Cancun Challenge | 10/24/2025 1:23:38 PM

BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State men’s and women’s basketball are headed to a tropical Thanksgiving Break, with a rare double billing: both programs are headed to the 2025 Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in late November, turning an early-season test into a full-on Jackrabbit showcase.

For first-year men’s head coach Bryan Petersen, the on-court identity won’t stray far from what Jackrabbit fans know—because the roster and the results argue against change.

“There will be a lot of similarities on both sides of the basketball, offensively and defensively. We got a lot of personnel back that played a good chunk of minutes for us last year,” he said, adding, “it’s not necessarily about what I want to run… it’s more about our personnel.”

Petersen sees a core ready to grow. He highlighted redshirt-freshman breakout Joe Seiler, last year’s second leading scorer on the team, as a sophomore poised to handle new attention, and noted Jayne Jackson’s expanded responsibilities.

“He’s going to be playing a little bit more point guard… somebody that hopefully can take a huge jump for us.”

Iowa transfer Trey Buchanan “plays with great pace” and stretches the floor, while the frontcourt turns to rising bigs—“we’re super excited about our young post players”—including Damon Wilkinson and redshirt Alex Squires.

The women’s program returns to a familiar equation under longtime head coach Aaron Johnston: stack the non-conference with challenges that pay off in March—and bring the fan base along for the ride.

The Jackrabbits enter the 2025-26 season as the clear favorite to repeat as Summit League champions, featuring four Preseason All-Summit League players, including Madison Mathiowetz, Maggie Hartwig, Katie Vasecka and the 2025-26 Preseason Summit League Player of the Year, Brooklyn Meyer.

“We always try and build a non-conference schedule that helps us… get ready for conference play and… any postseason play we might see,” Johnston said.

“It also means going to some really fun trips where our fans get a chance to be a part of them and heading down to the Cancun Challenge is a great way for us to continue to showcase our program.”

This year adds a wrinkle Johnston loves, having both SDSU teams in the same event.

“It’s really unique, that it’s highlighted with the men’s basketball team being in [Cancun] too,” he said, predicting a major turnout.

 “No question, we’re going to have a large group of Jackrabbit fans. So it will be fun watching both teams play there in November.”

Johnston also praised the impressive stage provided by both Triple Crown Sports and Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

“First of all, we always know that Triple Crown events are going to be first class in every way,” he said, pointing to the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya’s layout for the event.

“You just know that everything is going to be organized and set up in a way that you feel really good about… It’s just really one of the very best Thanksgiving events we could go to.”

The opposition and experienced gained in Mexico will be worthy of the passport stamps. SDSU’s women line up against a field with NCAA Tournament experience.

“All four are very capable of playing in the NCAA tournament,” Johnston said, singling out a first-ever meeting with North Carolina and a familiar foil in Kansas State, plus a like-for-like test with mid-major power Columbia.

Beyond the matchups, Petersen is eager for the program-wide experience—and he knows what it means to Jackrabbit Nation.

“Our fan base… is tremendous. It’s one of the most loyal fan bases in the country. They come out and support everybody,” he said. “It will be a pretty cool opportunity… one of the reasons why we chose to come to the Cancun Challenge is because we knew our women’s program were going to be down there, too… hopefully watch a lot of Jackrabbit wins down there.”

Whether it’s the men doubling down on a proven style with new faces or the women testing themselves against NCAA-caliber opponents, SDSU’s November in the Riviera Maya will be more than sun and surf; it’s a mid-semester exam with March implications—and a rare week where Blue and Yellow travel together.

All-inclusive Fan Packages are available for purchase to join your team in paradise. Fans are encouraged to stay as long as they desire by taking advantage of the additional night options. Reach out to Tournament Director Sarah Sullivan for more information.

To book a fan package contact Sarah Sullivan  @ (970) 672-0533