SAGE HIRED AS SDHSAA ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: ‘I’M THRILLED’
A woman who once bled Cornbelt Conference maroon and was named an assistant executive director with the South Dakota High School Activities Association 16 years ago — Jo Auch of Menno — is being replaced by another — Kristina Sage of Freeman.
Sage, who has been the athletic director at Freeman Public since the fall of 2017 and with the district since 1989, was offered the job late last week and will begin working alongside Executive Director Dan Swartos and other SDHSAA officials in July. At least initially, she will be living with family in Pierre.
“I’m thrilled,” Sage told The Courier on Tuesday — one day after the SDHAA announced she had been offered the job. “This position presents an exciting opportunity for me to establish connections with athletic directors across the state and work closely with them to enhance the overall experience for their student athletes. I am excited to contribute my skills and expertise to the advancement of athletics throughout South Dakota.”
The SDHSAA is expected to formally approve Sage as an assistant executive director at its April 17 board meeting.
In the press release issued Monday, Swartos said he was excited to have Sage coming on board and offered words of appreciation for Auch, who was the athletic director at Menno Public School when she was hired by the SDHSAA in 2008.
“Jo Auch’s service to the SDHSAA and nationally to the NFHS has been tremendous and we have been incredibly thankful to have experienced Jo’s expertise, kindness, and humility for the past 16 years,” Swartos said. “Jo leaves big shoes to fill, and we are excited to bring Kristina Sage on to the SDHSAA staff to continue her work.
“Kristina’s experience at Freeman High School and the Cornbelt Conference, as well as her established relationships with athletic directors across the state, will lend itself well to the position. I know Kristina will serve our member schools and their students with the same passion and skill that she has shown at Freeman High School.”
Sage’s duties will include oversight of the SDHSAA sports official’s programming, as well as sport administrator for boys and girls tennis, volleyball, competitive cheer, competitive dance, sideline cheer, boys and girls basketball, gymnastics and softball.
Auch is as thrilled as anybody to have Sage come in as her replacement.
“Kristi is going to do a fantasist job here both listening and leading; those are two big skillsets she’s going to bring to the table,” said Auch, who spent 26 years at Menno before moving to Pierre. “She has already done so many things for athletics in our state and she’s got a lot of the same skills that I had when I started the job.
“It was a dream for me and I’m glad she’s getting to fulfill her own dream.”
Sage’s new job will mean saying goodbye to a Freeman Public School District to which she has given 35 years of her professional career.
“I have appreciated my years here,” she told The Courier. “Reflecting on the journey from the fall of 1989, when I began by instructing typing on manual typewriters, it’s truly remarkable to witness the progress we’ve achieved. Coinciding with the start of my career was Don Hotchkiss, who was a first-year principal that same year. Don consistently demonstrated kindness and support to both me and my family. He served as an invaluable mentor and a cherished friend throughout our time together.
“I have had the privilege of working with students, not only within the classroom, but through various extracurricular activities, an experience that has brought me immense joy,” Sage continued. “I have always held the belief that there is something truly extraordinary about working alongside children. I am proud to be associated with the Freeman School District, one that is recognized as one of the top in the state.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such a distinguished district.”
The SDHSAA is headquartered in Pierre and provides oversight and administration for athletics and fine arts activities to 180-member public, private, and federal high schools representing nearly 48,000 high school students in South Dakota.
