Coyotes nab second-straight Showdown Series

The South Dakota Coyotes have topped the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 14-13 to win the annual South Dakota Showdown Series presented by South Dakota Corn for the third time in the last four years. The official announcement was made Wednesday by South Dakota Corn Utilization Council officials.

The South Dakota Showdown Series is a point-based athletic and academic competition between the two in-state university rivals.

The Yotes outscored the Jacks 11-10 in athletic competitions for the second-straight year to keep the traveling trophy in Vermillion. Those points were decided by head-to-head competitions and Summit League Championship finishes in 17 men’s and women’s sports. Both programs scored the maximum three points allotted for academic achievement by compiling a student-athlete grade-point average above 3.0.

“I am so proud of all our student-athletes and coaches and happy for Coyote fans,” said University of South Dakota Director of Athletics David Herbster. “Maybe more impressive than that is how our schools have played a part in helping the South Dakota Corn Council and Feeding South Dakota generate $70,000 to feed those in need. That’s teamwork and the biggest win.”

Feeding South Dakota, the Series’ philanthropic partner, will be able to provide 280,000 meals for adults and children throughout the state because of the $70,000 generous donation from South Dakota Corn. Funds were raised throughout the year at a variety of activities, including the “Get Off the Bench” campaign. Now in its second year, the campaign took place at USD-SDSU rivalry games during the 2017-18 season where fans were encouraged to support the overall goal to provide funding in the state’s fight against hunger.

“Through this continuing partnership with Feeding South Dakota, our state’s farmers are making a commitment to provide hundreds of thousands of nourishing meals to individuals and families who are less fortunate,” said South Dakota Corn’s Teddi Mueller. “The Showdown Series and other events throughout the year raise awareness of the state’s needs and generate a substantial amount of money to ensure South Dakotans do not go hungry. We are all partners in this meaningful cause.”

Fans can visit www.sdcornshowdown.com, www.goyotes.com, or www.gojacks.com to track progress and see point totals. Spearheading the initiative between the athletic departments and South Dakota Corn are Coyote Sports Properties and Jackrabbit Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holders for USD athletics and SDSU athletics, respectively. Both are properties of Learfield, which manages multimedia rights for nearly 130 collegiate properties around the country.

A breakdown of the scoring follows:

South Dakota (14)

3 – cumulative GPA above 3.0

2 – volleyball sweeps Summit series 2-0

2 – women’s basketball sweeps Summit series 2-0

1 – women’s cross country

1 – men’s basketball splits Summit series 1-1

1 – men’s swimming and diving

1 – women’s indoor track and field

1 – women’s tennis

1 – men’s golf

1 – women’s outdoor track and field

South Dakota State (13)

3 – cumulative GPA above 3.0

2 – football

1 – women’s soccer

1 – men’s cross country

1 – women’s swimming and diving

1 – men’s basketball splits Summit series 1-1

1 – men’s indoor track and field

1 – softball wins Summit series 2-1

1 – women’s golf

1 – men’s outdoor track and field

Showdown Series History

2013 – SDSU wins 14-13

2014 – SDSU wins 18-9

2015 – USD wins 14-13

2016 – SDSU wins 16-11

2017 – USD wins 14-13

2018 – USD wins 14-13