Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus No. 6 Washington on March 20, 2026 , Loss , 54, to, 72
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FINAL
Women's Basketball
54
vs No. 6 Washington
72
South Dakota State University Athletics
Jackrabbits open Summit slate Saturday
12/4/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The South Dakota State University women's basketball team begins its quest for a third consecutive Summit League regular season title Saturday, when it travels to Western Illinois for the league opener.
Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Western Hall on the Western Illinois University campus in Macomb. The men's game will follow at 7 p.m.
Both teams enter the matchup with 2-4 overall records. The Jackrabbits are coming off a split against a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago at the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. SDSU defeated Charlotte (N.C.), 60-56, in the opener, before falling in the championship game to nationally ranked Virginia, 78-66.
Western Illinois, meanwhile, recorded a split at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas, last weekend. The Fighting Leathernecks defeated Jacksonville State (Ala.), 49-43, before dropping a 67-33 decision to Navy on Nov. 28.
Gusso had been serving as an assistant coach on an interim basis since mid-July. In addition to her on-court duties, Gusso will fill the roles of recruiting coordinator and academic coordinator for the Jackrabbits. Gusso was an assistant coach at Drake (Iowa) the past three seasons, helping guide the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and a WNIT appearance a year later. A 2004 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Gusso previously served as a graduate assistant at SDSU during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, helping guide the Jackrabbits through their first two years of transition to the Division I level.
Oletzke joins the Jackrabbit coaching staff after serving as head women's basketball coach at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., the past five seasons. During his tenure with the junior college program, Oletzke earned coach of the year honors after lead the Trappers to a Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference championship and a North Sub-Region title. He began coaching at the collegiate level at Southwest Minnesota State University, serving as an assistant women's basketball coach for four years. While with the Mustangs, SMSU posted three 20-win seasons and made two NCAA Division II postseason appearances.
Remmerde moves to the sidelines after a record-setting playing career at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. A four-time first-team All-American and 2008 NAIA Division II Player of the Year, she finished her career as the division's all-time scoring leader with 3,854 points, an average of 28.8 points per game. She established a single-season scoring record with 1,122 points during the 2007-08 season and also set all-time NAIA records for career (95.77 percent) and single-season (97.24 percent) free throw percentage. Her 133 consecutive made free throws are the most in competition at any level - high school to professional, men's or women's). After completing her collegiate playing career in 2008, Remmerde earned a tryout with the WNBA's Houston Comets and briefly played professionally in Germany.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit women's basketball coaching staff is second-year assistant coach Katie Falco.
Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Western Hall on the Western Illinois University campus in Macomb. The men's game will follow at 7 p.m.
Both teams enter the matchup with 2-4 overall records. The Jackrabbits are coming off a split against a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago at the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. SDSU defeated Charlotte (N.C.), 60-56, in the opener, before falling in the championship game to nationally ranked Virginia, 78-66.
Western Illinois, meanwhile, recorded a split at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas, last weekend. The Fighting Leathernecks defeated Jacksonville State (Ala.), 49-43, before dropping a 67-33 decision to Navy on Nov. 28.
THE SERIES: South Dakota State and Western Illinois have met four times since the Jackrabbits joined The Summit League at the start of the 2007-08 season. SDSU holds a
3-1 series advantage after winning the last three meetings, including 81-47 and 52-31 victories last season. The 31 points by Western Illinois in the Feb. 7 matchup at Macomb is the fewest allowed by the Jackrabbits in the Division I era.
Western Illinois' lone win in the series came in the squads' first-ever meeting, a 67-60 Leatherneck victory on Jan. 14, 2008, in Macomb.
JACKRABBITS ONLINE: Audio and video coverage of Saturday's game is scheduled to be available via subscription service at GoJacks.com, the official website of SDSU athletics. Monthly subscriptions for the Jackrabbit Extra, which includes live audio and video streaming of most Jackrabbit basketball games, are available for $9.95 per month or $99.95 for an entire year of coverage. An audio-only subscription also is available for $4.95 per month, with programming consisting only of live radio broadcasts.
Local radio coverage begins at 4 p.m. on the Jackrabbit Radio Network, with Tyler Merriam calling the play-by-play. Brookings-based KJJQ 910 AM will serve as the flagship station of the network, with coverage of Saturday's game also available on WNAX 570 AM, Yankton; and KRKI 99.5 FM, Rapid City.
SUMMIT LEAGUE DOMINANCE: South Dakota State has built an impressive Summit League résumé as it enters its third season in the 10-team conference.
Over the first two seasons, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 33-3 record in Summit League regular season games en route to consecutive outright league titles with records of 16-2 in 2007-08 and 17-1 during the 2008-09 season. SDSU has gone a perfect
18-0 at home and has won at least one game on every other Summit League member's home court.
SDSU also is 3-0 in Summit League postseason tournament games after winning the 2009 championship in its first year of eligibility. The Summit League Championship returns to Sioux Falls March 6-9, 2010.
LAST WEEK: The Jackrabbits split a pair of games at the Junkanoo Jam in The Bahamas last weekend to move to 2-4 on the season.
SDSU 60, Charlotte (N.C.) 56
South Dakota State put together double-digit runs in each half, only to hold off Charlotte (N.C.) at the end, posting a 60-56 victory Nov. 26 in the opening game of the Junkanoo Jam women's basketball tournament in Freeport, Bahamas.
The Jackrabbits ended a three-game losing skid, improving to 2-3 on the season. Charlotte, also an NCAA Tournament qualifier a season ago, dropped to 1-4.
SDSU began the game strong, racing out to a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game. Jill Young opened the scoring with a three-pointer and Kristin Rotert closed the run with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer.
The 49ers did not score their first field goal until the 13:35 mark of the first half and trailed by 11, 15-4, after Young nailed her second trifecta of the game seconds later. However, Charlotte began to whittle away at the Jackrabbit lead behind a trapping defense that helped force 13 SDSU turnovers in the opening stanza. The 49ers trimmed the margin to three on a couple occasions, the last at 19-16 on a layup by Erin Floyd with just under five minutes remaining.
Charlotte wasn't immune from the sloppy play as it turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and 30 times in the game. A quick 7-0 spurt by the Jackrabbits put them back up by 10, 26-16, and SDSU built the lead to 12, 31-19, in the closing minutes before the 49ers scored the final four points of the half to make the score 31-23 in favor of the Jackrabbits at intermission.
In the second half, Charlotte gained the momentum and took its first lead of the game at 37-35 on a three-pointer by Kendria Holmes with 12:55 to play in the game. Holmes connected on a jumper the next trip down the floor, giving the 49ers their largest lead of the day, 39-35.
SDSU responded by scoring the next 14 points. Freshman Leah Dietel ignited the rally with a putback basket, with Young, Ketty Cornemann and Rotert all hitting three-pointers to give SDSU a 49-39 advantage with 8:51 to play.
However, Charlotte had one more run of its own. The 49ers erased the deficit with a 12-2 spurt over the next three and a half minutes.
With the game tied at 51, the Jackrabbits began pounding the offensive glass. Leading 53-51, SDSU corralled three offensive rebounds before Maria Boever scored to make it a two-possession game. Another Boever basket moments later gave SDSU a six-point lead, but Charlotte again countered with five straight points to make the score 57-56 heading into the final 75 seconds.
SDSU failed to score on its next offensive possession, but Rotert stole the ball with seven seconds left. Rotert missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Ketty Cornemann came up with the loose ball and Macie Michelson later made 1-of-2 free throws. Michelson came up with another steal in the closing seconds, which Boever picked up and scored just before time expired for the winning margin.
Boever, who sat out most of the first half due to foul trouble, scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the second half, on 8-of-9 shooting. Rotert and Young each made three three-pointers en route to 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Jackrabbits shot 22-of-61 from the field, 36.1 percent, including 7-of-27 on three-pointers. SDSU converted only 9-of-17 free throw attempts, 52.9 percent.
SDSU also held a 36-31 rebounding advantage, with 16 coming on the offensive end. Dietel shared game-high honors with eight boards.
Charlotte was led by Holmes' 19 points. Ashley Spriggs tallied 14 points and eight rebounds. The 49ers finished the game 22-of-48 from the field, 45.8 percent, including 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. At the line, Charlotte converted 7-of-11 attempts, 63.6 percent.
Virginia 78, SDSU 66
Paulisha Kellum scored a game-high 25 points to lead nationally ranked Virginia to a 78-66 victory over South Dakota State Friday night in the Reef Division championship at the Junkanoo Jam.
The Cavaliers, ranked 15th in the Associated Press poll and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, improved to 5-1. SDSU dropped to 2-4.
Virginia raced out to an 11-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game, but the Jackrabbits countered with 13-2 run of their own to claim a 16-13 advantage with 12 minutes, 46 seconds to play. Freshman Steph Paluch hit a pair of three-pointers in the run and Kristin Rotert added another trifecta.
The Jackrabbits built the lead to eight, 28-20, after Paluch hit her third three-pointer in as many attempts at the 6:22 mark.
Virginia, however, controlled the rest of the half, outscoring the Jackrabbits 19-6 down the stretch, including the final five points of the stanza, to take a 39-34 halftime lead.
The Cavaliers scored the first six points of the second half to build a double-digit lead for the first time in the game. SDSU could get no closer than six points the rest of the way, cutting the deficit to 66-60 on a Macie Michelson three-pointer with 4:09 to play.
Kellum finished the game 7-of-10 from the field and 10-of-12 at the line en route to her career-high 25 points. Chelsea Shine added 11 points, while Ariana Moorer chipped in with 10 points off the bench. All-America candidate Monica Wright was limited to eight points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field, but shared game-high rebounding honors with teammate Telia McCall with nine boards.
The Cavaliers shot 40 percent from the field, 26-of-65, including 2-of-8 from three-point range. Virginia made 24-of-33 free throw attempts, 72.7 percent.
SDSU also placed three players in double figures as Boever, Rotert and Paluch each tallied 14 points. The Jackrabbits made 19-of-44 field goal attempts, 43.2 percent, but were plagued by 26 turnovers, compared to only nine by Virginia. SDSU was 8-of-18 from three-point range and 20-for-29 at the line, 69 percent.
Boever and Jill Young each posted seven rebounds to pace the Jackrabbits' 37-35 rebounding advantage.
PRESEASON FAVORITES: The South Dakota State University women's basketball team is a near-unanimous pick to repeat as Summit League champions, as selected by the annual preseason poll of league coaches, sports information directors and media, which was released in October.
The Jackrabbits, who return four starters, received 25 of the 27 first-place votes to tally 419 points. Oakland University (Mich.), which lost to SDSU in the Summit League Championship last season, earned one first-place vote and finished second in the poll with 365 points. North Dakota State was third with 318 points, while Oral Roberts (Okla.) picked up the other first-place vote to finish fourth with 289 points.
The Summit League opens its 18-game, double round-robin schedule Dec. 5. The Summit League Championship returns to the Sioux Falls Arena March 6-9.
PRESEASON HONORS: Although South Dakota State does not have a player on the preseason all-Summit League First Team, four Jackrabbit players received preseason accolades by being named to the all-league second team: senior forwards Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann, junior guard/forward Kristin Rotert and sophomore guard Jill Young.
Boever, a 6-foot-1 senior forward from Worthington, Minn., earned honorable mention all-Summit League honors last season after averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures 14 times and added a pair of double-digit rebounding performances.
A 5-11 senior forward, Cornemann earned all-Summit League second-team recognition during the 2008-09 season. One of only two Jackrabbits to start all 35 games, she reached double figures 13 times en route to averaging 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Rotert, a 6-foot junior wing, was another honorable mention all-league performer after averaging 10.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She ranked second on the team with 60 three-pointers and had the tendency to rise to the occasion in big games, posting double figures for scoring 17 times.
Young, a 5-7 sophomore guard, earned Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year honors and a spot on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team after ranking second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game. The Mitchell native established a Jackrabbit freshman record with 82 three-pointers.
UMKC guard Chazny Morris was named the Preseason Player of the Year. She was joined on the first team by North Dakota State guard Inger Hodgson, IPFW guard Chelsey Jackson, Oakland guard Melissa Jeltema, Oral Roberts guard/forward Janae Voelker and IUPUI center Julia Whitted.
DIFFICULT SCHEDULE: The Jackrabbit women's basketball team is playing a difficult slate of non-conference games this season.
Of SDSU's first nine non-conference games, eight are against an opponent that played in the postseason a year ago. Seven of those games are against fellow NCAA Tournament teams should the Jackrabbits meet Virginia in the second round of the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
Two of SDSU's opponents are currently ranked in the top 25 of either the Associated Press or ESPN/USA Today preseason poll: Arizona State (15/13) and Virginia (14/15). Thwo other opponents - Middle Tennessee State and Gonzaga - are receiving votes in this week's polls.
YOUTHFUL BENCH: While the Jackrabbits return four of their five regular starters from a year ago, SDSU will rely on a number of underclassmen to fill reserve roles this season.
Of the 15 players on the roster, five are true freshmen, one is a redshirt freshman, threeare sophomores, three are juniors and three are seniors.
Reiging Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year Jill Young has again been a consistent scorer for the Jackrabbits so far this season, averaging 9.5 points per game as she has split time between starting and reserve roles.
The Jackrabbits will look for an expanded role for sophomore guard Vanessa Johnson, who missed nearly half the 2008-09 season due to injury. Johnson averaged only 0.6 points per game during the 2008-09 season, but will provide the Jackrabbits with another perimeter shooting threat.
Other returning bench players include senior point guard Alison Anderson (1.3 ppg) and junior forward Jennifer Schuttloffel.
Of the six players in the freshman class, four are from the state of South Dakota. Ashley Eide (Sioux Falls), Tara Heiser (Watertown) and Steph Paluch (Pierre) will fill guard slots, while Katie Lingle (Pierre) will back up in the post. Heiser and Lingle have yet to see action this season.
Rounding out the freshman class are Jordan, Minn., native Leah Dietel at forward and redshirt freshman post player Cala Westergard. A native of Charles City, Iowa, Westergard played in her first official game since her junior year of high school in the Nov. 15 matchup at Arizona State. Westergard missed her senior year of high school due to injury.
100 D-I WINS: Since moving up to the NCAA Division I ranks at the start of the 2004-05 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a winning record against D-I opponents. In its first five seasons competing at the Division I level, SDSU has compiled a 104-36 mark (.743 winning percentage) versus D-I opposition. The Jackrabbits have posted victories over 50 different Division I teams representing 18 conferences plus independents.
750 WINS: The Jackrabbits' victory over Oakland in the 2009 Summit League championship game was the 750th in the women's basketball program's history. Since the modern era of women's basketball at South Dakota State University began with a 6-0 mark during the 1966-67 season, the Jacks have gone on to compile an overall record of 753-334 (.693 winning percentage).
SDSU has a streak of 23 consecutive winning seasons.The Jackrabbits' last losing season was an 11-16 campaign during the 1985-86 season.
OPENING SUCCESS: The Jackrabbits' 75-71 overtime victory against Gonzaga in the 2009-10 season opener on Nov. 13 marked the 17th consecutive season SDSU opened with a win.
The last time the Jackrabbits lost a season opener was during the 1992-93 season, when they fell 74-72 to Moorhead State (Minn.).
TOUGH AT HOME: SDSU's loss to Western Kentucky on Nov. 22, was a rarity during the Aaron Johnston era. In his tenure as Jackrabbit head coach, Johnston has led the Jackrabbits to a 117-13 record (.900 winning percentage) at Frost Arena, including winning 55 of their last 59 home games, putting together winning streaks of 15, 15 and 22 in the process.
Since the start of the 2001-02 season, SDSU has a 107-8 home record, losing just one game at Frost Arena each full season before capping the 2008-09 regular season with a 14-0 record - a mark that stands as the first undefeated home season in school history. The loss to Western Kentucky snapped a 35-game regular season home winning streak, as well as a 15-game overall winning streak that began after the Jackrabbits lost to Creighton (Neb.) in the opening round of the 2008 Women's NIT.
SDSU is undefeated at home in Summit League play, posting an 18-0 record at Frost Arena since joining the league in 2007-08. The Jackrabbits have won their home conference games by an average of 26.7 points.
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION: Despite returning four regular starters from last year's squad, the Jackrabbit women's basketball team has shaken up the starting lineup this season. Through the first six games, SDSU has used two different starting lineups, with seven players cracking the starting five. Maria Boever, Macie Michelson and Kristin Rotert have started all four games so far this season
• Gonzaga Cornemann, Sunnarborg, Boever, Michelson, Rotert
• at Arizona State Cornemann, Sunnarborg, Boever, Michelson, Rotert
• at Illinois State Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
• Western Kentucky Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
• at Illinois State Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
• Western Kentucky Dietel, Boever, Michelson, Young, Rotert
COUNTDOWN TO 1,000: South Dakota State senior forward Maria Boever could become the 27th member of the Jackrabbit 1,000-Point Club this season.
A senior from Worthington, Minn., Boever enters Saturday's game with 982 career points in 97 games. She finished as the team's second-leading scorer during her sophomore season in 2007-08 with an average of 12.2 points per game, then ranked fourth last year on a balanced Jackrabbit team with 10 points per game.
Two other Jackrabbit players could reach the 1,000-point plateau later this season: senior Ketty Cornemann and Kristin Rotert. Cornemann has tallied 727 career points, while Rotert has 715 career points.
DOUBLE DUTY: Maria Boever has posted a pair of double-doubles for points and rebounds while leading the team in both categories - 15.2 ppg and 7.8 rpg - through the first six games.
Boever opened the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opening overtime victory over Gonzaga, then added 11 points and 10 boards in a home loss to Western Kentucky.
YOUNG FOR 3: Sophomore guard Jill Young will attempt to build on a strong showing from behind the three-point arc during her first season in a Jackrabbit uniform.
The Mitchell native ranked third among NCAA Division I players during the 2008-09 season by shooting at a 46.1 percent (82-of-178) clip from three-point range. Young's 82 made three-pointers also set a Jackrabbit freshman record, eclipsing the mark of 58 set by Kristin Rotert during the 2007-08 campaign.
Young opened the 2009-10 season by going 3-for-7 (42.9 percent) from long distance against Gonzaga on Nov. 13, en route to scoring 15 points. She is currently shooting 36.4 percent from behind the arc, making 12-of-33 attempts.
ROTERT CRACKS TOP 10: Junior wing Kristin Rotert joined the Jackrabbit career top 10 for three-pointers made last week at the Junkanoo Jam.
The Salem native leads the team with 14 three-pointers so far this season and upped her career total to 132 with five three-pointers in the two games in The Bahamas. She began the week in a tie for 12th place with Gwen Greiner (127 three-pointers from 1998-2001) and later passed Shannon Schlagel (129 three-pointers from 2002-05) and Brooke Dickmeyer (130 three-pointers from 2002-05) for the 10th spot.
Rotert set a then-freshman record with 58 three-pointers during the 2007-08 season and ranked second on the team with 60 treys last season.
THREE-POINT BARRAGE: As a team, the Jackrabbits ranked fifth among Division I women's basketball teams by making an average of 8.5 three-pointers per game last season.
SDSU tied school and NCAA Tournament single-game records with 16 trifectas in its opening-round win over Texas Christian. The Jackrabbits made 10 or more three-pointers in a game nine times.
The Jackrabbits' 291 three-pointers as a team set a new single-season school record, breaking the mark of 288 set by the 2001-02 squad, which was the first Jackrabbit team to qualify for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
Through six games this season, the Jackrabbits have made 46 three-pointers, an average of 7.67 per game, while shooting 35.4 percent (46-of-130) from beyond the arc. SDSU's opponents are 21-of-61 from behind the arc, 34.4 percent.
DIETEL MAKES A DIFFERENCE: Freshman Leah Dietel made an immediate impact for the Jackrabbits with solid contributions on both ends of the floor in the Nov. 13 season opener against Gonzaga.
A 6-foot-1 forward from Jordan, Minn., Dietel saw 21 minutes of action off the bench, tallying 12 points and eight rebounds. She contributed two points and five rebounds against Arizona State.
Dietel has started each of the last four games for the Jackrabbits and ranks second on the squad with an average of 5.7 rebounds per contest. She tallied a career-high eight rebounds in SDSU's Nov. 26 victory over Charlotte (N.C.).
PALUCH PRODUCES: Freshman guard Steph Paluch provided instant offense for the Jackrabbits in their Nov. 27 matchup with Virginia at the Junkanoo Jam.
A Pierre native, Paluch was 5-for-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, en route to 14 points in only 14 minutes of action against the nationally ranked Cavaliers. She also recorded one assist in the game.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Jackrabbit women's basketball team had its streak of winning 36 consecutive games in which it has held a rebounding advantage end in the 81-74 loss Nov. 22 to Western Kentucky. SDSU won the last 10 games of the 2007-08 season, all 25 during the 2008-09 season and the first game of the 2009-10 season in which it held an edge on the boards.
Previously, the last time SDSU lost a game it won the battle of the boards was a 67-60 defeat at Western Illinois on Jan. 14, 2008.
COACH AARON JOHNSTON: Entering his 10th season as head coach of the South Dakota State University women's basketball team, Aaron Johnston has taken the Jackrabbit program to the top of NCAA Division II and is leading SDSU to national prominence at the Division I level.
Johnston currently has compiled a career record of 227-69 (.767 winning percentage), ranking second on the SDSU career victories list behind his predecessor, Nancy Neiber, who compiled a 301-140 record in 16 seasons from 1985-2000. Johnston posted his 200th career victory on Dec. 4, 2008, when the Jackrabbits defeated Centenary (La.) His career totals have included a 33-3 record (.917 winning percentage) in Summit League regular season games and a 16-5 mark (.762 winning percentage) in postseason games.
Gusso had been serving as an assistant coach on an interim basis since mid-July. In addition to her on-court duties, Gusso will fill the roles of recruiting coordinator and academic coordinator for the Jackrabbits. Gusso was an assistant coach at Drake (Iowa) the past three seasons, helping guide the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and a WNIT appearance a year later. A 2004 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Gusso previously served as a graduate assistant at SDSU during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, helping guide the Jackrabbits through their first two years of transition to the Division I level.
Oletzke joins the Jackrabbit coaching staff after serving as head women's basketball coach at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., the past five seasons. During his tenure with the junior college program, Oletzke earned coach of the year honors after lead the Trappers to a Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference championship and a North Sub-Region title. He began coaching at the collegiate level at Southwest Minnesota State University, serving as an assistant women's basketball coach for four years. While with the Mustangs, SMSU posted three 20-win seasons and made two NCAA Division II postseason appearances.
Remmerde moves to the sidelines after a record-setting playing career at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. A four-time first-team All-American and 2008 NAIA Division II Player of the Year, she finished her career as the division's all-time scoring leader with 3,854 points, an average of 28.8 points per game. She established a single-season scoring record with 1,122 points during the 2007-08 season and also set all-time NAIA records for career (95.77 percent) and single-season (97.24 percent) free throw percentage. Her 133 consecutive made free throws are the most in competition at any level - high school to professional, men's or women's). After completing her collegiate playing career in 2008, Remmerde earned a tryout with the WNBA's Houston Comets and briefly played professionally in Germany.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit women's basketball coaching staff is second-year assistant coach Katie Falco.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: After leading all divisions in team grade-point average each of the three previous seasons, the South Dakota State University women's basketball team was overtaken for the top spot in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll during the 2008-09 season.
With a 3.571 team GPA, the Jackrabbits, coached by Aaron Johnston, still managed a third-place showing in the NCAA Division I rankings and 15th among all divisions, which includes NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior colleges. Indiana State took over the No. 1 spot in Division I with a 3.645 team GPA, earning the top ranking for the third time ( also in 2002-03 and 2004-05). The University of North Dakota ranked second at 3.580.
Dana College (Neb.) led all divisions with a 3.763 team grade-point average.
SDSU was one of seven Division I teams in the WBCA's honor roll to make an NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2008-09 campaign. Only the Jackrabbits, who finished the season with a 32-3 overall record, and Kansas State advanced past the first round.
The Jackrabbits began their run of three consecutive team GPA titles in 2005-06 with a 3.730 GPA. SDSU repeated with a mark of 3.693 in 2006-07 and claimed its third title with a 3.669 team GPA during the 2007-08 academic year. In addition, the Jackrabbits finished second among Division I programs during the 2004-05 season with a 3.567 GPA.
Also during the 2008-09 season, senior Ashlea Muckenhirn and Jennifer Warkenthien earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors, with Warkenthien also being named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team.
Warkenthien later added to her list of awards by being named The Summit League Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Additionally, 12 players on the Jackrabbit roster were recognized as members of the
Academic All-Summit League Team during the 2008-09 campaign, with nine also receiving recognition on the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.
SIGNEES: Three Minnesota high school standouts signed a National Letter of Intent on Nov. 11, indicating they will enroll at South Dakota State University in the fall and compete for the Jackrabbit women's basketball team.
The signees include:
• Gabrielle Boever, 5-8, guard, Worthington, Minn.;
• Hannah Strop, 6-0, forward, New Prague, Minn.; and
• Megan Waytashek, 6-0, guard/forward, Lino Lakes, Minn.
Boever enters her fourth season as the starting point guard for a Worthington High School program that has won two conference and two section championships. A three-time all-state selection by the Minnesota Coaches Association and Minnesota Basketball News, as well as a two-time all-state honoree by the Associated Press, Boever reached the 1,000-point plateau as a junior and has averaged 14 points, 4.5 steals and 3.5 assists per game during her prep career. In addition, she played two years with the North Tartan AAU team and one year with the Minnesota Stars AAU program.
Boever follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Maria, who is a senior forward on this year's Jackrabbit squad.
Strop has been a two-time all-conference honoree for a New Prague High School team that has made two state tournament appearances, including a third-place finish last season. She also earned Class 3A second-team all-area honors from the Minnesota Basketball News and was an honorable mention selection to the St. Paul Pioneer Press All-Area Team after averaging 11.0 points and 5.4 rebounds her junior season. Strop also has been a member of the North Tartan AAU team.
In addition, Strop has lettered in volleyball and track and field, earning all-conference honors in volleyball this fall. She also has excelled in the classroom, earning academic all-state honors in volleyball and being selected to the National Honor Society.
Waytashek, who has been ranked among the top 100 players in the 2010 class by ESPN Hoopgurlz, has been a key member of the highly successful girls' basketball program at Centennial High School. Centennial has posted an 81-7 overall record en route to winning three conference titles and turning in a runner-up finish at the Class 4A state tournament last season. An all-conference honoree each of the last two seasons, Waytashek also received honorable mention all-state recognition from the Minnesota Coaches Association as a junior, when she averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She has been a member of the Minnesota Stars AAU program, as well.
Waytashek also has excelled in volleyball, holding the school record in blocks and ranking second in career kills. Additionally, Waytashek has been a member of her school's Peer Leadership Group and is a member of the National Honor Society.
THE ROSTER: The 2009-10 SDSU women's basketball roster features 15 players from three different states. Of the 15 players, nine are from South Dakota, five are from Minnesota and one is from Iowa. By class, three are seniors, three are juniors, three are sophomores, one is a redshirt freshman and five are incoming freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits close out their first Summit League road trip of the season by traveling to IUPUI on Monday.
Start time is 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Central) at The Jungle on the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis.
IUPUI, 1-6 overall, is slated to open league play Saturday by hosting North Dakota State.
Players Mentioned
PLAYER
/ Women's Cross Country
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball Postgame Press Conference (03.20.2026)
Saturday, March 21
Women's Basketball Pregame Press Conference (03.19.2026)
Friday, March 20
Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs North Dakota State (03.08.2026)
Monday, March 09
North Dakota State Women's Basketball Press Conference (03.08.2026)
Monday, March 09