South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Last updated
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State Jackrabbits logo.svg
University South Dakota State University
Conference Summit League (primary)
Missouri Valley Football Conference
Big 12 Conference
ECAC (equestrian)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorJustin Sell
Location Brookings, South Dakota
Varsity teams19
Football stadium Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
Basketball arena Frost Arena
Baseball stadium Erv Huether Field
MascotJack Rabbit
NicknameJackrabbits
Fight songRing the Bell
ColorsBlue and yellow [1]
   
Website www.gojacks.com
South Dakota State University logo.svg
Summit League logo in South Dakota State's colors Summit logo in South Dakota State colors.svg
Summit League logo in South Dakota State's colors

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are the 19 intercollegiate teams representing South Dakota State University that compete in the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I (for football: Football Championship Subdivision). SDSU is currently a member of the Summit League, the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Big 12 Conference and Varsity Equestrian. The university won numerous conference championships and several national titles including the NCAA College Division national title in men's basketball in 1963 and the NCAA Division II national title in women's basketball in 2003.

Contents

South Dakota State football has become a perennial FCS power. Their program is a constant presence in the top ten in the polls and annual national title contender. Winning the MVFC title in 2016, 2020, 2022 & 2023 and having qualified for 12 consecutive playoffs (13 overall), they’ve been FCS playoffs semifinalists 6 times in that time span, were the national runners-up in 2020 and became first time National Champions on January 8, 2023, by beating their rivals, North Dakota State, by a score of 45 to 21. They repeated as national champions on January 7th, 2024 by defeating Montana 23-3 and finishing a perfect 15-0. The 2024 Championship run saw SDSU outscore their 4 playoff opponents 146-15. The football team is currently a 29 game winning streak. 3rd best in FCS football history.

The 2011–2012 season marked the fifth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Jackrabbit women's basketball team, capping a season in which the Jackrabbits won the regular-season Summit League title and their fifth consecutive Summit League Tournament title. In 2019 the Jackrabbit women’s basketball advanced to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen. They were also the 2022 WNIT tournament champions, defeating Seton Hall 82-50.

The Jackrabbit men’s basketball team qualified for its first NCAA Tournament in the 2012–13 season following a second-place regular season finish in the Summit League and winning the Summit League Tournament title. In 2022 the Men’s basketball team broke the Summit League and school record with 30 wins and also became the first school to run the table in conference play at 18–0. They then qualified for their 6th NCAA tournament, going a full 21-0 against conference foes. They ended their season at 30-5 (18-0).

The Jackrabbit baseball team qualified for the 2013 NCAA Tournament and traveled to Eugene, Oregon, losing the first game to eventual regional champion Oregon and then being eliminated by the University of San Francisco in a 13-inning defensive battle.

In 2018, the school had its first Division I champion wrestler with Seth Gross.

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross countryEquestrian
Football Golf
GolfSoccer
Swimming and divingSoftball
Track and fieldSwimming and diving
WrestlingTrack and field
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Athletic facilities

South Dakota State has some of the best athletic facilities in their region, The Summit League, and the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Some of the university's venues compete as some of the finest in the nation (Sanford Jackrabbit Athlete Complex and the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium).

The Dykhouse Student Athlete Center, the home of Jackrabbit football, opened prior to the 2010 football season. The Sanford Jackrabbit Athlete Complex, a state-of-the-art indoor practice and competition facility opened October 11, 2014. It is immediately north of and attached to the Dykhouse Student Athlete Center. The SJAC has bleacher seating for up to 1,000 spectators and can be used for track practice and track meets, football practice, softball and baseball practice, and other events within the SDSU athletic department. It has been recently furbished with a state-of-the-art indoor golf practice area consisting of 4500 square feet of practice space, with slope, sand traps and simulators for rainy weather and the winter months. When completed, the 149,284-square foot facility was the largest indoor practice facility in Division I athletics and features an eight-lane, 300-meter track, one of only five collegiate indoor tracks of that size in the nation. Inside the track is an 80-yard football field plus end zones at each end. The turf in the facility is soy-based Astroturf. The SJAC has areas for sports medicine including rehab space, a training room, additional weight-training facilities, hydrotherapy, a football team room, offices and academic advising facilities. The Dykhouse Student Athlete Center is immediately north of the new stadium for Jackrabbit football, the 19,340-capacity Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, opened in the Fall of 2016. The Dykhouse Stadium was constructed for easy expansion to 22,500 and the potential for future expansion to a capacity of 40,000. Like the SJAC, the turf in the Stadium is soy-based Astroturf.

In November 2018, SDSU finished construction on a new practice facility connected to Frost Arena that contains 2 full-size practice courts for men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball.

The Frank J. Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center opened in Fall 2022. The 16,000 sq. ft. building is on the southwest corner of the SJAC and provides practice area and locker rooms.

Frost Arena is currently undergoing a $50 million renovation that will change the name to First Bank & Trust Arena. First Bank & Trust committed the lead gift of $20 million. The arena renovation will include premium seating areas & suites, state-of-the-art video board and display systems, an enhanced sound system, a more spacious concourse, and improved restrooms. New and improved locker rooms and offices are also a part of the design for the renovated arena, which will have an estimated capacity of 5,500.

Fundraising has started for a new on-campus soccer stadium across from Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium & Artificial Turf for the Erv Huether Field & The Jackrabbit Softball Stadium.

National championships

Team

SportAssociationDivisionYearOpponent/Runner-upScore
Football (1)NCAA Division I (FCS) 2022 North Dakota State 45–21
Men's basketball (1) NCAA College 1963 Wittenberg 44–42
Women's basketball (1)NCAA Division II 2003 Northern Kentucky 65–50
Men's cross country (6) NAIA (1) Single 1956 Kansas State Teachers Hays 71–68
NCAA (5) College (1)1959 Kansas State Teachers 67–75
Division II (4)1973 Southwest Missouri State 88–93
1985 Edinboro 60–108
1989Edinboro97–102
1996 Lewis 119–142
Women's cross country (1)NCAA Division II 1981 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 26–49

Individual

NameSportAssociationDivisionYearOpponent/Runner-upSchoolScore
Seth Gross Wrestling, 133 lbs.NCAA Division I 2018 Stevan Mićić Michigan 13-8

Notable alumni

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team</span> American college football season

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 24th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, sharing the MVFC title with Missouri State. South Dakota State received an the MVFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Jackrabbits defeated Holy Cross in the first round, fellow MVFC member Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals, and Delaware in the semifinals before losing to Sam Houston State in the NCAA Division I Championship Game. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 South Dakota State Jackrabbits women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

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Baylor Scheierman is an American college basketball player for the Creighton Bluejays of the Big East Conference. He previously played for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

References

  1. "South Dakota State Jackrabbits Media Information". July 17, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2018.