2021 HALL OF FAME CLASS UNVEILED

Three student-athletes who led South Dakota State's rise to prominence in women's basketball, a two-time national champion in wrestling and standouts in baseball and football make up the 2021 class of the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame.

The six new members of the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame, who will be formally inducted during on-campus ceremonies Nov. 20, include:
• Brenda (Davis) Comstock – women's basketball;
• Kyle Minett – football;
• Ryan Resel – wrestling;
• Doug Sehr – baseball;
• Megan Vogel – women's basketball; and
• Jennifer (Warkenthien) Hojer – women's basketball.

With the inductions of the 2021 class, the roster of Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame honorees will grow to 109.

BRENDA (DAVIS) COMSTOCK (2001-04)
Davis excelled on Jackrabbit women's basketball teams that reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight each of her last three seasons, including winning the national championship during the 2002-03 season as a junior. After being honored as North Central Conference Co-Freshman of the Year during the 2000-01 campaign, the Colton native went on to earn all-NCC recognition each of the next three seasons.

For her career, Davis averaged 13.2 points per game in 128 contests, setting a then-school record with 250 three-pointers and finishing second (currently sixth) with 1,688 points. She also tallied 579 rebounds, 254 assists and 118 steals.

During South Dakota State's national championship season, Davis ranked second on the squad with an average of 15.4 points per game and sank a team-best 86 three-pointers.

KYLE MINETT (2007-10)
Minett became the first Jackrabbit running back to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and finished second on the South Dakota State career rushing charts with 4,277 yards.

After playing a key role as a reserve on South Dakota State's Great West Football Conference championship team in 2007, Minett became the Jackrabbits' featured back over the next three seasons as the program moved to the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He posted 1,289 rushing yards in 2008, then followed with seasons of 1,304 yards and 1,208 yards in 2009 and 2010, respectively. SDSU made its first FCS postseason appearance in 2009.

A native of Ruthton, Minnesota, Minett was a three-time all-MVFC selection and was honored on Football Championship Subdivision All-America squads in both 2009 and 2010. He was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS during his senior season.

Minett ended his Jackrabbit career with 54 total touchdowns — 47 rushing and seven receiving — and also tallied 107 career receptions for 912 yards.

In addition, Minett earned first-team Academic All-America honors three times.

RYAN RESEL (1996-99)
Resel won back-to-back NCAA Division II individual titles at heavyweight and was a four-time All-American on the wrestling mat. The Miller native compiled a 121-27 career record over four seasons, racking up a win total that still ranks fourth in program history.

After placing fourth at the NCAA Division II championships in 1996, Resel won the first of his national titles the following year, posting a 40-8 overall record and tying the SDSU single-season record with 19 pins. He repeated both as national champion and North Central Conference champion during the 1997-98 campaign with a 33-8 record that included 17 more pins.

Resel's bid for a third consecutive national championship came up just short as he dropped a 5-1 decision to Shane Carwin of Western State in the 1999 title bout.

Resel was inducted into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

DOUG SEHR (1991-94)
Sehr was a mainstay in the Jackrabbit baseball lineup from 1991-94, setting then-program records with 198 career games played and 647 at-bats.

The Canton native was honored as North Central Conference Southern Division Most Valuable Player in 1994 as the Jackrabbits repeated as league champions and made their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Central Regional. Besides setting a then-single-season record with 70 hits, Sehr batted .407 with six home runs, 16 doubles and 48 runs batted in during his senior season. He also scored 59 runs.

A career .334 hitter, Sehr finished second on the Jackrabbit career charts with 216 hits, 46 doubles and 161 RBIs, and tied for second with 160 runs scored. An infielder, Sehr also set the SDSU career standard for assists with 352 (since broken).

MEGAN VOGEL (2004-07)
Vogel was the heart and soul of a South Dakota State women's basketball program that achieved early success in the transition to NCAA Division I competition.

Beginning her collegiate career on the last of the Jackrabbits' three consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eight squads during the 2003-04 season, the native of St. Peter, Minnesota, went on to start all 120 games of her Jackrabbit career. She averaged 15.4 points per game over four seasons, finishing second on the SDSU career charts with 1,850 points, while also ranking third with 192 three-pointers and fifth with 783 rebounds. Her 492 career made free throws stood as a Jackrabbit record for more than a decade.

With South Dakota State eligible for Division I postseason play her senior season, Vogel led the Jackrabbits to the quarterfinals of the 2007 WNIT with wins before capacity crowds at Frost Arena against Illinois State and Indiana. She repeated on the Division I All-Independent Team during the 2006-07 season after averaging a career-best 17.5 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 81 percent at the free throw line.

Also during her senior season, Vogel was selected as a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team and was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Shortly after her collegiate career ended, Vogel became the first player from a South Dakota college or university to be drafted by a WNBA team as she was selected in the second round of the 2007 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics. She briefly played overseas before embarking on a coaching career.

JENNIFER (WARKENTHIEN) HOJER (2006-09)
Warkenthien led the Jackrabbit women's basketball team to even greater heights at the Division I level, highlighted by a memorable 2008-09 season.

A four-year starter, the Willow Lake native tallied 1,349 career points and 782 rebounds as a key member of South Dakota State teams that began the program's current streak of 14 consecutive postseason appearances with back-to-back WNIT selections in 2007 and 2008, followed by the first NCAA berth and national ranking in 2009.

During the 2008-09 campaign, Warkenthien put together one of the finest overall seasons in program history in leading South Dakota State to Summit League regular season and tournament titles, as well as the first NCAA Tounament appearance. In being named the Summit League Player of the Year, the 6-foot forward averaged 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and shot 52 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw line. She also led the squad with 84 assists, 52 steals and 41 blocked shots as the Jackrabbits finished her senior campaign with a 32-3 record in reaching the NCAA Second Round.

She also was named the MVP of the first Summit League Championship played in Sioux Falls, posting double-doubles of 16 points and 12 rebounds in a semifinal win over IUPUI, followed by game highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds in a comeback victory over Oakland in the title game. Warkenthien made all 20 of her free throw attempts in three tournament games.

Warkenthien was one of four seniors on the 2008-09 team that finished their four-year careers with a combined 99-25 record.

RALPH GINN AWARD
In addition to the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame class, longtime National Football League special teams coach Brad Seely will be honored Nov. 20 as the 2021 recipient of the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence.

A Baltic native and a 1979 graduate of South Dakota State, Seely recently retired after coaching in the NFL for 31 seasons. Seely served as a special teams coach his entire NFL career, coaching in nine conference championship games, winning three Super Bowls and mentoring players to 17 Pro Bowl selections. He was honored as NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2009, 2011).

Seely began his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts in 1989, followed by stints with the New York Jets (1994) and Carolina Panthers (1995-98). He then spent 10 seasons with the New England Patriots, with whom he won all three of his Super Bowl titles. Seely then led the Cleveland Browns special teams units from 2009-10, before making another Super Bowl appearance with the San Francisco 49ers during his tenure from 2011-14. He closed his coaching career with stops with the Oakland Raiders (2015-17) and the Houston Texans (2018-19).

Prior to coaching in the professional ranks, Seely coached collegiately for a decade. He began his career as a student assistant at South Dakota State before moving on to Colorado State as a graduate assistant. He later served as offensive line coach at Southern Methodist (1981), North Carolina State (1982), and Pacific (1983) before coaching at Oklahoma State for five years. At Oklahoma State, his offensive line helped clear the way for Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders.

-GoJacks.com-

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