Men's Basketball

December 5, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Whitewater went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to hand UW-Stout an 83-78 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) loss Saturday, Dec. 5 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Stout (5-2, 1-1) held a 35-29 halftime lead and ballooned that to a 43-33 lead before Whitewater worked the foul line for six free throws in the 10-0 run. Stout managed to twice take a three-point lead, but the Warhawks (5-0, 2-0) took the lead on a jumper by Tom Anderson at 11:23 and never looked back, jumping out to as much as a 12-point lead.

The Blue Devils could never get back to closer than five points, despite a furious attempt late in the game. Whitewater's last field goal came with two minutes remaining, and they held Stout off with eight free throws down the stretch.

The Warhawks' Anderson led all scorers with 25 points and Jaron Perry added 23.

Ben Kuepers (Jr, Dickeyville) scored 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to lead Stout, while Jeremy Preston (Sr, Madison) added 18 points and Andy Myers (Jr, Eau Claire) chipped in 16. Stout held a 51-38 lead on the boards.

Stout will be at Bethel College Tuesday, Dec. 8 and and at UW-Eau Claire, Saturday, Dec. 12.

December 2, 1998

LA CROSSE - Jeremy Leibfried (Jr, Dickeyville) led five UW-Stout players in double figures, finishing the game with 21 points, including eight crucial points late in the second half, as the Blue Devils downed UW-La Crosse, 83-78, at La Crosse, Wednesday, Dec. 2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener.

Leibfried hit a layup with 5-minutes, 49-seconds remaining, then nailed consecutive 3-pointers to give stout a six points, 77-71, cushion at the 4:01 mark.

Stout (5-1, 1-0) would make only one more field goal for the game, but did connect on four free throws for the win.

Jeremy Preston (Sr, Madison) scored 17 points, while Andy Myers (Jr, Eau Claire) added 14, Aaron Vachowiak (So, Wausau) 12 and Pat Von Feldt (So, Stevens Point) 11. Ben Kuepers (Jr, Dickeyville) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.

Steve Tracy led the Eagles (2-3, 0-1) with 25 points, while Ryan Eklund added 20 and Brian Czarniak 12.

December 5, 1998

WHITEWATER - Shooting only 25 percent, the UW-Stout women's basketball team fell, 74-56, to UW-Whitewater at Whitewater, Saturday, Dec. 5.

The Warhawks built on a 35-31 halftime lead and shut Stout out even more in the second half.

Stout (1-4, 1-1) shot 18-for-71 from the floor, while the Warhawks (3-2, 2-0) hit 50 percent of their shots, going 25-for-50.

The Warhawks Staci Stowe led all scorers with 17 points, while Rachel Traynor (Sr, Ellsworth) led Stout with 12 points and Shannon Berg (Sr, Ellsworth) had 11.

The Blue Devils will be at St. Scholastica Tuesday, Dec. 8 and will host UW-Eau Claire Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.

December 2, 1998

MENOMONIE - Heather Peterson (Jr, Altoona) scored 16 points off the bench and Andrea Bresette (Jr, Ashland) scored 17 points in her second collegiate start to lift UW-Stout to an 83-63 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) win over UW-La Crosse Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Peterson exploded off the pines early in the second half to help Stout (1-3, 1-0) expand their halftime lead when she nailed a 3-pointer and two layups, while Bresette added a bucket in a 90-second 9-0 run to move the lead to 45-29. Stout was never seriously threatened in the second half.

Shannon Berg (Sr, Ellsworth) struggled from the floor for the Blue Devils, hitting only 2-of-13 attempts, but was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to add 11 points. Peterson also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Amy Zelinger (Fr, Racine) played a strong defensive game, pulling down four rebounds, blocking three shots and recording four steals, while adding five points.

La Crosse's Jill Murray scored 17 points, while Becky Bohringer added 15. The Eagles (2-3, 0-1) took advantage of Stout fouls, nailing 21-of-26 charity shots.

December 4, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout freshman goalie Ben Plester (Chemanius, B.C.) recorded his first collegiate shutout as the Blue Devils cruised to a 5-0 non-conference win over St. Olaf at the Dunn County Ice Arena Friday, Dec. 4.

Plester stopped all 27 shots the Oles sent his way and gave Stout (3-10) their third win of the season. It was also Stout's first shutout of the season.

The Blue Devils got things going in the second period when Mark Corbett (Sr, New Hope, Minn) recorded a goal at 9:22 and the Blue Devils' leading scorer, Graham Lomen (Sr, Apple Valley, Minn), came back with another goal a minute later. Corbett's goal came on the power play, while Lomen's was a shorthanded goal.

Matt Gehr (Fr, New Richmond) opened the third stanza up with a goal five minutes into the period and Andy Anderson (So, Burnsville, Minn) got a shorthanded goal midway through the period. Luke Murray (Jr, Bloomington, Minn) finished off the Oles (5-3) with a rocket from the right face off circle with a minute remaining in the game.

Stout outshot St. Olaf, 39-27. RJ Schreifer (Jr, Cottage Grove, Minn) assisted on the first and last goal, while Anderson and Lomen assisted on Gehl's goal.

The Blue Devils will return to action Friday, Dec. 11 when they travel to UW-Eau Claire for a 7 p.m. contest at Hobbs Ice Arena. The Blugolds will come to Menomonie Saturday, Dec. 12 for a 7:30 p.m. game. Both games will count towards the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) standings. The two teams split a pair of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) games earlier this season.

December 1, 1998

RIVER FALLS - UW-Stout drew first blood, but UW-River Falls stemmed the flow and went on to a 5-2 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) win at River Falls, Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Stout's Luke Murray (Jr, Bloomington, Minn) took a pass from Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich) and Tom Schaffner (Sr, Janesville) to score at the 10:57 mark of the first period, but the Falcons took advantage of a power play five minutes later when Bryan Bengston scored unassisted to tie the score.

The Falcons scored two goals in the second period, but Stout (2-10, 0-4) answered back with a goal by Mark Corbett (Sr, New Hope, Minn), assisted by Graham Lomen (Sr, Apple Valley, Minn) and Andy Anderson (So, Burnsville, Minn) just before the break to pull to 3-2.

River Falls (7-1, 3-0) put the game on ice in the third period when Corey Martinson scored his second goal of the night and Carl Boben ended the scoring with five minutes remaining.

The Blue Devils attacked the Falcons well, getting off 32 shots to the the Falcons 37, but Stout could not find the opening.

Women's Gymnastics

December 6, 1998

MENOMONIE - It will be a debut of sorts as the UW-Stout gymnastics team opens their season Friday, Dec. 11 at UW-La Crosse.

Coach Jeff Richards will make his first appearance as a head coach and four of the six Blue Devils will see their first collegiate action. The Blue Devils will be led by National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) national qualifier, Brenna Jones (So, St. Paul, Minn), who finished 10th last year at the national meet.

The meet will be the Blue Devils only meet this semester, but will hit the schedule hard in January, traveling to UW-Oshkosh Jan. 9 and opening at home Jan. 18 against Hamline. The Blue Devils will host the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships Friday, Feb. 26.

Football

December 6, 1998

MENOMONIE - The University of Wisconsin-Stout head football coach Ed Meierkort announced the following award winners at the annual football banquet, Sunday, Dec. 6. The Blue Devils finished the 1998 season with a 5-5 overall record, 3-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Following are the award winners:

1998 UW-Stout Football Award Winners
Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville, Wis) — Most Valuable Player; Eric Lund (So, Ashland, Wis) — Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player; Corey Morning (Sr, Bloomer, Wis) — Co-Most Valuable Defensive Player; Ryan Patt (Jr, North Fond du Lac, Wis) — Most Valuable Offensive Player; Tom Schaffner (So, Janesville, Wis) — Special Teams Player of the Year; Chad Reichelt (So, Appleton, Wis) - Most Improved Player; Joe Verstegen (Sr, Little Chute, Wis) — Outstanding Defensive Back; Eric Lund (So, Ashland, Wis) — Outstanding Linebacker; Bill Berg (Sr, Washburn, Wis) — Outstanding Defensive Lineman; Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland, Wis) — Outstanding Offensive Back; Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove, Wis) — Outstanding Receiver; Ben Leslie (Sr, Altoona, Wis) — Outstanding Offensive Lineman; Adam Moiles (Fr, High Rolls, New Mexico) — Offensive Scout Player of the Year; Todd Deibert (Fr, Beaver Dam, Wis) — Defensive Scout Player of the Year; Aaron Johnson (Fr, Clear Lake, Wis) — Freshman of the Year; Ross Moline (Fr, Genoa, Wis) — Outstanding Newcomer

Repeat Letterwinners
Eric Aamodt, Jeff Apse, Jerry Bennington, Bill Berg, Matt Bunyan, Todd Burnap, Billy Busch, Jesse Diaz, Tracy Finder, Josh Gawlik, Tucker Giertz, Marty Goryl, Eric Hansen, Matt Heinzmann, Jeff Hutter, Jeff Jackman, Ben Leslie, Shawn Lund, Kurt Madsen, Kevin McCulley, Chris Memelink, Steve Miller, Corey Morning, Nolan Mosher, Jason Nesbitt, Jeff Opichka, Ryan Patt, Mike Purfeerst, Chad Reichelt, Corey Rockweiler, Tom Schaffner, Matt Severson, Ehrich Shaw, Tony Spencer, Joe Verstegen, Jesse Witcraft

First Year Letterwinners
Bobby Anderson, Tony Beckham, John Bekish, Mark Bergman, Matt Downey, Sean Fagan, Doug Goetz, Mitch Holliday, Aaron Johnson, Brian Johnson, Tim Klick, Eric Lund, Jared Marsh, Ross Moline, Andy Mutch, Nick Selk, Lannon Turowski

Participation Awards
Josh Antoni, Warren Bialk, Brandon Bryant, Mike Buse, Jake Bystol, Doug Carter, Rusty Chute, Todd Deibert, Rob Foster, Nick German, Mike Grosvenor, Wes Grulkowski, Tim Hahn, John Hanson, Jarod Johnson, Tim Klick, Kyle Kulow, Scott Kusilek, Brian Larson, Jared Lehman, Matt Lonergan, Ryan Looker, Thunder Marion, Tracy McCarville, Matt Merbach, Aaron Miles, Eric Moe, Josh Moe, Adam Moiles, Ryan Moore, Nick Mouw, Shannon Nikolay, Clint Petit, Mark Ralph, Brad Raniewicz, Brandon Rekis, Rob Rodriguez, Darik Rude, Quinn Schultz, Joe Sracic, Brad Vick, Travis Yokimcus

Volleyball

December 3, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout middle hitter Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn/Harding HS) was named as a second team All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thursday, Dec. 3.

Stoddard, a two-time All-Midwest Region and first team all-conference selection, finished her senior year smashing a school single season record of 541 kills finished second on the Stout all-time single season list for hitting percentage, hitting at a .344 clip in 1998. Stoddard played in 134 of 137 games, playing front row this season. She also recorded 51 solo blocks and 62 block assists.

Stoddard leaves the Blue Devils with plenty of school records, including: most solo blocks in a game, 8; most solo blocks in a season, 76; best hitting percentage in a career, .267; most solo blocks in a career, 185; and most block assists in a career, 264. Stoddard broke the career record for solo blocks during her sophomore season, the same season she set the school record for most solo blocks in a season.

The Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Division III regional meet, winning their first NCAA playoff game in school history. Stout finished with a 22-14 record, their best record since 1994, and finished in a tie for third place in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with a 5-3 record.

Updated: December 6, 1998