VERMILLION, S.D.—Mercede Odegaard, who has served as a graduate assistant in the sports information office at South Dakota this past year, has accepted a full-time position within the department. Odegaard will work primarily with the Coyotes' volleyball and men's basketball programs.
 
"Mercede has done phenomenal work for in our office and I am thrilled she has accepted this opening," said USD assistant athletic director for sports information Bryan Boettcher.
 
Odegaard led the publicity efforts of Coach Leanne Williamson's volleyball program this past year which went 29-4, swept the Summit League regular season and tournament crowns, and competed in the NCAA tournament. She highlighted major award winners in all-American outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke, defensive player of the year Lolo Weideman and all-Summit middle blocker Madison Harms. Odegaard also assisted in the publicity of Coach Kayla Karius' first year at the helm of Coyote women's basketball.
 
"I am very excited to be joining the sports information team full-time," said Odegaard. "I've had a number of great experiences and learned so much in such a short time here and I am thankful for this opportunity to continue to grow in this profession."
 
Prior to USD, Odegaard served as a sports information assistant as an undergrad at University of Sioux Falls where she assisted the department in writing stories, interviewing student-athletes, shooting and editing photos, and posting content on various social media platforms. She also wrote for The Vessel Magazine, a monthly campus-wide publication created by student media staff.
 
Odegaard hails from Sioux Falls and attended West Central High School in Hartford where she competed in basketball and volleyball. She graduated from USF in 2022 with a degree in media studies and concentrations in social media marketing and multimedia production. Odegaard is working towards a master's degree in communications from USD.