20th Annual Elite Eight Athletes of the Year Award – Brought to you by: POET and made possible by KORN News Radio, Q107-3 and KORN Country 92-1
Athletes must be a Junior or a Senior, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, be involved in community and school activities, be an elite athlete, and be nominated by their coach or administration. The Elite Eight Committee votes on the nominations based on criteria.
Avery Broughton – Corsica-Stickney (Sr.) – Basketball
Broughton concluded one of the great careers in South Dakota high school girls basketball this past season, rewriting the Corsica-Stickney record book. She finished with 2,229 career points, the 17th most points in state girls history. She is the all-time school leader in points, rebounds (1,186), assists (401) and blocks (262), while averaging 17.4 points and nine rebounds per game as a senior. Broughton ends her career as a five-time All-State selection and was named to the Class B Girls Basketball All-State first team for the fourth straight year as a senior. She will attend the University of South Dakota in the fall.
“Avery has received many individual awards in basketball, but her greatest satisfaction has come from her teams’ success. I believe that is why she worked so hard to make it back this season (from a torn ACL) even when those around her thought she should sit it out. She felt she would be letting her team down but not trying to come back. She is a hard worker and encourages those around her to work hard. She is very easily coached and treats coaches and adults with respect. She is a role model on and off the floor and shows her faith in her values and how she lives her life.” – Corsica-Stickney girls basketball coach Lorisa Broughton
Berkeley Engelland – Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (Jr.) – Track & Field
Engelland has already set numerous school records and she just begins her junior year of track. At the South Dakota girls Class A state track meet the past spring, Engelland received six gold medals, including the fastest 800 for all classes in 2022, one second place medals, two third place medals and two seventh place medals. She was named MVP of running events in the girls Class A track and field last year. She currently holds four individual and three relay Mt. Vernon/Plankinton school records. At the Howard Wood Relays last spring, considered the toughest track meet of the year in the state, Engelland finished with the sixth fastest 800 meters ever recorded in South Dakota girls track and field history.
“I personally want to thank Berkeley for letting me come along for the ride into what I refer to as, “A Coach’s Dream”. As a coach, you know the potential of athletes. It is up to them to bring out their talents with hard work and desire. Berkeley exceeds all expectations and continues to surprise me with something new.” – Mt. Vernon/Plankinton Girls Track and Field coach Lawton Bohr
Emilee Fox – Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (Jr.) – Basketball
The Junior is already a four-time Class A all-state selection, having been named to the team every season since she was an eighth grader. Fox averaged 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 rebounds per game this past season for the Titans. She is already MVP’s all-time leader in points scored with 1,714 and holds single game and school records for assists, steals and three-pointers made. Fox has committed to South Dakota State and maintained at 4.06 GPA.
“Emilee arguably had one of the hardest years she’s had to experience during this basketball season. She is a kid who lives in the gym as she loves the game of basketball. She puts in more hours than anyone I’ve known and when our season rolled around this year, she started to experience health issues. Her health issues were so severe that she would need to have a procedure in order to continue doing any physical activity, which meant that this season was in jeopardy. It wasn’t easy for her, as she sat out the first month of basketball. It wasn’t until the Christmas break that she received a call that she would be able to have the procedure sooner than expected. She battled adversity from the start, overcoming mental hurdles, to work herself back physically. She would probably tell you herself, she wasn’t close to 100%. That didn’t stop her from being one of the top players on the court every time she stepped on it.” – Mt. Vernon/Plankinton girls basketball coach Preston Kristensen
Adisyn Indahl – Burke (Sr.) – Volleyball
Indahl was named Miss Volleyball in Class B this past fall by the South Dakota Volleyball Coaches Association to wrap a varsity career that started as an eighth grader. She ends up as the all-time school leader in digs (1,962), along with 1,455 career kills and 199 aces. Indahl had 520 kills and 214 digs during her senior year, leading the Cougars to the state tournament for the fourth straight year. Indahl has also been a part of state championship golf teams at Burke in 2018 and 2019, while being named to the Class B all-tournament team in 2021 and 2022. She will be attending Mount Marty University in Yankton this fall for volleyball.
“Adisyn is a very well-rounded student athlete who strives for perfection on and off the court. She is a very talented young lady and has accomplished so much at such a young age in many different aspects of her high school career, both athletically and academically. She is the type of kid who never settles for anything and does her best no matter what she is doing. – Burke head volleyball coach Billie Joe Indahl.
Shalayne Nagel – Wagner (Sr.) – Basketball and Volleyball
Nagel has been a three-sport star in her time at Wagner, leading the Red Raiders in basketball, volleyball and track. She ends her basketball career with 1,390 points, 844 rebounds, 389 assists, and 358 steals. Shalayne was a five-time Little Missouri Valley All-Conference player and a three-time Southeast South Dakota All-Conference player in basketball. On the volleyball court, Nagel was also an all-conference selection totaling 414 kills, 645 digs and 175 blocks in her two years in Wagner. Nagel will attend Dakota Wesleyan in the fall for basketball to major in elementary education and minor in special education, early childhood, and coaching.
“Shalayne has been a spark plug for Wagner girl’s basketball since the day she became a Raider. She is full of energy and excitement and she carries that with her on and off the court. She is a student of the game and just knows where her teammates are and anticipates passes so well. In most cases it seemed like there were three Shalayne’s on the court at once.I am so glad I got to coach Shalayne the past three years at Wagner. She helped bring back the passion and winning attitude for Wagner Girls Basketball. – Wagner girls basketball coach Michael Koupal
Sawyer Stoebner – Mitchell (Jr.) – Basketball
Stoebner averaged 14.6 points, 11.2 rebounds 3.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game this season to lead the Kernels to sixth place at the AA Girls Basketball Tournament. Mitchell was the first ever #12 seed to advance out of the SoDak 16, winning at #5 Brandon Valley, 53-49 on March 3. Stoebner was named to the AA all-state first team, all-tournament team and all-ESD first team. She was also the only AA girls player to average a double-double this season. The junior has a 4.0 GPA and was recently inducted into the National Honor Society.
“Sawyer is a hardworking, humble, respectful young lady and has evolved into a team leader. She volunteers to work at our youth basketball camps where she does an excellent job with the kids who attend. She also volunteers with the youth volleyball camps and has helped with the Special Olympics.: – Mitchell girls basketball coach Dave Brooks.
Lizzie Tyler – Mitchell (Sr.) – Volleyball and Track
Tyler has excelled on the volleyball court and on the track since making the move to Mitchell. She was an all-ESD volleyball selection for the second straight year, finishing her Kernel career with 840 kills and 1,492 digs. Tyler was also one of just 12 players in the state named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Best and Brightest Award list, which recognizes senior student-athletes that excel on the court and in the classroom. On the track, Tyler finished eighth in the 400 meters at the state track meet this past spring and was also a part of the medley and 4X200 relay teams that placed sixth. Tyler will continue her volleyball career at Dakota Wesleyan.
“Lizzie leads by positive example for her teams and is a great role model for younger players. She makes herself available to kids who need help, have questions or need someone to talk to. She is the person who does the right thing when no one is watching. Lizzie is a reliable, consistent athlete who can perform under any circumstances. She will always compete at a high level no matter what and is willing to play any position or run any race to help her team be the best. There is no question how coachable she is and how much she means to her team.” – Mitchell volleyball coach Deb Thill
Emma Yost – Wagner (Sr.) – Basketball and Volleyball
Yost has been a dual threat in her past two years at Wagner, being named to the Class A first team for volleyball and second team in basketball. Yost had 330 kills and 502 digs as a senior, leading the Red Raiders to the state tournament. Emma also led Wagner to the Class A state girls basketball championship game this past March, averaging 15 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. She finishes her high school career with 1,666 points and 1,271 rebounds and is a three-time all-state selection. Yost will continue her career by playing basketball and majoring in nursing at Dakota Wesleyan next winter.
“Emma has brought back the winning attitude to Wagner, something that you can’t coach in kids. She is a very unselfish player and probably one of the greatest passers that I have ever coached as a post player. Emma knew where everyone was on the court, who was open and delivered a pass on the spot. She plays a lot taller than 5’11, sometimes enforcing her will to get shots off. She is a rebounding machine and has the strength, endurance, and mind set to play at a high level. Emma played the championship game on a high ankle sprain from the semifinals and didn’t blink an eye. She’s a gamer, but even better yet, a better person off the court. She’s going to go on and represent herself, family, and community the best she can. – Wagner girls basketball coach Michael Koupal