K. Nowotny

Kevin Nowotny played four years of baseball for BHSU from 1977 to 1980 during which time he was a member of four consecutive conference championship teams from 1977-80, two District 12 championship teams in 1979 and 1980, and two NAIA area tournament appearances in 1979 and 1980. He was selected South Dakota Iowa-Conference (SDIC) all-conference four years, all-District 12 his sophomore, junior and senior years, and earned honorable mention all-American in 1979. His career batting average at BHSU was .408, which equals 215 hits in 526 at bats. Career highs for Kevin were 61 hits and 58 RBI’s in one season, and he held for a while the career home run record at BHSU with 19. In 1980 he became the first winner of the Cliff Papik Scholarship.

J. Ewer

During her career at BHSU, Jylann Ewer lettered one year in basketball and claimed the “Hustler” award, but she excelled in track and field.

Jylann competed in indoor track for two years in which she was the District 12 champion in the long and triple jumps and holds the BHSU indoor long jump record with an 18’3” jump. She also ranks in the all-time BHSU top 10 performances in the 55-meter hurdles, high jump and triple jump.

Her outdoor track and field career consisted of being a member of the four-time champion SDIC team and being a three-time SDIC Outstanding Female Athlete. She won individual SDIC championships in the long jump four years, triple jump four years, 100-meter hurdles, and high jump. She was also a member of the winning 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays.

Jylann holds top 10 performances in school history in the 100-meter dash (12.84), javelin and 400-meter relay (50.64). She was named the Corn Palace Relays MVP, as well as District 12 champion in the long jump, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles and heptathalon. In addition to the five school records she set and still holds in the 100-meter hurdles (14.7 sec.), long jump (19’¼”), triple jump (37’8”), high jump (5’6”), and heptathalon (4,374), Jylann was a four-time all-American with her best performance at the national track meet placing sixth in the long jump. She also holds the longest women’s collegiate jump in the state in the long jump.

One of her most memorable performances was at the conference meet in 1992 where she competed in 10 events, placed in nine, and was just out of the running for her 10^th with a seventh place finish in the shot put.

T. Olson

Tom Olson competed in football, basketball, and track and field during his 1976-80 college career at BHSU. An almost unheard of achievement, he earned 11 letters in three different sports. In football, Tom played defensive end, tight end and offensive tackle during his four years on the gridiron. He was honorable mention all-SDIC his senior year at offensive tackle.

In basketball Tom scored a career high 29 points his junior year in a victory over archrival South Dakota Tech. As a junior, he ranked 14^th in scoring, averaging 12.3 points and seven rebounds per game. As a senior he was named first team all-SDIC, averaging 9.2 rebounds and 12 points per game.

In track and field, Tom jumped a personal best 6’8” in the high jump, winning the District XII NAIA high jump competition and helping the Jackets win the District XII meet. He also qualified for the national meet in 1980.

D. Little

Dave Little began his collegiate coaching and teaching career at BHSU in 1968 and soon established himself as one of the state’s most successful collegiate track and field and cross country coaches. His name became synonymous with winning SDIC cross country and track titles - 17 cross country titles and 30 track and field titles in men’s and women’s competition during his tenure as a Yellow Jacket head coach.

Dave’s success was not just limited to the field of competition as he was twice selected as teacher of the year by the BHSU student senate. He also served as the university’s athletic director from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1996 to 2002.

Although he was successful as a teacher and administrator, it is coaching where his legacy will probably rest. During the 70s and early 80s his men’s teams dominated the league by winning 12 consecutive titles in both cross country and track and field.

For his coaching accomplishments, Dave was named NAIA District 12 coach of the year 14 times, South Dakota Sports Writer’s coach of the year once, and women’s SDIC coach of the year. He also served a two-year term (1984-86) as president of NAIA executive committee on cross country.

M. Kennedy

Myles Kennedy has been president of the Yellow Jacket Foundation and the Green and Gold Booster Club since 1999. Since then the club has raised over three quarters of a million dollars for athletic scholarships at BHSU under Myles’ leadership. Scholarships to student athletes have nearly doubled in this short period of time.

Myles has also purchased shirts for the cross country and volleyball teams, travel bags for the basketball teams and has been know to provide watermelon to the football team and spaghetti and lasagna feeds to the volleyball and cross country teams. He is known as the “brat man” as he often cooks the bratwurst at the pre-game tailgate parties for home football games. He also donates money to benefit student athlete scholarships.