If the first 11 (XI) parts didn’t wear you out, here is the finale.
A decade is a long time, so as expected, I missed a moment or two.
I just wanted to make sure we recognized them.
I turned 35 in May on my decade anniversary at the Register, so it should have been 35 in 10 anyways.
But, yes.
This is it.
And again, this was why I did all this: I celebrated my decade anniversary at the Register in May, so in an attempt to provide somewhat entertaining sports content, I’ve decided to break down my top 30 memories in my 10 years here. In order to make the list, a memory has to be a team I covered regularly or an event I attended.
I mention that so the hockey and baseball parents don’t get after me too much.
Later gators.
Jacks beat an FBS squad
I didn’t go to Lawrence for the game.
I heard it’s a lovely town and a solid school, but I despise Jayhawks – other than Wilt Chamberlain, the third greatest basketball player of all-time.
Anyways, this was the Jackrabbits’ first – and only – ‘W’ over an FBS team in the Division I era, beating Kansas 41-38 on Sept. 5, 2015.
Zach Lujan threw for 293 yards and a trio of touchdowns.
Isaac Wallace ran for 118 yards.
And, you’re not going to believe this, but Jake Wieneke had a big game. It was a shocker – eight for 160 with a pair of scores.
Dang, too bad he couldn’t play like that all the time.
(He provided us all with this iconic photo – taken by the Associated Press’ Charlie Riedel)
Rachel King
She definitely deserved her own spot in the top 30.
King was mentioned in Part VII – No. 7 Jackrabbit men win Summit League Indoor Track & Field Championship Also worth noting during this run is Rachel King, who won nine Summit League crowns on the women’s side to go with a cross country championship. She twice qualified for the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earning All-America honors as a junior in 2018.
That doesn’t do her justice.
She was something else.
And in my experiences, she was a great human being.
I call her a “beast” in the nicest way humanly possible … I also call her the “best.”
Dani Selberg wins at home
Many of you know much, much more about the Bobcat golf dynasty than I do because you were here for it.
I was going to go into detail on this one, but again, I don’t want to miss any names.
I’m not saying this was the end of the Bobcat dynasty – led by Hall of Fame coach and legend Bill Scholten – however, the youngest of the Selberg clan had a heck of a week at the BCC back in 2011.
She shot 156 for a three-stroke victory – Brookings’ last individual title.
The Bobcats defeated Yankton in a playoff to place second in the team standings (OG won it by nine shots; imagine that).
It was a great win for Dani.
Alexis Gannon
I didn’t cover Bobcat athletics on a regular basis, but I did give Alexis a call after she broke the state triple jump record for the first time during a meet in the River City.
Her numbers at the state track and field meet speak for themselves:
Triple jump/Long jump
2011 (freshman) – 1/2
2012 – 4/1
2013 – sweep
2014 – sweep
She was decent in gymnastics, as well, earning nine medals (four on the floor, three on the vault, one on bars and an all-around) in her career.
Rachel – one of her many sisters – took home a floor title as an eighth-grader in 2018.
So that puts it at 34 officially.
I listed a pair of great honorable mentions in Part I, so I might as well list one more.
T35 is a pretty decent finish.
n SDSU golf
Thank you all for playing along.
Live sports are happening again.
We’ll see you out there.
PART I
Release date: April 21
HM. Brookings Marathon, Entringer Classic
30. Sioux Valley volleyball finishes third – Nov. 15-17, 2012
29. Nearly a 2-0 gridiron game – Oct. 31, 2016
28. Jackrabbits beat Bison – Nov. 4, 2017
27. Cossacks take third – March 13-15, 2014
26. SDGA Match Play Championship – July 11-15, 2013
PART II
Release date: April 24
25. Deubrook Area girls’ golf – 2010-present
24. Colman-Egan football – 2016-present
23. Jewett, Bobcat girls rock 2018-19
22. Dolphin three-peat (girls’ track & field) – 2016-19
21. Bobcats’ seven seniors win 20 games (boys’ basketball) – 2016-17
PART III
Release date: April 28
20. 2020: What could have been
19. Zenner’s final game – Dec. 6, 2014
18. 2012 NCAA Tournaments (basketball)
PART IV
Release date: April 31
17. Wieneke TD buries Bison – Oct. 15, 2016
16. Seth Gross’ two-year stretch – 2016-18
15. Bobcat wrestling – 2015-present
PART V
Release date: May 4
14. Arlington VB wins crown – Nov. 18-20, 2010
13. Dolphins take FB title – Nov. 8, 2012
12. Bobcat distance dynasty – 2009-present
PART VI
Release date: May 8
11. SDSU women’s soccer wins again – Nov. 7 and 9, 2019
10. Jacks hammer Jimmy G for first postseason win – Nov. 24, 2012
9. BHS takes second (football) – 2019
PART VII
Release date: May 11
8. 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
7. Jackrabbit men win Summit League Indoor Track & Field Championship – Feb. 22-23, 2019
6. Nate Wolters
PART VIII
Release date: May 15
5. Cossack competitive cheer – 2007-present
4. The greatest high school basketball game I’ve ever covered (Sioux Valley-Flandreau boys) – March 2, 2018
PART IX
Release date: May 19
3. Mike Daum hits 3K – Feb. 23, 2019
PART X
Release date: May 22
2. Year of the Bandits – 2010
PART XI
Release date: May 26
1. Sweet 16 (SDSU women’s basketball) – 2019
Please drop me a line if you have any questions or comments or feel like I missed anything. Thanks. Email spwelsh@brookingsregister.com or find @edgecat_ on Twitter.
