BROOKINGS, S.D. – The South Dakota State women’s basketball team announced the addition of five South Dakota natives to the 2024-25 roster Wednesday as part of National Signing Day.
Mahli Abdouch, Jaidyn Dunn, Emilee Fox, Claire Sheppard and Katie Vasecka each signed letters of intent and will enroll at SDSU next fall.
Mahli Abdouch (5-7, Guard — Sioux Falls, S.D., O’Gorman High School)
Mahli Abdouch is a senior at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is a two-time first-team all-state selection and was the Class co-AA Player of the Year in 2023.
As a junior in 2022-23, Abdouch averaged 16.7 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game, helping the Knights to a 19-5 record and quarterfinal appearance in the state tournament. She was named the Class AA co-Player of the Year with current Jackrabbit freshman Hilary Behrens and was an all-conference and all-state tournament performer.
Abdouch recorded 12.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals in her sophomore season as the Knights finished the year with a 2022 Class AA state championship. She was named to the all-state first team, all-tournament team and all-conference first team.
In her freshman season, Abdouch contributed 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 2.1 assists. The Knights finished third at the state tournament and Abdouch earned a spot on the all-state tournament team.
Abdouch is the daughter of Matt and Tasha. She is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in psychology.
Jaidyn Dunn (6-1, Forward — Sioux Falls, S.D., Jefferson High School)
Jaidyn Dunn is entering her senior season at Jefferson High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is an all-conference and all-state performer and a two-time state tournament qualifier.
Dunn was a second-team all-state selection and all-Metro conference honoree as a junior. She averaged 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 blocks as she helped the Cavaliers to a third-place finish at the state tournament for the second straight season.
As a sophomore in 2021-22, Dunn put up 8.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game for the Cavaliers and was named honorable mention all-Metro. Dunn was a key member of the squad that finished in third place at the state tournament in the program’s first year of existence.
Dunn tallied 7.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 points, on average, as a freshman at Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School in 2020-21.
Dunn is a five-time scholar athlete and has been recognized on the 4.0 honor roll four times. She is also a member of the National Honor Society. Dunn plans to major in human biology.
Dunn is the daughter of Sidney and Kristi. Her father, Sidney, played basketball at Dakota State and her mother, Kristi, played at Worthington Community College. Her brother (Malik) and sister (Sydnaya) also played collegiate basketball at Briar Cliff and Dakota Wesleyan, respectively.
Emilee Fox (5-8, Guard — Mount Vernon, S.D., Mount Vernon High School)
Emilee Fox is in her senior year at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, South Dakota. She is a four-time all-state selection and five-time all-conference honoree. She has been a varsity contributor since her seventh-grade season and owns the Mount Vernon school record for career scoring.
As a junior, Fox averaged 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists to earn second-team all-state and first-team all-conference accolades.
Fox was named first-team all-state and all-conference in her sophomore season. She contributed 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as she helped the Titans reach the Class A SoDak 16.
In her freshman season, Fox tallied 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists, which earned her first-team all-state and all-conference recognition.
In 2019-20, as an eighth grader, Fox recorded 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. She was a second-team all-state and first-team all-conference pick.
Fox tallied 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in seventh grade and was named to the all-conference second team. The Titans finished their season at the state tournament in Class A
Fox is also a member of the honor roll and National Honor Society. She is the daughter of Mike and Shaun and plans to major in exercise science.
Claire Sheppard (6-1, Wing — Flandreau, S.D., Flandreau High School)
Claire Sheppard is a senior at Flandreau High School in Flandreau, South Dakota. She has been named to six all-conference teams in her high school career and is a three-time all-state selection.
In her junior season, Sheppard averaged 16.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She was named to both the Lake Central and Big East all-conference teams and was a first-team all-state selection. She helped the Fliers win the Big East championship and finish sixth at the Class A state tournament, where she was selected to the all-tournament team. Sheppard was also honored on the Brookings all-Register team.
Sheppard put up 15.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists, on average, as a sophomore in 2021-22. She earned all-conference honors and picked up second-team all-state accolades. Sheppard was also named the Brookings Register Player of the Year.
As a freshman, Sheppard tallied 17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest. She was named to a pair of all-conference teams, was a third-team all-state pick and was selected as the Brookings Register Player of the Year.
In her eighth grade season, Sheppard earned honorable mention Big East honors as she contributed 7.8 points and 2.7 rebounds, helping Flandreau qualify for the state tournament in Class A.
Sheppard is a member of the Flandreau honor roll and National Honor Society. She plans to major in biology.
Sheppard is the daughter of Brendan and Sandy. Her father, Brendan, played collegiate basketball at Dakota Wesleyan.
Katie Vasecka (6-1, Guard — Tea, S.D., Tea Area High School)
Katie Vasecka enters her final season at Tea Area High School in Tea, South Dakota. She is considered the No. 59 recruit in the 2024 class according to the espnW recruiting rankings. Vasecka is a three-time all-conference and all-state honoree for the Titans.
As a junior for Tea Area, Vasecka averaged 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. She helped the Titans to the SoDak 16 in Class A and earned first-team all-state and all-conference accolades
Vasecka recorded 19.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per contest in her sophomore season and was a first-team all-state and all-conference selection.
In her freshman season, Vasecka put up 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 blocks. She was named to the all-conference first team and was a second-team all-state pick.
Vasecka played her eighth grade season at New Prague High School in Minnesota, where she was honorable mention all-conference with 7.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Vasecka holds a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the excellence honor roll. She is the daughter of Stacey and Chris and plans to major in exercise science.