Dakota State University Outstanding Athletes
Treshawn Roberts (2024) - Track & Field (Outstanding Male Athlete)
The DSU Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year goes to Treshawn Roberts of the track & field squad. It was his third consecutive year that he had received this annual award, thanks to a pair of national runners-up honors in both indoor and outdoor multi-events.
He returned to Dakota State to take his final athletic eligibility season. Roberts collected his third straight North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Indoor Track & Field heptathlon title, his fourth heptathlon title in the past five seasons. He also earned NSAA Indoor Track & Field All-Conference in pole vault.
Roberts was part of an exciting heptathlon race that went down to the wire in the final event at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D. He finished just three points behind the national champion, tallying the second most heptathlon points in school history with 5,157. He earned the national runner-up honor for the second straight season and claimed his third NAIA Indoor Track & Field All-America in the heptathlon at DSU.
Roberts wrapped up his stellar track & field career at Dakota State with another remarkable performance during the outdoor season. He captured the North Star Outdoor Track & Field decathlon title for the second time in the past three seasons, registering a conference meet record of 6,611 points.
He added NSAA All-Conference accolades in the 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, pole vault, javelin, and discus. As a result, Roberts earned the NSAA Field Athlete-of-the-Meet award for scoring the most points in the field events.
He finished his career at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships where he broke the all-time decathlon school record of 7,172 points and earned a second-place finish.
Roberts closed his impressive track & field career at Dakota State with five NAIA All-America honors, 19 NSAA All-Conference awards, and two NSAA Field Athlete-of-the-Meet. He currently owns three decathlon and four heptathlon marks in the Top 5 in DSU school history.
Roberts was an integral member of the Trojan track & field teams that won the North Star Indoor Track & Field conference title for the third straight year and extended the school record of five consecutive outdoor track & field conference titles. He was also part of the DSU men's track & field team that produced a school record highest place team finish at the 2024 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships with a ninth-place finish.
Savannah Walsdorf (2024) - Basketball (Outstanding Female Athlete)
Savannah Walsdorf of the Dakota State Trojan women's basketball team received the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year honor. She used her COVID eligibility season to lead the DSU women's basketball team to another record-breaking season.
Walsdorf was named to the NAIA All-America First Team, the first time since 2021 when Jessi Giles was named to All-America First Team. She was also named to the NAIA Women's Basketball Honorable Mention 2023.
Walsdorf led Dakota State with 15.8 points per game during the 2023-24 season. She averaged 6.2 rebounds, 2.9 steals, and 2.2 assists per game. She was 212-of-404 from the field (52.4 percent), 70-of-169 from the 3-point line, and 58-of-81 from the free-throw line.
She produced the third most single season points scored in DSU women's basketball school record book with 552 points. She ranked third in the single season record with 100 steals and 212 field goals made, as well as sixth in 3-point field goals made with 70 3-pointers.
Walsdorf finished her illustrious career at Dakota State as the all-time leading scorer with 2,088 points, rebounds with 1,010 rebounds, 405 steals, and 782 field goals. She is second all-time in free-throws made with 324, fifth in 3-point field goals made with 199, and eighth all-time in assists with 320.
She is a four-time North Star Athletic Association All-Conference selection, three times as First Team All-Conference since 2022. She was a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2021 and was named to the NSAA All-Defense Team in 2024.
Walsdorf also earned academic awards from the NAIA and NSAA for her achievements in the classroom.
Dakota State finished their 2023-24 season with an overall record of 28-7, the second most overall victories in school history. The Trojans captured their fourth straight NSAA regular-season conference title.
DSU also qualified for the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. Dakota State made history by hosting the NAIA national tournament first and second rounds and advanced to the national quarterfinals for the third time in the last four seasons.
Sam Tyrpa (2024) - Baseball (Dusty Andersen Award)
The 2024 Dusty Andersen Memorial award recipient is Sam Tyrpa of the DSU baseball team.
The award is presented each year to an outstanding male basketball or baseball player who exhibits active participation in campus activities. The award is named Dusty Andersen, who was a letter-winner in both basketball and baseball at Dakota State from 1966 through 1969. In addition to his athletic involvement, Dusty was active as President of the Varsity Club and was a member of the Student Senate, the band, and the physical education major club.
Tyrpa was listed on the NAIA Baseball Preseason All-America starting pitcher prior to the 2024 season. He was named to the North Star Athletic Association Baseball Pitcher-of-the-Year and NAIA All-America Honorable Mention during the 2023 season.
He is a two-time All-Conference First Team member. He established a new single season strikeouts record for the second straight season, recording 99 strikeouts compared to 98 strikeouts during the 2023 season. He also holds the second all-time strikeouts record with 197 strikeouts.
Tyrpa finished the 2024 season with a record of 8-3 on the pitching mound and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.57 (allowed 32 earned runs in 80 2/3 innings).
He also received academic honors including College Sports Communicators All-District Team, NAIA Scholar Athlete, and NSAA Scholar Athlete.
