Mitchell High School honored two longtime leaders Wednesday night at the annual High School Athletic Banquet at the Corn Palace, as Mitchell volleyball coach Deb Thill and girls basketball coach Dave Brooks were named the recipients of the KORN Tom Maxwell Coach of the Year award.
For both coaches, the recognition comes during a season of transition and reflection, as each prepares to retire following decades of impact on Mitchell athletics and countless student-athletes.
Thill leaves behind one of the most decorated coaching careers in South Dakota high school sports history. As the only head volleyball coach in Mitchell High School history, she built the Kernels program from the ground up beginning in 1991 and turned it into a perennial Class AA contender.
During her 35-year career in education and coaching, Thill guided Mitchell to Class AA state volleyball championships in 1995 and 2003, made 15 state tournament appearances and surpassed 500 career victories in 2024. Her teams reached the state tournament in four different decades, including one final trip in 2025.
Beyond volleyball, Thill also served as Mitchell’s head track and field coach and helped lead the Kernel girls basketball program to a state championship in 2003 during her first season as head coach. She spent 13 years coaching girls basketball overall and remained a mentor and role model for generations of athletes.
“Deb Thill’s impact on Mitchell athletics is truly extraordinary,” Activities Director Cory Aadland said earlier this year. “As the first and only head volleyball coach in program history, she built a standard of excellence that continues to define our school.”
Brooks also closes his coaching chapter after helping guide one of the most successful stretches in recent Mitchell girls basketball history.
In four seasons as head coach, Brooks compiled a 61-35 record while leading the Kernels to four consecutive Class AA state tournament appearances and an Eastern South Dakota Conference title in 2024. Mitchell posted three straight winning seasons under Brooks, including a 20-4 campaign in 2024 and a fifth-place finish at the state tournament in 2025.
Brooks originally joined the program as an assistant coach before taking over the head coaching position following the 2021-22 season. His energy, leadership and ability to connect with players helped elevate the program during his tenure.
“Coach Brooks’ journey with the girls basketball program is a pretty incredible one,” Aadland said in a previous statement. “He brought a youthful energy to the program and his ability to develop meaningful relationships with the girls was a joy to watch.”
During the banquet presentation, KORN News Radio Sports Director Travis Kriens reflected on the meaning of the award and the legacies both coaches leave behind.
“In sports and in life we talk a lot about wins, about success, about reaching the top,” Kriens said. “But the truth is, everything we experience is part of a cycle. There’s a beginning. There’s the work in between. And eventually… there’s an ending.”
Kriens said great coaches leave impacts that extend far beyond victories and trophies.
“Their legacy isn’t just measured in wins or trophies,” Kriens said. “It’s measured in the people they leave behind, stronger, more confident, and ready for what comes next.”
Wednesday night’s honor celebrated two careers that took different paths but produced the same lasting impact on Mitchell athletics and the Mitchell community.
Tom Maxwell/KORN Mitchell Coach of the Year
2025: Deb Thill – Mitchell Volleyball
Dave Brooks – Mitchell Girls Basketball
2025: Ryker Kreutzfeldt – Mitchell Boys Basketball
2024: Ryker Kreutzfeldt – Mitchell Boys Basketball
Audra Rew – Gymnastics
Jeff Meyerink – Mitchell Girls Golf
2023: Ryker Kreutzfeldt – Mitchell Boys Basketball
2022: Pat Moeller – Mitchell Girls Tennis
2021: Audra Rew – Gymnastics
2020: Mark Horan – Boys Golf
2019: Travis Carpenter – Wrestling
2018: Audra Rew – Gymnastics
2017: Kent VanOverschelde – Football
2016: Audra Rew – Gymnastics
2015: Pat Moller – Tennis
2014: Rob Marchand – Golf
2013: Deb Thill – Volleyball
2012: Kent VanOverschelde – Football
2011: Gayle Klein – Tennis
2010: Wes Morgan – Girls Basketball
2009: Travis Carpenter – Wrestling
2008: Audra Rew – Gymnastics
2007: Audra Rew – Gymnastics
2006: Andy Tate – Wrestling
2005: Gary Munsen – Boys Basketball
2004: Barb Bauder, Gymnastics