VERMILLION, S.D. – As millions of Americans sat down with friends and family to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal today, the Coyote women's basketball team boarded a plane early this morning headed to Boca Raton, Fla. South Dakota is competing in the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
Among the Coyotes flying to the Sunshine State were
Bridget Arens and
Allison Arens. The sisters from Crofton, Neb., experienced their first Thanksgiving together as Coyotes.
"My mom always cooks a big meal for everyone on Thanksgiving," said Bridget. "She had us home on Saturday night because she was sad about us missing today."
"We always go around the table and say what we are thankful for," added Allison.
This season, it's certain that the Arens sisters are thankful for the opportunity to play together at the collegiate level.
A junior forward, Bridget has averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game into the start of her third season. As the reserve point guard, Allison has scored six points, dished out four assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds in her first three games in uniform.
"It's a dream come true," said Bridget. "I have my best friend on the court with me. I know that if I'm down, Allison always has my back."
Bridget graduated from Crofton High School in 2013, arriving at South Dakota that fall. Allison had two seasons left as a Crofton Warrior when Bridget made the transition.
"I had to grow up a little bit," said Allison. "I had another sister, Monica, who was starting high school. It was different, taking on Bridget's role as the big sister. It was a lot harder than I thought – both being a sister and a leader with the freshmen."
"To be honest, I think it was harder on me leaving Crofton than it was on her," said Bridget. "It was a tough transition of not having that built-in best friend with me on the court and on the road. I could not wait for the two years to be over."
Bridget and Allison are in the middle of a family of six children. They have two older brothers in Trevor and Trent, while Monica and Alexis are their younger sisters.
The opportunity to remain close to home, the connection with Coach
Amy Williams and her staff, and the team's family values were all factors in why the Arens sisters ultimately chose to play for South Dakota.
In addition to the support from family, Bridget and Allison have a large supporting group from their hometown. In the home opener Monday against Marquette, dozens of Crofton fans arrived in the DakotaDome sporting Coyote red.
"There's so much support from Crofton," said Allison. "We can't express it enough how thankful we are to have them there at our games."
Bridget and Allison are not the only Crofton athletes to continue their playing career across the state line as Coyotes. Crofton native and South Dakota alumna Amber Hegge ranks second in USD program history for career points with 1,759.
"Amber was our idol," said Bridget. "She would get us tickets to Coyote games and she's another reason why we are here today. We learned a lot from her, taking note of where hard work gets you."
Although they are nearly 2,000 miles from home this Thanksgiving, Bridget and Allison are surrounded by the Coyote basketball family over the holiday. With the opportunity to travel and to play a sport they love together, there's plenty for these sisters to be thankful for.
South Dakota tips off in "The Burrow" at 1:30 p.m. CT Friday against Appalachian State. Depending on the results of Friday's games, the Coyotes will face host Florida Atlantic or Delaware State on Saturday.
