The South Dakota State University Jackrabbits are headed back to the NCAA tournament.

The SDSU women beat Oral Roberts 79-75 in overtime on Tuesday at the Arena to win the Summit League title and secure a berth in the national tournament for the second year in a row.

It’s in his DNA. His father, Kent, served in the Legislature. So did his grandfather, Bert Ellingson. So did his great-grandfather, Nels P. Christensen. In all, those three served 19 terms in the State House of Representatives. It was only a matter of time for Jason to follow the path they blazed.

The only surprise is that Jason’s election came less than two years after graduating from South Dakota State University in 2007.

Frerichs returned to his family farm and ranch near Wilmot after graduating. Shortly afterward, at the age of 23, he became a candidate for the State House. He won in November 2008 and made a strong enough impression on his Democratic colleagues to secure a position as House Minority Whip.

Twenty-four-year-old legislators are rare in the 105-member body. A 24-year-old legislator in a leadership position is almost unheard of.

Frerichs says the roots of the success he’s enjoyed at a young age can be traced to SDSU.

“I’m living my dream and it’s because of those scholarships,” he says now. “I want the donors to know that their money was well-invested. I want to make them proud.”

His journey to Brookings began as a high school freshman. Jason set his sights on attending State following a trip to Brookings for the state Future Farmers of America convention as a ninth-grader. “I really felt comfortable with the campus. Every year it seemed like I made more and more personal connections” to SDSU, he says.

Frerichs graduated with honors from State in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and minors in animal science and speech communication. He credits his mentor, Tim Nichols – now dean of the Honors College – with helping secure a $500 scholarship from the Animal Science Department. It was the first of several scholarships that Frerichs would earn during his years at State.

As a student, Frerichs was involved in a whirlwind of activities: president of Alpha Gamma Row, an ambassador for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, member of the AgBio Proxy Council, the collegiate Farmers Union, a Student Senator and a member of the speech and debate teams.

Frerichs continues to multi-task in his professional career. He teaches at Lake Area Technical School in Watertown, while also tending to the family’s four-generation farm.  Added to that now is a responsibility to represent District 1 in Pierre.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at without those scholarships I received at SDSU,” Frerichs said.

SIOUX FALLS — Maria Boever scored a career-high 28 points and Kristin Rotert added 19, tallying her 1,000th career point in the process, to lead the South Dakota State University women’s basketball team to a return trip to the Summit League championship game with a 67-39 victory over Western Illinois on Monday, March 8.

The third-seeded Jackrabbits, winners of 10 of their last 11 games, improved to 21-10 overall. SDSU will face top-seeded Oral Roberts, 23-8 overall, in the championship game Tuesday, March 9. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. at the Sioux Falls Arena, with live television coverage on ESPNU.

Boever set the pace early on, scoring 17 of the Jackrabbits’ first 25 points as SDSU built a 15-point lead midway through the first half. Three-pointers by Rotert and Macie Michelson, along with two Rotert free throws, extended the Jackrabbit lead to 16 — their largest lead of the opening half at 33-17.

Western Illinois put together a 9-2 run late in the half before two more free throws by Rotert gave SDSU a 37-26 lead at intermission.

The Jackrabbits delivered the knockout punch with a 10-1 run to open the second half. Ketty Cornemann hit a three-pointer to jump-start the run, and Rotert and Boever also connected on three-balls to give SDSU a 20-point edge.

For the second consecutive day, the SDSU defense held an opponent to five field goals in a half. On March 7 against IPFW it was the first half, but on March 8 against Western Illinois it was the second half. The Fighting Leathernecks mustered only 25 percent (5-of-20) shooting from the field and managed to score only 13 points in the final 20 minutes.

Boever scored her 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range. She also completed her team-high fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the Jackrabbits’ 37-29 advantage on the glass.

SDSU shot 43.6 percent from the field, making 24-of-55 attempts from the floor, including 7-of-25 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits set a season-high for free throw percentage, making 12-of-13 from the stripe, 12-of-13.

Western Illinois, 11-20 overall, finished the game 16-of-47 from the field, 34 percent, including 2-for-15 from three-point range. At the line, the Fighting Leathernecks were 5-for-8, 62.5 percent.

Erica Lewis led WIU with 11 points.

NOTES: SDSU leads the all-time series with Western Illinois, 6-1 … the Jackrabbits improved to 5-0 in Summit League postseason games … Boever’s 28 points were the most by a Jackrabbit player this season … Boever’s previous career high was 23 points at Northern Iowa during the 2008-09 season … Boever also tied a career high with five steals … Jennifer Schuttloffel tallied a career-high six assists … Rotert reached the 1,000-point mark on a pair of free throws at the 15:12 mark of the first half, giving SDSU a 15-6 lead … with Ketty Cornemann, Boever and Rotert reaching the milestone this season, SDSU has three 1,000-point scorers on its roster at the same time for the third time in program history: the 1993-94 senior class featured Jodi Bergemann, Rachel Halsrud and Lisa Kannegieter, while the 1995-96 senior class featured Dawn Hull, Ann Just and Erin Reiten) … Rotert, who has made eight three-pointers in the two tournament games, upped her career total to 181, passing Lisa Kurtenbach (179 threes from 1986-89) for fifth place in SDSU history … Rotert ended the game in 28th place on the career scoring chart with 1,017 points, moving past Sarita DeBoer (1,003 points from 2002-05) … SDSU was 10-of-10 at the firee throw line in the first half … SDSU is 20-2 this season when leading at the half and 16-4 when out-rebounding its opponents … attendance was 3,817

Source: SDSU Sports Info

SIOUX FALLS – South Dakota State trailed by seven early in the first half of the Summit League Tournament opener against IPFW, led by seven early in the second half, but trailed by five when it mattered most in the 71-66 loss to the Mastodons on Sunday, March 7.

The loss ends the fourth seeded Jackrabbits season with a Division I-best 14-16 record, while No. 5 seed IPFW improves to 16-14, and moves on to face No. 1 seed Oakland in the conference semifinals on Monday.

Garrett Callahan led all players with 20 points, Kai Williams added 17 in the loss, which marks the final game for both 1,000-Point Club members. Callahan ends his career ranked sixth on the all-time scoring list at SDSU with 1,449 points and ranked 10^th on the all-time assists list with 245. Williams ends his career ranked seventh on the career scoring charts with 1,423 points and ranked second on the all-time rebounding charts with 843 rebounds.

Jeremy Mixon IPFW with 19 points off the bench, Nick Daniels added 18 points in the win. Deilvez Yearby finished the game with eight points, but led all players with 10 rebounds.

Mark Engen, who also played his final game as a Jackrabbit on Sunday, made a layup on the Jacks first possession of the game to put SDSU up 2-0, but IPFW countered with a 10-1 run to take its largest lead of the game at 10-3 with less than five minutes gone in the game.

The Jacks battled back to force the first of three first half ties at the 8:28 mark on a Callahan layup that tied the game at 16-all. The final tie of the game came on the final basket of the first half, a Williams dunk that tied the game at 28-28.

SDSU came out hot in the second half and reached its largest lead of the game at 40-33 with an even 16 minutes left to play, but IPFW came back to force the first of five second half ties at 48-48 with 9:42 on the clock.

Six lead changes followed, the final one with 37 seconds left that put the ‘Dons up for good, a pair of free throws by Daniels that put IPFW us 67-66.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, March 29. To submit nominations, please provide the nominee’s name along with a statement of support not to exceed 250 words for each nominee. Please direct nominations to Doug Wermedal via email at douglas.wermedal@sdstate.edu, or via surface mail at:

Douglas R. Wermedal
312 Administration Building – SDSU
Brookings, SD 57007

A Task Force made up of faculty, administrators, students and an Alumni Association representative will review all submittals and then forward the finalists to the Naming Committee, chaired by Provost Laurie Nichols. The Naming Committee will make a final recommendation to President David L. Chicoine in April to allow for formal approval at the May 13-14 Board of Regents meeting.

SDSU will face seventh-seeded Western Illinois in semifinal action at 2:30 p.m. Monday, March 8. IPFW ended its season at 13-17.

The third-seeded Jackrabbits improved to 20-10 overall, posting their fourth consecutive 20-win season. The victory also was the 100^th for the SDSU senior class of Alison Anderson, Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann.

Neither team was able to find its shooting touch for much of the first half, hovering around the 25 percent mark midway through the opening stanza. Holding an 18-16 lead, a stifling Jackrabbit defense held IPFW without a field goal for the final seven-plus minutes of the half and the SDSU offense began to find its rhythm. Jill Young and Kristin Rotert hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Jackrabbits up 26-16 and SDSU carried a 32-16 lead into the intermission.

The second half was a shooting exhibition by the Jackrabbits, who connected on 14 of their first 16 shots from the field, including going 5-for-5 on three-pointers. Cornemann fueled the second-half surge, which saw the Jackrabbit lead grow to 40 points, 65-25, with three trifectas from nearly the same spot on the left wing.

SDSU made it 8-for-8 from long range in the second half as Young, Rotert and Cornemann all connected from behind the arc. Cornemann was 4-for-4 on threes in the second half, while Rotert made a season-high five three-pointers in the game.

As a team, the Jackrabbits finished the game 13-of-29 from three-point range and an even 50 percent overall, 34-of-68. At the line, SDSU made 12-of-18 attempts, 66.7 percent.

SDSU also committed a season-low eight turnovers and set a season-high with 27 assists. Anderson and Macie Michelson each tallied seven assists from their point guard positions, with Anderson’s total a career high.

Boever led five Jackrabbit players in double figures with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Rotert tallied 17, with Cornemann and Jennie Sunnarborg each putting up 15. Young rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.

IPFW, which was held to five field goals and 16 percent shooting in the first half, ended the game 16-of-61, 26.2 percent. The Mastodons were 8-of-22 from three-point range and 12-of-15 on free throws.

The Jackrabbits also held a 47-36 rebounding advantage, led by a career-high 10 boards from junior Jennifer Schuttloffel.

NOTES: SDSU leads the all-time series against IPFW 12-0 … the Jackrabbits improved to 4-0 in Summit League postseason tournament games … SDSU recorded its eighth 20-win season under head coach Aaron Johnston and 14^th in program history.

Courtesy: SDSU Sports Info

Broadcasts can be seen in the following South Dakota markets on Midcontinent Channel 23: Aberdeen, Huron, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid City, Spearfish and Watertown. Additional Midcontinent markets in the Upper Midwest are listed below. The Midcontinent broadcasts will be blacked out in the Sioux Falls, Yankton and Vermillion areas unless tournament sessions sell out in advance. Tournament games in those markets, as well as in Brookings through Mediacom, will be shown on a tape-delayed basis.

In addition, five men’s games will be carried on the ESPN Full Court subscription package. Saturday’s second opening-round game between second-seeded IUPUI and seventh-seeded Western Illinois kicks off the ESPN Full Court coverage. Both men’s opening-round games on Sunday, March 7, including South Dakota State versus IPFW, will be shown on ESPN Full Court. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. Central Time on Saturday and 6 p.m. both Sunday and Monday. Blackout restrictions do not apply to ESPN Full Court customers.

Tuesday’s championships will be aired by the ESPN family of networks. The women’s championship game at 3 p.m. will be broadcast on ESPNU, with the men’s final slated for an 8 p.m. start on ESPN2. All games shown on ESPN Full Court, ESPNU or ESPN2 will also be streamed at ESPN360.com.

Fans outside the Midcontinent coverage area can view the first 12 games of the tournament via video streaming through SummitTV at www.thesummitleague.org. A complete tournament package costs $19.95, with single games available on a pay-per-view basis for $4.95 per game.

A complete tournament viewing schedule follows:

SATURDAY, MARCH 6

Women’s Quarterfinals:

• No. 1 Oral Roberts vs. No. 8 Southern Utah, noon (Midcontinent/SummitTV)
• No. 2 Oakland vs. No. 7 Western Illinois, 2:30 p.m. (Midcontinent/SummitTV)

Men’s Quarterfinals:

• No. 1 Oakland vs. No. 8 UMKC (Midcontinent/SummitTV)
• No. 2 IUPUI vs. No. 7 Western Illinois (Midcontinet/ESPN Full Court/SummitTV)

SUNDAY, MARCH 7

Women’s Quarterfinals:

• No. 4 UMKC vs. No. 5 North Dakota State, noon (MIdcontinent/SummitTV)
• No. 3 South Dakota State vs. No. 6 IPFW, 2:30 p.m. (Midcontinent/SummitTV)

Men’s Quarterfinals:

• No. 4 South Dakota State vs. No. 5 IPFW, 6 p.m. (Midcontinet/ESPN Full Court/ESPN360SummitTV)
• No. 3 Oral Roberts vs. No. 6 North Dakota State 8:30 p.m. (Midcontinet/ESPN Full Court/ESPN360/SummitTV)

MONDAY, MARCH 8

Women’s Semifinals:

• Oral Roberts/Southern Utah winner vs. UMKC/North Dakota State winner, noon (Midcontinent/SummitTV)
• Oakland/Western Illinois winner vs. South Dakota State/IPFW winner, 2:30 p.m. (Midcontinent/SummitTV)

Men’s Semifinals:

• Oakland/UMKC winner vs. South Dakota State/IPFW winner, 6 p.m. (Midcontinet/ESPN Full Court/ESPN360/SummitTV)
• IUPUI/Western Illinois winner vs. Oral Roberts/North Dakota State winner, 8:30 p.m. (Midcontinet/ESPN Full Court/ESPN360/SummitTV)

TUESDAY, MARCH 9

• Women’s Championship, 3 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN360)
• Men’s Championship, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN360)

Midcontinent Markets: South Dakota— Aberdeen, Bath, Belle Fourche, Big Stone City, Black Hawk, Bowdle, Box Elder, Bristol, Central City, Deadwood, Doland, Ellsworth AFB, Fort Pierre, Frederick, Huron, Ipswich, Java, Lead, Milbank, Miller, Mina, Mitchell, Mobridge, Piedmont, Pierre, Redfield, Roscoe, Roslyn, St. Lawrence, Rapid City, Selby, Spearfish, Sturgis, Warner, Watertown, Waubay, Webster, Whitewood, Wolsey. Minnesota— Breckenridge, Crookston, Dilworth, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Ortonville, Sabin. North Dakota— Anamoose, Aneta, Barlow, Beulah, Binford, Bisbee, Bismarck, Bottineau, Bowman, Burlington, Buxton, Cando, Carrington, Center, Cooperstown, Devils Lake, Dodge, Drake, Drayton, Dunseith, Edmore, Emerado, Fairmount, Fessenden, Galesburg, Gladstone, Glenburn, Glen Ullin, Golden Valley, Grafton, Grandin, Halliday, Hankinson, Hannaford, Harvey, Hatton, Hazen, Hebron, Hettinger, Hillsboro, Hope, Kensal, Killdeer, Langdon, Lansford, Larimore, Lidgerwood, Lincoln, Mandan, Manvel, Mayville, Minot, Minot AFB, Minto, Mohall, New Rockford, New Salem, Page, Pick City, Portland, Reeder, Reynolds, Rhame, Richardton, Riverdale, Rolette, Rolla, Rugby, Ruthville, Saint John, Scranton, Stanton, Starkweather, Surrey, Thompson, Towner, Turtle Lake, Underwood, Wahpeton, Walhalla, Washburn, Williston, Willow City, Wimbledon, Zap (Note that the Saturday night games will air on Channel 322 in North Dakota and Minnesota communities bordering North Dakota.)

South Dakota State University basketball fans can gear up for Summit League action during pre-game rallies at Nutty’s North two hours before the Jackrabbits’ game times. The tournament starts Saturday, March 6, and continues through Tuesday, March 9.

In addition, the Summit League has teamed up with Midcontinent Communications and ESPN to provide television coverage of all 14 games of the 2010 Summit League Basketball Championships.

The SDSU Alumni Association and the Sioux Empire Staters will host rallies before each SDSU men’s and women’s basketball game. Both SDSU women and men play on Sunday, March 7. The Jackrabbit Women’s pre-game rally begins at 12:30 p.m., and the Jackrabbit Men’s rally begins at 4 p.m.

If the SDSU teams advance to the semi-finals, game times will begin at the same time due to their seeds, and pre-game rallies will start two hours before tip-off. If either team makes it into the championship game on March 9, only one pre-game rally will be held two hours before the start of the women’s championship game.

A limited amount of complimentary pork loin sandwiches will be available at each pre-game rally, courtesy of the South Dakota Pork Producers. Participants can receive a commemorative Summit League Tournament glass while they join other Jacks fans in smoke-free Nutty’s North.

This year’s event sponsors include Dacotah Bank, First Premier Bank, Avera Brookings Medical Clinic, WNAX Radio, NorthWestern Energy and Orthopedic Institute.

Tournament tickets are available through the Sioux Falls Arena box office and all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, contact the SDSU Alumni Association by calling 888-735-2257, emailing to alumni@statealum.com or visit www.statealum.com.

“I really do feel a strong connection to SDSU because of the children. We’ve watched it grow,” Doris Heine said.

The Francis “Bud” and Doris Heine family of Vermillion was named the SDSU Family of the Year for 2010. Eight of the couple’s 10 children and 21 of their 22 grandchildren came to campus on Feb. 13 to celebrate.

The Heines have been watching State grow since son Tim came to campus after graduating from Vermillion High School in 1983. “Administration and faculty provide the vision and leadership,” Heine said of how SDSU has evolved in the past quarter-century. “It continues to progress with new areas of study, construction and athletics. We’re so impressed with how generous the alums are with their time, their money, their interest. It shows how they appreciate their education.”

Heine’s appreciation for her children’s education is just as great any alumni’s. “We’re just grateful that the children got such good education. It’s such a strong school in agriculture and science,” Heine said, noting that the family alums include an ag journalist, a physician’s assistant, an optometrist, an electrical engineering technologist and a nurse, as well as keeping the animal science, agronomy and mechanical engineering technology majors at home to help run the farm and Heine Hybrid Seedcorn Co.

“Our children also were involved in University activities such as meat and crop judging teams, Microbiology Club, University 4-H, Little International and Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity,” Heine said.

Common Family Experience

Family members who have attended State include Tim and wife Julie; Todd; Robyn; Mark and wife Marci; Gretchen and husband Patrick O’Reilly; Nick and wife Jamie; Joel and Nancy.

“With that many children we knew public education had to be the route, but we were convinced they could do whatever they wanted with that education,” Heine said.

There were 39 Heineson hand for the Feb. 13 observance, which is coordinated by the SDSU Alumni Association and Staters for State, the student Alumni organization. Doris Heine said eight of their 10 children were in Brookings. The two who live in Houston were unable to attend. In addition, 21 of their 22 grandchildren were on hand. Activities included a luncheon, an awards ceremony and recognition during halftime of the women’s basketball game.

Staters for State selects the Family of the Year based on dedication, loyalty, support and contributions to SDSU, members of family who attended SDSU, and involvement as students and alumni.

Less fierce and determined in appearance, the cheerful-looking Li’l Jack is now adorning clothing designed for children. Derek Peterson, director of the University Bookstore, says youth apparel with the Li’l Jack logo is now available at the campus bookstore and Jackrabbit Central in downtown Brookings.