November 14, 1998

PLATTEVILLE - Finding themselves out of the conference race, the UW-Stout football team was playing for pride - and team records - as the Blue Devils downed UW-Platteville, 48-12, Saturday, Nov. 14 at Platteville.

Tailback Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland), nursing a calf injury, played sparingly, but scored three two touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground. In the process, Lund broke the school single season scoring record, finishing the season with 94 total points, breaking the previous record of 80 points set by Rich Vargas in 1989.

Lund set a new mark for most touchdowns scored in a single season, finishing up with 15 touchdowns, 12 by pass. The touchdown record was 13 shared by Bob Johnson in 1981 and Vargas in 1991. Lund broke the school record for most touchdown passes and extended the record with his two aerials.

Quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) put the finishing touches on a stellar season, completing 20-of-33 pass for 298 yards and five touchdowns. Bunyan finishes the season with a school record 38 touchdown passes and missed tying his own yardage record by one yard, finishing the season with 3,220 passing yards. Bunyan extended his career record for most passing touchdowns, finishing his career with 85.

The Blue Devils (5-5, 3-4) benefited from Platteville mistakes all afternoon.

After trading series, the Pioneers fumbled on their next series, and Bunyan found Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon) for a 40-yard touchdown pass.

The Pioneers (1-9, 0-7) did score on their next series, topping off the series with an 18-yard pass from running back John Weaver to Cory Kueter, but the kick failed.

Stout scored the next time they had the ball, and Aaron Johnson (Fr, Clear Lake) got the honors on a 2-yard run.

The special teams would prove to be Stout's boon - and the Pioneers' bust. After a bad snap, Pioneer punter Brad Abraham tried to throw the ball out of the end zone, but was called for grounding and Stout was awarded a saftety. Stout marched downfield at will on the ensuing kickoff, and Bunyan hit Lund for a 20-yard touchdown pass play, for a 23-6 lead.

Joe Verstegen (Sr, Little Chute) picked off a pass and returned the ball to the Platteville 38. Five plays later, Lund carried the ball for a 1-yard score and Stout was up, 29-6, after the failed PAT.

Platteville handed Stout the ball again when Abraham fielded another bad snap and was dumped on the Platteville 3.

One play and Stout went to Lund for a 3-yard pass play to conclude the scoring in the first half with Stout leading, 36-6.

Platteville scored early in the third period, but Bunyan connected with Jesse Diaz (Cottage Grove) for a 57-yard pass play to extend the lead to 42-12.

Bunyan recorded his final touchdown as a Blue Devil early in the fourth quarter when Andy Mutch (So, Bloomington, Minn) hauled in a 2-yard pass.

The Pioneers racked up 339 yards of rushing, and finished the game with 323 total yards. Stout had 372 total yards, 298 passing.

Diaz pulled down four passes for 90 yards, while fullback Ryan Patt (Jr, North Fond du Lac) hauled in six for 86 yards. Witcraft had three catches for 68 yards.

Platteville quarterback John Jacobs led all rushers with 114 yards. Jeremiah Shoemaker, who last week had 224 yards, finished with 61 yards.

By finishing at 5-5, the Blue Devils finished with two consecutive .500 or better finishes for the first time since the early 1980s. Stout was 6-4 last season.

Soccer

November 14, 1998

MADISON - One of UW-Stout's first four-year soccer player was named as a first team selection to the all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) soccer team.

Carrie Blaska (Sr, Ramsey, Minn/Anoka HS), a defender for the Blue Devils was named to the team over the weekend.

Blaska scored her first - and only - collegiate goal this season when she was awarded a penalty kick against Viterbo College. Blaska, who only missed one game in her four years, was a key to the Blue Devils' defense, enabling Stout to allow 10 less goals than the previous year.

"Carrie was just a stable, steady player," fourth year coach Lisa Petruccelli said. "You would never question that she would make the right decisions."

Named to the second team were goalkeeper Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn/Anoka HS) and forward Alyssa Halverson (Sr, Rochester, Minn/Marshall HS).

"Nikki showed no fear out there," Petruccelli said. "The easy shots did not get by her and All-America goalies wouldn't have been able to stop some of the harder shots."

Petruccelli noted Bezak's improvement over the years. Bezak was a backup goalkeeper in high school, but immediately stepped into the starting role at Stout.

Bezak finished the season with a career-best goals against average of 1.56. She had 131 saves and notched 4.5 shutouts.

Halvorson is Stout's all-time scorer, and scored 10 goals this season to run her two-year totals to 24 goals. Halvorson, who transferred from St. Cloud State before the 1997 season, also had six assists, as well as three game-winning-goals, to lead Stout in both categories.

"Alyssa is a player to contend with who just gets the job done in the middle," Petruccelli said. "Every team has to key on her. Last year, she was an unknown (in the WIAC). She no longer was an unknown this year and adapted well."

The Blue Devils finished with a 7-10-1 overall record, 3-4-1 in the WIAC. Petruccelli was named the WIAC soccer coach of the year. Stout began women's soccer as a varsity sport in 1995.

Volleyball

November 13, 1998

WHITEWATER - The UW-Whitewater Warhawks volleyball team proved again why they are the top team in the region when they blanked UW-Stout, 15-12, 15-1, 15-9, in the NCAA Division III Midwest Region semi-finals Friday, Nov. 13 at Whitewater.

Stout put up a fight in the first game, but came out flat in the second, before bowing out for the season in the third.

Stacy Stoddard (St. Paul, Minn) recorded 12 kills and Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) had seven kills. Stoddard also had two solo blocks and two assisted blocks for Stout, which finishes at 22-14, their best finish since the 1994 season.

November 12, 1998

MADISON - UW-Stout's Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) repeated as a selection to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) all-conference volleyball team and Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) was named as honorable mention.

Stoddard led the Blue Devils to only their second-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs, and has recorded a school record 529 kills with at least one game remaining in the season. Stoddard is also the team leader in blocks with 49 solo blocks and 60 assisted blocks.

Stoddard also holds all of the school records in blocks, including game, season and career blocks. Stoddard was the WIAC volleyball scholar-athlete recipient.

Cyrus is both an offensive and defensive threat for the Blue Devils. She has led Stout for the past three seasons in digs, and this year has recorded 522. She is third on the team in kills with 331.

Cyrus, a first team choice last year, is a team captain.

November 12, 1998

WHITEWATER - The UW-Stout volleyball team is now treading on ground they have never been on as the Blue Devils won their first-ever NCAA Division III playoff game, downing Elmhurst College, 3-2, at the Midwest Regionals in Whitewater, Thursday, Nov. 12.

The Blue Devils (22-13) toppled the Bluejays (31-8), 15-13, 10-15, 16-14, 1-15, 15-12. The win was the first-ever NCAA playoff win for any Stout volleyball squad. The only other team was invited to the NCAA playoffs was the 1994 team.

Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) led the attack with 21 kills, while Jenny Kraczek (Jr, Blaine, Minn) set up a near-school record 60 assists. Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) finished up with 13 kills, while Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) had 12 kills. The Bluejays' Sarah Hawkins had a match-high 26 kills.

Men's Cross Country

November 14, 1998

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Clint Latz (Fr, Lublin) finished 31st to lead the UW-Stout men's cross country team to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Saturday, Nov. 14 in St. Louis, Mo.

Latz came in with a time of 25-minutes, 37.70-seconds. Josh Johnson (So, Oregon) was 38th with a time of 25:51.20. Eric Hanson (Jr, Winona, Minn) was 46th in a time of 25:59.0.

North Central College won the event, with four Wisconsin schools advancing to the NCAA Championships next weekend.

Individual results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
1. Colin Young (North Central) 24:18.30; 31. Clint Latz 25:37.70; 38. Josh Johnson 25:51.20; 46. Eric Hanson 25:59.20; 71. Josh Webb 26:36.20; 74. Ethan Webinger 26:40.0; 96. Ryan Hill 27:09.80; 105. Bryan Ott 27:35.60;

Women's Cross Country

November 14, 1998

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - UW-Stout's Katie Jacobson (Sr, Eau Claire) and Katy Olsen (Sr, Rice Lake) both qualifed to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively at the Midwest Regionals in St. Louis, Mo., Saturday, Nov. 14.

And the pair did it in fashion by shattering the school record the two had matched two weeks ago at the conference championships.

Jacobson edged out Olsen for fourth, clocking a time of 17-minutes, 47.60-seconds. Olsen recorded a time of 17:48.40. The previous school record of 18:01 was set by Olsen two weeks ago.

As a team, the Blue Devils finished eighth, with UW-Oshkosh taking the regional title. The top four teams advance as do the remaining top seven individuals whose teams do not qualify to the national event. The national meet is set for Saturday, Nov. 21 at Dickenson College in Carlisle, Pa. Both Jacobson and Olsen competed at the national meet last year.

Men's Ice Hockey

November 13, 1998

MENOMONIE - In a game of trading goals, the UW-Stout hockey team ran out of time when Gustavus Adolphus scored 47 seconds into the overtime period to down the Blue Devils, 5-4, Friday, Nov. 13 at the Dunn County Ice Arena.

The Gusties' Matt Tuccitto recorded the game winning goal on an assist from Mike Hoolihan.

The Gusties held a 1-0 lead heading into the second period, but Stout's Mark Corbett (Sr, New Hope, Minn) scored three minutes into the second period. Thirty seconds later, Steve Holeczy (Jr, Lincolnshire, Ill) scored his first goal of the season to give Stout (2-7) a 2-1 lead.

Gustavus bounced right back, knotting the score at the seven minute mark, then taking a 3-2 lead with three minutes remaining in the period.

Tom Schaffner (Sr, Janesville) scored midway through the third period to tie at 3-3, but Gustavus (1-0) answered back six minutes later.

Stout's Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich) sent the game into overtime with less than two minutes remaining when he was assisted by RJ Schreifer (Jr, Cottage Grove, Minn) and Josh Marklevitz (So, Red Wing, Minn).

November 10, 1998

MENOMONIE - Shane Maher (So, Forest Lake, Minn) scored his second goal of the game early in the third period to lift UW-Stout to a 5-4 non-conference win over St. Thomas Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Dunn County Ice Arena.

For the second time in the evening, Maher took a pass from Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich), but this time it would be the game winner. Maher and Aube had hooked up with only 33 seconds remaining in the second period to tie the game at 4-4. The Blue Devils' final goal came when they were shorthanded.

The Tommies (0-1), who were playing their first game of the season and came into the season ranked as high as third in the West Region, jumped out to a quick 2-0 first period lead, but Stout answered back with goals by Tom Schaffner (Sr, Janesville) and Graham Lomen (Sr, Apple Valley, Minn).

The Blue Devils (2-6) chipped away at the lead when Lomen scored his second goal of the night - a power play goal - midway through the second period, before Maher closed out the period with the tying goal.

Stout's Ben Plester (Fr, Chemanius, B.C.) recorded 30 saves and his second win of the year, while St. Thomas goalie Tavis Gillard had 27 saves.

Men's Basketball

November 16, 1998

MENOMONIE - The UW-Stout men's basketball team will open the 1998-99 campaign in defense of the Best Western Tip-Off Tournament hosted by the Blue Devils Nov. 20-21.

The Blue Devils, who finished the season last year at 10-15, won the tournament by downing Concordia-Mequon and Carroll College. The Blue Devils will open the tournament with Northland College, Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. That game will be preceeded by North Central University and Cardinal Stritch at 5 p.m.

Championship day will began at 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, with the consolation game and the championship game will follow at 7 p.m.

The Blue Devils will host Martin Luther College Monday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m., then will head out west to participate in the Colorado College Tournament Nov. 27-28.

November 16, 1998

MENOMONIE - The UW-Stout women's basketball team will open with a challenging road trip as they participate in the Alma, Mich, Classic Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21.

The Blue Devils, who finished last season at 16-9, will open with the host school Alma College, Friday, then will be challenged when they face Calvin College, who is rated 25th in the Columbus Multimedia preseason poll.

Calvin finished the season ranked 15th and were third in the Great Lakes Region.

Stout returns home Tuesday, Nov. 24 to face St. Thomas at 7 p.m. The Tommies are ranked fourth in the Columbus Multimedia preseason poll.