November 20, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Jeremy Leibfried (Jr, Dickeyville) hit two consecutive 3-pointers midway through the second half to halt a Northland College rally as the Blue Devils went on to a 90-57 win over the Lumberjacks at the Best Western Tip-Off Classic at Johnson Fieldhouse Friday, Nov. 20.

The deep shots by Leibfried gave Stout (1-0) a 61-47 lead after Northland had cut the lead to as close as 53-45. The Blue Devils went on to hit 16-of-18 free throw attempts down the stretch, including the last 15. Stout, which last year shot 71 percent from the line, nailed down 19-of-21 free throw attempts, a 91 percent clip.

Leibfried finished the night with 14 points. Jeremy Preston (Sr, Madison) led all scorers with 18 points, while Andy Myers (Jr, Eau Claire) added 17 points and Pat Von Feldt (So, Stevens Point) finished with 10.

The Lumberjacks (1-4) were led by Bob Smudde with 12 points and Ben Rikkola with 11.

Stout will face Cardinal Stritch University Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in the championship game of the Best Western Tip-Off as the Crusaders poured it on in the second half to destroy North Central University (formerly North Central Bible College), 109-76.

Cardinal Stritch (3-0) broke a close game open by hitting 24-of-44 shots from the floor in the second half, and holding the North Central (2-3) to 12-of-31 shooting.

The Crusaders' Jeff Kreiling and Kevin Crim shared scoring honors with 22 points. Thorsten Strauss and Kevin Mosley added 14 points. Matt Frey led North Central with 20 points. Josh Redfield added 19 points and Clint St. John and Clint Schiller popped in 17. The Crusaders' 109 points was a new Best Western Tip-Off record.

November 21, 1998

ALMA, Mich. - After scoring 100 points in a loss the night before, the UW-Stout women's basketball team must have used up their arsenal as they fell, 77-36, to Calvin College, Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Alma, Mich, College Scottie Classic.

Stout (0-2) was held to 11 points in the second half on 18 percent shooting from the floor. The Blue Devils trailed 39-25 at halftime. For the game, Stout hit 11-of-38 shots for 29 percent.

Rebounds tell the real story of this game as Stout was limited to 16 total rebounds, while Calvin (2-0) pulled down 45.

Stout had no players in double digits, with Rachel Traynor (Sr, Ellsworth) scoring a team-high seven points, although she was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. Calvin's Kerry Walters led all scorers with 13 points, sinking seven free throws.

The season gets no easier for the Blue Devils as they will entertain national powerhouse St. Thomas Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.

November 20, 1998

ALMA, Mich - It was simply a game of two halves. In the first half, the UW-Stout women controlled the tempo. In the second, half it was all Alma College as the Blue Devils fell to Alma, Mich, 108-100, Friday, Nov. 21 at the Scottie Classic.

The Blue Devils (0-1) shot out to a 56-40 halftime lead, only to be outscored, 68-44, in the second stanza.

The Scots' (1-0) Ellen Bradbury scored a game-high 39 points, hitting 15-of-17 shots from the floor. She also added nine free throws and 14 free throws. Shannon Gross added 21 points, 13 of those coming from the line.

Stout got 20 points from Rachel Traynor (Sr, Ellsworth), 16 points from Shannon Berg (Sr, Ellsworth), 14 points from Andrea Bresette (Jr, Ashland) and 12 points from Kim Hautala (Sr, Crystal Falls, Mich).

November 21, 1998

CARLISLE, Pa - UW-Stout's Katie Jacobson (Sr, Eau Claire) and Katy Olsen (Sr, Rice Lake) wrapped up their collegiate cross country career by earning All-America honors Saturday, Nov. 21 at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Carlisle, Pa., hosted by Dickenson College.

Jacobson finished 14th in a time of 18-minutes, 24.92-seconds, while Olsen came in 23rd in a time of 18:36.21.

Jacobson earned All-America honors both in the NCAA and with the Cross Country Coaches Association (CCCA), while Olsen's All-America award came from the CCCA. The top 15 finishers are awarded All-America by both organizations, while places 16-35 are CCCA awards. Both Jacobson and Olsen earned All-America honors last year.

Sarah Anderson of UW-Superior was the top Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) finisher, placing fourth at 18:08.1. Top-ranked Calvin College took the team title with 124 points. Runner-up College of New Jersey scored 170 points, while UW-Oshkosh was third with 179 points. UW-La Crosse was 10th with 279 points. Freshman Cheryl Smith of SUNY-Cortland won the individual title in 17:48.39.

Men's Ice Hockey

November 20, 1998

RIVER FALLS - UW-Stout looked like they were going to make it a game when Graham Lomen (Sr, Apple Valley, Minn) scored an unassisted goal five minutes into the second period to make the score 3-1. But UW-River Falls roared back with six unanswered goals to hand the Blue Devils (2-9) a 9-1 loss in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest at River Falls, Friday, Nov. 20.

The Falcons chased goalie Todd Sether (Sr, International Falls, Minn) after five goals and shelled Ben Plester (Fr, Chemainius, B.C.) for four goals.

River Falls scored three goals in the first, three in the second and four in the third. The Falcons' (6-1) Jeff Bernard scored a hat trick, getting one goal in each period.

The Blue Devils and the Falcons will hook up again, this time in a Northern Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCHA) contest Tuesday, Dec. 1 at River Falls.

November 19, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout outshot UW-River Falls, 40-27, but still came up on the short end of a 4-2 decision in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Dunn County Ice Arena.

The Blue Devils (2-8, 1-4 WIAC) held a huge 17-4 bulge in shots in the third period and Shane Maher (So, Cottage Grove, Minn) closed the gap to 3-2 three minutes into the third period. The Falcons wrapped up the game with less than a minute remaining when River Falls' Shane Bengston recorded an empty net goal.

After a scoreless first period, the Falcons (5-1) scored three goals in the second period to secure the win. Jared Anderson scored four minutes into the stanza on a power play, but Stout answered back when Andy Anderson (So, Burnsville, Minn) tied the score with assists from Matt Olson (Fr, Buffalo, Minn) and Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich).

Stout goalie Ben Plester (Fr, Chemainus, BC) turned away 23 shots, while the Falcons' Brady Alstead stopped 38.

Football

November 18, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout defensive tackle Bill Berg (Sr, Washburn) was the lone Blue Devil named to the first team of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Atheltic Conference (WIAC) football team. Six Blue Devils received second team all-conference awards and five were named honorable mention.

Named to the second team were quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville), offensive tackle Ben Leslie (Eau Claire), tailback Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland), wide receiver Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove), linebacker Eric Lund (So, Ashland) and defensive back Joe Verstegen (Sr, Little Chute).

Named to the honorable mention squad were center Chris Memelink (Sr, Hastings, Minn), wide receiver Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon), defensive lineman Tony Spencer (Sr, Milwaukee) and defensive back Corey Morning (Sr, Bloomer).

Berg finished the season with 52 tackles, 21 solo tackles and 12 tackles for losses of 43 yards. He had four sacks for 25 yards and recovered one fumble. In league play, Berg had 44 tackles, 16 solo and eight for losses of 24 yards. He had two sacks.

Stout's passing offense was the most potent in the wild WIAC, finishing up with an average of 383.4 yards per game in the seven WIAC games. Bunyan was the leader in that offense, throwing for 38 touchdowns, 3220 yards and completing 227-of-389 attempts (.584). Bunyan, a second team repeater, was nabbed for nine interceptions, and only six in league play.

In conference play, Bunyan averaged 359.4 yards per game (322.0 in all games), and passed for 29 touchdowns, 2516 yards and completed 168-of-288 attempts. Bunyan was named the WIAC player of the week three times during the 1998 season.

Bunyan left a big mark on the Blue Devils' record book, departing with nine school records. Bunyan has single game records of most passing TDs (6), most completions (37), most attempts (61), most passing yards (486), longest pass play (98); single season records of most passing TDs (38) and most passing yards (3221); and career record for most TDs thrown (85).

Diaz was Bunyan's main target throughout the season. Despite suffering from strep throat through much of the last half of the season, Diaz was Stout's go-to-guy, pulling in 58 passes for 958 yards and nine touchdowns. Diaz averaged 95.8 yards per game and 16.5 yards per catch. In league play, Diaz caught 39 balls for 652 yards and six TDs.

Shawn Lund became a scoring machine for the Blue Devils, racking up a school record 94 points on 15 touchdowns and two 2-point conversions. In league play, Lund scored 68 points on 11 touchdowns and one 2-point conversion. Lund, who rushed for a total of 450 yards, scored a school record 12 pass receiving touchdowns, and his 15 touchdowns broke the school record for most touchdowns in a season. He averaged racked up 449 yards in pass receiving. Lund was the WIAC player of the week for his performance Nov. 14 when he scored three touchdowns, despite limited play due to a calf injury.

Leslie is a four-year starter who has been protecting Bunyan throughout his career. Leslie has allowed only one sack over the last two seasons. The 6-foot, 4-inch, 305-pounder has been attracting the attention of NFL scouts.

Eric Lund transferred to Stout after two years at North Dakota State, and Lund immediately made an impact - mostly on opposing players. Lund led the Blue Devils in tackles with 94, 47 solo, 14 tackles for losses of 53 yards, five sacks for 36 yards and five pass break-ups. Lund was the WIAC player of the week for his performance against St. Ambrose.

Verstegen led the team in interceptions with three, all in conference games. The second-team repeater finished with 56 total tackles, 41 solo and had seven pass break ups.

Memelink is another four-year starter at center, Witcraft averaged 22.6 yards per reception, Spencer stepped into the starting role with a broken wrist and Morning earned his second straight honorable mention award, recording two interceptions, both in league play.

Stout finished the season at 5-5 overall, 3-4 in the WIAC. Stout was the top passing team in the WIAC and was second nationally in the pass with an average of 339.2 yards per game (average based on 10 games).

Soccer

November 14, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout goalkeeper Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn/Anoka HS) was named the Blue Devils most valuable soccer player, coach Lisa Petruccelli announced.

Bezak, a 1998 second team all-conference pick, jumped into the starting role in the net as a freshman, despite playing as a back-up in high school. Bezak dropped her goals against average to a career best 1.54 this season, as the Blue Devils allowed 10 less goals than last season.

Bezak recorded 131 saves and posted a save percentage of 83 percent. Bezak also had 4.5 shutouts and had five games where she allowed only one goal.

Alyssa Halvorson (Sr, Rochester, Minn/Marshall) was named offensive most valuable and Carrie Blaska (Sr, Ramsey, Minn) was named defensive most valuable.

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

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 instrumental in Stout's defense.

Kim Severson (So, Belleville), a defender, was given the coach's award.

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.

Letters Awarded:
Fourth Year Letters: Carri Blaska (Sr, Ramsey, Minn); Tammy Beuch (Sr, Chaska, Minn); Third Year Letters: Marni Grass (Jr, Waukesha); Jessica Unterweger (Jr, Nashotah); Becca Carlson (Rosemount, Minn); Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn); Stacy Langowski (Jr, Janesville); Second Year Letters: Shannon Camp (Blaine, Minn); Stephanie Vorpahl (So, Bloomington, Minn); Carrie Kennedy (So, Watertown); Kim Severson (So, Belleville); Heather Pihl (So, Cottage Grove, Minn); Alyssa Halverson (Sr, Rochester, Minn); First Year Letters: Beth Bushman (So, Eagan, Minn); Becky Howard (Fr, Wauwatosa); Tricia Sykes (Fr, Cloquet, Minn); Jessie Sutherland (Duluth, Minn); Sarah Calhoon (Fr, Minnetonka, Minn); Ali Abreau (Fr, Green Bay); Noel Green (So, Alexandria, Minn); Jennifer Crowe (Fr, Oshkosh).

Updated: November 23, 1998