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
Catching Up with Shannon Schlagel
1/22/2016 9:10:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Former Jackrabbits standout Shannon Schlagel took time out of her busy schedule as a bookkeeper and mom to visit with GoJacks.com
What have you been doing since graduating in 2005?
“After graduating in 2005, I lived in Watertown for a year and worked for First PREMIER Bank. I then moved back to Clark and worked for Dacotah Bank until the spring of 2008. My husband, Jay, and I got married in August 2008, shortly after taking the head women's basketball coaching position at Presentation College.”
“I coached and commuted to Aberdeen for a year and then went back to work at Dacotah Bank in 2009 after our daughter, Grady, was born. After our son, Easton, was born in 2011, we decided I'd stay at home with our kids. I'm also fortunate enough to be the bookkeeper for my uncle's excavating business here in Clark as well as our church secretary.
How did SDSU prepare you for all that?
“I don't know that any education can completely prepare for all the opportunities life presents to us as individuals, but for a small-town farm girl SDSU gave me the chance to pursue a college degree while keeping me very close to my family roots. As you can tell, I haven't ventured too far from where I started, but I wouldn't trade my experience at Brookings for anything in the world. The college, the professors, the students, the community—it truly is one big family away from your own family.”
You coached at Presentation College. How did it feel calling the plays after four years as a Jackrabbit?
“My year coaching was very rewarding and I hope someday I can get back in the coaching scene. Presentation College is quite a different college coaching scene. You're coaching students who attend college with no athletic scholarships. It was very rewarding coaching student-athletes who loved the sport so much and practiced and played purely for the love of the game.”
Macy Miller is on a direct path to being in the top 10 in all-time scoring and could top your point total of 1,887 points. You became the Jackrabbits' all-time leading scorer 16 games into your senior year at Mankato. What was it like passing Melissa Pater, a former teammate, for the record?
“Melissa was my role model at SDSU and lucky enough for me I was able to play two years with her. The record isn't anything more than a number and numbers don't mean much if you don't have an amazing supporting squad wearing the same uniform as you.”
“To have quite a few names on the scoring list from the past few years says so much about AJ, the coaching staff, and what this university means to Brookings and the state of South Dakota. Macy and the current group of ladies are no exception—I'm sure happy they chose to be Jackrabbits to carry on this rich tradition of women's basketball.
You were part of the first Division I women's basketball team. What were the team's thoughts about going from playing St. Cloud State and SMSU to Alabama and Kentucky and still winning 20-plus games?
“Our first year was definitely an emotional roller coaster. We had just come off three years of qualifying for the Elite Eight, so to not be able to qualify for postseason was really hard. But with the help of AJ's “don't stop believing” motto that he still instills today, our entire team bought into what we wanted to accomplish throughout the transition to Division I. He reminded us that we needed to finish what we started and that we were laying the foundation for the future of SDSU women's basketball.”
What's your favorite memory of SDSU basketball?
“Hands down...2003 National Championship!”
Players Mentioned
G
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