Coyote Chatter
An Exciting February Ahead for USD Teams
Tom Berg
USD Sports Information Coordinator |
There is a lot happening with USD athletics in February. The Great West Conference basketball races will heat up as several important games are on the schedule. Football signing day is here on Wednesday (Feb. 3), and Ed Meierkort and his staff will showcase their 2010 class at signing-day events in Vermillion and Sioux Falls on Feb. 3 and 4, respectively. The Coyote softball team opens play at Northern Iowa (indoors, of course) on Feb. 13-14. And the Coyote tennis team continues action after opening the second part of its season in Colorado.
Two of the biggest events, however, involve the Coyote swimming and diving teams and indoor track and field teams.
The Coyote swimming and diving teams will compete at the Summit League Championships on Feb. 18-20 in Indianapolis, Ind. USD will be the first Coyote team in any sport to compete for a Summit League championship. The Coyotes had one final tune-up before the championships at North Dakota on Jan. 30. From there, it’s time for training as they gear up for the Summit League Championships.
USD has several individuals who rank in the top 10 in their respective events in the Summit League. For more, go to http://www.thesummitleague.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3900&ATCLID=204813787 and click on the latest weekly release for more info.
Later in the month, the DakotaDome will be the site – for the second straight year – for the Great West Indoor Track and Field Championships. The event will be held Feb. 26-27.
USD’s staff has a great reputation for how it runs its track meets. Many hours of planning and work go into an event, plus the work of dozens of volunteers. The 2009 Championships were a great event and a great chance to showcase USD’s indoor track facility.
The Coyote women’s and men’s teams each captured indoor titles in 2008-09 after outstanding performances and will likely be in the hunt once again this year.
Needless to say, it looks like a busy month for the USD athletic department. It should be fun.
SAAC to Host Shoe Drive
-- The University of South Dakota Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is organizing a shoe drive during the Coyote basketball doubleheader against Utah Valley on Feb. 18. Fans are encouraged to bring shoes of all kinds in any condition, which SAAC will donate to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. The Cheyenne River Reservation is one of the poorest regions in the U.S. States. It’s a great chance to help those in need, and great to see the SAAC get involved in this activity.
Media Info
--Argus Leader writer Mick Garry did a column on Coyote kicker Sam Sawyer, who was injured in a skiing accident earlier this winter. Here is the link: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100128/COLUMNISTS0108/1280325/1002/sports
--Mick Garry of the Argus Leader did a feature on USD women’s basketball player Annie Roche last week. Here is the link: http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101260323
--Jeremy Hoeck of the Yankton Press and Dakotan did a nice feature story on USD track and field freshman Bethany Buell, who is off to a great start as a pole vaulter for the Coyotes. The story is at http://yankton.net/articles/2010/01/26/sports/doc4b5e76cf68ff8794894983.txt
Hoeck also did a feature on Roche, which can be found at http://yankton.net/articles/2010/01/28/sports/doc4b6125b5528b3846734927.txt
Former Coyotes
--John Hemenway, a Coyote Sports Hall of Famer and former USD men’s basketball standout, is the head men’s basketball coach at Dakota Wesleyan (NAIA). Hemenway has guided DWU to a 19-5 mark overall and 11-2 record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, good for a tie for first. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 17 in NAIA, are tied with Concordia (Neb.) atop the conference.
--Former Coyote volleyball standout Kathleen Hruska is a graduate assistant volleyball coach at Winona State (Minn.), which is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101260323
About Coyote Chatter
Coyote Chatter is the sports information blog put together by USD sports information coordinator Tom Berg. This will be updated periodically, and also includes the Where Are They Now? Feature. If you have any submissions for updates on former athletes, coaches, etc., for this feature, please email tom.berg@usd.edu. We will also provide short tidbits on other former Coyotes.
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