Three reasons to become a Jacks fan

By DREW CARROLL News Editor

 

New students to South Dakota State University should support the University’s sports teams for many reasons. First, it shows school pride. Second, some of SDSU’s sports teams have had some recent success. Lastly, some of SDSU’s teams have turned their programs around.

First, becoming SDSU sports fans establishes school pride early. By becoming Jackrabbits fans, students can show others that they know they chose the correct institution to attend. Support SDSU sports teams, it says “I’m not regretting attending SDSU, and I wouldn’t rather be at any other institution.” Being Jackrabbit fans is also a good way to meet new people and make new friends by creating a common interest with fellow students.

Next, some of SDSU’s teams have had high levels of success in the recent past. The first such program is women’s basketball. The team won last season’s Summit League Tournament and traveled to Corvallis, Ore. for a game in the first round of the 2015 Women’s NCAA Tournament with the Oregon State University Beavers. Unfortunately, the Jacks lost that game, but they have been to six of the last seven Women’s NCAA Tournaments, including one first-round victory against Texas Christian University in the 2009 tournament. In their off year from the Women’s NCAA Tournament, the Jackrabbit women’s basketball team made a run in the National Invite Tournament in 2013. The men’s basketball team has also been successful lately. During two out of the last four seasons, the team participated in the NCAA Tournament. Following the most recent season, the team defeated Colorado State University in the first round of the National Invite Tournament. The season before that the team played in the College Basketball Invitational. The SDSU men’s basketball team also participated in the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Another successful program is the football team. Three players from SDSU are headed to the NFL as undrafted free agents after the 2015 NFL Draft. The football team has also made appearances in the Division I FBS Play-offs following the past three seasons. All three play-off runs have come to an end at the hands of the North Dakota State University Bison in the second round game. The SDSU baseball team is also doing well. They finished third in the Summit League last season. Currently, they are second in the Summit League regular season standings with one Summit League series left to play this season. The track and field teams have also set numerous personal and school records this season. Three SDSU wrestlers competed in last seasons National Championships and they will all be returning next season.

Finally, some of SDSU’s sports programs are turning a new page. The softball program is one of these programs. After mounting only 11 wins two seasons ago, the team claimed nearly double that number with 23 victories last season under the new direction of Head Coach Krista Wood. The leadership of the volleyball program, which managed six wins in 2014, also changed hands. Nicole Cirillo will be the new head coach. Cirillo has spent the last 12 years as an associate head coach at IUPUI. During Cirillo’s tenure there, the Jaguars had four of the program’s best seasons, won three Summit League regular season titles, and won the 2013 Summit League Tournament.

The ability to show school spirit, recent successes of many programs and the potential of some programs to improve all come together to make new students to SDSU want to support the sports teams on campus.