Jan. 1: Pierre native Lincoln Kienholz was thrust into a difficult national spotlight as a true freshman college quarterback with only 20 plays of experience under his belt before the 2024 Cotton Bowl. Ohio State starting quarterback Devin Brown was injured early in the second quarter in the Buckeyes’ 14-3 loss to Missouri. Plagued by poor field position and a lack of blocking, Keinholz could not rally his Buckeyes. “I feel like Lincoln got put in a tough spot there, to say the least,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day. “I thought he battled his tail off. But clearly, we didn’t help him up front. We didn’t run the ball well enough. And a freshman quarterback out there for the first time playing was rough.”
Jan. 2: Mitchell native and former Aberdeen Roncalli and Aberdeen Central coach Derek Robey picked up his 300 th career win as his Sioux Falls O’Gorman boys’ basketball team defeated Brookings 71-61. Robey has been coaching the Knights since 2005, winning six state titles in his 19 seasons at SFO. His Knights are 4-2 this season and Robey is 424-212 in his 28 seasons as a boys’ basketball coach at those three schools, and he was 122-92 in 10 years of coaching girls’ basketball at Roncalli and Central. His combined record as a high school head basketball coach is 546-304.
Jan. 3: Northern Colorado defeated host University of North Dakota 97-87 in men’s basketball. UNC is coached by Steve Smiley and UND is coached by Paul Sather. Both Smiley and Sather are former NSU standout players. Also, Sather recruited to Smiley to Aberdeen, and Sather gave Smiley his first college job as a Black Hills State assistant when Sather was the Yellow Jackets’ head coach.
Jan. 3: Paige Meyer scored a career-high 37 points to lead SDSU to a 110-102 double overtime women’s basketball win over Northern Arizona. Meyer sent the game to its first overtime with her basket with four seconds left in regulation. The last time an SDSU WBB player scored at least 37 points was on Feb. 7, 1987, when Karla Stevenson set the school record of 39 in an 85-77 SDSU win over Augustana.
Jan. 4: South Dakota State and Michigan each won five matches, but the Jackrabbits notched four bonus-point victories to carry them to a 22-17 dual victory in a battle between top-15 DI wrestling teams before a full house of 2,740 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. The 15th-ranked Jackrabbits improved to 4-2 overall in picking up their second win over a top-10 team in the last three seasons. Sixth-ranked Michigan dropped to 2-1 in duals. Getting wins for coach Damion Hahn’s Jackrabbits were Tanner Jordan (125), Derrick Cardinal (133), Cael Swensen (157), Bennett Berge (184) and Tanner Sloan (197).
Jan. 4: Known for his starring role in the 1970s TV series “Starsky and Hutch” and his No. 1 hit “Don’t Give Up On Us,” David Soul died at age 80. Born as David Richard Solberg in Chicago in 1943, Solberg spent time growing up in South Dakota and was a 1961 Sioux Falls Washington graduate. Solberg also attended Augustana for a couple of years, and was a star athlete, talented musician and youth leader in his church during his time in Sioux Falls.
Jan. 5: Lane Tietz of Groton scored 47 points in a win over Clark-Willow Lake. It broke the Groton boys’ basketball school record of 41 points set by Aaron Feser in 1991.

Jan. 6: In his first match since joining the Nebraska wrestling team, heavyweight Nash “Polar Bear” Hutmacher of Chamberlain pinned Mason Ding of Wyoming as the fourth-ranked Huskers defeated Wyoming 44-3. Hutmacher is an all-Big Ten defensive lineman for the Huskers’ football team who last wrestled in high school in 2020 where he was 166-0 and finished his career with 73 straight pins and four state titles. From his 335-pound football playing weight, Hutmacher with the help of a nutritionist dropped about 40 pounds in 45 days to make weight at 285 pounds. Vermillion native Mark Manning is the long-time coach of the Nebraska wrestling team. Hutmacher’s brother, Noah, is a member of the NSU football team.
Jan. 6: The Dakota Valley boys’ basketball team defeated Sergeant Bluss-Luton (IA) 69-41 behind Jaxson Wingert (25 points) and Luke Bruns (20). The two-time defending State A champion Panthers have now won 60 games in a row. The all-time boys’ basketball winning streak of 64 wins in a row was set in 1978-80 by Armour.
Jan. 6: SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski won the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the best offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Illinois native is the first Jackrabbit to win the award. His teammate and SDSU senior running back Isaiah Davis finished seventh in the voting.
Jan. 6: USD quarterback Aidan Bouman won the inaugural Northwestern Mutual and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s FCS national award for his community service. Bouman dedicated his season to raising money for kids with cancer.
Jan. 7: Former SDSU quarterback Chris Oladokun dressed for this first NFL regular season game. He was the back-up quarterback for Kansas City in the Chiefs’ 13-12 win over the LA Chargers. The Chargers’ starting quarterback was former NDSU standout Easton Stick. The Chiefs won 13-12.
Jan. 7: Green Bay defeated Chicago 17-9 to secure an NFL playoff berth. The emergence of rookie tight end Tucker Kraft (Timber Lake and SDSU) down the stretch has been a vital part of the Packers earning a spot in the playoffs. Kraft became a key receiving target for Green Bay in its last eight regular-season games in which the Packers won six of them. Kraft ended the regular season with 31 catches for 355 yards (11.5 yards per catch) with two touchdowns.
Jan. 7: Adam Bock and his SDSU teammates defeated Montana 23-3 to defend its FCS national football championship. Bock made one of the game’s key plays when he tackled Grizzly running back Eli Gillman inches short of the goal line on a fourth-down play to keep Montana off the scoreboard after a 15-play drive in the second quarter. The win capped a 15-0 season and extended the Jacks’ winning streak to 29 games.
Jan. 7: It was a week unlike any other in the history of SDSU athletics. Not only did its football team defeat Montana on national TV for the Jacks’ second national title in a row, Mark Gronowski on Jan. 6 became the first SDSU player to win the Walter Payton Award for best offensive player in the FCS. That night, SDSU football coach Jimmy Rogers also was presented with the Eddie Robinson Award as the FCS national coach of the year and SDSU assistant coach Zach Lujan as the 2023 FCS coordinator of the year. Also on Jan. 6, the SDSU men’s and women’s basketball teams defeated Montana State. Finally on Jan. 4, the SDSU wrestling team defeated the nation’s sixth-ranked Michigan Wolverines in a dual.
Jan. 7: The South Dakota Football Coaches Association handed a new set of awards recognizing its high school football players of the year. The awards are named for former SD players who made it big on the national stage:
 Taryn Christion (SF Roosevelt and SDSU) Quarterback of the Year: Jack Henry, Dell Rapids. 

 Dallas Goedert (Britton-Hecla and SDSU) Tight End of the Year: Jett Zabel, Pierre. 
 Dale Moss (Brandon Valley and SDSU) Wide Receiver of the Year: Jack Smith, Sioux Falls Lincoln.
 Adam Vinatieri (RC Central and SDSU) Kicker of the Year: Josue Trujillo-Melgoza, Yankton. 
 Riley Reiff (Parkston) Offensive Lineman of the Year: Hudson Parliament, Brandon Valley. 
 Kalen DeBoer (Milbank and University of Sioux Falls) Unsung Coach of the Year: Brandon
Colpitts, Rapid City Central. 
 George Amundson (Aberdeen Central) Athlete of the Year: Mason Stubbe, Dell Rapids.
 Nathan Breske (Webster and Northern State) Trainer of the Year: Chad Urban, Brandon Valley. 
 Wayne Rasmussen (Howard and SDSU) Defensive Back of the Year: Tage Ortman, Canistota.
 Jack Manders (Milbank) Running Back of the Year: Camron Maciejewski, Hot Springs.
 Chad Greenway (Mount Vernon) Lineback of the Year: Chet Carda, West Central. 
 John Dutton (RC Central) Defensive Lineman of the Year: Will Jodozi, Parkston.
Jan. 8: In the last couple of months, the Washington Huskies’ championship college football team (14-1) thrust South Dakota into the worldwide spotlight, especially Milbank, Sioux Falls and the University of Sioux Falls. Milbank native and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer and his PAC-12 champion Huskies fell to Michigan 34-13 in the national championship game. However, their run to the title game shined a bright spot on all of South Dakota not only because of DeBoer, but several of his staff members who are connected to the state. DeBoer is a former national champion player and coach at USF where he was mentored by the South Dakota legendary coach Bob Young (1939-2023).
Jan. 9: Langford native Ady Dwight of DWU was named the NAIA Academic All-American volleyball player of the year. The four-time All-American has a 3.86 grade point average in nursing.
Jan. 10: Rapid City Central graduate Josie Hill had 16 points, 18 rebounds and 12 blocks to lead her Chicago State team over Kuyper College of Grand Rapids, MI. Hill now is the Division I leader in blocks this season with 60.
Jan. 11: SDSU was named the NCAA Wrestling Team of the Week after knocking off No. 6 Michigan last week.
Jan. 12: Milbank native Kalen DeBoer has been hired as the 28th football coach in the history of the University of Alabama. He will replace legendary Nick Saban, who retired with a 292-71-1 career record and seven national titles. DeBoer won NAIA national championships at the University of Sioux Falls as a player and a coach. DeBoer has a career coaching record of 104-12. A few days ago, DeBoer’s Washington Huskies finished as the national runners-up. He won six national coach of the year awards this past season.
Jan. 12: Former SDSU standout and current European professional player Myah Selland (Letcher) was honored as one of 30 NCAA women of the year in Phoenix.
Jan. 12-14: The SDSU cheer-dance squads had a great showing at the Universal Cheer-Dance Association’s College Nationals in Orlando, FL. After a 17-hour day competing in Game Day Class A Routines, the Jacks advanced from a field of 37 teams to 24 teams in the semifinals to 12 teams in the finals where they finished eighth in the nation. The coach of the Jacks is Quiana Pardee and the captains of their 25-member squad are Erinn McSherry (Sioux Falls), Londyn Sycks (Watertown) and Haley Tvinnereim (Jackson, MN). In DI Pom, the SDSU dance team finished fifth in the nation. Its coach is Christie Pekoske and team captains are Julia Wieskus (Prior Lake, MN), Kassy Strable (Harrisburg) and Karlyn Glebe (New Prague, MN).

Jan. 13: Team Kai defeated Team Aina 24-17 in the 78 th annual Hula Bowl college all-star game. Isaiah Stalbird of SDSU had five tackles and a fumble recovery for Team Aina.
Jan. 13: Brookings graduate and SDSU junior Gus Miller won the Rimington award as the top center in FCS football. A two-year starter, Miller has helped the Jackrabbits win 29 consecutive games and the last two national titles. He is the second SDSU player to win the award as Jacob Ohnesorge was the 2017 winner.
Jan. 14: Timber Lake and SDSU graduate Tucker Kraft helped Green Bay defeated Dallas 48-32 in the first round of the playoffs. Kraft is a rookie tight end for the Packers (the youngest team in NFL history to win a playoff game). Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson (10 catches for 93 yards and three TDs) was born in Rapid City in 1999 and grew up in Wisconsin as the grandson of former Wisconsin football coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez.
Jan. 16: Landon Potts of Yankton made a 30-foot plus shot at the buzzer to tie the Bucks’ boys’ basketball game at 58 with Sioux Falls Jefferson and force overtime (Yankton eventually lost 63-60). It was the second time in 10 days that a basketball game in Yankton produced a top 10 play on ESPN’s Sportscenter. Potts’ shot was No. 6 that night. On Jan. 6, Mount Marty sophomore Cole Bowen beat the buzzer with a 70-foot shot that gave his Lancers (5-8) a 73-70 upset win over visiting Northwestern (12-3) of Iowa. Bowen shot from the opposite top of the key made the No. 3 play on the nightly worldwide top 10 plays of the day on SportsCenter.
Jan. 16: Former NSU wide receiver Dwaylon Ingram of Texas earned NCAA DII All-American status for the second time in his career. The Texan also earned the honor in 2021 for the Wolves. Other All-Americans in NSU football history: Jim Kretchman; Harlan Krein; Morris Bates; Vince Johnson; Daryl Merkwan; Dick Wherry (twice); Gordon Groos; Dave Pastian; Leon Breske; Curt Fredrickson; Larry Kolbo; Kendall Titze; Chuck Farley; Seth Kahn; Steve Hanson; Paul Kemnitz; Jason Landmark (twice); John Carda; Sam Flakus; Bryan Schmidt; Doug Coughlin; Kevin Cox; Tom Scheid; Stacy Roberts; Todd Tatum; Jim Caraway; Tony Kjaglien; Rick Knecht, Ed May (twice); Brent Sheehan; Aaron Ferrie; Kip Kieso; Bill Noble; Dave Guthmiller; Tyrone Morgan (twice); Eric Cuka; Channing Barber (twice); Conner Doherty (twice); and Chance Olson.
Jan. 16: Tourney MVP Nic Marshall lead White River to a 63-38 win over Philip in the championship game of the 56th annual Jones County Invitational at Harold Thune Auditorium in Murdo. Marshall scored 30 for the 11-1 Tigers who won their seventh straight tourney and their 26th overall.
Jan. 16: Hamlin defeated host De Smet 64-46 in a boys’ basketball game. Easton Neuendorf scored 20 for Hamlin, which ended the Bulldogs home winning streak at 45 games. De Smet, which has won the last three State B tourneys, had not lost a home game at the Dog Pound since Dec. 11, 2018 (67-45 vs. Clark/Willow Lake).
Jan. 16: For the first time in its Division I era, an SDSU athletic team entered a top-10 ranking in a DI poll. The Jacks wrestling team is ranked 10th in the nation.
Jan. 17: Former SDSU standout Megan Vogel has been hired as an assistant coach by a WNBA head coach (Nate Tibbetts) from South Dakota. Vogel will join the Phoenix Mercury after her season is done at Green Bay, where she has been for the past 11 seasons as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team. The Green Bay men’s basketball coach is former NSU standout Sundance Wicks and the athletic director is Josh Moon, who is a former NSU AD. Tibbetts is a former Sioux Falls Roosevelt and USD standout and long-time NBA assistant. He also hired Michael Joiner as an assistant for his Phoenix staff. Joiner played two seasons in the NBA’s G League for the Sioux Falls Skyforce under then head coach Tibbetts.
Jan. 17: South Dakota is having a test-run season for e-sports this year with 22 schools participating. The pilot program features 217 e-athletes from Aberdeen Central, Beresford, Canistota, Dakota Valley, Douglas, Hot Springs, Baltic, Mobridge-Pollock, Tea Area, Northwestern, Woonsocket, Warner, Todd County, Rapid City Central, Platte-Geddes, Lakota Tech, Leola, Deuel, Flandreau, Madison, Lower Brule and Sioux Falls CTE Academy. There will be a season-ending tourney hosted by SDSU. E-sports will begin its augural high school season in South Dakota next year.
Jan. 18: Isabel Aesoph hit a three-pointer late in the SDSU women’s basketball team’s 92-55 win over Omaha. It was the first career points for the Orient native and 2022 Faulkton graduate. Aesoph, a former Class B all-stater and MVP of the Lake Region Conference, joined the SDSU basketball team this season after injuries decimated the Jackrabbit roster. She is a 5-foot-6 guard whose main responsibilities are as a practice player.
Jan. 20: Timber Lake and SDSU graduate Tucker Kraft almost lifted his Green Bay Packers to a second-round win over San Francisco. Kraft’s touchdown with about 20 minutes left in the game gave the Packers a 21-14 lead. However, the 49ers would score 10 points in the fourth quarter (a touchdown with 67 seconds left) to rally and win 24-21.
Jan. 20: Four days after ending DeSmet’s home-winning streak at 45, the Hamlin boys’ basketball team ended Dakota Valley’s 62-game winning streak with a 84-62 win over the Panthers in the Hanson Classic. The Chargers were led by Easton Neuendorf (24 points and seven assists) while two-time defending State A champion Dakota Valley got 33 points and 10 rebounds from Jaxson Wingert. Armour still holds the state record for consecutive wins (64 from 1978-80), followed by Dakota Valley (62 from 2021-24) and Arlington (61 from 1937-39).
Jan. 20: The SDSU women’s basketball team defeated rival USD 73-55 in Brookings, the same score the SDSU men defeated the Coyotes by in the men’s game earlier in the day in Vermillion. The SDSU women got 15 points from Tori Nelson while Zeke Mayo led the Jackrabbit men with 20 points.
Jan. 23: NSU standout wide receiver Dakota Larson was named a first-team Academic All-American. The Arizona native not only is a three-time all-conference selection, but has a 3.80 grade point average with a major in environmental science. This is the third time Larson has been named as an Academic All-American, and he is the first three-time honoree in NSU football history.
Jan. 23: In a freshmen boys’ basketball game at West Central, Parker freshman Luke Travnicek made a 90-foot plus, buzzer-beating, full-court length shot to end the game. He got a rebound and launched a three-pointer from under the basket. West Central won the game 53-38.
Jan. 24: Olympic hero and South Dakotan Billy Mills of Pine Ridge is touring his home state, picking up honors along the way. Mills won the 10,000 meters at the 1964 Olympics in Japan, the only American ever to win a gold medal in that event. He was honored in Mitchell where a mural of his gold medal-winning moment is immortalized in corn on one of the outside walls of the Corn Palace. Mills also will be honored over the weekend at USD. The 85-year-old member of the Oglala Lakota tribe now lives in California.
Jan. 26: USD graduate and Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen cleared 19 feet, 8.5 inches (6.01 meters) in the pole vault at the USD Alumni Meet in Vermillion. The mark was the best in the world so far in 2024. It was the fourth time in Nilsen’s career that he cleared the prestigious and elusive six-meter barrier. His career best is 6.05 meters (19-10.25).
Jan. 26: Coach Garrett Raboin and his Augustana hockey team opened its on-campus Midco Arena in falling 5-2 to Ferris State (MI) in front of a sellout crowd of 3,183 fans. The $70 million arena is one of the best among the 64 NCAA Division 1 hockey teams.
Jan. 26: Hanson defeated visiting Bridgewater-Emery 74-25 as Jim Bridge became the all-time winingest girls’ basketball coach in South Dakota high school history. In 38 seasons all at Hanson, Bridge is now 630-228. Second on the all-time wins list is Dawn Seiler (629-244 in 37 seasons at Aberdeen Central and McIntosh) and Rob Van Laecken (595-224 in 37 seasons at Parkston). Seiler retired from coaching after becoming the Aberdeen Central athletic director in 2021. Van Laecken retired in 2014. A Wagner native and Northern State University graduate, Bridge has guided Hanson to nine state tournaments. This year, he is coaching his granddaughter, sophomore Taziah Hawkins and his Hanson team is 10-1. Hanson is located in Alexandria, which is 12 miles east of Mitchell.
Jan. 26: Gary native and Deuel High School graduate Danielle Sievers scored a 9.9 on the bars to help her No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners defeat Denver in the Sooners’ home opener in front of 8,400 fans. Sievers, a multiple All-American and Big 12 champion, is a junior for Oklahoma and has helped the Sooners win the last two national titles.
Jan. 27: The best high school rodeo performers in South Dakota competed at the 21 st annual 20X High School Rodeo Showcase at the 65 th annual Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City. Winners in the showcase included defending national high school champion Piper Cordes of Wall in barrel racing. Other winners were Rope Roghair of Isabel in saddle bronc; Bobby Brewer of Dupree in steer wrestling; Laramie Nutter of Rapid City in pole bending; Ryle Millar of Sturgis and Carson Sabers of Whitewood in team roping; Jackson Spencer of Faith and Casen Tibbetts of Box Elder tied for first in bull riding; Grayd Hemmingson of Bradley in bareback riding; Mataya Ward of Fruitdale in goat tying; Braden Routier of Buffalo in tie down roping; and Jaelyn Wendt of Newell in breakaway roping. Winners of the first South Dakota all-star high school rodeo in 2003 were Casey Stirling of Highmore (bareback); Reheme Sutton of Burke (breakaway roping); Cole Mohnen of Parkston (calf roping); Jennilee Thompson of Virgil (goat tying); Lee Olsen of Dupree (saddle bronc); Brett Wilcox of Red Owl (steer wrestling); Robin Shorb of Buffalo (barrel racing); Lacy Wilder of Newell (pole bending); Ty Dean and Mike Weidman of Herrick (team roping); and Dane Maher of Eagle Butte (bull riding).
Jan. 27: NSU’s Megan Pickering (Brandon) broke a 40-year-old school record by placing second in the mile at the SDSU Open in Brookings. Pickering ran the mile in 5:05.71 to break Lenae Reinschmidt’s 1984 record of 5:07.34.
Jan. 30: A record number of SDSU Jackrabbits have been invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis: running back Isaiah Davis and offensive linemen Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield. Also invited is USD cornerback Myles Harden. The NFL invites about 300 of the best college players to showcase their skills in front of its teams in Indianapolis. This year’s combine is Feb. 29-March 3.
Jan. 30: Former USD quarterback Chris Streveler, 29, signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. Streveler spent the last four seasons in the NFL, appearing in nine regular-season games with one start, playing for the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. In 2018 with Winnipeg, Streveler became the first straight-from-college quarterback to start Week 1 for a CFL team since Anthony Calvillo with the Las Vegas Posse in 1994 and the first for the Blue Bombers since John Schneider got the start in 1968. In 2019, Streveler helped the Blue Bombers win the CFL championship (the 107 th Grey Cup). In his two seasons with the Blue Bombers, he threw for 2,698 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for 1,167 yards and 22 TDs. Streveler made headlines in 2022 when he led the Jets to three comeback victories in the NFL pre-season, prompting head coach Robert Saleh to say his quarterback “probably had one of the greatest pre-seasons in the history of football.”
Jan. 31: Cameron Cohn (Houston, TX), Alejandro Rama (Pine Ridge) and Keagen Smith (Delano, MN) combined for 44 points to pace South Dakota Mines past rival Black Hills State 59-54. It was the first regular-season sweep for the Hardrockers over the Yellow Jackets since the 2016-17 season. It was the 202 nd meeting in the Basketbrawl Rivalry, with Black Hills leading the series 110-92. Meanwhile, the women’s series between the two Black Hills rivals was tied 55-55 going into Wednesday night until Black Hills State took a 56-55 lead in the series. The Yellow Jackets won 71-68 (Mines missed a three-pointer with nine seconds left) behind a combined 39 points from Kaycee Groves (Faith), Gracie Haneborg (North Platte, NE) and Jaylen Ostenson (Newcastle, WY).
Jan. 31: Not only are the five former SDSU standouts (Garret Greenfield, Mason McCormick, Jaxon and Jadon Janke and Zach Heins) making headlines at the East-West Shrine Game practices in Frisco (TX) this week, so is 2020 Sioux Falls O’Gorman graduate Tip Reiman. Born in Rapid City where he grew up, Reiman transferred to SFO from St. Thomas More in Rapid City the summer before his senior season. Reiman helped SFO win the 2019 football state championship. Reiman joined the University of Illinois program as a walk-on, and he developed into a 6-foot-5, 270-pound tight end who was one of his team’s best receivers and blockers as he started all 28 games during his Illini career. He didn’t drop a pass last season.
Jan. 31: The Northern State football team will travel to Vermillion on Aug. 29 to play the USD Coyotes to open the 2024 football season. The Coyotes lead the series 8-0 and the two teams last played in 1997, a 41-16 USD win. The Coyotes also defeated the Wolves in 1996 (52-28), 1995 (56-13), 1994 (45-21), 1993 (59-0), 1992 (47-14), 1990 (21-6) and 1923 (27-0). USD is returning a number of players — including quarterback Aidan Bouman — from one of its best seasons (10-3 in 2023) in school history. The Coyotes will play the Wisconsin Badgers in their second game of the 2024 season on Sept. 7.
Jan. 31: The University of Sioux Falls women’s wrestling team hosted the No. 1 team in the country as the Iowa Hawkeyes (16-0) defeated the Cougars 39-7. Paw Hobza (Omaha, NE) of USF won the 109-pound match as the Hawkeyes didn’t have a wrestler for that division. USF coach Toby Bryant is the former wrestling coach at Aberdeen Central.

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.