South Dakota State travels to Houston, Texas Monday to open the 2024-25 season at Rice. This is the first-ever meeting between these teams.
SDSU went 27-6 a season ago and made the program’s 12th trip to the NCAA Tournament via a repeat Summit League tournament championship. The Jackrabbits were picked to repeat at the top of the Summit League preseason poll. Brooklyn Meyer was named the Preseason Player of the Year and is joined on the preseason first team by Paige Meyer. Haleigh Timmer was a preseason second team selection.
Rice also went to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024 by way of an AAC championship in its first season in the conference. Rice entered the AAC tournament is the No. 10 seed and became the lowest seed to ever win the AAC tournament title. The Owls’ top scorer from 2023-24, Malia Fisher, returns to lead Rice this season.
JACKRABBIT SUMMARY
South Dakota State is coming off a 27-6 record in 2023-24 and a fourth consecutive Summit League regular season title. SDSU returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in program history via its 11th Summit League Tournament Championship.
The Jackrabbits finished the Summit League slate with a 16-0 record, going unbeaten for the third time in four seasons. They were the first team in conference history to run the table in consecutive seasons.
SDSU’s Brooklyn Meyer (POY, first team), Paige Meyer (first team) and Haleigh Timmer (second team) picked up preseason recognition from the Summit League.
Brooklyn Meyer, a junior, is the reigning Summit League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after a breakout sophomore season. She averaged 16.8 points on the season and shot .588 from the floor. Her 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest in 2023-24 also led the Jackrabbits. Meyer scored at least 20 points nine times last season, including a career-high 29 twice – vs. South Carolina State and North Dakota State.
Paige Meyer, a senior, was a Summit League First Team selection last season and is the reigning Summit League Tournament MVP. She was second on the team in 2023-24 with 15.2 points per game while dishing a team-best 4.0 assists per contest. Meyer was .503 from the floor and .422 from the 3-point line on the season. She set a new career high and SDSU Division I record with 37 points at Northern Arizona.
Haleigh Timmer returns for her redshirt junior season after missing 2023-24 with an injury. She was a Summit League second team selection as a sophomore in 2023 and was the Summit League Tournament MVP that year. Timmer was the Jackrabbits’ second-leading scorer as a sophomore with 12.1 points per contest to go with 3.6 rebounds per game.
Madison Mathiowetz and Mesa Byom are also back from the 2023-24 starting lineup. Mathiowetz scored 11.5 points per game as a sophomore and played more than 30 minutes per game. She was deemed honorable mention all-Summit League. Byom contributed 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, both second on the team, and added 7.7 points, on average.
Kallie Theisen is back for her sixth and final season as a Jackrabbit. She also missed 2023-24 with an injury but was the Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year as a junior in 2022-23. Theisen tallied 6.1 points, 6.4 rebounds (team high) and 1.3 blocks (team high) that season.
Ellie Colbeck and Jenna Hopp played in all 33 games a season ago, scoring 4.9 and 4.8 points per game, respectively.
Madysen Vlastuin appeared in 21 contests as a junior in 2023-24 before a season-ending injury. Prior to her injury, Vlastuin played a team-high 30.9 minutes per game with 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds her game. Her .413 clip from 3-point range was second on the team.
Hilary Behrens is a redshirt-freshman after missing her first season on campus with an injury. Five true freshmen join the Jackrabbit roster – Mahli Abdouch, Jaidyn Dunn, Emilee Fox, Claire Sheppard and Katie Vasecka. All five are South Dakota natives with a lot of success in their high school careers.
KEY STORYLINES
- Head Coach Aaron Johnston enters his 25th season at the helm of the Jackrabbit program. He was named to the watch list for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award.
- South Dakota State returns 10 players from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including 2024 Summit League Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer and Summit League Tournament MVP Paige Meyer. That duo is on the watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award. Brooklyn Meyer is also on the watch list for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year award.
- Led by 16.8 points per game from Brooklyn Meyer, SDSU returns eight of its top nine scorers from 2023-24 and 87 percent of its total scoring
- Eight returning Jackrabbits have started at least 10 games in their careers, led by 69 career starts for senior point guard Paige Meyer.
- The Jacks have Kallie Theisen and Haleigh Timmer back in the mix. Theisen was the 2023 Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year and Timmer was a 2023 second-team selection and the Summit League Tournament MVP that season. Both missed 2023-24 with injuries.
- The Jackrabbits are receiving votes in the AP Preseason Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches preseason polls.
- Three players averaged at least 10 points per game a season ago. Brooklyn Meyer scored 16.9 points per contest to go with 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, all team highs. Paige Meyer scored 15.2 PPG and dished 4.0 assists while Madison Mathiowetz contributed 11.5 PPG and played more than 30 minutes per contest.
- Five freshmen join the roster – Emilee Fox, Mahli Abdouch, Katie Vasecka, Claire Sheppard and Jaidyn Dunn. All five are South Dakota natives and were finalists for South Dakota Miss Basketball as high school seniors in 2024.
- Tori Nelson is the lone departure who played significant minutes for SDSU. She started every contest over her final three seasons and was on the Summit League All-Defensive Team in 2024.
- SDSU has three ranked teams on its non-conference slate – No. 4 Texas, No. 11 Duke and No. 21 Creighton. Georgia Tech is receiving votes.