Women's Basketball

February 25, 2002

ON THE LINE: It's the first round of the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament and UW-Stout (23-4) will travel to St. Benedict (23-4) Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m., in St. Joseph, Minn. The winner will play at Pacific Lutheran College (21-3) in Tacoma, Wash., Saturday, March 2. Stout won both the regular season Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title and the WIAC tournament title. St. Benedict won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season title, but lost in the championship game of the MIAC tournament. Stout is making their sixth NCAA tournament appearance, while the Blazers are in for the 12th time.

LAST TIME OUT: UW-Stout: The Blue Devils had little trouble handling UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC tournament championship game, downing the Titans, 90-71, Feb. 23. Stout held a 52-30 halftime lead as Blue Devil seniors Amy Zelinger (Racine) and Stacie Anderson (Clayton) stepped up big. Zelinger hit four 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 21 points. Anderson connected on three long range bombs to score 16 points. The win gave Stout their first-ever tournament championship to go along with their first-ever outright regular season WIAC title. Stout shared the title with UW-Eau Claire in the 1996-97 season. Stout took the No. 1 seed into the WIAC tournament, crushing UW-La Crosse, 97-93, in the quarterfinals Feb. 18, and squeaking past No. 4 seeded UW-Eau Claire, 71-68.
St. Benedict: The Blazers entered the MIAC tournament as the No. 1 seed, but had a much harder time. St. Benedict needed overtime to down No. 4 seed Gustavus Adolphus, a team they lost to twice during the season, 60-58, Feb. 20. The Blazers lost in the championship game to No. 3 seeded upstart Carleton College, 79-63, on the Blazers' home court. Michelle Barlau scored 16 points and Kim Johnson added 10 points and nine rebounds in the game, which saw the Blazers leading 35-34 at halftime. Carleton shot 64 percent from the floor in the second half, while holding St. Benedict to 41 percent shooting in the last half.

THE SERIES: The teams are not complete strangers to each other, having played each other nine times since 1971. The Blazers hold a 7-2 lead in the series. The last time they met was during the 1996-97 season - the last time Stout won a share of the conference title - with the Blazers taking an 82-70 win. Stout last defeated St. Benedict during the 1991-92 season with a 96-78 victory. Stout's only other victory over the Blazers' came during the 1985-86 season - a season Stout won only two games - a 62-58 squeaker.

THE SEASON IN STATS: Stout: If you want to talk about a balanced attack, you better talk about the Blue Devils. Stout has no players averaging in double digits, but still led the WIAC in team scoring (78.4). Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn), Tanya Halbach (Jr, Janesville) and Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine) are all averaging 9.5 points. Halbach injured her knee against La Crosse and is lost for the season. Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton) and Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) are averaging 9.3 points. Sara Kahl (So, Menomonie) is averaging 7.8 points. Verdegan leads the team in rebounds with 5.1 boards and Erichsen is pulling down 4.9. Stout is currently riding a 13-game winning streak, stretching back to Jan. 5. On the season, Stout has scored 90 points or more in games seven times. The Blue Devils uncorked a 110 point school record game to begin the winning streak on Jan. 9. Zelinger and Anderson have relished the tournament play, scoring way above their season average. In the three games, Zelinger is averaging 12.9 points, but has scored 19 and 21 points in the last two games. Zelinger moved to fourth on the Blue Devils' all-time scoring list last week and currently has 1034 career points. Zelinger holds the career school record for most steals with 275. Anderson is averaging 12 points and scored 12 and 16 points in the last two games.
St. Benedict: Four players do the bulk of the scoring for the Blazers, who average a conference-high 78.5 points per game. Michelle Barlau is averaging 16 points. Danni Hannon is tossing in 13.5 points, Kim Johnson 11.5 and Ashley Brown, 10.0. Johnson leads the team off the boards with 8.0 per game, while Hannon is grabbing 5.3. The Blazers have been able to uncork some big scores, scoring more than 90 points five times. St. Benedict gives up 60.4 points and have held eight opponents to less than 55 points.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout's Mark Thomas is in his 15th year (243-140) and has more than 78 percent of all Stout wins. Thomas has twice been named the WIAC coach of the year (96-97, 92-93). The Blue Devils have two WIAC titles. Thomas is also an assistant football and baseball coach for the Blue Devils. The Blazers' Mike Durbin is in his 16th year (361-102) and has been the MIAC coach of the year four times and the NCAA Division III coach of the year. Under his tutelage, the Blazers have won or shared six MIAC titles and all 12 of St. Benedict's NCAA appearances have been with Durbin at the helm. His teams have made two final four appearances. Durbin is also the school's sports information director.

AROUND THE BRACKET: In the other half of the bracket, Carleton College (22-5) will host Wartburg (21-6) and Chapman University (21-4) will host Pomona-Pitzer (14-10). In the other half of the sectional, UW-Stevens Point (24-3) will host Lake Forest (19-6). The winner of that game will travel to four-time defending champion Washington University (25-0). Lakeland College (25-2) will host Millikin University (19-6) and Webster (23-2) will host Aurora University (16-9). The sectionals are scheduled for March 8-9 at a site yet to be determined. The final four championship round will be March 15-16 in Terra Haute, Ind.

ON THE RADIO: All UW-Stout tournament games will be broadcast by WMEQ, 880-AM radio. St. Benedict games are broadcast over WJON and are generally broadcast over the internet. Find that link at: www.csbsju.edu/csbsports/bball/schedule.htm

TICKET INFORMATION: Advanced tickets for the game are available at the athletic office in Johnson Fieldhouse for $5. A fan bus will be leaving for the game from the east side of Johnson Fieldhouse for a ticket/bus combination of $10. The bus will begin loading at 2 p.m. and will leave at 2:30 p.m. For more information or to reserve a spot on the bus, call the UW-Stout athletic office at 715-232-2224.

February 23, 2002

MENOMONIE - Call them run-and-gun, call them run-and-shoot, call them ragtag. Call them anything you want. Just call UW-Stout the 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) champion.

The regular season champion Blue Devils went to the outside game and to their seniors to light up UW-Oshkosh, 90-71, Saturday, Feb. 23 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The Blue Devils held as much as a 25 point lead early in the second half and never let the lead slip to less than 17 points.

The Blue Devils ran off a 22-point halftime lead, heading into the locker room with a 52-30 bulge. The Titans (21-7) took an early lead, but Stout grabbed the lead with back-to-back lay-ups by Bonnie Thoe (So, Hayfield, Minn) to take a 14-12 lead with 13:59 left in the half and never trailed again.

Stout really took over the half with a 13-3 run to end the first half. Sara Kahl (So, Menomonie) keyed the run with five points over a 50 second stretch. The Blue Devils shot 10 percentage points above their season average in the first half, banging down 21-of-41 shots from the floor (.512). The Titans were held to 28 percent shooting in the first half and ending up shooting only 37 percent on the afternoon.

Stout controlled the boards from start to finish, ending up with a 48-28 lead off the glass. Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) collected seven rebounds and 10 points.

Kahl made several pretty plays to finish the game with 15 points, several of her points coming on back door plays.

The Titans got 17 points from Kristin Steckmesser, 15 points from Jamie Turtenwald and 13 points from Melissa Schweitzer and Kay Mikolajczak.

The win gives Stout a 13-game winning streak, their last loss coming at the hands of Oshkosh on Jan. 5 in Oshkosh, an 88-60 spanking. The streak is the second longest in Stout history, both men's and women's. The Stout women had 15 straight wins during the 1993-94 season. The Blue Devils' 23 wins is the most in school history.

February 20, 2002

MENOMONIE - Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton) hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to clinch a 71-68 win for UW-Stout over UW-Eau Claire, Wednesday, Feb. 20, in the semi-final game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament at Johnson Fieldhouse.

After Stout's Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine) hit the back end of a pair of free throws to break a 68-68 tie with 24 seconds remaining in the game, the Blue Devils (22-4) pressure forced Kristi Channing to step out of bounds on Stout's end.

Following a Stout timeout, Anderson was fouled by the Blugolds' Emilee Planert and Anderson nailed both throws.

Eau Claire (19-7) had a final chance after a timeout, but could not get a decent shot off and Stout recovered the rebound to run the clock out.

In her career, Anderson has repeatedly come up big against Eau Claire. Anderson put Stout ahead, 66-64, with 1:44 left by nailing a 3-pointer after Erin Churchill (Fr, Plum City) made the first of two free throws. As a freshman, Anderson hit a nearly identical last second shot from the same spot on the floor to down Eau Claire.

The Blugolds' Sarah Hughes tied the game at 66 with a put-back with 1:15 remaining. Churchill gave Stout a 68-66 lead with two free throws, but Planert tied the score with a baseline drive. Zelinger gave the Blue Devils the 69-68 lead.

Stout will play UW-Oshkosh Saturday, Feb. 23 at Johnson Fieldhouse for the tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The time is yet to be determined. The Titans downed second seeded UW-Stevens Point, 76-65.

The game was tight in the first half, with Stout holding a 33-32 halftime lead. Stout rode out to as much as a 50-43 lead with 12:55 remaining in the game, but the Blugolds came back to take the lead by as much as four points, 58-54, with 6:36 left to play. Anderson tied the game at 58 with two free throws and bucket over a 40 second stretch around the six minute mark.

Missed free throws for Eau Claire spelled disaster for the Blugolds. Eau Claire was 24-of-34 from the line and missed three in the final eight minutes of play. Stout connected on 21-of-26 free throws for the game, 20-of-23 in the second half.

Zelinger led all scorers with 19 points and passed the 1000-point mark of her career with a bucket early in the first half and is currently fifth on the Stout all-time scoring list. Anderson finished with 12 point as did Laura Verdegan (So, Tony). Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn) tossed in 10 points.

The Blugolds got 17 points from Channing, 13 from Hughes and Becca Spaeth and 12 points from Planert.

The 22 wins is a school record for most wins in a season and this will be Stout's first trip to the WIAC championship game.

February 23, 2002

MENOMONIE - The Menomonie Theater Guild is going to produce the play "Oliver" soon and the UW-Stout women's basketball team must have had a sneak preview of the play because they learned a little bit about picking pockets. The Blue Devils went on to a 97-73 win over UW-La Crosse in a first round Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament game Monday, Feb. 18 at Johnson Fieldhouse.
The Blue Devils (21-4) recorded 24 steals and forced 39 La Crosse (7-18) turnovers. Stout will host UW-Eau Claire, which defeated UW-Platteville, 70-60, in the semi-final match-up, Wednesday, Feb. 20.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a huge first half lead, bulging the lead to as much as 28 points with six minutes remaining in the half. Stout opened up with a 17-7 lead, then ran off a 14-4 run. The Blue Devils went flat for a while when Tanya Halbach (Jr, Janesville) went hard to floor and did not return after scoring 13 points. Stout held a 55-33 halftime lead.

The Eagles several times in the second half cut the lead to below 20 points, but Stout continually pushed the game back over the 20-point lead. Jesse Herrman (So, Barron) came off the bench to score eight points in the second half to finish with 11 points.

Stout had six players in double figures, led by Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn) with 15 points. Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) had 14 points, Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton) had 11 and Sara Kahl (So, Menomonie) finished with 10 points.

Anderson and Kahl led the way with steals, both pocketing six. Verdegan had four blocked shots and Herrman had two blocks.

The Eagles' Brooke Croshier scored a game-high 21 points and had 14 rebounds. Jaclyn Powell came off the bench to score 10 points.

The Blue Devils matched their most wins in a single season, a mark they reached in the 1992-93 and 1993-94.

Men's Basketball

February 19, 2002

WHITEWATER - Dave Loewe (Sr, Hiles) and Steve Krueger (Sr, Three Lakes) combined for 40 points, but it wasn't enough as UW-Stout was eliminated in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament, 85-77, at UW-Whitewater, Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Loewe scored a career-high 21 points in his final game as a Blue Devil, hitting 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Krueger wrapped up his Stout career with 19 points before fouling out.

But it was to be the Warhawks' night, who won their first-ever WIAC playoff game. Last season, the Blue Devils pounded Whitewater, 90-49, and the two previous years, failed to get out of the first round.

It was a different story tonight as Whitewater had five players in double digits, four of them starters. Aubrey Lewis-Byers matched Loewe for scoring honors with 21. Jonathon Hodges and Andre Hicks each tossed in 14 points. Jake Wolter added 12 and Londen Donlow 11.

The first half was a tight game with 11 lead changes before Whitewater (20-6) took a 43-39 halftime lead. The Blue Devils (12-13) tied the score at 43 and went ahead briefly, 49-48, at the 15:11 mark. Whitewater went on a 15-5 run to take a 63-54 lead.

Stout got as close as four points twice in the final three minutes, but couldn't get all the way back.

Free throws was the key again with Whitewater hitting 34-of-45 charity shots, compared to 17-of-25 for Stout. Lewis-Byers himself connected on 15-of-20.

Men's Ice Hockey

February 21, 2002

MENOMONIE - Five UW-Stout hockey players were named to the 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Ice Hockey all-conference honorable mention squad.

Goalie Jeff Dotson (So, Chanhassen, Minn/Chaska HS), forwards Mitch Kellin (So, Cohasset, Minn/Grand Rapids), Nate Legler (So, Lakeville, Minn) and defensemen Matt Olson (Sr, Buffalo, Minn) and Tony Ross (So, Buffalo, Minn) received the honor.

Dotson posted a school record 2.94 goals against average and a 7-6-1 overall record for the Blue Devils, who finished the season at 11-15-1 overall. Dotson finished just two-one thousandths of a point short of matching the school record for saves percentage, finishing the year at .919. Dotson was named the Division III hockey player of the week when he recorded 58 saves to give Stout their first win over UW-River Falls in more than 20 years.

Kellin and Legler were the Blue Devils' leading goals scorers. Kellin finished with 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points. Legler knocked in 15 goals and notched eight assists for 23 points.

Ross was the team's leading scoring defenseman, putting in three goals and 10 assists for 13 points. Olson finished up a solid college career with one goal and six assists this season. For his career, he scored three goals and had 13 assists.

Women's Gymnastics

February 22, 2002

RIVER FALLS - UW-Stout had an off night as they finished last at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) gymnastics championships, Friday, Feb. 22 in River Falls.

Tasha Pasch (Jr, Northfield, Minn) came up short in her bid for a third consecutive WIAC all-around title hitting a 34.80 to finish 11th, well short of UW-Oshkosh's Jennifer Williams, who scored a 36.50. Pasch was also the defending conference champion on the beam and finished 16th with a score of 8.75. Katie Mitchell of UW-River Falls took top honors with a 9.20.

Pasch placed third on the uneven bars, scoring an 8.85. Williams captured the title with a 9.10.

UW-La Crosse won their sixth consecutive WIAC title.

The Blue Devils will host the John Zuerlein Invitational, Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m.

WIAC Championships
1. UW-La Crosse, 179.075; 2. UW-River Falls, 175.95; 3. UW-Eau Claire, 174.30; 4. UW-Whitewater, 173.925; 5. UW-Oshkosh, 173.90; 6. UW-Stout, 166.90
Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
Vault: 1. Tiffany Reber (RF) 9.35; 22. Erika Opoien 8.90; 25. Jill Birschbach 8.70; 29. Mandi Neuman 8.60; 31. Tasha Pasch 8.50; 34. Jennie Rosinsky 8.30;

Uneven bars: 1. Jennie Williams (Osh) 9.10; 3. Pasch 8.85; 17. Neuman 8.15; 27. Lacey Schroedl 7.70; 3. Erika Opoien 7.60; 34. Birschbach 6.15;

Balance beam: 1. Katie Mitchell (RF) 9.20; 12. Neuman 8.80; 16. Pasch 8.75; 21. Opoien 8.45; 28. Rosinsky 8.10; 31. Schroedl 8.00; 33. Birschbach 7.70

Floor Exercise: 1. Angela Erato (LX) 9.525; 25. Schroedl 8.75; 28. Rosinsky, Pasch 8.70; 33. Opoien 8.35; 35. Birschbach 8.10;

All-around: 1. Jennifer Williams (Osh) 36.50; 11. Pasch 34.80; 13. Neuman 34.40; 17. Opoien 33.30; 18. Birschbach 30.65.

Women's Track & Field

February 22, 2002

MENOMONIE - Jenney Luer (Sr, Colfax) and Andi Schwabenlender (Sr, Bristol) broke UW-Stout school records at the Blue Devil Invitational, Friday, Feb. 22 in Menomonie.

Luer, a graduate of Wasilla High School in Alaska, bested the school mark she set two weeks ago by one-foot, 3-inches with a throw of 46-feet, 8-inches in the shot put. This is the fourth time this season Luer broke the school indoor shot put mark.

Schwabenlender, a graduate of Burlington Catholic Central, broke her own school record in the pole vault, finishing fifth in the event with a leap of 9-feet, 4.50-inches, break the previous mark by a half inch.

Heather Stiles (So, Eden Prairie, Minn) placed third in the 400-meter dash (1:03.34), Sarah Jenne (Jr, Waunakee) was fourth in the 55-meter dash (8.26) and the 4X400-meter relay team was second (4:20.44).

No team scores were kept. Stout will be at the WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, March 1-2, in Whitewater.

Individual Results
(First Place, all Stout finishers)
55: 1. Katie Miller (Eau Claire) 7.47; 4. Sarah Jenne 8.26; 5. Tricia Lipke 8.40; 7. Kristin Becker 8.98; 8. Haley Brodhagen 10.33; 200: 1. Angela Klatt (La Crosse) 25.66; 7. Angie McConnell 28.26; 9. Sarah Jenne 29.01; 11. Dani Wojcik 29.27; 13. Lindsay Steinmeyer 29.69; 14. Amber Wilde 29.86; 15. Tricia Lipke 30.10; 20. Kristin Becker 33.54; 21. Haley Brodhagen 39.11; 400: 1. Amber Liss (St. Mary's) 1:00.39; 3. Heather Stiles 1:03.34; 800: 1. Deb Hanson 2:20.71; 8. Tracy Oostdyk 2:34.58; 11. Denise Hady 2:49.45; 1500: 1. Julia Rudd (La Crosse) 4:58.05; 7. Tracy Oostdyk 5:06.86; 9. Amy Arndt 5:16.32; 12. Jacki Rust 5:28.95; 14. Valori Schaffer 5:41.33; 3000: 1. Dawn Schmick (La Crosse) 10:41.84; 6. Meredith Nordberg 11:47.14; 7. Terra Dalheimer 12:03.74; 8. Nacole Ewerdt 12:04.74; 55-hurdles: 1. Breanna McMullen (Eau Claire) 8.65; 6.Linnea Kersten 10.17; 7. Amy Biegel 10.67; 4X200 relay: 1. Eau Claire 1:48.26; 3. Stout "A" 1:57.01; 4. Stout "B" 1:58.93; 4X400 relay: 1. St. Mary's 4:08.24; Stout 4:20.44;

High Jump: 1. Heather Kleckner (La Crosse) 5-3.25; 10. Amy Biegel 4-5.50; 11. Ramona Vann 4-3.50; Pole Vault: 1. Bethany Renner (La Crosse) 11-4.25; 5. Andi Schwabenlender 9-4.25; Long Jump: 1. Jennifer Stafslien (La Crosse) 16-9.25; 6. Ramona Vann 14-4; 8. Marci Schachtner 13-6.75; 9. Sara Manion 12-4.50; Shot Put: 1. Jenney Luer (Stout) 46-8; 6. Marci Schachtner 35-6; 11. Donna Goodman 32-2; 13. Wendy Keller 27-6; 20-lb wt: 1. Sonja Peterson (La Crosse) 52-11; 7. Marci Schachtner 36-11.75; 8. Kendra Busch 34-01.50; 9. Donna Goodman 33-9.50; 14. Wendy Keller 28-11.25;

February 22, 2002

MENOMONIE - Three members of the UW-Stout men's track and field team captured first places at the Blue Devil Invitational, Friday, Feb. 22 in Menomonie.

Justin Zymewski (Fr, Houston, Minn) tied for first in the high jump (6-4), Jeff Rotering (Sr, Waumandee) was first in the pole vault (15-9.75) and Dave Hanson (Jr, Sun Prairie) was first in the 400-meter dash (50.18). Hanson finished first in the preliminaries of the 55-meter hurdles (7.87) with the best time of the evening, but chose not to compete in the finals.

Sam Werner (Jr, Elk Mound) was second in the 55-meter dash (6.64), Brady Hurtgen (Fr, Ridgeland) was third (6.66) and Theron Steward (Fr, St. Paul, Minn) was fourth (6.70). Steward was also fourth in the 200 (24.04).

John Hanson (Sr, Grantsburg) was second in the 800-meter run (1:56.97), Jay Sitek (So, Marinette) was third in the high jump (6-0), as was Jason Kirch (Sr, Sauk Prairie) in the 3000 (9:25.84) and Matt Schlough (Fr, Boyceville) in the 400 (51.40). Taylor Hustad (Fr, Colfax) was just behind Schlough in the 400 (51.40).

The Blue Devil 4x200-relay team was second (1:31.08) and the 4X400-relay team was third (3:31.80).

No team scores were kept. Stout will be at the WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, March 1-2, in Whitewater.

Individual Results
(First Place, all Stout finishers)
55: 1. Darrick Smith (La Crosse) 6.60; 2. Sam Werner 6.64; 3. Brady Hurtgen 6.66; 4. Theron Steward 6.70; Mike Twining 6.83; Steve Wenhardt 6.91; David White 6.98; 200: 1. Eric Schmidt (La Crosse) 23.34; 4. Theron Steward 24.04; 5. David White 24.24; 6. Steve Wenhardt 24.54; 400: 1. Dave Hanson (Stout) 50.18; 3. Matt Schlough 51.40; 5. Taylor Hustad 51.41; 8. Jim Dvorak 51.63; 10. Steve Floyd 52.73; 800: 1. Dan Haumschild (La Crosse) 1:56.84; 2. John Hanson 1:56.97; 5. Kevin Riester 1:59.62; 9. Scott Barthel 2:03.21; 11. John Maresh 2:09.02; 1500: 1. Tyler Foos (La Crosse) 3:59.54; 9. Pat McLaughlin 4:11.73; 10. Dave Huber 4:12.16; 12. Ethan Webinger 4:16.29; 15. Todd Dexheimer 4:26.63; 16. John Ulrich 4:36.77; 17. Chris Emerson 4:42.24; 3000: 1. Tony Peter (La Crosse) 8:55.74; 3. Jason Kirch 9:25.84; 4. Ryan Chernik 9:39.84; 5. Tim King 9:47.04; 55-hurdles: 1. Derek Toshner (La Crosse) 7.97; Dave Hanson 7.87; Jeff Miller 8.51; 4X200 relay: 1. La Crosse 1:30.33; 2. Stout 1:31.08; 4X400 relay: 1. La Crosse 3:15.20; 3. Stout 3:31.80; 5. Stout "B" 3:40.80;

High Jump: 1. Justin Zmyewski (Stout) 6-4; 3. Jay Sitek 6-0; Pole Vault: 1. Jeff Rotering (Stout) 15-9.75; 6. Aric Hansua 13-10; 11. Noah Fuller 12-10.25; Long Jump: 1. Jesse Reed (La Crosse) 22-04.50; 4. Mark Swenson 19-9; 35-lb wt: 1. Jake Hines (La Crosse) 58-1; 6. Dave Luety 39-7.75;

Updated: February 25, 2002