Broadcaster Press 12 November 5, 2019 www.broadcasteronline.com Arens, Coyotes Want More This Season BY JEREMY HOECK jeremy.hoeck@yankton.net VERMILLION — Monica Arens wants more. She’s not one to be satisfied. And neither are her teammates, the Crofton, Nebraska native will tell you. “There’s a feeling of, ‘Yes, we had a great season, but it’s unfinished,’” said Arens, a junior guard on the South Dakota women’s basketball team. “There were certain goals we wanted to reach that we didn’t attain.” Which is certainly saying a lot for a team that won 28 games and reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The Coyotes, Arens matter-offactly admits, are motivated to not only return to last season’s heights but exceed them. Put another way, they want to earn their way into the NCAA Tournament by winning the Summit League Tournament title. They don’t want to go the ‘at large’ route again. Last season, USD put together an impressive regular season: The Coyotes beat two ranked teams, jumped into the Associated Press top-25 rankings for the first time and then made a run to the championship game of the conference tournament. Once again, however, South Dakota State defeated USD in the title game, but the Coyotes nonetheless reached the ‘Big Dance’ — they eventually lost to Clemson in the Get your ad in the.. Classifieds Today! CALL 624-4429 ••• FAX 624-2696 ••• EMAIL classifieds@plaintalk.net ••• ONLINE BroadcasterOnline.com ••• DROP BY 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion first round. “It was kind of mixed feelings,” Arens said. While the Coyotes were fairly sure the day of the selection show that they’d see their name called, it wasn’t quite the same, according to Arens. “We want to have it solidified that, we’re definitely going because won the games we needed to win,” she said. A team that got a taste of what it takes to reach the NCAA Tournament and what it’s like to play on that stage can then venture one of two directions, according to head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “They can just expect it to happen again or see that as a great opportunity and be challenged to even get better,” said Plitzuweit, whose squad opens the season Nov. 5 at Northeastern. Without having even played a game yet, the coaches have seen the latter direction, Plitzuweit added. The players are asking questions they haven’t before, they’re making adjustments on their own and they’re understanding things at a faster rate. “They’ve always been coachable, but they’re locked in at a different level,” Plitzuweit said. The preseason favorite to win the Summit League this season, USD returns four starters: Senior Ciara Duffy (14.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg), junior Chloe Lamb (9.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg), senior Taylor Frederick (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and senior Madison McKeever (7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg). And then there’s a group of reserves that includes junior Hannah Sjerven (11.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Arens (6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg). In Arens’ case, she’d tell you that it feels like her college career has flown by. “I still feel like a freshman,” she said. “My roommates and I talk about that all the time, that we shouldn’t be upperclassmen already.” Still, in Arens’ two seasons at USD, plenty has happened. The Coyotes went undefeated in the Summit League, reached the tournament final and then advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT during her freshman season. They then, of course, reached the NCAA Tournament during her sophomore campaign. “Each year holds its own significant moments, but it all blends together into this one amazing experience,” Arens added. The adage of ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ is certainly applicable in her case, she said. “That’s 100 percent true for me, and I think my teammates would say the same thing,” Arens said. “It’s just been such a great experience here.” Arens, who led Crofton High School to three state championships during her career, arrived at USD in 2017 in a unique position: She had been around the Coyote program when her sisters Bridget and Allison were suiting up in Vermillion BQA Certification To Be Held In Mitchell Nov. 21 BROOKINGS, S.D. - To help beef producers meet Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification expectations, SDSU Extension will host an in-person BQA certification course on Thursday, November 21, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Technology Center Amphitheater at Mitchell Technical Institute (MTI) in Mitchell. SDSU Extension has collaborated with MTI’s animal science program to offer BQA certification to their students, also offered to the public this year. Athlete Spotlight Lexi Saunders Lexi Saunders is a senior on the Vermillion dance team. “My favorite part about the dance team is how closely connected our team is,” said Saunders. “We aren’t a competitive team, so we can tweak things how we choose and just enjoy the experience.” Saunders is also an athlete in track and field, volleyball, and basketball. Outside of athletics, Saunders is also in show choir, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Random Acts of Kindness. She is also the student council president and Future Health Professionals vice president. Saunders works as a Scoops Ice Cream Parlor Manager and Childcare Provider. “When not participating in sports, I enjoy shopping, driving around with my friends, and chillaxing on the good ole Missouri River,” said Saunders. Beef processors require producers to be BQA certified before they purchase cattle. This expectation has been in place for major beef packers since January 1, 2019. Auction barns may ask sellers to provide their BQA certification with cattle so that buyers are aware of it during a sale, as many buyers may not bid on cattle that do not come from BQA certified producers. “Consumers care about how their food is raised and this impacts their purchasing decisions,” said Heidi Carroll, SDSU Extension Livestock Stewardship Field Specialist and South Dakota BQA Coordinator. “Because of this, restaurants and food retailers desire to show their commitment to sourcing the highest quality beef from humanely raised animals. The BQA program meets these expectations, provides confidence to consumers, and gives producers the tools to fine tune their management practices.” Producers can register to attend the course at a cost of $25 at the SDSU Extension Events page or complete the BQA certification curriculum free of cost at their convenience online at the Beef Quality Assurance website. For more information, contact Heidi Carroll at 605.688.6623 or by email. Directions Directions from I-90: Take I-90 Exit 332 and turn left (south). Go under the 1-90 overpass to the second set of stoplights. Turn left (east) on Spruce Street. Go over a set of railroad tracks. The Technology Center will be the first driveway on your left (north) after the tracks. The address for the location is 1800 E Spruce St. Mitchell, SD 57301. Read and Recycle! Quality products, affordable prices! Call today, start tomorrow! 15% Discount on All Services • Roofing • Siding • Gutters • Decks • Windows Call Steve or Lexee Your Certified Exterior Experts 605-595-7809 Vermillion, SD • ironcladconstructionsd.com Library Hosts New Wine & Paint Night On Nov. 14 Vermillion, SD – The Edith B. Siegrist Vermillion Public Library is hosting its first Wine & Paint event on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 pm. Adults 21 and up are invited to join us for a relaxing evening of wine and a fun painting session led by our own Beth Samenus. The event is free, but registration is required as seating and supplies are limited! Registration will be open from November 1st until all spaces are reserved. Please call us at 605-677-7060 or visit the library at 18 Church Street, Vermillion, SD to reserve a seat. Wine will be provided, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. For more information, visit the Edith B. Siegrist Vermillion Public Library at 18 Church Street, Vermillion, SD, call 605-677-7060 or see the library’s website at vermillionpubliclibrary.org. Weekly Schedule For Driver Exam Stations In Vermillion, Yankton PIERRE — Schedule changes have been announced for the South Dakota Driver License exam stations in Vermillion and Yankton. Starting July 1, 2019, the Yankton station will be open three days a week while the Vermillion station will be open one day a week. Driver License Director Jane Schrank says the change was made to accommodate public demand. “We have seen more people using the Yankton exam station in recent months,” she said. “Having that site open another day gives the staff more time to process the applications for licenses and license renewals.” Schrank says the new schedule calls for the Yankton exam station to be open every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Hours are 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. for the station, which is located in the Janner Building at the Human Services Center, 3113 Spruce St. The Vermillion exam station will be open from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. every Thursday. The station is located at 11 E. Cherry St. Schrank reminds people that they have 180 days prior to the expiration date of their license to renew. For information about online renewal or what documents are needed for a license renewal and a list of exam stations, clock on to: http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/ driver_licensing/. The Driver Licensing program is part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. Reading Resource For Kids Made Available By State Library The South Dakota State Library has made a new talking book resource, BookFlix by Scholastic, available to the state’s public & school libraries. This PreK-2 (approximate ages 0-8) resource supports beginning, ELL (English Language Learners), special needs, and struggling readers. BookFlix is accessible inside any library or school building, or outside your library or school with your library card. You can find BookFlix at library.sd.gov, within the Elementary School and Educators & Librarians category pages, or on the main eResources page at: http:// library.sd.gov/LIB/ERD/index.aspx. BookFlix is structured with 125+ pairs of animated books, coupling classic video storybooks from Weston Woods with related talking nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic. Benefits: • Build early literacy skills, vocabulary, and fluency • Support reading comprehension • Support visual and auditory learners with video adaption of fiction books • Form real world knowledge with digital nonfiction flipbooks • Differentiate between fiction and nonfiction Features: • Thematic • Natural voice read-aloud with word highlighting • Author biographies and videos • Related web links for extended learning • Interactive learning games • Lesson plans with follow up activities • Spanish translated pairs • Streaming The Edith B. Siegrist Vermillion Public Library is located at 18 Church Street, Vermillion. For further information, contact us by calling 677-7060, or by emailing vplstaff@vermillionpubliclibrary.org. BE SMART. Scan our QR code with your smart phone and discover the Broadcaster Online! OAKWOOD APARTMENTS 605.624.9557 Smoke Free • Rent adjusted to income • Large 2 & 3 bedroom w/AC • O? street parking • Large closets - one walk-in • On-site coin laundry • Playground equipment • Just Blocks from Campus, High School & Prentis Park 1200 E. Clark Street • Vermillion, SD