Editor's note: The South Dakota Sportswriters Association 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. Here is a look at this year's celebrity and independent winners, as selected by the members papers of the SDSWA.

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."

Top 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."

Top 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 Mehlhaff's 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 Dayne's 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.

Top 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."

Sportswriters from the 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 voted on the awards.