Sept. 25: The NCAA Division II is celebrating its 50 th anniversary in 2023-24 by recognizing one man and one woman who had positive impacts in DII athletics as either athletes, coaches, administrators or contributors. A call for nominations resulted in 231 submissions from around the nation. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has nine nominees, including former NSU quarterback and Webster native Nate Breske, now the head trainer for the Buffalo Bills. Also nominated was three-time national champion swimmer Hannah Kastigar, an Aberdeen native who not only swam for the Wolves but also ran cross country and track and field. In November, DII conferences will each announce its two finalists to be considered for the DII 50 th Anniversary Gold Awards, which will be announced in June 2024.

Sept. 30: Weatherford, OK, barrel racer Emily Beisel took care of business on the last day of the pro rodeo season by earning almost $40,000 to win the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls. Beisel secured the third spot (she has earned almost $160,000 this season) out of 15 qualifying barrel racers for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. Three South Dakotans also earned spots in the 15-women NFR with Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs leading the way in the fifth position (she earned about $135,000 so far this season). This will be the 17 th NFR qualification in a row for the 58-year-old Lockhart, who in 2022 ecliplised the $3 million mark in career earnings — only the second woman pro cowgirl in history to do so. Jessica Routier of Buffalo (eighth with $119,000 in earnings this season and Summer Kosel of Glenham (ninth with $116,000) were the other South Dakotans to qualify. The other rodeo disciplines also were held in Sioux Falls as this was the first year of the event that attracted some of the nation’s best cowboys and cowgirls as the total payout was $1.1 million.

Oct. 1: Cleveland skipper Terry “Tito” Francona retired after 23 years of managing in MLB. Francona was born April 22, 1959, in Aberdeen to former Tito and Roberta (Jackson) Francona. His teams won two World Series in 2004 and 2007 with Boston and went 1,950-1,672 (13 th most wins all-time among MLB managers) with 11 postseason appearances. He managed the Phillies for four seasons, the Red Sox for eight seasons, and the Guardians for 11 seasons. Francona’s dad Tito Sr. (1933-2018) played for the Aberdeen Pheasants while his mom Roberta (“Birdie” Jackson) was an Aberdeen native and an Aberdeen Central graduate.

Oct. 2: Selby native and recently retired national champion-winning football coach John Stiegelmeier has a new role at SDSU. He is now a senior advisor with the SDSU Foundation. Stiegelmeier, a 1979 SDSU graduate, will focus on building relationships and representing the university at public events in his new role. 

Oct. 2: Bridgewater-Emery-Ethan quarterback and strong safety Drake Gustafson was named homecoming king at Ethan High School. It’s a family tradition. His only brother, Eric, was the Ethan homecoming king in 2020, and his only three sisters (Karly in 2018, Janae in 2016 and Darbi in 2016) were Ethan homecoming queens.

Oct. 3: The Rapid City Marshals will join the Arena Football League when the season opens in March 2024. The Marshals’ inaugural season was 2022 in the Champions Indoor Football League, a league the Rapid City team competed in as well for the 2023 season. After a four-year hiatus, the refurbished AFL is scheduled to kick off with 20 teams from across the nation. The AFL has had three editions, the first being launched in 1987 through 2008. The league relaunched from 2010-19. Money woes and other issues has plagued the AFL in the past. One of the league’s most famous alumni is NFL Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner.

Oct. 4: The Air Force Academy hockey team selected its four captains for the 2023-24 season, including former Aberdeen Wings standout Clayton Cosentino. The San Carlos, CA, native is a junior forward for the Falcons who played 107 games over two seasons (2019-2021) for the Wings.

Oct. 5: SDSU graduate and Randolph, MN, native Caleb Thielbar helped the Minnesota Twins win their first playoff game since 2004, snapping an 18-game playoff losing streak. Thielbar, also the Augustana pitching coach, pitched a hitless, scoreless seventh inning of relief in the Twins’ 3-1 opening round American League Wild Card win over Toronto. The next day, Thielbar pitched the Twins out of a one-out, bases loaded top of the sixth inning by getting Toronto’s Matt Chapman to ground into a double play to end the inning in the Twins’ 2-0 win which swept the series and advanced Minnesota to the Division Series against Houston.

Oct. 5: Senior Jake Olson was the State AA medalist to lead his Watertown golf team to its first state championship since 1971. Olson was the state champion in 2021 and the state runner-up last year. Coach Corey Neale’s Arrows also got a third-place finish from Kaden Rylance, who was the state runner-up in 2020. On May 22, 1971 — 52 years ago, Doug Murphy of Watertown was the medalist and he and his Arrows won the team title on their home course.

Oct. 6: Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan defeated McCook Central/Montrose 50-6 to hand BEE football coach Jeff Van Leur his 300 th win. In 44 seasons, Van Leur is 300-133, all at Emery and its football co-ops (Spencer-Emery, Spencer-Emery-Ethan, Emery-Ethan and BEE). His teams have won 13 conference titles and seven titles in 13 championship game appearances. Van Leur joins Kim Nelson of Sioux Falls Roosevelt as the only two prep football coaches in state history with 300 or more wins. Nelson is 313-143 in 45 seasons.

Oct. 6: Jack Smith of Sioux Falls Lincoln caught a Class 11AA record-tying five touchdown passes in the Patriots’ 55-13 win over Brandon Valley. Smith added a kickoff return for another TD while his quarterback Tate Schafer threw six TD passes.

Oct. 6: Led by Brayden Comstock’s four interceptions, the defense of Aberdeen Central came up with eight turnovers in its 13-0 win over Brookings. Cordell Rychlik added two more interceptions for the Golden Eagles while Andrew Jorgenson and Jett Carlson each had a fumble recovery.

Oct. 6: Custer outlasted Hill City 60-50 in a game that featured 14 touchdowns and nearly 1,000 yards of offense.

Oct. 7: Coach Garrett Raboin and his Augustana Vikings played their first hockey game in school history at Wisconsin, losing 4-0 to the Badgers.

Oct 7-8: Fort Pierre celebrated its 75 th anniversary of horse racing at the Stanely County Fairgrounds with 90 horses and 13 races. It is the only live horse racing in the state, as Aberdeen shut down its races after the 2018 season.

Oct. 7: Thomas Vanek had his No. 19 retired by the Sioux Falls Stampede, the first jersey the 25-year-old junior hockey team retired. Vanek was a 15-year-old from Austria in 1999 when he arrived in Sioux Falls, his first of three seasons with the team in which he scored 80 goals and 153 points over 108 United States Hockey League games. He went on to play two seasons at the University of Minnesota leading the Gophers to a NCAA National Championship before a 15-year NHL career (2004-19) that saw Vanek score 394 goals and 825 points in 1,098 games with eight teams.

Oct. 12: The University of Sioux Falls has hired Alexandria native Jon Hart as its athletic director. Hart was serving as the AD at Dakota Wesleyan, where he graduated in 2011 and played football and basketball.

Oct. 13: Deuel dropped Redfield 50-0 to complete its first unbeaten regular football season since 1989.

Oct. 13: Hot Springs rolled over Hill City 56-6 to give football coach Ben Kramer his 100 th career win with the Bison.

Oct. 13: Huron senior CJ Gainey scored the game-winning touchdown with a 40-yard catch from Colton McNeil with 78 seconds left. Gainey then stopped a Mitchell drive in the final seconds with an interception.

Oct. 14: Webster 2022 graduate and bodybuilder Ashley Cadwell won titles at the National Physique Committee Nebraska State Championships. She is a former high school and college volleyball player who will be departing for the Air Force in January.

Oct. 14: Augustana hockey made history at the sold-out (3,664) Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. The Vikings got their first win in program history (3-2 over Bowling Green), its first goal (Hunter Bischoff) and its first home win. Ryan Naumovski and Arnaud Vachon added goals for the Vikings while Augie goalie Zack Rose saved 25 of 27 shots.

Oct. 14: South Dakotan Kalen DeBoer and his adopted Washington home were the targets of the famed ESPN College Gameday crew and show. The biggest spectacular in college football came to Seattle to preview the No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 7 Washington game (a 123-year rivalry) later that day. Hundreds of fired up fans filled Red Square near Husky Stadium despite drizzles of rain, dreariness and the early morning hour (show started at 6 a.m. locally). Gameday hosts Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee said many of the fans had been in Red Square since 4 p.m. the previous day. Washington coach DeBoer (Milbank native) was featured prominently during the three-hour show as were his undefeated Huskies (6-0). Washington scored a game-winning touchdown with 98 seconds left in a wild back-and-forth 36-33 win over the Ducks (5-1).

Oct. 14: The two buses carrying the South Dakota Mines football team back to its home base had problems about 150 miles from Rapid City. One lost its heater, but the other one caught fire gutting the back half of the bus down to its frame. No one was injured as players noticed the fire, so the bus was able to pull over and get everyone on board off. Mines was returning home from Golden, CO, after a 45-22 loss to Colorado School of Mines. The community of Lusk (WY), near where the accident happened, put the team up for the night until the school was able to send transportation to pick up the team.

Oct. 13: U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has ordered that the Sioux Falls School District can’t eliminate its gymnastics programs in city schools as the plaintiffs in a lawsuit have shown they would suffer irreparable harm if the preliminary injunction weren’t granted. Gymnastic supporters are suing the district over its July decision to cut gymnastics as did the Rapid City School District earlier. Although the school district took steps later in the month to appeal Kornmann’s court memorandum opinion, gymnastics practice started in the Sioux Falls district on Oct. 30 along with the rest of the state’s participating schools. Without the Sioux Falls and Rapid City schools, the number of gymnastic teams competing in South Dakota had dropped to 24 (9 Class AA teams and 15 Class A teams).

Oct. 16: With Rapid City’s Becky Hammon (Las Vegas Aces) and now Sioux Falls/USD’s Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), 17 percent of the WNBA head coaches are South Dakotans.

Oct. 16: After USD’s Will Leyland (Souderton, PA) kicked a career-long 41-yard field goal as time ran out on Oct. 14 to give the Coyotes a 34-31 win over Youngstown State, it sets up a possible Football Championship Series (FCS) top-10 showdown. Sixth-ranked USD (5-1) will host rival No. 1-ranked SDSU (6-0) Oct. 28, but first on Oct. 21, USD visits Indiana State and SDSU visits Southern Illinois.

Oct. 16: The CBS Sports Network will televise the Oregon vs. Syracuse men’s basketball game at noon Dec. 17 in the Sioux Falls Sanford Pentagon. It will be the second nationally televised game of the season for the Pentagon as Auburn plays Baylor at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 on ESPN in Sioux Falls.

Oct. 17: The USD volleyball team rallied to defeat rival SDSU in five sets in front of the fourth-largest crowd (2,399) in the 2016-built Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The Jacks won the first two sets 25-19 and 26-24 before the Coyotes roared back with 25-23, 25-14 and 15-10 set wins. Kamryn Farris (Lansing, KS) led USD with 30 digs while Madison Harms (Sergeant Bluffs, IA) and Kylen Sealock (Lincoln, NE) each contributed 16 kills while Harms added eight blocks. USD has 17 straight wins over SDSU, but the Jacks still lead the series 56-40. SDSU’s last win over the Coyotes was Oct. 13, 2015, at Frost Arena, and before that, the Jacks’ last win over USD was Sept. 18, 2010 (SDSU went 0-9 vs. the Coyotes between wins in 2010 and 2015).

Oct. 17: With construction of an on-campus hockey arena (Midco Arena), Augustana will add club hockey to its athletic arsenal. The Vikings have a Division I hockey program that started this fall. Starting in fall 2024, Augie plans to field a 25-player men’s club team and a 25-player women’s club team with a head coach and a part-time assistant.

Oct. 18: The 100th Turner County crow hunt based in Parker was held the Wednesday before the pheasant opener. The hunt started in 1919, and has been held annually except for four years during WWII. Teams of two set out at daybreak and hunt crows all over the region before nightfall and returning to Parker to determine a winner. Over the years there are said to be loyalists of the event that would miss pheasant season before they’d miss the crow hunt. The 2023 winners were the Parker duo of Kevin Andersen and Dale Peters.

Oct.18: Coach Becky Hammon and her Las Vegas Aces repeated as WNBA champions. Hammon is a Rapid City native her Aces became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back WNBA titles. In her second year with the team, the Aces are 76-19 under Hammon.

Oct. 19: Rapid City Christian football team made the most of its two 514-mile round-trip journeys in a week to Wessington Springs. On Oct. 13, RCC’s Braylon Marshall scored in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run to give the Comets a 7-0 win over Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central. Tonight, RCC got its first-ever 11-man playoff win by beating WWSSC 36-7 in the State 11B opening round of the playoffs. The Comets got TDs from Lars Kieffer (a pass from Simon Kieffer), Braylon Marshall, Malachi Maseman and two from Wes Schlabach plus a 42-yard field goal from Benson Kieffer. RCC (7-2) handed WWSSC its only two losses (7-2).

Oct. 19: Rapid City Stevens senior quarterback Tate Crosswait scored all three of his team’s touchdowns in a 23-10 win over cross-town rival Rapid City Central that secured a spot in the State 11AAA playoffs for the Raiders. The Cobblers (0-9) led 7-6 at halftime. RCC has lost 24 games in a row with its last win on Sept. 10, 2021, over Douglas 27-0. It’s been 17 years since Rapid City Central football has had a winning record. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Cobblers have played under six head coaches with a 33-130 record. First-year RCC coach Brandon Colpitts told the Rapid City Journal he was proud of his team and their efforts this season: “They had enthusiasm throughout the whole year and came to get better every day, especially the seniors. They never gave up on us. We never gave up on them. Because we love them, we care about them, and it’s bigger than football.”

Oct. 20: Need cheer? Check with Sioux Valley as that school has won every State A cheer championship (2007-23, 17 th in a row) South Dakota has ever offered. Meanwhile, Dakota Valley has won 14 straight State A dance championships (2010-23) after St. Thomas More won the first three state titles (2007-09) offered.

Oct. 21: Strange things happened for the NSU football team for the Wolves to earn their third straight win. With three seconds left, left-footed sophomore kicker Drew Smook kicked a game-winning 21-yard field goal in NSU’s 28-26 win over Wayne State. Before that, Smook had missed a field goal and two PATs in the game. Plus, the Wolves trailed 19-0 at halftime, but rallied for a 25-19 lead fueled by pick-six interception touchdowns by Jake Adams and Luke Gunderson.

Oct. 22: In a big mid-season game between 5-1 teams in a nationally-televised game, Britton-Hecla/SDSU graduate Dallas Goedert and his Philadelphia teammates defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-17 on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Goedert had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, some nice blocks and helped his quarterback Jalen Hurts make some key first downs on third- and fourth-down plays by shoving him forward. NBC announcers Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth gave Goedert a lot of love for his efforts.

Oct. 23: Former USD standout Stanley Umude has signed an upgraded two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons. The three-year All-Summit League selection (1,520 career points with the Coyotes) originally signed an Exhibit-10 contract ahead of training camp, which allowed the Pistons to either retain Umude with a minimum contract or upgrade his deal. Two-way contracts offer players the opportunity to play for an NBA team and its G League affiliate. Umude, who played his final season at Arkansas, averaged 17 minutes and 9.3 points in four preseason games with the Pistons. Last February, Umude made his NBA debut on Feb. 15, 2023, scoring 2 points with 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in two minutes of action in the Pistons’ 127-109 loss to Boston while he was on a 10-day deal. Umude spent most of last season with the Pistons G League affiate (the Motor City Cruise) where he averaged 15.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Oct. 24: The U.S. Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships are coming to Rapid City June 9-14, 2025. About 300 athletes are expected. Rapid City also held the championships in 2015 and 2005. The association formed in 1971 with about 200 competitors nationwide, but now has more than 6,000 competitors.

Oct. 26: Tage Ortman had a hand in seven touchdowns and 550 total yards in Canistota’s 70-19 State 9A quarterfinal playoff win over Gregory. Ortman passed for 273 yards and four TDs, rushed for 179 yards and two TDs and intercepted a pass and returned it 98 yards for a TD.

Oct. 26: In its last three football games — all wins including two State 11B playoff wins — Rapid City Christian has traveled 2,142 miles. To end the season, RCC traveled to Wessington Springs to defeat Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central, then back to Wessington Springs to open the playoffs before getting a 13-8 quarterfinal win over previously undefeated Deuel in Clear Lake. The Comets’ defense came up big in the final 110 seconds by stopping Deuel from getting into the end zone for the winning score by stopping the Cardinals’ on four straight plays from six yards or closer out. RCC got its winning TD with 6:27 left in the game on a Simon Kieffer’s 14-yard pass to Daniel Jacobs.

Oct. 27: The first-year Augustana hockey team defeated the nation’s second-ranked Denver Pioneers in a NCAA DI exhibition contest. Augie battled back from 3-0, 4-2 and 5-4 deficits to force overtime when Chase Brand tied the score at 5 with 21.8 seconds remaining. All 10 goals in regulation came in the first (5) and third (5) periods. After two scoreless overtimes, the game went into a shootout. Jack Jensen scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the Vikings the win. Augie goalie Zack Rose faced 35 shots, stopping 30 of them.

Oct. 28: The University of Sioux Falls’ football streak of 28 consecutive winning seasons has ended as the Cougars fell to 3-6 with only two games remaining. Host Pittsburgh (KS) State defeated USF 55-6 in the Cougars' first non-conference game since joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2012. The last time USF had a losing season was 1993 when the Cougars went 2-9.

Oct. 27: A state record walleye was caught on Lake Oahe near Akaska southeast of Mobridge. Aaron Schuck, 43, of Bismarck caught the 33-inch long, 21-inch girth, 16-pound, 8-ounce walleye, which broke the 21-year-old state record for the heaviest walleye caught by hook and line. His catch erased the state walleye record weighing 16.2 pounds that was set by 73-year-old Georgine Chytka (1929-2018) of Lake Andes. She reeled in the record fish, estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, below the Fort Randall Dam on the night of Nov. 16, 2002. Her fish broke the state record of 15.3 pounds caught in 1979 in Lake Sharpe.

Oct. 28: Top-ranked SDSU cruised to a 37-3 win over No. 4 rival USD. The Jacks (8-0) ran their winning streak to 22 games and now lead the series that dates back to 1889 (6-6 tie) 57-52-7. Here are some memories of the 136-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.

• USD dominated the early years of the rivalry, going 9-0-2 against the Jacks until SDSU got its first win, 13-6, over the Coyotes in 1919. In six of the first 11 meetings, USD held SDSU scoreless.

• The Coyotes especially took pride in their 73-7 beatdown of SDSU in 1912. SDSU repaid the favor in 1963 with a 61-0 win.

• USD has scored 1,995 points in the series; SDSU 1,964 points.

• Forty-seven games have been decided by seven points or less.

• SDSU has a 34-20-4 record against USD in Brookings. USD has a 32-23-3 against SDSU in Vermillion.

Oct. 30: The Mount Marty women’s basketball team set several records in its 100-9 win over Union College of Lincoln, NE. All 14 Lancers scored, including nine points from Aberdeen Central graduate Kyra Griese. Union went 4 of 31 from the field, including 0 of 12 from three-point range and made one of their six free throw attempts. They scored 2 points in the first quarter, 3 in the second, 4 in the third, and 0 in the fourth.

Oct. 31: Denny Sanford of Sioux Falls has given Dakota State $7 million to help the school construct an indoor practice facility for all of its athletic teams. DSU is considering building the largest dome facility in the nation (600 feet long, 327 feet wide and 100 feet tall). It could be ready for use in late 2025, and it is part of a $100 million rehaul plan of the Trojans’ athletic facilities which is well under way on the campus of the Madison university. Faith native and former NSU football player Jeff Dittman is the DSU athletic director.

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