South Dakota Athletics Busy During National Signing Day

The Coyotes announced the signing of 46 athletes across multiple USD athletic teams on National Signing Day last week.

The men’s basketball team signed three players for their 2023 recruiting class: Isaac Bruns, Jake Brack and Shey Eberwein.

Bruns is a 6’4” guard from North Sioux City and plays basketball at Dakota Valley highschool where he was the Class A player of the year a season ago, helping the Panthers to an undefeated season and state championship title. Bruns has ties to USD where his brother Paul is playing his first season at South Dakota after transferring from North Dakota.

Brack is a 6’9” forward from Omaha, Nebraska where he attends Skutt Catholic High School. Last season Brack averged 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game leading him to receive first team Class B-allstate, all-conference and all-area honors.

Eberwein is a 6’5” guard from The Woodlands,Texas. He is a four-year varsity player and a two-year captain of The Woodlands High School Highlanders where he received district MVP.

Like the men, the women’s basketball team signed three recruits on signing day: Avery Broughton, Olivia Kieffer and Addison Klosterbuer.

Broughton is a 5 ’11” guard from Corisca, South Dakota. She is a highschool three-time first-team all-stater and is the all time leading scorer and rebounder at Corsica-Stickney High School compiling 1,909 career points and 1,014 career rebounds in three seasons.

Kieffer is a 5’10” guard from Rapid City, South Dakota. She is a four-year starter at Rapid City Christian where she averaged over 20 points per game in all four seasons equalling to 1,822 career points. Kieffer is also a six-year varsity volleyball player who has tallied over 2,200 kills and 1,700 digs.

Klosterbuer is a 5’11” guard from Little Rock, Iowa. She is coming off a milestone year where she broke the single season three point record at Central Lyon High School and was second overall in the state of Iowa with 75 three-pointers. She was also selected as the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year.

The volleyball team added five players for the 2023 season: Caity Clancy, Amelia Dugger, Samantha Laird, Amanda Loschen and Avery Van Hook.

Clancy is a 5’8” defensive specialist from Castle Rock, Colorado. She is a four-year all-conference starter for Douglas County highschool. This season she led the 5A Continental League with 63 service aces.

Dugger is a 6’1” middle blocker from Decorah, Iowa. This year she recorded 309 kills and a Decorah High School program record of .412 hitting percentage. Dugger was also a three-year varsity letter winning soccer player.

Laird is a 6’0” outside hitter from Omaha, Nebraska. She helped lead Westside High School to the Nebraska Class A state title game compiling 433 kills on the year. Laird tallied 1,308 kills and 1,130 digs in her highschool career.

Loschen is a 6’2” middle block from Omaha, Nebraska. Her sister Elizabeth played for South Dakota from 2016-2019. Loschen helped Marian High School break a three-year postseason drought, recording 384 kills and 89 total blocks this season.

Van Hook is a 5’9” setter from Marion, Iowa. She helped Marion High School reach the Iowa Class 4A state tournament four times. Van Hook ended her career at Marion with 2,255 assists, 970 kills, 1,119 digs, 172 blocks and 183 service aces.

The women’s golf team added two golfers Ella Greenberg from Rockford, Illinois and Avery O’Donnell from Elk River, Minnesota.

Greenberg is a four-time state qualifier and was the state runner up this fall for Boylan Catholic High School. O’Donnell is a five-time all conference selection and a two-time state qualifier for Elk River High School.

The men’s team also signed a pair of new golfers: John Rohlwing from Apple Valley, Minnesota and Cole Witherow from Woodbury, Minnesota.

Rohlwing is a two time all-state athlete and had the lowest scoring average the last two seasons for Eastview High School. Witherow is also a two-time all-state athlete and won the Class A individual state title in 2022 for the New Life Academy Eagles.

The Coyote softball team signed six players: Abi Brown, Alexis Lusk, Autumn Iversen, Emmie Wills, McKenna Young and Tessa Villotta.

Brown is a catcher from Bennington, Nebraska. She holds the program record for career hits and RBIs at Bennington High School.

Lusk is an infielder from Lubbock, Texas. She helped Monterey High School win back-to-back District 4-5A championships hitting .484 and driving in 37 runs last season.

Iversen is an infielder from Wahoo, Nebraska. She was Wahoo High School’s MVP all four years and leads the program in runs scored, home runs and RBIs. She also pitched for the Warriors, striking out 422 batters in her career.

Wills is an outfielder from Papillon, Nebraska. She hit over .500 in her final two seasons, boasting a .550 on-base percentage last season. Wills also played basketball and tennis at Papillion La Vista High School.

Young is a pitcher/infielder from Brodhead, Wisconsin. She is a two-time all-state pitcher and shortstop. She holds the record for most home runs and the lowest season ERA at Brodhead High School. Young also played basketball and volleyball.

Villotta is an infielder from Blair, Nebraska. She is a two-time all-state honoree and has a .472 batting average. Villotta will join her sister Tatum on the South Dakota softball team.

The track and field/cross country teams added Thea Chance a distance runner from Yankton, South Dakota, Hadley Cheatum a hurdler from Page, Nebraska, Jaden Guthmiller from Spearfish, South Dakota, Moriah Knapp a distance runner from Algona, Iowa and Maddie Olson a high jumper from Sheldon, Iowa.

The Triathlon team signed two athletes Lulu Ehinger from Coppell, Texas and Ella Spitz from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

The Coyotes swim and dive team added 11 on signing day: Zoe Afman from Lakewood, Colorado, Gabbie Ahrendt from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Lauren Anderson from Mitchell, South Dakota, Anna Balfanz from Baraboo, Wisconsin, Teague Bates from Highland Village, Texas, James Coffey from Waukee, Iowa, Joaquin Contreras-Fallico from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Taylor Horan from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Nathan Langstraat from Woodbury, Minnesota, Bri Ruark from Niotaze, Kansas and Dean Wall from Hoschton, Georgia.

The Soccer team brought in seven players from the 2023 recruiting class: Megan Brady, Kyla Brown, Brooke Conway, Cambell Fischer, Sam Luft, Gillian Long and Mali Van Meeteren.

Brady is a midfielder from Vermillion, South Dakota. She was a two-time Offensive Player of the Year for the Tanagers and helped them to a regional championship and a third-place finish at Nationals.

Brown is a forward from Estevale, California. She scored 23 goals this season for the John F. Kennedy Middle College High School Timberwolves.

Conway is a midfielder from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She was a second team all-conference selection for Mountain Vista High School and was a two-time Elite Clubs National League all-league member for her club team.

Fischer is a goalkeeper from Hartford, South Dakota. She helped the West Central High School Trojans to three state championships and a runner-up finish. In 2021 Fischer was named the Argus Leader’s Soccer Player of the Year.

Luft is a defender from Castle Pines, Colorado. Luft played club soccer for Real Colorado where she won the U17 ECNL National Championship.

Long is a forward from Chino Hills, California. She was a four-year varsity player for the Huskies and was a Baseline League first-team selection in 2021.

Van Meeteren is a midfielder from Chancellor, South Dakota. She was nominated all-metro and all-state first team this season.