After graduating from Wagner Community School in 2023, Emma Yost decided to continue to play basketball at the college level for Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU). Emma concluded her senior year for the Red Raiders with a career 1,666 points, 1,271 rebounds, and a 53% field goal percentage. She helped lead the Raiders to two consecutive seasons with a 24-2 record and helped the team win runner up at the Girls Class A State Basketball Tournament in 2023.

In her freshman season with the DWU Tigers, Yost has continued to excel on the court. Emma started in all 30 games this season for the Tigers. She earned Great Plains Conference (GPAC) First Team honors as well as GPAC Freshman of the Year. Emma averaged 14.7 points per game and tied her career high of 28 points in a single game against Mount Marty. The Tigers ended their season fifth in their conference and concluded their season with a hard-fought loss 87-80 to Cumberlands in the NAIA tournament.

Emma played a forward position for the Tigers. Defensively, she had to guard some of the best players in the nation. To get prepared for each game, she watched a lot of film and paid close attention to the scouting report. Emma is not one that is afraid to be physical when needed and she took a lot of pride in her defense. Offensively, she was needed in the paint to set good screens and create good shots for both herself and her teammates. As a freshman, this was not the role that she had expected to be put in her first year, but she was willing to put in the hard work necessary and listened to what her coaches wanted her do. She was surrounded by an amazing coaching staff and teammates that all had a lot of confidence in her drive and ability.

In the summer and the pre-season, Emma spent her time training and working as hard as she could in hopes of earning herself some playing time. It was an incredible feeling for Emma when the coaches told her that she would be starting the first game of the season for the Tigers. The level of play was an adjustment for Emma. The GPAC is a very tough conference that plays a high level of basketball. Every game was very physical and at the college level the competition was intense. It takes a lot more preparation to get ready for every game. The pace of the game also became much faster at the college level. She had to work even harder to get into shape in order to be able to play an entire game. It was also an adjustment for Emma to only play one sport year-round. She was always a multi-sport athlete. Emma not only enjoys playing basketball, but she truly values school. She feels that playing a college sport is preparing her for life in that she has to prioritize, multi-task, work hard, work with others, develop resilience, and learn grace when things go wrong.

When asked what her favorite game or experience was, Emma said that defeating the defending NAIA National Champion, Clarke, to make it to the Sweet 16 on their home court in Sioux City was the most incredible experience for her. The entire team played their best games and the focus that they all had for that 40-minute game was special. Emma was indescribably emotionally overwhelmed when the final buzzer went off.

Emma felt humbled and honored being named GPAC Freshman of the Year and making the GPAC First Team All-Conference. She could not have achieved either award without her amazing teammates and coaches. For Emma, everything is so much more impactful when working to accomplish something together rather than individually. She felt that her team truly embraced that this season.

For next season, the team goal will be to first win the GPAC tournament and then to get to the NAIA National Championship game. They will start working out as a team and lifting weights in April and continue through the summer. As a team, they spend a lot of time working to improve and develop team chemistry. Emma will work out and go to the gym to shoot whenever she can during the summer in addition to team workouts. With every season, the team will lose seniors and team needs and player positions could change. Emma has been working on expanding her perimeter shooting and will gladly play wherever her coaches and team needs her. As a team, Emma feels that they work hard and play together with the ability to adjust to whatever they each need to do in order to make the team successful.

Yost was not the only Red Raider to join the DWU Tigers, her WCS teammate, Shalayne Nagel, also played for the Tigers this season. Emma and Shalayne had played together in elementary school, high school and on a summer AAU team. The two know each other well and have great chemistry together on the court. It was a lot of fun for Emma to be able to continue her basketball journey with Shalayne in college.

Emma is the daughter of Matt and Amy Yost and the granddaughter of Wally and Deb Voigt of Avon. She is currently majoring in nursing and behavioral science. She has always enjoyed the health care field and gained great experience working as a nurse’s aid at the Wagner Community Memorial Hospital Avera during her high school summers. When asked why she chose DWU, Emma said that it was a place that always felt like she was supposed to be there. It was the perfect fit for her; she wanted to stay close to home and she grew up cheering for the DWU Tigers. Emma has really enjoyed her freshman year of college. Her professors are wonderful, and the Mitchell community has been an amazing support system for both her and the team. Emma participates in campus ministry when she can and was also selected as the women’s basketball representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus.

The support that Emma has had throughout her freshman season has been immense. She is overwhelmed by how much support she received from friends, family, and communities her freshman season. Every game the stands were filled with supporters, and she could not be more grateful for that. Even when supporters could not make it to the game in person, they were watching the livestream and sending her good luck messages. She feels like she is truly blessed by the support of the Wagner and Avon communities. It was a long season with a lot of ups and downs and their continuous support meant so much to Emma. She hopes that she made the people of Wagner and Avon proud.

Congratulations Emma on a phenomenal first season playing for the DWU Tigers. We cannot wait to see what the next several years of your college career holds for you.