Apr. 8—WAGNER, S.D. — Wagner’s Ashlyn Koupal’s rise to national prominence has been nothing short of impressive.
Through three seasons, Koupal has collected three Class A girls basketball all-state first-team selections, three seasons averaging over 20 points per game, two state tournament trips, a South Dakota Gatorade girls basketball player of the year award and a Class A girls basketball player of the year honor. She also recently participated in a USA Basketball women’s junior minicamp where only 45 high school players were invited.
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It’s resulted in phone calls and texts, a massive amount in fact.
They’ve come from some of the top women’s college basketball programs in the country, courting Koupal to take the next step in her basketball career at their institution. As the ninth-ranked women’s recruit in the country according to 247Sports, it’s a process that’s weighed on Koupal, but not enough to take her head out of the game.
This past season, the junior 6-foot-3 guard/forward averaged a double-double at 21.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. She also dished out 5.2 assists per game and blocked 67 shots. Her efforts led the Red Raiders back to the state tournament for the second time in three seasons, finishing seventh.
Yet for all her abilities and consistent production, her most impressive skill may be her ability to elevate those around her, an asset Wagner head coach and father Mike Koupal points out consistently.
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“That’s just one aspect of a really good team when you get all the members of your team knowing their roles just contributing both offensively and defensively,” Mike said. “And when you have a player like Ashlyn who just makes everybody that much more of a focal point, that’s really cool.”
“I like to see other people succeed, everyone around me. That’s something about our team too, we all want it for the person next to us,” Koupal said.
For her standout junior campaign, Koupal was chosen as the 2025 Mitchell Republic girls basketball player of the year, unanimously claiming all four first-place votes. It is her second time winning the award after earning the honor following her freshman season in 2023.
She is the eighth girls player to win the Mitchell Republic player of the year award more than once in their high school career since its creation in 1994. The award was selected by the newspaper’s sports staff via a point-based voting system that awards five points to the top player, four points to second on the ballot and so on.
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Other players in consideration for the 2025 award were Sanborn Central/Woonsocket’s Liz Boschee, Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s Reagan Rus, Lyman’s Mak Scott, Parkston’s Berkley Ziebart, Corsica-Stickney’s Braylee Bordewyk and Ethan’s Ella Pollreisz.
Koupal put the state on notice during her freshman season. After averaging 22 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while aiding Wagner to a Class A state tournament runner-up finish, she immediately garnered attention from Division I schools in the area. At the time, she already had offers from Creighton, Nebraska, South Dakota and South Dakota State.
But her play on the AAU circuit the last two summers, coupled with her sophomore high school season where she averaged 21.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, saw the interest from college programs skyrocket.
June 1, 2024, was the moment she knew the interest from top programs wasn’t just real, but overwhelmingly so. That date is significant because it marks the first time college coaches can contact players directly in the 2026 class about the recruitment process.
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“I remember I was with my friend that day and had (AAU) practice too. I missed a lot of calls,” Koupal said. “I was just constantly having to pick up the phone or try and call back coaches.”
The influx of interested programs didn’t just reach out to Ashlyn. Both of her parents’ phones blew up too. She received 40 to 50 texts, according to her father, but one made her realize how highly coveted she was.
It came from Geno Auriemma, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach at Connecticut, who led his program to a 12th national title with the Huskies on Sunday.
“He was just reaching out, saying how he enjoyed my game,” Koupal said. “I haven’t talked to him for a while and probably won’t, but that was just a huge compliment. That was pretty cool.”
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As cool as it was to hear from some of the top college basketball programs in the country, it quickly became a stressful time for Koupal during the fall and the beginning of winter.
Her schedule became difficult to juggle. She received daily calls and messages from programs, making it difficult to keep up with the constant communication. There were nights when she’d be on the phone for two hours at a time and she admitted it was a lot to handle.
“I would always say, ‘It’s stressful,’ but I tried not to let the stress get to me. But it was hard not to let it get to me,” Koupal said. “As a teenager, that was just a lot to deal with and while trying to play basketball, trying to balance school, still be a kid, it was really hard.”
The process of narrowing down her choices was grueling, but when she came to a decision on the top-five schools early in 2025, her stress levels lowered and everything became easier to manage again.
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“I felt like I just had a lot more time, which sounds crazy because they’re just phone calls,” Koupal said. “It just freed up my schedule so much more and just made things a lot less stressful.”
With her junior high school basketball season concluded, Koupal’s recruiting process now has a much narrower focus.
Over the summer and into the fall, Koupal will choose from her top five schools: Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, Nebraska and TCU.
Koupal said the five schools have the core pillars of what she’s looking for, and a lot of it has to do with the makeup of a program.
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“The biggest things I look for are the people there, the culture that the program has and has built,” Koupal said. “Relationships are huge for me. So, a relationship with the coaches is really big. Style of play is a big thing, too. I would say those are the three biggest things.”
“They’re top-notch programs,” Mike said. “The coaches themselves are really good people, their kids are really good people and we already feel comfortable with that. Choosing the correct program, it’s just now what is going to be the best fit for her and where she’s more drawn to is kind of the big deal.”
Koupal still has a long process before she makes a decision on her future. She has only taken one official visit, which was to Michigan State. However, fitting in the other four will be a balancing act as she’ll be already heavily occupied with the high school track and field season — she’s already a four-time state high jump champion — before putting a bigger focus on her AAU team when summer arrives.
While she has no official timetable for her commitment, she said she would like to finish the recruiting process before the start of her senior season. After that, she’s determined to make the most out of her final season for the Red Raiders.
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She pointed out aspects of her own game that she’ll address before the end of her high school career including improving her 3-point consistency and becoming stronger to bring a more physical presence to the hardwood.
However, for all the awards she’s won, she’s still searching for the ultimate prize: a state title.
“I think that’s every team’s goal, but I think that’s really a realistic goal for us,” Koupal said. “We have a good group back so we’re all super excited. We can be really good next year. I really want to get back to stay tournament and hopefully make a run.”
Here’s a look at the other players who received consideration, with their vote-point totals in parentheses:
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Liz Boschee, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (15): The Class B player of the year selection among the state’s coaches for the runner-up Blackhawks, Boschee garnered all-state first-team recognition in the class and all-tournament honors at state, averaging 16.1 points and eight rebounds in SCW’s three games. Overall, Boschee was the leading scorer on the team as a junior at 20.3 ppg, shooting 47% from the field.
Reagan Rus, Mount Vernon/Plankinton (13): Named to the Class A all-state third team a year ago, Rus capped her prep career with an all-state first-team selection as a senior for the eighth-place Titans. She averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.5 steals per game. At the state tournament, Rus averaged a double-double over the three days, including 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists in her final game. She was also named as the Class A Spirit of Su award recipient, and is committed to play basketball at Northern State University.
Mak Scott, Lyman (8): Scott, a junior, was the runner-up for Class B player of the year averaging 18.7 points, seven rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Raiders, who finished in sixth place at the state tournament. Scott, who is committed to Augustana University, was also an all-tournament pick, averaging 11.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, picking up 24 total rebounds in Lyman’s first two state tournament games.
Berkley Ziebart, Parkston (2): As the Trojans’ leading scorer, Ziebart helped snap a 12-year state tournament drought for the program in their first year in the Class B ranks since the 1980s. She averaged 15.8 points per game and posted a 44.6% shooting percentage. Ziebart was named to the all-state second team as Parkston posted a fifth-place finish at the state tournament, ending the year at 21-5.
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Braylee Bordewyk, Corsica-Stickney (1): Bordewyk was instrumental in the Jaguars’ turnaround this season, helping the team double its win total from 2024 with a 15-7 record and a SoDak 16 appearance. The sophomore averaged 17 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.2 steals per game, earning all-state honorable mention recognition.
Ella Pollreisz, Ethan (1): Pollreisz, a senior, was a constant presence in the Rustlers’ balanced system, averaging 14 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 51% from the field. Pollreisz, who is committed to run cross country and track at Dakota Wesleyan University, earned a Class B all-state honorable mention for her efforts.
Past award winners: 1994: Erin Olson, Mitchell; 1995: NaTascha Dawson, Howard; 1996: Mandy Koupal, Wagner; 1997: Mandy Koupal, Wagner; 1998: Mandy Koupal, Wagner; 1999: Lacey Johnson, Wessington Springs; 2000: Lacey Johnson, Wessington Springs; 2001: Vanessa Yanes, Wagner (2002 Season Switch); 2003: Jenna Hoffman, Mitchell; 2004: Jeana Hoffman, Mitchell; 2005: Allison Johnson, Mount Vernon; 2006: Jill Young, Mitchell Christian; 2007: Megan Doyle, Hanson; 2008: Terri VerSteeg, Platte-Geddes; 2009: Rhianna Gullickson, Hanson; 2010: Hillary Paulson, Freeman; 2011: Kerri Young, Mitchell; 2012: Kerri Young, Mitchell; 2013: Macy Miller, Mitchell; 2014: Macy Miller, Mitchell; 2015: Myah Selland, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket; 2016: Myah Selland, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket; 2017: Myah Selland, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket; 2018: Morgan Koepsell, McCook Central/Montrose; 2019: Karly Gustafson, Ethan; 2020: Avery Broughton, Corsica-Stickney; 2021: Bella Swedlund, Winner; 2022: Avery Broughton, Corsica-Stickney; 2023: Ashlyn Koupal, Wagner; 2024: Emilee Fox, Mount Vernon/Plankinton; 2025: Ashlyn Koupal, Wagner.
