Cross Country

Lusignan and Reichow qualify for National Championships

The men’s and women’s cross-country teams went down to Lawrence, Kan. last Friday. The women finished 17th out of the 32 teams, while the men recorded their highest finish ever at regionals, placing sixth out of 26 teams.

Senior Trent Lusignan and junior Joel Reichow finished fifth and sixth respectively, and both qualified for the National Championship Race in Louisville, Kent. Saturday, Nov. 21. Lusignan will be looking to replicate his performance from the 2013 NCAA race, where he went in ranked around 120th and finished 12th, while Reichow will look to continue his late season surge to try for his first All-American honors.

Men’s Basketball

Season begins with pair of home as road trip to TCU looms 

The Jackrabbit men opened their campaign with a pair of home games, topping Division-II opponent Chadron State 87-52, and winning their first game against a D-I opponent 85-68 over Weber State. Five Jacks scored in double-figures against the Wildcats, who were the preseason favorite to win the Big Sky Conference. Deondre Parks, who sat out the season opener, scored 16 in his season debut. After their first 2-0 start since 2010, the Jacks now hit the road for a game at Illinois State Thursday night, then head south for a Saturday matchup with Big 12 foe Texas Christian. The ISU game will be on ESPN3, while the TCU game will be available on Fox Sports Southwest.

Football

Fourth quarter rally in Vermillion has Jackrabbit fans thinking playoffs

The Jacks survived a scare from the University of South Dakota Coyotes and walked out with a 30-23 victory in Vermillion last Saturday.

The two-quarterback system again proved a boon for the Jacks, as backup Zach Lujan breathed life into the offense late, throwing for 128 yards on 6-for-8 passing. Starter Taryn Christion outgained him through the air, but provided his biggest push in the form of a 10-yard touchdown run.

The win went a long way in giving them a good shot at a top-8 seed in the FCS Playoffs. A win over Western Illinois University in the final week of the season will likely secure a first round bye for the Jacks and mean a “home” playoff game at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.

Soccer

Gophers overpower Jacks in NCAA Tournament first round. 

The Jacks soccer season came to a close in a 5-0 loss to Minnesota in the first round of the College Cup. The Jacks trailed 1-0 at the half, but lost momentum early in the second half after an own goal, moving the score to 2-0 Gophers. Confusion in the box led to a SDSU mishap giving Minn. energy to score two more goals only minutes later. The Jacks finished the year with a 12-6-3 record. After making the NCAA Tournament the last two years, look for Coach Wedemeyer’s squad to push for their first NCAA win since 2008 next season. 

Women’s Basketball

Powerhouse opponents on their way to Frost Arena this week

The Jacks began their campaign for another NCAA berth in earnest last Friday, topping Marist College 77-68 in Brookings.

The Red Foxes have won 10 of the last 12 MAAC Conference Championships and could be considered a nice teeth-cutter for the Jacks next two opponents.

First up is the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday, who were ranked No. 18 last year when SDSU upset them in Fayetteville, Ark., and aren’t quite as strong this year.

Looming on Saturday, though, is a matchup with No. 3 Notre Dame in Frost Arena.

If the Jacks get through this stretch unscathed, they might be rewarded with some consideration in the polls.

Swim and Dive

SDSU sweeps weekly awards for the Summit League

The SDSU swim and dive team split their decisions at the University of South Dakota last week, with the women falling 182-118, while the men picked up a 169-131 win.

The Jacks also swept the Summit League weekly awards, winning Swimmer and Diver of the Week on both sides. On the men’s side, senior sprinter Ben Bolinske was named Swimmer of the Week, while Parker Brown earned Diver of the Week recognition. In the women’s division, sophomore Kristin Erf earned Swimmer of the Week honors, with Olivia Olesiak receiving Diver of the Week recognition.

Both teams will be back in action Friday, Nov. 20, hosting North Dakota at 5 p.m. at the HPER pool.

Wrestling

No. 6 Virginia Tech comes to town as Jacks sit at edge of rankings

After opening up their duel season with a 1-2 record at the Minnesota Quad, the Jacks wrestlers competed in a pair of tournaments in Fargo, N.D. and Ames, Iowa.

An underclassmen contingent headed up to Fargo for the Bison Open, where freshman Zack Carlson claimed the 174-pound title.

The following day, three Rabbits nabbed wins at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open. No. 8 Cody Pack won the 157-pound division, junior Brady Ayers took the 184-pound title and No. 15 Nate Rotert claimed a victory in the 197-pound class.

The Jacks get back to the duels against No. 6 Virginia Tech in Frost Arena on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 4:30 p.m.

Volleyball

Season ends in win against Western Illinois, four recruits sign early

The SDSU volleyball season came to a close with a win over Western Illinois University, their second victory over the Leathernecks this season.

Unfortunately, the Jacks didn’t make the Summit League Tournament, so that brought five seniors’ careers to a close.

But in a piece of positive news, Head Coach Nicole Cirillo signed four recruits in the early signing period as the rebuilding process continues. Emilia Czapiewska, a 6-foot outside hitter from St. Paul, Minn., Makenzie Hennen, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Jordan, Minn., Alexandra Morrison, a 6-foot-2, middle hitter from Oconomowoc, Wis. and Ashlynn Smith, a 5-foot-11 middle hitter from LaPorte, Ind. made up the early signees for SDSU.