BROOKINGS — It's kind of a strange time to be Justin Sell. On the one hand, being the athletic director of a college outside the major Division I level might be one of the most unenviable jobs in sports right now. The revolutionary changes taking place across college athletics are only making things harder for schools that don't reside in the Big Ten or the SEC, as are economic realities across the country.
On the other hand, things have never been better at South Dakota State, where Sell has been in charge since 2009. ADVERTISEMENT The recently-ended 2023-24 academic year saw the Jackrabbits win another national championship in football, both basketball teams win regular season and conference tournament titles to get back to the NCAA tournament, a handful of athletes go on to the NFL (where several SDSU alumni are already thriving), attendance records set at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, all while moving closer to the christening of First Bank and Trust Arena, the renovated home of SDSU basketball.
Teams and athletes in non-revenue sports had success as well, leading to record giving and fundraising efforts coming into the department. In short, it's the best of times for Jackrabbit athletics, even if there are external happenings beyond their control they'll have to deal with sooner than later. With that in mind, Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer sat down with Sell last week for a wide-ranging, 90-minute conversation on the state of SDSU sports, the future, and how the sea change.
