A national award for the South Dakota women’s basketball team and a spotlight position for a member of the Coyote men’s squad emerged Wednesday.
South Dakota will be awarded the inaugural NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Free Throw Shooting Award later this month as announced by the NCAA.
South Dakota shot 80.4 percent (414-of-515) from the free-throw line for the season. The mark breaks the program record by 3.4 percentage points. The Coyotes averaged just under 13 made free throws per game. Five players shot above 80 percent from the line.
Sophomore guard Allison Arens led the Coyotes from the line. She ranks 15th in the nation for free throws made (157-of-180) and 20th for free throw percentage (.872). Arens broke the school record for free throws in a single game, sinking 18-of-20 against Denver.
University of South Dakota senior Tyler Flack has been selected to the Slam Dunk Championship roster for the 29th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix on Thursday, March 30. Flack is one of eight men’s college basketball players selected for the event that will air live on ESPN at 9 p.m. CT.
Flack was a first-team all-Summit League performer this season who helped lead the Coyotes to their first Summit League championship. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the field and blocking 41 shots.
