Sturgis wrestling, Stevens track earn SDSA award

| Wednesday, December 26, 2007

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The Associated Press

Sturgis wrestling and Rapid City Stevens track were among the winners of the South Dakota Sportswriters Association state award winners for 2007.

The SDSWA selects an athlete, coach and team of the year in the high school and college ranks, as well as independent athletes and team of the year, and the state's sports celebrity of the year.The selections were made by the members papers of the SDSWA: Aberdeen American News, Brookings Register, Huron Plainsman, Mitchell Daily Republic, Pierre Capital Journal, Rapid City Journal, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Watertown Public Opinion and Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan.

Celebrity

Mark Ellis, Rapid City

Rapid City's Mark Ellis has long been known for his sure hands at second base for the Oakland Athletics. In 2007, he also carried a big stick to home plate. The 1995 graduate of Rapid City Stevens High School set franchise records for home runs by a second baseman with 19 last season. Ellis also established a new Oakland record for RBIs in 2007 with 76 in 150 games. He finished the 2007 campaign with the second-most home runs for a second baseman in the American League and finished third in the AL at his position for RBIs. After struggling with injuries in recent years, Ellis missed the 2004 season because of a torn labrum and sat out six weeks in 2006 with a thumb injury, the former Post 22 standout was happy to have a healthy year in 2007. "This year for me health-wise was very good," Ellis told the Rapid City Journal in November. "That's all you can ask for is a chance to play every game, and that's something I was able to do this year." While Ellis had a career year in several hitting categories, his defense didn't suffer a bit. Ellis committed only five errors in 806 chances in 2007, a .994 fielding percentage that left him second to Gold Glove winner Placido Polanco for AL second basemen. He also set a franchise record by going 102 games without an error last season, a stretch that included 540 errorless chances. The Athletics rewarded Ellis, the team's first two-time winner of the Jim "Catfish" Hunter Award, for his fine play by picking up his contract option for 2008. "They did that while the season was going on, and I thought that was real nice," said Ellis, who will spend the off-season spending time with his wife, Sarah, and son Briggs William, who was born June 1. "I'm excited to be back in Oakland at least for another year, maybe even beyond that."

Prep Boys Athlete

Louie Krogman, White River

South Dakota has a new all-time leading scorer in high school boys basketball. Louie "The Legend" Krogman broke the record last week in Rapid City at the 31st annual Lakota Nation Invitational. Don Jacobsen set the record of 2,825 in 1957 after his career at Lake Norden High School. Like Krogman, Jacobsen started throughout his high school career and played on the varsity as a grade-school student. For his efforts, Krogman has been named the South Dakota Sportswriters Association 2007 Prep Boys Athlete of the Year. Last year's winner was Mitch Boeck of Arlington, now a men's basketball player at Northern State. Krogman will continue his basketball career next fall in Vermillion for the University of South Dakota. He is an all-around, durable athlete. Krogman is an all-state football player, a high jumper in track and he has never missed a basketball game in his high school career. Of course, Krogman's biggest goal is the same as it's been all along. He wants to cement his legacy by leading White River to its first state basketball title since 1955. Krogman led the Tigers to a fourth-place finish in the 2007 State B in Aberdeen. Krogman lit up the tourney with a Class B record 125 points — including a 50-point outburst against Sully Buttes in the third-place game.

Prep Boys Coach

Bob Graham, Scotland

Scotland high school football head coach Bob Graham does not have a complex coaching philosophy. But it certainly has worked for him, to the result of back-to-back 9B state championships and the honor of 2007 South Dakota Sportswriters Association Prep Boys Coach of the Year. "I'm really happy and I'm humbled," Graham said. "I never though I'd get this award. When I look around, there are a lot of qualified coaches out there." The Graham-led Highlanders posted 10-6 regular season records the past two seasons, but are a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs with Graham's simple philosophy. "I like to instill in them that there is more to the game than winning," Graham said. "The team is first rather than the individual. It teaches them to be responsible and don't trash talk or take cheap shots. If you lose, fine. The sun will come up and we move on." Graham also believes in what could be called the three E's of effort, endurance and execution. The Highlanders showed those three things in the 9A state championship game against Northwestern. Scotland raced out to a 20-6 first quarter lead before the Wildcats scored 22 points in the next two quarters to take a 28-20 lead into the final quarter. But 14 fourth quarter points, which was capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by all-state quarterback Mark Saylor, sealed the second title for the Highlanders. "We had a good group that are hard workers," Graham said. "Saylor at running back, Kyle Kepplinger at linebacker, Skyler Bloch is an all-state center. The kids stepped up and we wanted to win."

Prep Boys Team

Sturgis Wrestling

Since winning its first state championship in 2001, Sturgis has taken a liking to life at the top of the wrestling ranks in South Dakota. The Scoopers continued their winning tradition in 2007, out-pointing Rapid City Stevens by 7½ points to claim their third-straight state team title and fourth in six years. Add in the three dual crowns Sturgis claimed in the four years South Dakota/s dual meet was wrestled and the Scoopers have held state championship hardware aloft every year since 2001. Sturgis, which began its run of titles in 2001 when it claimed the first state dual championship, qualified 11 wrestlers for the 2007 state meet and then went out and put together a near-perfect run under the bright lights at the Sioux Falls Arena to claim the state team title. The Scoopers claimed three weight class wins and placed in six other divisions on their way to scoring 157½ points. "Everybody's effort was tremendous," Sturgis head coach Steve Keszler said after the state meet. "We wrestled a near-perfect state tournament. With the 11 kids we had and some of the adversities we had to overcome, we wrestled as best as we could." Seth Lange (103), Josh Keszler (112) and Jake Michalson (heavyweight) each claimed state championships for Sturgis. The Scoopers also got top-eight finishes from Clint Duprel (130), Cody Wilson (145), Chad Peck (140), Nate Wilson (119), Dylan Keszler (125) and Clint Wilson (152).

Prep Girls Athlete

Amber Wollschlager, Milbank

Milbank's Amber Wollschlager has left her mark on the South Dakota high school sports scene in more than one sport. After starting for two years in both basketball and volleyball at Grant-Deuel High School in Revillo, Wollschlager switched schools and has spearheaded a notable three-year run of success at Milbank. Wollschlager has scored more than 2,100 career points in basketball and is a three-time All-State selection — twice in Class A and once in Class B. The 6-foot-1 center, who has made a verbal commitment to play Division I basketball at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, has led Milbank's girls basketball team to a 48-7 record and back-to-back third-place finishes in the state Class A tournament. Wollschlager also led Milbank to a combined 97-6 three-year record as a middle hitter in volleyball, guiding the Dogs to the 2006 state Class A title, a runner-up finish this fall and a third-place finish in 2005. A two-time Class A first-team All State selection, Wollschlager was named the states Class A Miss Volleyball and the Gatorade Player of the Year this fall after recording 541 kills, 73 blocks and 259 digs. Wollschlager also ran on Milbank relay teams that finished fourth (4x100 meters) and eighth (4x200) in the state Class A track meet last spring. She also placed sixth in the state Class B girls discus as an eighth grader at Grant-Deuel High School in 2004 and was a four-time national Hershey Track Meet finalist in the softball throw.

Prep Girls Coach

Mark Senftner, Sully Buttes

In his second season as coach of the Sully Buttes girls basketball team, head coach Mark Senftner led the Chargers to a Class B state title, winning the championship game by more than 20 points. During his first season, the team closed the year with a third-place finish in the state B bracket. Now just beginning his third season, Senftner and the Chargers are well on their way to another strong finish at state with a perfect 5-0 mark. Still, Senftner is not one to take all the credit. "I had the good fortune of coaching an awesome group of talented, committed athletes, who were focused on becoming the best team they could be," Senftner said. "These girls had played a lot of basketball before I came to Sully Buttes." But Senftner knew what it took to play for a state title. A 1980 graduate of McLaughlin High School, Senftner made state tournament appearances during his junior and senior years, finishing third at 24-2 and fifth at 26-1 under coach Jim Calhoon, who is now in White River. "Playing in a South Dakota state basketball tournament is such a thrill and it's something you always remember no matter where you place," Senftner said. "I had outstanding teammates and a very dedicated coach in Calhoon. This state has a wealth of coaching knowledge and I've just tried to learn what I can from the talent we have here throughout my career." Senftner feels fortunate to have the group he has in Sully Buttes, a school that consistently turns out talented basketball players. After graduating last year, Katelynn Lamb continued to play basketball at Black Hills State. Meanwhile, senior standout Alexis Yackley, who was a vital player to the team as a sophomore and junior, has already signed a letter of intent to play for Division I Iowa State. "Open gyms, summer camps and good old hard work by the entire team made the entire season a success," Senftner said. "We worked hard on becoming an outstanding defensive team and it paid off in March with a state championship. These girls are strong students, great a thletes and even better people. It was an honor to be their coach and spend time with this team." Senftner, who began coaching at Roscoe High School in 1985, has been married to his wife, Lynn, an elementary school teacher in Onida, for more than 20 years. They have two sons, Tate, a freshman, and Scott, a fourth-grader. "To be successful in coaching, your family has to also love what you do," Senftner said. "I am lucky that my wife likes basketball as much as I do and that my kids enjoy spending time in the gym, because it is a reality in our lives."

Prep Girls Team

Rapid City Stevens Track

Rapid City Stevens added another chapter to its storied track and field history when the Raiders captured their 12th consecutive Class AA girls team championship at the 2007 South Dakota Track & Field Championships. Stevens had multiple qualifiers in 16 of 19 events, helping the Raiders outdistance the field by 57 points to claim the 2007 title. "We are very fortunate to have a great group of girls and some outstanding assistant coaches," Stevens head track and field coach Paul Hendry said. "Not only did we have some quality athletes; we had tremendous depth, an exceptional effort and faith in each other as well as our training." Emily DeVries swept the two hurdles finals, Brooke Garner won the shot put and the Raiders team of Kayla Gosnell, Becca Bedard, Mikayla Anderson and Haylee Weisgram claimed the 400-meter relay. Hendry was quick to point out that the team title also came from the efforts of many on the Stevens squad, including Kate Schleusener, Brooke Warne, Kassie McKie, Hannah Lehmann, Kelly Herrmann, Christina Georgas, Lynsey Jansen, Annie Pfeifle and Taryn Sahli. "It was a total team effort. Every girl that went to the state meet contributed in one way or another," Hendry said. "We had great seniors, which we feel is very important to our teams success. Our ability to score points in many different events was probably the biggest key to our success." According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, Stevens now has the longest active streak of consecutive state team girls track championships and moved into a tie for second all-time. Only Essex Junction, Vt., (1985-97) and Safford, Ariz., (1986-98) have longer consecutive state title runs, with 13.

College Men's Athlete

Chad Cavender, University of Sioux Falls

The mud-stained 17-9 loss to Carroll in the NAIA championship game was the only time Cavender ever took the field for USF and didn't lead them to victory. 27-1 as a starter, he completed over 68 percent of his passes for over 7,000 yards and 64 touchdowns in two seasons. He was named the Victory Sports NAIA player of the year in 2006, when the Cougars won the title, and this year was named the Rawlings-NAIA player of the year the night before the championship game. While he had already put up deserving numbers, he no doubt put a stranglehold on the award in the semifinals, when he directed the Cougars on a 99-yard game-winning drive in the final minutes for an 11-10 win over Missouri Valley. The Cougars had gone the entire second half of that game without a first down until the final drive. "He finds ways to make big plays," said USF coach Kalen DeBoer. "The ability to do those kinds of things is the difference against the good teams that are prepared for us."

College Men's Coach

John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State

South Dakota State University football coach John Stiegelmeier guided the Jackrabbits to the school's first conference title since 1963. Rebounding from three straight losses to start the season, SDSU won seven of its final eight games, including all four Great West conference games. The Jackrabbits' season culminated in a Nov. 17 showdown with North Dakota State for both the Dakota Marker trophy and the Great West title, which SDSU won 29-24 at Coughlin Alumni Stadium in Brookings. In his 11 years as a head coach, all at SDSU, Stiegelmeier ranks second in career victories at SDSU with a 68-51 overall record, including a 42-35 record in conference play. The Jackrabbits have posted six consecutive winning seasons, including all four during the transition from NCAA Division II to Football Championship Subdivision status. Following the Jacks' 2007 season, Stiegelmeier was named the Region coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association as well as a finalist in the FCS for the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

College Men's Team

University of Sioux Falls Football

Their drive for a second consecutive NAIA football championship fell short, but the University of Sioux Falls' 27-game winning streak and second straight trip to Savannah, Tenn., was the highlight of the college football season in South Dakota. They easily captured yet another Great Plains Athletic Conference title, and flexed their muscle with a pair of blowout wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs — 35-7 over Northwestern Oklahoman State and 49-7 over St. Xavier — then authored one of the most memorable wins in school history when they went 99 yards on 16 plays in two minutes to pull an 11-10 win out of the hat against Missouri Valley. They fell just short in the championship, losing 17-9 to Carroll College in a game that was marred by heavy rain and mud. It was Carroll's fifth title in six years. The Cougars clearly haven't missed a beat under third-year coach Kalen DeBoer, who was on the first USF team to win the title, back in 1996. DeBoer is 38-3 as the Cougar coach. "This isn't the way we wanted to end it, but the things we did along the way were impressive," DeBoer said.

College Women's Athlete

Megan Vogel, South Dakota State

Megan Vogel capped an outstanding career as a Jackrabbit by leading SDSU to the Women's NIT quarterfinals a season ago. The two-time first team All-Independant selection led the Jackrabbits in scoring with a 17.5 ppg average and stepped up her game to average 18.6 ppg in the WNIT. Vogel ended her collegiate career second on the all-time SDSU scoring list with 1,850 points and ranks third in three-pointers and fifth in rebounds. She is the all-time school leader with 492 free throws made. Vogel received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, was a semifinalist for NCAA Woman of the Year and was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American team. In April, Vogel was selected by the Washington Mystics with the 19th overall pick in the WNBA draft, though she never played and was waived by the organization in May. Currently, Vogel is back in Brookings and is a graduate assistant to SDSU women's basketball head coach Aaron Johnston.

College Women's Coach

Chad Lavin, South Dakota Basketball

After 26 seasons and 425 career wins as a head coach, Chad Lavin has encountered his share of challenges. Yet, it was Lavin's work last season that earned him the distinction as the College Women's Coach of the Year, as voted by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. Lavin guided the Coyote women to a 22-9 record last season, including a berth in the Division II national playoffs. Despite a first-round defeat to Concordia-St. Paul, USD recorded just its sixth 20-win season in school history — five of which have come under Lavin's guidance. "We just had a huge influx of talent last year. The biggest difference was that we were able to combine five transfer kids with three returners," said Lavin, who is retiring after this season. "Sometimes that doesn't always mix well, but that says a lot about our group that we were able to do so," he said. "I've seen teams not mesh at all in similar situations." Perhaps the biggest credit to Lavin's coaching abilities is the way the Coyotes were able to turn the tides last season, after a 2005-2006 campaign in which USD posted a 15-13 record. "In fairness to the team before, they lost a lot of close games," said Lavin, referring to the three 2-point losses and one 1-point defeat that season. As the Coyotes (10-1) approach the midway point of this season, Lavin said he still has yet to focus on his impending retirement. However, as he joked, he'll plenty of time for that after this season. "For me, I don't really get much further than planning for the next game," he said before a team practice last week. "It isn't something I dwell on too much. I don't think any coach would dwell on that; there's too much going on and the season is too important."

College Women's Team

South Dakota State Basketball

The South Dakota State University women's basketball team reached unprecedented heights a season ago, posting a 25-6 overall record and obtaining a berth in the NCAA Women's National Invitational Tournament. After beginning the year 11-5, the Jackrabbits reeled off 14 straight victories and reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT. SDSU defeated Illinois State and Indiana at home in its first two WNIT games, but fell to eventual-champion Wyoming in Laramie on March 25. The Jackrabbits went 16-1 at home on the floor of Frost Arena and went 10-4 on the road, posting road wins over such schools as Kansas, Missouri, Alabama and Minnesota. SDSU's postseason victory over Indiana drew a record crowd of 6,053 at Frost Arena. Senior Megan Vogel (17.5 ppg) was named to the Division I All-Independant first team, while sophomore Jennifer Warkenthien (9.7 ppg) was selected to the second team. SDSU posted a .431 percent field goal percentage on the season while holding opponents to .366 percent. On the academic side, seven Jackrabbit student-athletes were honored individually on the DI Independent All-Academic team.

Independent Male Athlete

Taylor Mehlhaff, Aberdeen

Taylor Mehlhaff is leaving college the same way he entered — as America's best kicker, according to some people in the know. Mehlhaff has been a four-year starter for the Wisconsin Badgers (9-3), who will play Tennessee (9-4) at 10 a.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN in the Outback Bowl in Mehlhaff's final collegiate game. Mehlhaff has been an All-American and a Big Ten Conference performer during his time with the Badgers. In high school, Rivals.com rated him the No. 1 prep kicker in the country. For his efforts, Mehlhaff has been named the South Dakota Sportswriters Association 2007 Independent Male Athlete of the Year. Last year's winner was pro rodeo star Chad Ferley of Oelrichs. In his four years of kicking off for Wisconsin, 121 of Mehlhaff's 284 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks. In three years as the field goal kicker, Mehlhaff has made 143 of 146 points after touchdowns and 49 of 64 field goals. His 290 career points are second in school history behind leader Ron Daynes' 426. Mehlhaff has set school records, and has earned team, Big Ten Conference and national honors. Since Mehlhaff has been with the Badgers, Wisconsin has gone 40-10, 25-1 at home (all sellouts), 23-9 in the Big Ten Conference and 2-1 in bowl games. He and his fellow seniors have won more games during their career than any senior class in the 119-year history of Wisconsin football.

Independent Female Athlete

Jill Moody, Letcher

Jill Moody, a Letcher resident, enjoyed the finest rodeo season of her career in 2007, which culminated in a strong showing at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas earlier in December. Moody, a barrel racer, had been ranked in the top 25 in the world prior to this year, but shot up the rankings in 2007 thanks in large part to her big win at Reno. Moody entered the NFR ranked No 4 in the world, and climbed to No. 3 in Las Vegas with a performance that netted her an additional $83,689.89, one of the highest totals at the NFR. Only 14 of the 118 competitors won more money in a single event than Moody. Moody won two performances and finished second in two others, but three five-second penalties throughout the 10-day event prevented her from finishing higher than 11th overall. Moody's winnings this season now total $169,000. "At first it was cool to be in top 15, but now that I'm in the top five, now that's not good enough either," Moody said before the start of the NFR. "If I don't try, I'm certainly not going to get to No. 1."

Independent Team

Sioux Falls Stampede Hockey

They started the season 0-5-1. Had the USHL been playing under its usual playoff format (every team qualified in 2006-07) they barely would've gotten in. And yet when the season ended, the Stampede gathered at center ice in Waterloo, Iowa, and raised the Clark Cup trophy after beating the heavily favored Blackhawks 3-0 in the USHL Final Four championship game. They did it with spectacular road play. They were a league-best 19-9-2 away from the Arena during the regular season and clinched their first two playoff series wins on the road. Then in the championship they took down a Blackhawk team that had the best home record in the USHL at an Arena that was overflowing with hockey-crazy supporters. Goalie Matt Lundin was the catalyst, stopping 62 of 64 shots in the team's two Final Four victories to capture MVP honors. Lundin, like his team, had struggled in the early stages of the season, but when the games really counted, he and his teammates stepped up their game. "We struggled at the beginning of the year, but that didn't matter too much, did it?" Lundin said. "It just shows that if you're patient and work hard, you can get through adversity and accomplish great things."