Johnston, referring to the Jacks’ astonishingly earlysuccess in Division I. “There’s great enthusiasm for our programand this year’s group did a lot to move our program forward.”

SDSU has compiled a 48-22 mark against Division Icompetition in the last three years. In addition, the Jacks haveposted wins over thirty-one different Division I teamsrepresenting fifteen conferences plus fellow independents.

Surprising? Not really, according to sophomore JenniferWarkenthien, one of five South Dakota players on the team.

“Some people feelthat a team intransition stilltakes babysteps,” she says.“Well, wearen’t aboutthat at all. Weare aboutcompeting at ahigh level.

“It’s a bigdeal for ourprogram to getinto postseasonplay,” she adds.“This is not justabout SDSU andour women’sbasketballprogram. It’s alsofor the people ofSouth Dakotaand everybodyelse out there.”

Kyle Johnson


In the not-to-distant future highschool kids will greatly benefitfrom the services of Michael

Loney.A product of Humboldt, Iowa,

Loney (pronounced low-knee) is astarter on the Jackrabbit basketballteam. He is about as busy as astudent-athlete can get with games,studies, and commitments both onand off campus.

“I just work as hard as Ipossibly can with the strength thatGod gives me,” he says of his busylife. “Dad has helped me with that

a lot. He’s always on task, writes things down, and makes sure Iget things accomplished.”

Named to the Division I Independent All-Academic team,Loney is a math education major with a 3.67 grade point average.

Away from the hardcourt and studies, Loney student teachesat Brookings High School. He has been instructing freshmen andsophomores in the algebra and geometry domain, a scene that fitshim perfectly because that’s precisely the arena where he seeshimself in the future.

“I want to be a math teacher and coach basketball,” he says.“In that situation, a person can really be a good influence onyoung kids, because it’s my aim in life to affect kids for Christand set a Christlike example.

“There are kids in school who may not have a role model to

look up to. If I can be a good teacher who helps them out inmath, basketball, and things in life, then they would be better offin many ways.”

Loney is activelyinvolved withCampus Crusade forChrist, a studentorganization thatmeets weekly in theVolstorff at TheUnion. “It’s a goodgroup,” he says. “Wehave worship and itserves as an outreachto students.”

Undersized, yetworks hardA senior academically and a junior basketball-wise, Loney will beback next season looking to finish his collegiate playing careerwhile taking some graduate-level courses.

His height is listed at 6-6 in the media guide, which drawssome good-natured skeptism from Head Coach Scott Nagy. “He’s6-5 at the most and that’s stretching it,” he says. Loney chimes in,“I’m more like 6-4 and one-half without my shoes on.”

Loney has started every game except for the days when he’sbeen on crutches. His left knee has undergone three scopes, withthe most recent one December 20, 2006, that caused him to missfive games.

Loney’s calling: Being a role model for kids

“We didn’t know if hewould be a scholarshipathlete or not. But becausehow hard a worker he wasand how tough he was, wefelt he deserved it, so wemoved him from walk-on toa scholarship player.”

– Head Coach Scott Nagy

M i c h a e l L o n e y

When quizzed if he’s back at full strength, Loney repliescalmly, “Yeah, for the most part.”

Playing for a young team that lacks height, Loney has beencalled upon to play post, which means he needs all the inches hecan muster with a good dose of cunning to boot. And, with a225-pound frame, he has held his own.

“I like to be physical,” he says. “I am undersized so I like todo some moves and go around them with head fakes. I like toshoot outside, too.”

Loney setHumboldt’s all-timescoring record, but atthe collegiate level,he finds himself inthe land of giants, anassignment he hasmet head on with thebest of his ability.

“Michael is a very physical player, who is strong and builtlow to the ground,” observes Nagy. “He may not blow you awaywith athleticism, but he will beat you with moves and he shootsthe ball very well.

“It has been a little unfair because we have had to lean onhim so much, particularly this year with no size. I think he wouldbe more effective if we were able to put more experiencedplayers around him.”

Keeping the faithNagy indicates Loney “is about as kind and gentle of a guy as youwill ever see.” He pauses a moment and adds, “There are times,though, when I’d like to see more bulldog out of him, but overallhe’s a great kid, very smart.”

Reacting to the bulldog reference, Loney chuckles andresponds, “He’s been telling me that all the time. He always wantsme to be tougher and meaner, and that’s fine. I agree with himsometimes when I think about it.”

The 2006-07 season was one with not too many highs withthe Jacks finishing the season with less than ten wins. Still, Loneyhas kept the faith in more ways than one.

“To be quite honest, basketball has been tough,” he says. “If itwasn’t for Christ, I don’t know where I’d be in life and He allowsme to bring a good attitude to practice every day.

“Don’t get me wrong, I want to win and go as hard as I canfor my teammates,” he adds. “It’s a great opportunity and that’sanother reason why I want to be here next year, too; to be herefor the guys in whatever ways they need me.”

“Special” at SDSUSpotted by Nagy at an AAU event in Sioux Falls, Loney wasrecruited as a walk-on. However, he was soon elevated toscholarship status.

“He was undersized and we didn’t know if he would be ascholarship athlete or not,” recalls Nagy. “But because how hard aworker he was and how tough he was, we felt he deserved it, sowe moved him from walk-on to a scholarship player.”

Loney, who averaged 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, and shotclose to 50 percent from the field, doesn’t regret for a moment

his decision to join theSDSU basketball program.

“It was a good leapof faith and I’m trulythankful how it turnedout,” he says. “To be witha great bunch of guys, toplay basketball at a highlevel, to go around thecountry and visit placesthat I’ll never see againis pretty special.”

His parents, Leonand Sandy Loney, seetheir son as often asthey can. When notcheering in FrostArena, they havetraveled over the yearsto tournaments inKentucky, Ohio, andFlorida. “I’m veryclose to my family,” henotes. “I’m only fourhours from home, soit’s great that they cansee me as often asthey do.”

When it’s all saidand done, Loney hasmuch more going forhimself than basketballand math, a point helikes to emphasize.

“I’m truly aboutwanting to make adifference in people’slives for Christ, that’smy desire in life,” hesays. “Someday I want tocoach players who workhard with what God hasgiven them because that’show I am. I don’t havegreat athletic skills. I justwork hard with what Ihave.”

Kyle Johnson


“I just work as hard as Ipossibly can with thestrength that God gives me.”

– Michael Loney

OPPOSITE: Looking to be a teacher and coachafter concluding his Jackrabbit basketball playingdays, Michael Loney got some hands-onexperience while student teaching at BrookingsHigh School during the spring semester. Here hehelps some freshmen in their geometryassignments. Loney, a junior from Humboldt, Iowa,is a math education major who was named to theDivision I Independent All-Academic team thisseason.


No counted cross-stitch wall hanging declares “HomeSweet Home,” but for Coach Jason Liles and many onthe SDSU wrestling team, the practice room in the Stan

Marshall HPER Center feels just that way.“A home you want to run away from sometimes,” says senior

grappler Nate Althoff after a tough Thursday practice in February.That’s because, as teammate Travis Gottschalk says, wrestling

is a sport “you love to hate and hate to love.”Both wrestlers are 22-year-old seniors. Althoff, of Watertown,

has been flopping around on the wrestling mat since he was a 3-year-old chasing his older brother. Gottschalk, of Kimball,Minnesota, was a late entrant to the sport, not starting until hewas 6.

Stepping insideThe SDSU wrestling room is directly behind the east basket atFrost Arena. Most folks have never visited there.

It’s not meant for visiting. There are no bleachers to pull up aseat. In fact, there are no seats at all. The forty-five- by ninety-six-foot room is all mats. Two rubber nitrile foam pads overlap at thecenter of the room and curve up about a foot on the east andwest walls.

Visitors, including the training staff, sit at the edge of the matagainst the wall.

There’s no sitting on the rest of the mat. Practice begins at3:20 p.m. While the rock music beats at full tempo, the wrestlersare moving with a ballad beat.

“This group, as a whole, is slow getting started with warm-ups and drills to make sure they’re ready [for wrestling]. It takes

them a little bit longer than I’m used to,” says Liles, who has beencoaching for twenty-seven years, the last fourteen at SDSU.

The approach might be compared with gingerly wading outinto cold water before beginning a vigorous swim.

Light jogging around the room is followed by stretching.Liles circulates from wrestler to wrestler, sharing some advice onthe day before the team’s home match against Eastern Illinois.

The pace of practice begins to pick up.A group of twenty grapplers do somersaults forward and

backward the length of the mat.Next up are buddy carries—running back and forth down

the length of the mat with a buddy on your back. Then the routeis repeated with wrestlers doing a fireman’s carry of their partner.Then they do a doubleleg carry of their partner.

The intensity of the practice and the music are nearly insync.

Listening to LilesLiles calls the team together.

“There are six duals left and they’re all versus teams in ourregion. If you want to get in the big dance, you need to do wellin these matches. The ones that want to do it, this is the time todo it. Throw the records out. We need to win these matches notjust to win them, but for later on,” Liles warns.

That’s about as animated as the low-key coach will get.Following a relaxed Monday practice, Liles explains, “I’m not

a shouter. I can if I feel I need to. I’m not a guy who is going tobe screaming or yelling every day.”

Nate Althoff, who has been wrestling for Liles for five years,

“The room”Wrestling rooma second home to family of SDSU grapplers


W r e s t l i n g

says, “As long as we’re working hard, he’s pretty cool about it. Ifyou’re laying down, he’ll let you know about it.”

Travis Gottschalk adds, “If we come out and lose matches weshould have won, we’ll feel it the next week.”

A time to healAfter weekend matches, Monday practices are comparatively easy.“Monday many times is a difficult time to keep the intensity up,”Liles says afterwards.

Part of that is a natural letdown after being in twocompetitive matches. Part of it is “trying to figure out who isbanged up,” the coach says.

That has become a growing group. Saturday’s match resultedin two starters—Andy Evenson and Derek Pirner—coming topractice in street clothes with ice bags taped to their knees. Theysat by the training staff next to a couple long-injured wrestlers inworkout clothes.

Before practice was done, another wrestler was getting icewrapped onto his back and shoulder.

“You get beat up. Just wrestling with each other, you’re goingto get beat up,” Althoff says of the nature of wrestling practice.

Gottschalk adds, “Bruises and bloody noses and lips are justcommon.”

Althoff says, “You’re going to get hit in the head every day.You get used to it. The time you notice it is the first few weeks.Then you don’t notice it any more.”

Wrestling with fatigueOne thing that never becomes routine is the power surge thatflows through on the competition mat.

Althoff says, “I can work out for one and a half hours hereand not feel too bad, and then go out there [to the competitionmat] for seven minutes and be about ready to puke. You’rebasically using every muscle in your body for seven minutes.

“Adrenaline keeps you going for a while, but when you’redone, you’re about ready to collapse.”

As Thursday’s practice progressed, some looked like they

wished they could collapse. After ten minutes of drilling withtheir partners, Liles had them running sprints, and then back todrills. Five minutes later the guys were sprinting again.

This time the eyes were more recessed, showing signs offatigue but at the same time knowing they must push on.

Althoff says, “Out on the [competition] mat, it forces you. Ifyou can’t push yourself here [on the practice mat], you’re notgoing to make it.”

That’s part of the “hard-nosed, aggressive attitude” that Lilessays he tries to develop in the wrestling room. It’s part ofproducing a “winning attitude. We expect to win regardless ofwho’s hurt or who’s in the lineup.

“A lot of that is our very successful tradition.”

A connection to the pastThat tradition goes back fifty years, when Warren Williamson andhis predecessors were pushing their Jackrabbits through drills on afelt-hair mat and had them running laps around the perimeter ofan L-shaped room in the back of the Barn.

Wrestlers like Dee Brainerd and Frank Kurtenbach didn’thave a scoreboard in the practice room, chin-up bars running thelength of one wall, or a stereo system to ease the pain ofconditioning. But what Liles’ troops do share with thosepredecessors is family.

“The fact that every one of you has to give their all is whatmakes you family,” Gottschalk says.

Andy Evenson, a fifth-year senior from Mitchell, adds, “Wepush each other, both physically and mentally. If we get in a fightin here, as soon as we walk out the doors, we’re friends again.We’re family.”

For Evenson, that’s literal. Little brother Adam is a freshman.But even for those who only share the blood caused by

grinding one another into the mat, there’s become a close senseof family by the end of the season.

“We’d definitely take a bullet for each other,” Gottschalkdeclares.

Dave Graves

After the big guys work out, the Brookings pee wee wrestlers takethe mat and get instruction from SDSU wrestlers such as AdamEverson (squatting), who works with Hunter Garry, left, and ConnorKlinkhammer.

Coach Jason Liles watches Travis Ahrens, left, a student coach withthe football program, and heavyweight Jason Stripling spar in thewrestling room.


While he can sing, play guitar, and speak in front of crowds, one talent has alwayseluded Jim Woster. “I’m not an athlete. I can’t even tell you how far removed Iam,” he says.

But Woster ’62 couldn’t be closer to supporting athletics at his alma mater. Abouttwenty-five years ago, he started helping with Beef Bowl—an event that would grow tochange the fall football landscape at State.

“It’s second only to Hobo Day,” Woster says. “If I could be remembered for anything atSouth Dakota State,” it would be his role inthe event.

Seems a natural fit for a man who spentmuch of his career at the Sioux FallsStockyards.

“Loved the place. It was a great place tobe,” Woster says. He began work in livestockmarketing after graduating from State with a degree in animal husbandry. “When I was akid, most everybody went to South Dakota State,” especially those interested in agriculture,says the Reliance native who originally planned to farm. “I guess I never thought aboutanything else.”

But his career with the stockyards would become one that would span decades, and inthe early 1970s, he started doing radio reports—a move that would help him become apubic relations figure recognized statewide.

“As a public relations person you were asked to help out with things,” he says.That included his university. Woster now works for the SDSU Foundation and helps to

raise funds for the school he calls “one of the greatest universities in the country.”“South Dakota State University is such a nice blend of informality and class,” he says.

“We’ve got so much class when we need it, but we’re just people from South Dakota,” wholike small-town celebrations and family reunions, he says. “I don’t think you find that a lot ofplaces.”

Woster recalls his experience as he emceed SDSU’s 125th birthday party celebration inFebruary 2006.

“It was as I sat (at) the podium at The Union, just prior to the start of the 125thcampus party, and looked at some 1,200 students, faculty, and many other alumni who haddriven to the campus for the celebration that I realized the greatness of South Dakota StateUniversity originates from its people, who we are, and where we came from.

“It was really emotional. I was thinking ‘The University is 125 years old and this iswhy.’

“We’re just farm people and small-town people,” he says. “That’s who we are here, andI’m really proud of that.”

Fond memories, future expectationsAthletics have always been a part of Woster’s love for State. As a student, he lived with awrestler, and remembers lining up early for basketball games against USD.

“Basketball games in the old Barn were something’,” he recalls. “It was small, and it wasconfined, and it was just tremendous excitement.”

Jim Wosterthe ultimate booster

“He really was Mr. Agriculturein South Dakota.”— Dan Gee, retired professor and head of South

Dakota Agricultural & Rural Leadership Inc.

More recently, Woster says thisyear’s football success, along withthe women’s basketball nationalchampionship in 2003 rank amonghis highlights.

“To watch the transition ofwomen’s basketball at SouthDakota State has been atremendous thing to watch,” hesays. Woster credits former coachNancy Neiber with the sport’sgrowth at State. “I don’t think werealized what a tremendousimpact” women’s basketball wouldhave, he notes. “It’s been a great

thing to watch.”Woster says he expects the equestrian program to grow in

popularity the next few years as well. “I think it’s going to be funto follow that,” he says.

South Dakota’s ‘Will Rogers’Woster says he recalls when, more than a decade ago, V.J. Smith,former alumni director, worked in athletics and about thirteenyears ago asked Woster to chair Beef Bowl, an event that has nowbeen a fall tradition for forty years.

He credits both Foundation and athletic staff with their partin the successful fundraising. “When you’re a volunteer, you’reonly going to do as good as the staff people,” Woster says. “It isn’tgoing to work if it isn’t first class from the staff.”

Money raised from the steer sales at Beef Bowl goes to the

Athletic Departmentand proceeds from thebarbeque and beefbundle auction fundscholarships in theAnimal and RangeSciences Department,says Cody Wright,Extension beef specialist and Beef Bowl coordinator.

“Jim’s biggest role here is helping recruit donors and buyerswilling to invest in our students,” he says. “He’s done such a greatjob building interest in the programs. He’s a great guy and isincredibly passionate about agriculture and SDSU.”

Woster had a vision to shape Beef Bowl into an event thatwent beyond just a barbeque, says Dan Gee, retired professor andhead of South Dakota Agricultural & Rural Leadership Inc.

From “meager beginnings,” the game has grown into “a funfamily day,” he says.

Part of Woster’s success comes from his connections, Geesays. “He really was Mr. Agriculture in South Dakota,” he says.“He knows what it takes to be a good public relations person.His sense of humor is what has made him a great writer and agreat public speaker.”

Gee calls Woster “the Will Rogers of South Dakota or theUpper Midwest,” because of the positive way he handles things.

“He makes a lot of things happen at this University,” he says.“It’s all about service. It’s all about a neat guy with a greatbackground.”

Denise Watt

A l u m n i b o o s t e r

“He’s a great guy and isincredibly passionate aboutagriculture and SDSU.”

—Cody Wright, Extension beef specialistand Beef Bowl coordinator

LEFT: Jim Woster enjoys breakfast with John Hansen, anSDSU student from Emery and a recipient of a JackrabbitGuarantee scholarship sponsored by Woster. The occasionwas an April 2005 SDSU Foundation event.

BELOW: Jim Woster entertains the crowd at SDSU’s 125thanniversary birthday party in The Union in February 2006.


The students all know Helen Donley as the cook at LarsonCommons who spreads love asgenerously as she stacks a sandwich.

Now, thanks to the TOP Program, the publicknows her, too.

The TOP (Thanking OutstandingPeople) Program was initiated in fall2006 to recognize unsung heroes ofthe athletic program. Studentathletes submit the nominations,and recipients are honored duringhalftime of each home game.

“The idea stemmed from thevideo boards we started lastyear,” says Micah Grenz,promotions manager forAthletics. “They highlight adifferent college each game andenlighten people about whatelse is going on oncampus. But it lacked aface; it wasn’t aspersonable.

“So we thought, let’sgo to the athletes

themselves and ask whothey appreciate and whohelps them to do better. Wefigured there’s got to besomeone like a Marty atWal-mart; there’s got to bepeople we’re missing. Manytimes, they don’t know theinpact they have onstudents’ lives.”

Helen Donley was aperfect pick.

“Helen has beennominated by somebody inbasically every sport wehave, even by multiple people on each team,” Grenz says.“Without the TOP Program, we wouldn’t have known about her.She always gives of herself.”

Does she ever.

Helen Donley“She’s just a fun, loveable person,” says Jose Frias, men’s basketballplayer and senior Spanish major. “No matter how bad your day isgoing, you see her and your day is no longer bad. She enjoys herjob more than anyone else I know. It’s refreshing to see someonehappy all the time.

Unsung heroesProgram puts spotlight on those who work behind the scene

“I’d never leave SDSU.These kids are a bigpart of my life. Takingcare of them makesme pretty happy. It’sdarned right awesome.I love these kids a lot,just like I love my ownkids.”

– Helen Donley, cook

Jose Frias


T h a n k i n g o u t s t a n d i n g p e o p l e

“She’s almost like a mother, which is very important to mebecause I’m in a whole other world here.” Frias is from NewYork City, where his mother, Mercedes Michel Frias, lives.

Donley is more than happy to assume the role of surrogatemother/grandmother to “her kids.”

“One day a kid came to me with one of my sandwiches andsaid, ‘If I had a grandma, this is just the way she’d make it,’”Donley says. “I told him, ‘Well, you’ve got a grandmother andyou’ve got a mother and she’s standing right here in front of you.’

“When mom and dad are far away and you can’t talk tothem, these kids can get lonesome,” Donley says. “I don’t carehow old a kid is, they’re never too old to be told I love you.

“I tell them to be careful so I can see them again. And theylisten. I tell them to take time, don’t be in a big hurry to growup. You’ve got a lot of life ahead, you’re too smart, too bright, Ilove you, and I don’t want to see you hurt. They walk away witha big smile on their faces. It’s really cool.”

Donley has worked at SDSU for twelve years and goeshome each afternoon to another role: caregiver for herhusband, Lister—“the coolest person in the world.” Sheworked at the Colman truck stop for many years andmoved to Brookings when Lister needed to be closer toa hospital. But Donley plans to stay put fromhere on out.

“I’d never leave SDSU,” she vows. “Thesekids are a big part of my life. Taking care ofthem makes me pretty happy. It’s darned rightawesome. I used to tell my grandma that when Igrew up I wanted to be a cook around a lot of kids.My dream came true. I love these kids a lot, just like I lovemy own kids.”

Donley’s son, Harvey Donley, lives in Estelline withhis wife, Melissa. Daughter Linda Donley lives inBrookings. But during her working hours, she countshundreds of kids as her own every day.

“I call them my sweet, adorable, little angels—ordevils,” Donley laughs. “The building really lights up whenthey come in.

“Some come in draggin’ and down in the dumps.

When I get done with them, they’re out of the dump and happyagain. Oh, baby, they feel warm inside, they feel loved inside.That’s the way every kid should always feel.”

Janet JohnsonStudents in JanetJohnson’s classes knowtheir professor cares.

“She’ll do anythingfor you,” says freshmanMaria Boever, a memberof the women’s basketballteam and the daughter ofMark and Janel Boever ofWorthington, Minnesota.

“She’s energetic, funto be around. Youlook forward togoing to her classes.”

Johnson, a language specialist, has taught at SDSU forseventeen years, developing courses in Russian,

English as a Second Language, and, most recently,Read for College Success.

“Students give me energy,” Johnson says.“When I’m in the classroom with them, Ijust come alive. I’m so interested in theteaching/learning process and have been

since I was a small child.”Johnson has a unique talent for making her

students comfortable.“The secret is to make them feel protected and

secure,” she says. “Then, the teaching/learningprocess can begin full swing. I promise them Iwon’t embarrass them or hurt them or call onthem unless they volunteer.”

Johnson and husband, distinguished professorof ecology W. Carter Johnson, raised two sons,Tellef, an independent filmmaker in Los Angeles,

“I’ve had a lot of athletesin my classes and havebeen very impressed withtheir dedication anddiscipline. They’re alwayson time, have their workdone, and come in forhelp, if needed. Theywant to excel.”

– Janet Johnson, language specialist

Janet Johnson Scott Kwasniewski Cory Mettler

Maria Boever



and Tor, a recording engineer and computer specialist inMinneapolis.

“I learned a lot from those two young boys,” Johnson says.“It was a teacher’s dream. I was so fascinated by how they eachlearned so differently. That’s how I feel with students today. I cantell if someone is on a different page. I celebrate the differencesand I think the kids can see that.”

Johnson admires the academic drive she sees in theJackrabbits.

“I’ve had a lot of athletes in my classes and have been veryimpressed with their dedication and discipline,” she says. “They’re

always on time, have their workdone, and come in for help, ifneeded. They want to excel.”

‘Scotty Kwas’Jennifer Warkenthien soadmires the job ScottKwasniewski doesannouncing the play-by-play for women’sbasketball, that shenominated him for aTOP award.

“Scotty travels withus on all of our trips andis at all the homegames,” saysWarkenthien,women’s basketballplayer, sophomore

early childhoodeducation major, andgranddaughter ofElwood and

BarbaraWarkenthien

of Willow Lake. “He makes it possible for all thefans and family members to listen to theJackrabbit games, which allows people to stayinvolved.

“Scotty is a very funny guy. He has a goodpersonality and is easy to be around. He keepsthings fun. He does a very good job covering thegame and keeping people who are listening intothe game.”

Kwasniewski, sports director for BrookingsRadio, where he has worked since 1994, feelslucky to have the job he does.

“They’re a great group of women,” he says.“They’ve been successful both academically andathletically. That kind of success is a pleasure to bearound. I see them achieve and how they work to

achieve that goal. That’s a story not everyone will see.“The coaching staff is also excellent. The players come first.

Nancy [Nieber] was pretty well connected; she knew peopleeverywhere we went, and she passed off that legacy to Aaron[Johnson], who naturally carried it over.”

Kwasniewski and his wife, Carla, have two children: daughterKaitlin, 13, and son Carter, 11. Kwasniewski helps coach hisdaughter’s basketball team.

“It’s fun to see those younger girls watch and learn and talkabout the SDSU women,” he says. “It sets a lofty goal for thosegirls, not just in Brookings, but throughout the region. It sendsthe message that those girls can go anywhere and do what theJackrabbit women do. That kind of exposure is good for women’ssports in general.”

Cory MettlerAvailability, first and foremost, won Cory Mettler TOP honors.

The electrical engineering instructor “is extremely available,and that’s extremely important,” says Travis Gottschalk, seniormechanical engineering major and the son of Scott and AstridGottschalk of Litchfield, Minnesota. “He’ll definitely help anyonewilling to put in the effort. You’ll definitely learn a lot from him.He’s just a great teacher.

“My biggest connection was he was a wrestler, like me, andwe’re both in engineering, so he knows what I’m goingthrough.”

Mettler’s own college years are not that distant. He earnedhis undergraduate degree in 2002 and his graduate

degree in 2004, both from State, then began teaching.“I identify with the students,” he says. “I’m

teaching the same classes that I took, so I rememberthe pitfalls. I use a lot of examples rather than justtheory, because that’s how I learned well as a student.

“I remember what it was like to be astudent who was torn in so manydirections,” says the Rochester, Minnesota,native who married his wife, Arielle, thissummer. “Sometimes you’re not ready foran in-depth lecture in class, but if youcan go into a professor’s office, you canget more than one viewpoint andsomething will click.

“I encourage students to come tomy office. If I’m not in the classroom,

I’m in my office. All of my time isavailable to students.”

Cindy Rickeman

JenniferWarkenthien

TravisGottschalk

Timing in sports is everything,whether it’s a winning touchdowngrab or a field goal in overtime. It’s

also true when it comes to a newconference affiliation.

SDSU will leave the Great WestFootball Conference following the 2007season and join the Gateway FootballConference in 2008. The entry into theGateway will coincide with the Jackrabbitsbeing eligible for postseason considerationand be in position to receive the league’sautomatic berth into the FootballChampionship Series playoffs.

The Great West Football Conferencedoes not have an automatic playoff bid.

The announcement came March 7from Patty Viverito, commissioner of theGateway Football Conference. NorthDakota State University of the Great WestFootball Conference was admitted as well,bringing the league’s membership to nine.

The seven other schools in the St.Louis-based conference:

• Illinois State Redbirds, Normal; • Indiana State Sycamores, Terre Haute; • Missouri State Bears, Springfield; • Northern Iowa Panthers, Cedar Falls; • Southern Illinois Salukis, Carbondale; • Western Illinois Leathernecks,

Macomb;• Youngstown (Ohio) State Penquins.

“Today, I can go to bed, and thetwenty sports there are nationalchampionships in, I can look at everystudent-athlete in our program and knowthey have equal access to postseasonchampionships starting in 2008 and 2009,”says Athletic Director Fred Oien.

Women’s equestrian has yetto be sanctioned as achampionship sport by theNCAA.

Compete for national title“This is a great day for SouthDakota State University andJackrabbit football,” says HeadCoach John Stiegelmeier. “Thetiming is perfect. In 2008, whenwe finish our reclassification [toDivision I-AA], we jump into aconference that we can competefor a conference championship,compete for individual honors, but mostimportantly, compete for a nationalchampionship. That is exciting.”

Historically, the Gateway Conferencehas been among the elite conferences inthe Football Championship Series. Aminimum of two Gateway teams havemade the NCAA playoffs in each of thepast twelve seasons, including three bidslast year and a record-setting four teams in2003.

Gateway teams have appeared in fournational championship games since 1997,winning twice, and a Gateway team hasreached the semifinals eight times in thepast eleven seasons.

The league, which was founded in1985, will now cover seven states with theaddition of SDSU and NDSU.

“The Gateway presents a lot of otheropportunities,” says Oien. “It houses andcovers almost the largest possible footprintthat we could have for our alumni base. Itcovers the largest recruiting base that we

possibly could have, and it has institutionsthat we played quite frequently back in the1960s and 1970s as a football program.”

A fair priceUnder the terms of the agreement, SDSUwill pay a $250,000 entry fee and a$500,000 penalty if it leaves theconference before eight years.

“We took a good hard look at howmuch value is there in joining anestablished conference,” observes Oien. “Ifyou would have looked at all of our goalsfor conference membership for football,the Gateway had them all.”

Besides serving as an importantalumni and recruiting area, other reasonsfor belonging to the Gateway, according toOien, are: conference prestige, a televisioncontract, financial stability, and the valuesthat the seven core schools represent.

“These are tremendous values thatdon’t come along very often,” adds Oien.“We felt the entry fee was anextremely fair price.”



Gateway bound

Football coach John Stiegelmeier,left, shares his thoughts on theGateway Football Conference at aMarch 7 press conference atSDSU. He is joined by AthleticDirector Fred Oien.

“To be in a league with nineteams, to have eight conferencegames, is a tremendous stepforward and the competition speaksfor itself. The challenge is great, butthat is the path South Dakota Statefootball has taken and we will beready. We’re really excited aboutwhere we’re going to be in 2008.”

– Head Coach John Stiegelmeier

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE PAIDBROOKINGS SDPERMIT 24

South Dakota State UniversityAthletics DepartmentBox 2820Brookings, SD 57007-1497



Redshirt freshman RyanMeyer didn’t feel like atrivia game answer when

he was wrestling at the NCAAWest Regional March 3 in CedarFalls, Iowa, but that’s what hebecame.

Meyer, of Parkston, is the firstDivision I SDSU athlete to qualifyfor postseason competition.

The 165-pounder wrestled atthe NCAA Division I NationalChampionships in Auburn Hills,Mich., March 15-17.

“I’m kind of excited because Igot to go against some really tough opponents and see how Icompare against the best in the nation,” Meyer says of his nationalmeet opportunity. That was his goal at the start of the season.

As for putting his name in the SDSU history book, Meyersays, “It’s not that big of a deal to me. . . . I guess I was just thelucky one to be first.”

SDSU began Division I competition in fall 2004 and mostsports aren’t eligible for NCAA postseason competition until the2008-09 school year.

However, the NCAA granted a waiver to allow schools intransition to tab two sports to be eligible this season. SDSUselected volleyball and wrestling.

Making the most of an opportunityAlthough Meyer was a five-time state placer and two-time 152-pound state champion at Parkston, he didn’t start his second yearat State on a pedestal. In fact, the quote in the media guide fromCoach Jason Liles was the rather generic, “He will make a strongpush for the starting spot.”

That was at either 157 or 165 pounds, but an unfortunatebreak by a teammate created a break for Meyer.

Nate Althoff, a returning starter at 165 pounds, broke his legduring the summer and wasn’t able to return until afterChristmas. Meyer had a 12-7 mark by the time Althoff, a formerDivision II all-American, was able to return.

After Christmas, Althoff and Meyer alternated matches ormoved up a weight class to put both into the lineup.

“At the end of the season, Coach Liles made a decision towrestle me at 165 and Nate at 174,” Meyer says. The plan workedfor the Parkston National Honor Society member. He went 23-9,having the most wins on the team and was one of only twoSDSU grapplers to reach the twenty-win mark this season.

Wrestling to his potentialBecause of his success during the season, Meyer had a first-roundbye in the seven-team regional.

He then won his semifinal match 5-0 to put him in thechampionship match against Northern Iowa’s Nick Baima, whowas ranked fifth in the nation. The four-time national qualifierscored a 12-3 major decision against Meyer.

The first two periods were competitive, but Baima tookMeyer down three times in the final period.

“He’s the toughest guy I’ve wrestled all year,” Meyer says.He thought a second-place finish would secure a trip to

nationals because the top two out of each weight class usuallyqualify.

The champions in each of the ten weight classesautomatically qualify for nationals. Another eleven are selected ona wild card basis by a vote of the tournament coaches.

SDSU had two other wrestlers reach the finals. JasonStripling (heavyweight) and Andy Evenson (157) also lost in thefinals and had to wrestle a true second-place match because theyhadn’t defeated the third-place finisher during the tournament.

Stripling lost that final round 3-1 and Evenson was defeated9-4. Neither gained a wild card to nationals.

Other pioneersMeyer is not the first State wrestler to compete in the Division Inational tournament. Until the early 1990s, Division II medalwinners could qualify for the Division I tournament.

In 1970, Greg Schmidt, a three-time Division II all-American, qualified for the Division I meet after placing secondat 118 pounds in Division II.

Pat Dorn, a two-timeDivision I qualifier andtwo-time Division IIchampion, was the lastJackrabbit to qualify forthe Division Itournament. Hebecame a Division Iall-American byplacing eighth in 1988.

Dave Graves

Postscript: Meyer lostboth his matches onMarch 15 and waseliminated. He suffered5-1 and 5-4 defeats.

Ryan Meyer, facingcamera, squares offagainst Dustin Olsen ofUtah Valley State in aJanuary 20 match atSDSU. Meyer won 3-2.Six weeks later hequalified for the Division INational Tournament .

A wrestling pioneerRedshirt frosh becomes State’s first D-I athlete to reach nationals

R y a n M e y e r

A message from Keith Mahlum

Visionary is an oft-used term to describe individuals or organizations thatsee things before they happen or anticipate what needs to be done inadvance. Those who possess this quality chart the course for future successconfidently and stretch the imagination of those associated with theorganization. Ultimately, those with vision ask what can be whileexperiencing what is.

Thanks to a strong group of leaders and your generous support, we havehad a bold vision for SDSU for a long time. We have set our goals highand proactively engaged in strategic planning to prepare for success. Duringthis process we have embraced our land-grant mission and athletic identity

to reach new heights. We are now poised to continue our program’s maturation as weenter new conference memberships.

To maximize our success we need to use our institutional memory as a foundation forour future decisions. We need to balance what has occurred with what we want toaccomplish. In that light, a great friend of SDSU once shared with me a pearl ofwisdom about three years ago. He said, “There’s a reason the windshield is much largerthan the rearview mirror.”

To me this should remind us that what has happened in the past directly affects whatmay happen, but scanning the environment and anticipating what may happen oftenplays a larger role in getting to where you want to be. In our department, we hold thelong-standing values of Jackrabbit athletics closely as we make decisions that will shapeour student-athlete experience. We spend much more time, however, looking aheadaspiring to provide world-class opportunities for members of our teams. We always havehad and always will have high intentions.

We glance in our rearview mirror momentarily to gain perspective as to where we’vebeen, but we gaze through our windshield wondering “what could be.” We like whatwe see out our windshield. We see: optimism, enhanced expectations, excitement, andunprecedented achievement. We invite you to take a look too. There’s enough room foryou in the front seat. Hop in.

Keith MahlumAssociate Athletic Director / Development Director


‘What’s in your windshield’

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