The Volante’s Athlete of the Year: Grace Larkins

     Over four years in Vermillion, Grace Larkins built a resume few athletes at University of South Dakota can match. A relentless competitor and a player who rarely left the floor, Larkins leaves the Coyotes women’s basketball program as one of its most decorated players, and as The Volante’s Athlete of the Year for 2025.

     The Altoona, Iowa native arrived on campus ahead of the 2021-22 season and wasted little to no time making an impact. As a freshman, she came off the bench for the Coyotes, earning Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year honors and helped the university reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, which was the furthest postseason run in program history.

     By the time her senior season rolled around, Larkins had fully taken the reins. She led the Summit League in multiple averages per game:24 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 37.4 minutes per game. She scored in double figures in every game this season and reached 30 points on seven different occasions. Her performance on Feb. 8 at home against North Dakota State set a new school record, as she poured in 47 points to lead the Coyotes to a 91-85 win.

     The milestones kept coming this past season, as Larkins became just the second player in program history to score over 2,000 career points, finishing with a total of 2,089. She also grabbed 896 rebounds and dished out 519 assists, which are both among the top marks in school history. 

     Her name is scattered across the Coyote record books. Larkins currently stands fourth in free throws made with 460 and seventh in steals with 208. She is the only player in Summit League history to average 20 plus points, nine plus rebounds and five plus assists over an entire season.

     She was named the Summit League Player of the Year following the 2024-25 season in Vermillion, becoming the third Coyote in Division I history to earn that title. It marked her third straight first-team All-Summit League selection, and she also earned a spot on the league’s All-Defensive Team for the second time in her career.

     National recognition followed, as Larkins was named the USBWA National Player of the Week in early Feb. and later landed on the organization’s player of the year watchlist.

     Larkins’ numbers speak volumes, but they only tell part of the story. Her style of play was aggressive, physical, fast, but also methodical, and defined the Coyotes during her tenure. She played with the energy of a point guard and the scoring punch of a shooting guard, and often shouldered the bulk of USD’s offense without missing a step on the defensive end.

     Her departure marks the end of a chapter in Vermillion, but her legacy will stick with the program for years to come. Whether it was on a national tournament run in 2022, a single-game scoring clinic or the long grind of Summit League play, Larkins found ways to elevate not only her game, but her team.