SDSU ATHLETICS SELECTS OUTSTANDING JACKRABBIT & IMPACT AWARD WINNERS

5/15/2026 12:44:00 PM | Equestrian, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball

By: Andrew Pedersen

Five South Dakota State student-athletes – three women and two men – were recognized recently, for their accomplishments during their time in Yellow and Blue, with Outstanding Jackrabbits Senior Athlete Awards for the 2025-26 academic year.

The honorees were:

Kobe Clayborne, Football
Cody Larson, Men's Cross Country & Track
McKenzie Mages, Women's Golf
Brooklyn Meyer, Women's Basketball
Sydni Schetnan, Volleyball

Kobe Clayborne
Clayborne spent two years as a part of the South Dakota State football program. He was a leader both on and off the field for the Jackrabbits.

Clayborne was a standout on SDSU's defensive front. He finished the 2025 season with 41 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss and four sacks, en route to All-America accolades from various national outlets. He was a First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection in 2025, a season after claiming honorable mention accolades in 2024.

The Sioux City, Iowa, native was chosen as a First Team Academic All-American in January. He's earned a 4.0 GPA as both an undergraduate and graduate student while majoring in finance and business economics. Clayborne was the 2025 MVFC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Cody Larson
Larson has been a record setter for the SDSU men's cross country and track and field teams in his time in Brookings. Prior to his 2025-26 campaign, Larson was an all-league performer seven times combined between the indoor and outdoor track seasons. His junior indoor season saw him earn Summit League titles in both the 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run en route to being awarded Most Outstanding Male Performer of the Championship. The end of his junior season saw him qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

His senior year has seen him continue to improve on his performance. He was awarded as The Summit League Cross Country Athlete of the Year after winning the conference title with a meet-record time of 23:15.49. He eventually qualified for his first NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance after taking 13th at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship.

Larson has brought his senior success into the track and field seasons. He closed out his final indoor slate by earning a repeat conference title in the 3,000m. Larson added a silver medal in the 5,000m to his tally to add three more all-conference honors to his resume. The outdoor season has seen Larson top his own program record in the steeplechase and nearly break the 1,500 record as the Jacks head into the Summit League Championships.

McKenzie Mages
Mages has been instrumental to an SDSU women's golf team that recently won its first Summit League championship and made its first NCAA Regional showing.

The Sioux Falls native powered the Jackrabbits to the 2026 conference title this April by firing a three-round score of 1-under-par 212. She became SDSU's third individual medalist at a conference championship in program history. Mages followed that performance by pacing the Jackrabbits at their regional appearance in California this past week. She shot a 3-over 216 to take 22nd place individually.

Mages capped a tremendous career with three wins as a senior and five overall individual victories. She led the Jackrabbits as their top finisher in every event this season. Mages topped the program single-event record for 54 holes with a 211 this spring. She was an All-Summit First Team selection as her 73.5 strokes per round average led the conference and ranked third all-time for a season in program history.

Brooklyn Meyer
Meyer was a four-year starter for the South Dakota State women's basketball program and was a cornerstone of four teams that advanced to NCAA Tournaments. A multiple time All-America honorable mention, Meyer added a prestigious honor to her resume by being named as the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season.

The Larchwood, Iowa, native averaged 22.6 points per game this season which ranks as the second-highest mark in program history, as well as the squad's highest average at the Vision I level. She topped her own field goal percentage program record as a senior with a 64.6% clip. She completed her college basketball career in March with 29 points against Washington in the NCAA First Round, matching SDSU's single-game tournament record.

Meyer was named The Summit League Tournament MVP in 2026. She was previously recognized as a sophomore as The Summit League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Meyer was a three-time All-Summit League First Team performer as well as three-time All-Defensive Team selection. She wrapped her time in Yellow and Blue for the basketball team ranking first in career field goal percentage (60.9%), second in field goals (823) and games played (136), as well as top five in points (2,097), rebounds (850) and free throws (450).

Meyer recently announced she will join the SDSU women's volleyball team this fall for her final year of college athletic eligibility.

Sydni Schetnan
Schetnan was a pivotal part of the Jackrabbits' turnaround to claiming consecutive Summit League volleyball regular season titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

Schetnan arrived in Brookings and made her debut for SDSU in the fall of 2023. That season saw her lead the Jackrabbits with a .251 attack percentage as well as 83 total blocks. Her junior season saw her role increase and the team's development pay off. Schetnan was tabbed First Team All-Summit League and AVCA All-Region as a junior. She led the team with a .388 hit percentage and 1.29 blocks per set. Her hitting percentage was the best in a single season in program history, while her 1.29 blocks per set ranked second. Schetnan, who earned four Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors in 2024, spearheaded SDSU's 22-0 start to the season which was the best in the program's history.

Schetnan put together another stellar season for the Jackrabbits in 2025. The Sioux Falls native was again chosen to the All-Summit League First Team. She was the only player in The Summit League to rank top five in both blocks per set (1.43) and hitting percentage (.355). Schetnan earned two Defensive Peak Performer of the Week honors as a season. She eventually helped lead The Jackrabbits to a second straight NCAA Tournament showing recorded five kills and hitting .385 in a defeat to Arizona in Stanford, Calif.

In addition, 12 Jackrabbit senior student-athletes were honored as Impact Award winners in their respective sports. Those honorees included:

Men's Basketball: Matthew Mors
Women's Basketball: Madison Mathiowetz
Equestrian: Grace Gerbus
Football: Sam Hagen
Men's Golf: Bryson Mercier, Tyler Seeling
Soccer: Lauren Eckerle
Softball: Alivya Bollen, Emma Christensen, Emma Vike
Men's Track & Field: Ethan Fischer, Jake Werner

South Dakota State also recognized two Jackrabbit Scholar-Athlete Award recipients. The two honorees compiled perfect 4.0 grade-point averages in their undergraduate coursework. The SDSU recipients were Mages and Jeremiah Donahoe (Men's Track & Field).

-GoJacks.com-