- University of South Dakota athletic director David Herbster has announced the hiring of Kayla Karius as the 11th women’s basketball head coach of the Coyotes. Karius will be formally introduced at a press conference at 11 am today in the DakotaDome Club on USD’s campus. The press conference is open to the public and will be streamed live on social media. Karius takes the helm of a Coyote squad fresh off the first Sweet 16 appearance in program history. A familiar face to the program, Karius served as an assistant to Dawn Plitzuweit (Plitz-uh-white) for two seasons from 2016-18. In her two seasons at USD, the Coyotes compiled a 52-16 record with a pair of Women’s National Invitation Tournament berths. The Coyotes won the 2017-18 Summit League regular season title and became the first Summit champion to go undefeated in league play in 24 years. Karius received the WBCA’s Thirty Under 30 award in 2018.
- Matthew Mors, the former Yankton Buck Basketball standout and University of Wisconsin Badger, announced Friday afternoon that he has committed to SDSU and will suit up for the Jackrabbits. The decision for 6’-7” Mors came two and a half weeks after he announced he was transferring from Wisconsin. Mors was selected as South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year three times, All-State five times, and led the Yankton Bucks to the 2018 Class AA State Title.
- The Yankton Bucks took two victories in a varsity baseball triangular in Huron Saturday afternoon, defeating the Huron Tigers 2-1 in extra innings after a go-ahead single from Jack Halsted (Haul-Sted) in the top of the tenth. While Joe Gokie pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing only four hits and a single run, Drew Ryken took the victory for Yankton after pitching 1 1/3 innings. The Bucks offense erupted in their second afternoon game vs Rapid City Central, defeating the Cobblers 12-2. Drew Ryken was the lead force both on the mound and at the plate for the Bucks, pitching five innings and allowing just one run, all while knocking in three. The Bucks, now 5-1 on the season, square up with 4-3 Sioux Falls Jefferson tonight at Riverside Field for a varsity double-header. You can catch the action live on KYNT and KYNTV with Bryce Ladwig, pregame 430pm, first pitch at 5pm.
- It was a strong showing by Yankton at the Brandon Valley Invitational track and field meet on Saturday. Austin Gobel won the 200 (22.47) and the long jump (20-0), finished third in the 100 (11.76) and anchored the Bucks to third in the 1600 relay (3:36.43). Cody Oswald was second in the 110 hurdles (16.03). Carson Haak finished second in the discus (152-10) and fifth in the shot put (46-2). On the girls’ side, Yankton’s lone victory came in the 3200 relay, as Thea Chance, Claire Tereshinski, Shae Rumsey and Sydnee Serck finished in 9:53.25. Serck and Rumsey teamed with Annika Gordon and Tierney Faulk to place third in the 1600 relay (4:11.20). Serck and Rumsey each took home an individual runner-up finish. Serck was second in the 800, running under the meet record with a clocking of 2:21.71. Rumsey was second in the 400 (58.73). Faulk took home three individual places: fourth in the long jump (16-3 3/4), fifth in the triple jump (34-4 1/2) and seventh in the 100 hurdles (17.68). Gordon was fourth in the 400 (1:01.44) and sixth in the 200 (28.10). Chance was fifth in the 800 (2:27.70) and 1600 (5:30.26). Also for the Gazelles, Madisyn Bietz was third in the javelin (96-5). Yankton now travels to Mitchell on Tuesday for a varsity triangular, events begin at 2pm.
