Ten USD Sports Events To See This Year
With a lift on COVID-19 restrictions, the USD athletic department is looking at a more normal schedule for this season. With a return to non-conference schedules, full capacity events and regular scheduling, there are a lot of events fans won’t want to miss.
- USD Football @ Kansas
Last season, the Coyotes were supposed to open the fall season at Iowa State, but due to COVID-19, the Coyote season was pushed to the spring and the game was canceled. This season, USD is on the road to open the season, this time around at Kansas, a Big 12 Conference school located in Lawrence, Kansas.
- The South Dakota Classic
The Coyote Volleyball team will play its first home games of the season Sept. 9 and 10 as a part of the South Dakota Classic. The Coyotes face Bradley Sept. 9 and Central Arkansas and Milwaukee Sept. 10. The Coyotes are setting out to defend the 2020 Summit League Title.
- D-Days: USD vs. Indiana State
The return of Dakota Days is highlighted by the Coyote football team taking on Indiana State in Missouri Valley Football Conference action Oct. 2. The game is the first home conference football game of the season.
- Women’s Basketball vs. South Carolina
The Coyotes are taking on South Carolina in women’s basketball for the third season in a row. The Gamecocks defeated USD at home in 2019 and in the Sanford Pentagon in 2020. The Coyotes and Gamecocks will face off in the Pentagon Nov. 12. The Coyotes are coming off a Summit League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
- USD vs. St. Thomas
St. Thomas is making the jump to Division I after being removed from their Division III conference and joining the Summit League. The first time the Coyotes and Tommies face off is in Vermillion as the women’s soccer programs play Oct. 1. Volleyball faces off in the Sanford Pentagon Oct. 7 and the men’s and women’s basketball teams play against St. Thomas Jan. 22.
- USD-SDSU Football
The Coyotes are facing South Dakota State for the first time since the 2019 season when the Coyotes defeated the Jackrabbits 24-21 to end the 2019 season. The Jackrabbits are coming off their first trip to Frisco, Texas for the FCS National Championship game. SDSU lost to Sam Houston State. The Coyotes’ 2019 win was the first win in 20 years against SDSU.
- Men’s Basketball vs. NDSU
The Coyote men’s basketball saw its season come to an end at the Summit League Tournament at the hands of North Dakota State. The Coyotes and Bison will square off for the first time this season Jan. 1 to kick off the new year. The Coyotes lost Stanley Umude to graduate-transfer.
- Coyote Men Swim & Dive Defend Title
The Coyote men’s swimming and diving team won its first Summit League Title in program history last spring at the Summit League Championships. The Coyotes will attempt to defend the title at the 2022 Summit League Championship Feb. 16-19.
- USD-SDSU women’s basketball
Two of the top programs in women’s college basketball call the state of South Dakota home. The two teams square off for the first time Jan. 8 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. The two teams didn’t play in Vermillion last season due to travel restrictions with COVID-19. SDSU swept USD in Brookings.
- Summit League Basketball Champions
The USD women’s basketball team and Oral Roberts’ men’s basketball team will defend their conference titles at the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls March 5-8. The tournaments are hosted at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
