Jacks Bested Coyotes 18-9 in Season-Long, In-State Rivalry Competition

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota Corn Utilization officials announced today that South Dakota State University again will hold bragging rights another full year as winner of the “South Dakota Showdown Series”, a point-based, athletic and academic competition between the two in-state university rivals.

Following the 2012-13 athletic season – the Showdown Series’ inaugural year – the SDSU Jackrabbits bested the University of South Dakota Coyotes with a score of 14-13, while at the conclusion of this season, the Jackrabbits came out on top with a score of 18-9.

Overall, both universities succeeded in the academic achievement portion of the 2013-14 competition, earning a maximum of three points toward the final total. Presented by South Dakota Corn, the Showdown Series is structured against a point system in which each school can earn 24 points per year based on head-to-head competition and conference championships between SDSU and USD in a total of 17 men’s and women’s sports. For a complete breakdown of point totals against the sport won by the respective university, visit https://sdcornshowdown.com/.

SDSS logo_horizontal.jpg“For years, this storied rivalry has captivated our state on the fields of play. Now, the South Dakota Corn Showdown Series spotlights academic and philanthropic achievements in addition to athletics,” said Justin Sell, Director of Athletics, South Dakota State University. “We’re proud to showcase the successes of our student athletes, celebrate their victories and help them become lifelong champions.”

“The South Dakota Corn Showdown Series has enhanced a great rivalry by providing outstanding exposure to the achievements of both institutions. We congratulate SDSU on their victory this year and look forward to the series for years to come,” said University of South Dakota Director of Athletics David Herbster.

A critical complement to the Showdown Series is the concerted effort demonstrated by both universities all year long to assist Feeding South Dakota, the competition’s designated non-profit organization. In February, a total of 3,583 backpacks were filled when USD and SDSU athletic departments, student athletes and Learfield Sports’ personnel teamed up for Feeding South Dakota’s BackPack program. Additionally, nearly 32,000 meals from monetary donations and pounds of food collected during the entire athletic season have gone to directly benefit families in the immediate region.

“The way these two universities put their rivalries aside to provide us vital assistance all year long is remarkable,” said Feeding South Dakota’s Executive Director Matt Gassen. “Being aligned with the Showdown Series has meant so much to us and the families we help every day, and we really can’t thank the schools and South Dakota Corn enough for their ongoing support.”

“We are proud to be a part of this historic rivalry between state’s two largest universities featuring the state’s top student-athletes,” said South Dakota Corn Utilization Council President Mark Gross. “With its enormous popularity, the Showdown Series offers our organization a unique opportunity to tell the story of the state’s number one industry, agriculture to an ever growing fan base.”

Spearheading this initiative with the South Dakota Corn and the two universities are Jackrabbit Sports Properties and Coyote Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holders for SDSU Athletics and USD Athletics respectively. Both are properties of Learfield Sports, which manages multimedia rights for 99 collegiate properties. Other Learfield Sports’ schools hosting rivalry series include Oklahoma/Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series) and Iowa/Iowa State (Cy-Hawk Series).

For additional information, visit Learfield Sports (www.learfieldsports.com); South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (www.sdcorn.org) or Feeding South Dakota (www.feedingsouthdakota.org).