Upcoming Event: Men's Track and Field versus SDSU Holiday Open on December 5, 2025
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Men's Track and Field
vs SDSU Holiday Open
South Dakota State University Athletics
Staff Directory
Justin Sell
- Title:
- Director of Athletics
Justin Sell, who was introduced as the 12th director of athletics at South Dakota State University on May 7, 2009, has helped Jackrabbit Athletics experience broad-based success in his time guiding the department.
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Sell oversees the Jackrabbits’ 19-sport Division I athletics program. Sixteen SDSU teams compete in the Summit League, while football is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference within the Football Championship Subdivision and wrestling competes as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Equestrian competes under the umbrella of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association and ECAC.Â
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South Dakota State teams have claimed 88 conference titles — regular season or postseason — in 12 different sports. SDSU has won nine Summit League Commissioner’s Cup titles, which includes an active streak of five straight years. In addition, the Jackrabbits have won 10 Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Awards and four Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Awards.
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Jackrabbit teams have also qualified for NCAA Tournament events 48 times, with several squads earning berths in other Division I postseason tournaments. The Jackrabbit football team made the Football Championship Subdivision playoff field for the 14th year in a row during the 2025 season and were the FCS National Champions in 2022 and 2023.
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Individually, Jackrabbit student-athletes have excelled in competition and in the classroom. SDSU’s student-athletes have been among the standouts in their respective conferences. Along with countless all-conference honorees, the Jacks have had 70 individuals earn conference player of the year awards, as well as 97 All-Americans recognized. In addition, beyond the thousands of academic all-conference recipients and scholars acknowledged, the Jackrabbits have claimed 60 Academic All-America accolades.
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During Sell’s tenure, SDSU’s student-athlete grade-point average has increased to a sustained level of at least a 3.35 mark with over 70 majors represented. The 2023-24 academic year saw the department average a record 3.41 GPA.
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ESPN brought its College Gameday show to South Dakota State during the 2019 football season, showcasing the annual Dakota Marker Game on Oct. 26. The premier college football pre-game show cast a national spotlight on South Dakota State with more than 1.7 million viewers, hosting the broadcast on the historic College Green near the Coughlin Campanile. SDSU was the first Football Championship Subdivision program to host GameDay since 2017, and through a study conducted by the Brookings Economic Development Corporation, saw more than 13,000 people attend the live show.
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Since that time, SDSU has continued to remain a noticeable name in the national landscape. Helping South Dakota State serve as a destination for student-athletes and coaches are the updates to facilities. Sell has overseen dramatic upgrades and expansion of competition and practice venues.Â
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The Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center was completed in 2010 followed by the construction of the $32 million Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in the fall of 2014. The home of Jackrabbit football was officially opened in the fall of 2016 as the $65 million Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was finished.
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The SDSU men’s and women’s basketball teams, along with volleyball, benefitted from the creation of a two-gym practice facility initially located south of then Frost Arena in 2018. Each gym houses one main collegiate-sized basketball court, two high school-sized cross courts, eight baskets and two volleyball practice courts. The practice gyms were phase one of a planned multi-phase renovation of the facilities.
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The second phase of the project was launched in the fall of 2021 when it was announced that Brookings-based First Bank & Trust provided a lead $20 million gift towards arena renovations. The now-named First Bank & Trust Arena was completed in the fall of 2024 at a cost of approximately $70 million.Â
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During this time, wrestling constructed a new practice facility on the southwest corner of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. The $5 million project allowed the program to move its operations to the practice facility, which is connected to the SJAC, while the SDSU wrestling continues to compete in tournaments and duals in First Bank & Trust Arena.Â
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The fall of 2024 saw both the South Dakota State softball and baseball programs install state-of-the-art turf surfaces to their home fields for the first time. As part of the funding for the project, the Jackrabbits’ softball facility was re-named Jerald T. Moriarty Field. The fall of 2025 featured SDSU women’s soccer receiving a gift from Dakota Layers, LLC and the Ramsdell Family to support the construction of a new home for the program on campus.
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In 2011, Sell announced a 10-year, $13 million partnership with then Learfield IMG College. The deal was renegotiated in 2017 with an extension through 2031, enhancing the overall value of the agreement. Learfield currently directs all aspects of the partnership, including managing and selling multimedia and sponsorship rights.
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Sell has also implemented other aggressive marketing and fundraising initiatives. South Dakota State football has improved record attendance marks each season over the course the past four years. Ticket sales totaled more than $1 million for the first time during the 2011-12 season. They steadily climbed to over $4 million in 2016 and are now over $6 million annually.Â
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The Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction continues to be one of the most unique events that provides unprecedented support to the athletic department. The 2020 Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Sell and Jackrabbit fans, as the event was held virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 event became an interactive online experience and raised $1.737 million, with proceeds benefiting Feeding South Dakota, high-need scholarships at South Dakota State and student-athlete scholarships. After returning to a stand-alone event, the 2022 auction raised a then-record $1.59 million. The most recent 2025 edition of the auction set a new-record mark of $2.55 million.
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Among the most recognized athletic directors nationally, Sell was awarded as the 2014-15 Under Armour National Athletics Director of the Year. The fall of 2014 saw Sell appointed by the NCAA Board of Directors to represent The Summit League and Missouri Valley Football Conference on the newly formed Division I Council. He served as chair of the Student-Athlete Experience Committee, has served as a member of the Council Coordination Committee and as a liaison to the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Sell previously chaired the Division I Transfer Working Group and Full Cost of Attendance in Equivalency Sports Committee.
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Within the Brookings community, Sell has served as chair of the Brookings Chamber of Commerce and Brookings Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and as vice president on Brookings Friends of Baseball board. He served as a chair and was a member of the Brookings Health System Board of Trustees for a decade.
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Born in Salem, Ore., and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Sell came to South Dakota State from the University of Northern Iowa. He worked in various roles at the university and within the Cedar Falls, Iowa, community for 10 years. He also worked at Villanova University, Syracuse University, Ohio State University and Bowling Green State University. Sell gained further experience working in the private sector for various sports teams and events.
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Sell earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in 1991 and completed a master’s degree in physical education/sport administration at The Ohio State University in 1992.
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He and his wife, Jennie, are the parents of four children and have three grandchildren.
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(bio information updated as of December 1, 2025)
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Sell oversees the Jackrabbits’ 19-sport Division I athletics program. Sixteen SDSU teams compete in the Summit League, while football is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference within the Football Championship Subdivision and wrestling competes as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Equestrian competes under the umbrella of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association and ECAC.Â
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South Dakota State teams have claimed 88 conference titles — regular season or postseason — in 12 different sports. SDSU has won nine Summit League Commissioner’s Cup titles, which includes an active streak of five straight years. In addition, the Jackrabbits have won 10 Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Awards and four Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Awards.
Â
Jackrabbit teams have also qualified for NCAA Tournament events 48 times, with several squads earning berths in other Division I postseason tournaments. The Jackrabbit football team made the Football Championship Subdivision playoff field for the 14th year in a row during the 2025 season and were the FCS National Champions in 2022 and 2023.
Â
Individually, Jackrabbit student-athletes have excelled in competition and in the classroom. SDSU’s student-athletes have been among the standouts in their respective conferences. Along with countless all-conference honorees, the Jacks have had 70 individuals earn conference player of the year awards, as well as 97 All-Americans recognized. In addition, beyond the thousands of academic all-conference recipients and scholars acknowledged, the Jackrabbits have claimed 60 Academic All-America accolades.
Â
During Sell’s tenure, SDSU’s student-athlete grade-point average has increased to a sustained level of at least a 3.35 mark with over 70 majors represented. The 2023-24 academic year saw the department average a record 3.41 GPA.
Â
ESPN brought its College Gameday show to South Dakota State during the 2019 football season, showcasing the annual Dakota Marker Game on Oct. 26. The premier college football pre-game show cast a national spotlight on South Dakota State with more than 1.7 million viewers, hosting the broadcast on the historic College Green near the Coughlin Campanile. SDSU was the first Football Championship Subdivision program to host GameDay since 2017, and through a study conducted by the Brookings Economic Development Corporation, saw more than 13,000 people attend the live show.
Â
Since that time, SDSU has continued to remain a noticeable name in the national landscape. Helping South Dakota State serve as a destination for student-athletes and coaches are the updates to facilities. Sell has overseen dramatic upgrades and expansion of competition and practice venues.Â
Â
The Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center was completed in 2010 followed by the construction of the $32 million Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in the fall of 2014. The home of Jackrabbit football was officially opened in the fall of 2016 as the $65 million Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was finished.
Â
The SDSU men’s and women’s basketball teams, along with volleyball, benefitted from the creation of a two-gym practice facility initially located south of then Frost Arena in 2018. Each gym houses one main collegiate-sized basketball court, two high school-sized cross courts, eight baskets and two volleyball practice courts. The practice gyms were phase one of a planned multi-phase renovation of the facilities.
Â
The second phase of the project was launched in the fall of 2021 when it was announced that Brookings-based First Bank & Trust provided a lead $20 million gift towards arena renovations. The now-named First Bank & Trust Arena was completed in the fall of 2024 at a cost of approximately $70 million.Â
Â
During this time, wrestling constructed a new practice facility on the southwest corner of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. The $5 million project allowed the program to move its operations to the practice facility, which is connected to the SJAC, while the SDSU wrestling continues to compete in tournaments and duals in First Bank & Trust Arena.Â
Â
The fall of 2024 saw both the South Dakota State softball and baseball programs install state-of-the-art turf surfaces to their home fields for the first time. As part of the funding for the project, the Jackrabbits’ softball facility was re-named Jerald T. Moriarty Field. The fall of 2025 featured SDSU women’s soccer receiving a gift from Dakota Layers, LLC and the Ramsdell Family to support the construction of a new home for the program on campus.
Â
In 2011, Sell announced a 10-year, $13 million partnership with then Learfield IMG College. The deal was renegotiated in 2017 with an extension through 2031, enhancing the overall value of the agreement. Learfield currently directs all aspects of the partnership, including managing and selling multimedia and sponsorship rights.
Â
Sell has also implemented other aggressive marketing and fundraising initiatives. South Dakota State football has improved record attendance marks each season over the course the past four years. Ticket sales totaled more than $1 million for the first time during the 2011-12 season. They steadily climbed to over $4 million in 2016 and are now over $6 million annually.Â
Â
The Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction continues to be one of the most unique events that provides unprecedented support to the athletic department. The 2020 Jackrabbit Athletic Scholarship Auction provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Sell and Jackrabbit fans, as the event was held virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 event became an interactive online experience and raised $1.737 million, with proceeds benefiting Feeding South Dakota, high-need scholarships at South Dakota State and student-athlete scholarships. After returning to a stand-alone event, the 2022 auction raised a then-record $1.59 million. The most recent 2025 edition of the auction set a new-record mark of $2.55 million.
Â
Among the most recognized athletic directors nationally, Sell was awarded as the 2014-15 Under Armour National Athletics Director of the Year. The fall of 2014 saw Sell appointed by the NCAA Board of Directors to represent The Summit League and Missouri Valley Football Conference on the newly formed Division I Council. He served as chair of the Student-Athlete Experience Committee, has served as a member of the Council Coordination Committee and as a liaison to the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Sell previously chaired the Division I Transfer Working Group and Full Cost of Attendance in Equivalency Sports Committee.
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Within the Brookings community, Sell has served as chair of the Brookings Chamber of Commerce and Brookings Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and as vice president on Brookings Friends of Baseball board. He served as a chair and was a member of the Brookings Health System Board of Trustees for a decade.
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Born in Salem, Ore., and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Sell came to South Dakota State from the University of Northern Iowa. He worked in various roles at the university and within the Cedar Falls, Iowa, community for 10 years. He also worked at Villanova University, Syracuse University, Ohio State University and Bowling Green State University. Sell gained further experience working in the private sector for various sports teams and events.
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Sell earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in 1991 and completed a master’s degree in physical education/sport administration at The Ohio State University in 1992.
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He and his wife, Jennie, are the parents of four children and have three grandchildren.
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(bio information updated as of December 1, 2025)
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Women's Basketball Highlights vs Weber State (12.03.2025)
Thursday, December 04
Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs Weber State (12.03.2025)
Thursday, December 04
Men's Basketball Highlights at Northern Arizona (12.03.2025)
Thursday, December 04
Track & Field Weekly Update (12.02.25)
Tuesday, December 02
