JACKRABBITS ADD DUO AHEAD OF 2025 SLATE

BROOKINGS, S.D. — As the 2025-26 academic year draws closer, the South Dakota State women’s soccer program has continued to add to its roster for this fall’s team. The Jackrabbits have welcomed two student-athletes with college experience to their squad with the transfer additions of graduate student Renny Buchanan and senior Taylor Thomas. 
 
“We’re excited to add Taylor and Renny to our team for the fall,” SDSU head coach Brock Thompson said. “They both have immense experience from college soccer as well as their pre-professional teams. More important, they’re great people who value the culture that we have created here and are excited to add to it.” 
 
Renny Buchanan | Defender | Graduate Student | Brentwood, Calif. | Heritage HS | John Brown
Renny Buchanan brings a standout resume to Brookings from the NAIA level as a graduate student from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. 
 
Buchanan played four seasons for the Golden Eagles and earned numerous awards her final two seasons earning back-to-back all-conference recognition for the perennial NAIA national contender. She became a regular starter as a junior in 2023 starting all 22 matches. Buchanan played a team-high 1,858 minutes, including all 90 minutes in 16 matches, for a team that went 18-3-1. She was honored as the Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as John Brown went 18-3-1, won its conference and advanced to the NAIA National Championship tournament. 
 
The Brentwood, Calif., native continued her strong play in 2024 as she logged 1,798 minutes on the pitched averaging 82 minutes per game. She anchored a defense that conceded just 0.83 goals per game and 6.7 shot attempts per match. Buchanan helped lead the Golden Eagles to another conference title and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NAIA national tournament, the farthest the program has ever advanced. 
 
Buchanan was a Third Team NAIA All-American in 2023. She topped the accolade with Second Team All-America honors in 2024. In all, Buchanan has played in 73 matches during her college career and made 58 starts. That stretch saw her score three goals and dish out 14 assists. She re-joins John Brown teammate Lauren Walter who signed with the Jackrabbits in January and competed with SDSU during the spring semester. 
 
“I feel so blessed to be joining this program and get to use my fifth year as a Jackrabbit,” Buchanan said. “God has truly guided this transition and I couldn’t be more at peace. As someone who’s repped blue and yellow since high school, I’m thrilled to finish out my college career with the same colors and a team that shares my values. Go Jackrabbits!”
 
Taylor Thomas | Midfielder | Senior | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Shattuck-St. Mary’s | FGCU
A local product returns to South Dakota as Sioux Falls native Taylor Thomas joins the Yellow and Blue for her senior season. 
 
Thomas has spent her first four years of her college career with a pair of seasons spent at Dayton and Florida Gulf Coast. She played three matches as a freshman for the Flyers before a redshirt season used during the 2022-23 academic year. Thomas transferred to FGCU ahead of her redshirt sophomore season and played in 10 matches for a team that won the Atlantic Sun tournament championship and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Last fall, Thomas played in all 19 matches and started 11 for the Eagles. Thomas played in over 1,000 matches for a FGCU squad that went 11-6-2 and advanced to the 2024 ASUN Tournament title game. 
 
Thomas has spent her summer months playing for the Sioux Falls City Football Club which is currently a member of the USL W League. The squad features fellow current Jackrabbits in Mia Bosch and Hailee Christiansen.
 
Prior to her collegiate career, Thomas spent her prep tenure at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota. Her parents, Emily and Eric, were both student-athletes during their college careers at Augustana. 
 
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return home and join the Jackrabbit family,” Thomas said. “Being part of such a respected program is a true honor, especially representing a community that has shaped who I am. I look forward to embracing this journey, building deep connections with my teammates and coaches, pushing myself to grow both on and off the field, and contributing wholeheartedly to the legacy of SDSU.”
 
The 2025 Jackrabbits return to action beginning on July 31 with the team’s annual Blue vs. Yellow Scrimmage at Fishback Soccer Park. Season tickets for the 2025 South Dakota State soccer season are scheduled to go on sale on June 10. You can purchase tickets by visiting JackrabbitTickets.com. 
 

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