Men's Basketball

February 16, 2000

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Jeremy Leibfried (Sr, Dickeyville) had quite a night.

First, Leibfried broke the school career assist leader, but that paled by Liebfried's biggest accomplishment - nailing the game-winning shot with six seconds remaining as the Blue Devils defeated UW-Platteville, 69-67. It was the first time Stout has beaten Platteville since the final game of the 1991-92 season.

The Pioneers (18-6, 11-5), ranked 15th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, had one last chance and worked the ball around to Colin Gassner at the top of the key, but his 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded hit the front of the rim and rolled off.

The Blue Devils (11-13, 5-11) trailed nearly the entire second half, but went ahead briefly twice. Platteville generally kept a four to five point lead.

Stout's Aaron Vachowiak (Jr, Wasuau) almost single-handedly brought the Blue Devils back in to the game late. Trailing by five, 67-62, Vachowiak hit a layup with 2:40 remaining, was fouled and completed the three-point play.

Vachowiak scored again with 1:21 left to tie the game.

Vachowiak led Stout with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Ben Kuepers (Sr, Dickeyville) had 16 points, Pat Von Feldt (Jr, Stevens Point) 14 and Leibfried finished with 10 points. Leibfried had four assists, which put his career total to 349 to move past Brian Ellingson who set the record from 1983-87.

Stout held a 31-29 halftime lead, then connected on 56 percent of their shots from the floor in the second half. The Pioneers, who have beaten the Blue Devils at the free throw line several times over the last 10 years, faltered at the line, making only 15-of-22 attempts. Stout connected on 10-of-12 freebies.

Women's Basketball

February 16, 2000

PLATTEVILLE - After firing blanks in the first half, UW-Stout came out firing in the second half to take an 83-67 win at UW-Platteville, Wednesday, Feb. 16.

The Blue Devils (14-10, 10-6), who shot only 34 percent in the first half, but shot 55 percent in the second, used a defense to limit the Pioneers (11-13, 6-10) to 29 percent.

Scoring only five and three points, respectively, in the first half, Stout's Stacie Anderson (Jr, Clayton) and Amy Zelinger (So, Racine) responded to finish the game with 17 points apiece.

Aslynn Johnson (Jr, Clinton) had one of the best games of her career, pulling down 12 rebounds and scoring 10 points.

While holding Platteville down to open the second half - the Pioneers made only one their first 15 shots out of the locker room - the Blue Devils went on a 17-4 run to open the game up. Platteville would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The Pioneers had four players in double digits, led by Laurie Buechel with a game-high 20 points.

The Blue Devils controlled the boards, pulling down 59 caroms to the Pioneers' 35.

Men's Ice Hockey

February 19, 2000

DE PERE - For the second night in a row, UW-Stout scored the first goal of the game. For the second night in a row, St. Norbert came back for the win. This time, in the second game of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) quarterfinals, the Knights put an end to the Blue Devils' season with a 4-1 win, Saturday, Feb. 19 in DePere.

Midway through the first period, RJ Schriefer (Sr, Cottage Grove, Minn) would score what would be his final collegiate goal, taking assists from Steve Holeczy (Sr, Lincolnshire, Ill) and Andrew Fenton (Fr, Russell, Manitoba).

The Knights scored five minutes later to tie the game, then took the lead for good with two goals in the second period, and added the clincher in the third.

The Blue Devils (5-20-1) were handed nine power play opportunities, but could only capitalize on one. The Knights took advantage of two of their four power play chances.

Stout's Justin Wiskie (Fr, Janesville) stopped 35 shots - 15 in the first period. St. Norbert's Mike Szkodzinski kicked aside 27 shots.

February 18, 2000

DE PERE - The penalty box and the stat sheet almost needed more room as UW-Stout and St. Norbert combined for 43 penalties in a 5-2 St. Norbert win in the first round of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) playoff game, Friday, Feb. 18 at DePere.

To call the game rough would be an understatement, as 23 roughing penalties were called. But with all of the penalties, there were only 14 total power play opportunities.

After a scoreless - and nearly penalty-less - first period, the Blue Devils, seeded seventh in the playoffs, drew first blood when Andrew Fenton (Fr, Russell, Manitoba) scored three minutes into the second period, with Seth Nelson (Fr, Grand Rapids, Minn) getting the assist.

It would take the Green Knights, seeded second, 12 minutes to get on the board when Andre Rioux knotted the score with less than five minutes remaining in the period. Two minutes later, the Knights recorded a power play goal to take a lead they would not relinquish.

St. Norbert took advantage of another power play midway through the third period to take a 3-1 lead. Stout's Kevin Aube (Jr, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich) picked up a short handed goal five minutes later to move Stout to within 3-2. Brad Weappa (Jr, Brooklyn Center, Minn) and Cullen Flaherty (Fr, Duluth, Minn) were awarded the assists.

But the Knights would shut the door on Stout. Chad Ashenberg picked up an unassisted goal with two minutes left and Chris Bodnar scored only 17 seconds later.

The Knights outshot the Blue Devils, 39-20. Stout goalie Justin Wiskie (Fr, Janesville) stopped 34 shots.

Women's Gymnastics

February 18, 2000

ST. PAUL, Minn - The young UW-Stout gymnastics team took another small step as they again broke the team scoring record in a 175.825-166.925 loss to Division III powerhouse Hamline University Friday, Feb. 18 in St. Paul, Minn.

"Nobody had spectacular performances," Blue Devil coach Jeff Richards said, "but everybody had a good night. We were on an even keel, and that's what did it for us."

Katie Hanson (Fr, Duluth, Minn) took the Blue Devils' only first place finish, scoring a career-best 9.15 on the floor exercise. Hanson finished third on the balance beam (8.95) and was second in the all-around (35.625).

Tasha Pasch (Fr, Northfield, Minn) was second on the vault (8.90) and matched a career-best on the beam (9.00) with a second place finish.

Alissa Martin (So, Blaine, Minn) had her best career varsity meet, hitting personal best scores on the beam (8.10) and the floor (7.90).

"Alissa looked really confident and shined," Richards said.

The Blue Devils will be at Winona State Monday, Feb. 21.

Hamline 175.825, UW-Stout 166.925
(First place, all Stout finishers)
Vault: 1. Jacquie Banet (Ham) 9.00; 2. Tasha Pasch 8.90; 5. Katie Hanson 8.875; Erika Opoien 8.55; Brenna Jones 8.35; Andrea Hassel 7.70; Scarlett Ramey 7.55; Exh: Alissa Martin 6.85;
Uneven bars: 1. Jacquie Banet (Ham) 9.05; 4. Katie Hanson 8.45; Erika Opoien 8.30; Tasha Pasch 8.15; Brenna Jones 7.50; Andrea Hassel 6.5; Scarlett Ramey 5.90;
Balance beam: 1. Colette Danielson (Ham) 9.15; 2. Tasha Pasch 9.00; 3. Katie Hanson 8.95; Andrea Hassel 8.70; Erika Opoien 8.15; Alissa Martin 8.10; Lis Carlson 7.35;
Floor exercise: 1. Katie Hanson (Stout) 9.15; 4. Tasha Pasch 8.90; Andrea Hassel 8.50; Erika Opoien 8.30; Lis Carlson, Alissa Martin 7.90; Exh: Scarlett Ramey 7.30;
All-around: 1. Jacquie Banet (Ham) 35.75; 2. Katie Hanson 35.625; 3. Tasha Pasch 34.95; Erika Opoien 33.30; Andrea Hassel 31.40.

Men's Track & Field

February 19, 2000

MENOMONIE - John Hanson (So, Grantsburg), Steve Quackenbush (Jr, McFarland) and the 4X400-meter relay team were the only UW-Stout finishers that took home top spots at the Minnesota/Wisconsin Challenge, Saturday, Feb. 19 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The meet was set up as a quadrangular for the four schools and also pitted two MIAC schools (St. Thomas/St. Johns) against two WIAC schools (UW-Eau Claire/UW-Stout) in a combined dual. The MIAC schools took the dual and St. Thomas won the meet. Stout finished fourth.

Hanson captured first in the 600-meter run in a school record time of 1:21.83, breaking the record of 1:21.84 set by Dan Doucette in 1989. Quackenbush captured the high jump with a leap of 6-4.25. The 4X400-relay team, of which Hanson was a member of, survived a crash with the St. Thomas team to win the event (3:25.92).

Jesse Hunter (Jr, LaFarge) improved his third place finish in the preliminaries of the 55-meter dash to place second (6.67). Eric Hanson (Sr, Winona, Minn) was second in the 1000-meter run (2:34.90) and Mike Bethke (Sr, Mondovi) was second in the shot put (47-2.25).

The Blue Devils will be at the Pointer Invitational Saturday, Feb. 26.

Wisconsin/Minnesota Challenge Scored as Dual Meet
1. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) schools 101; 2. Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) schools 91.

Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
55: 1. Roman Cress (UST) 6.39; 2. Jesse Hunter 6.67; 5. Mike Twining 6.80; 7. Dan Reinert 6.82; 11. Sam Werner 6.87; 200: 1. Roman Cress (UST) 22.40; 5. Ryan Geier 23.53; 6. Dan Reinert 23.66; 7. Brad Vick 23.81; 11. Sam Werner 23.97; 16. Jim Staska 24.50; 20. Jeff Miller 25.02; 400: 1. Jeremy Heckman (UST) 50.09; 8. Ryan Geier 52.17; 11. Adam Boser 53.95; 600: 1. John Hanson (Stout) 1:21.83*; 800: 1. Steve Sinclair (EC) 1:55.80; 4. Josh Johnson 1:59.09; 10. Jeff Gross 2:05.06; 1000: 1. Mick Gruba (UST) 2:33.24; 2. Eric Hanson 2:34.90; 8. Chris Emerson 2:41.97; One mile run: 1. Ryan Kollman (UST) 4:16.53; 3. Bryan Ott 4:29.76; 5. Chris Stevens 4:38.57; 3000: 1. Andy Keenan (SJU) 8:51.99; 9. Joshua Webb 9:11.80; 11. Alex Anderson 9:18.31; 21. Ethan Webinger 9:40.68; 23. Tim King 9:45.16; 24. Jamie Block 9:48.20; 5000: 1. John Krueger (SJU) 15:07.55; 4. Dave Huber 15:40.59; 7. Ryan Hill 15:50.15; 9. Jason Donovan 16:24.80; 10. Seth Kaste 16:25.54; 11. Jason Kirch 16:50.80;

55-hurdles: 1. Jed Kassulke (SJU) 7.67; 5. Jeremy Weir 8.19; 7. David Hanson 8.29; 14. Jeff Miller 8.59; 4X200-relay: 1. Eau Claire 1:31.50; 2. Stout 1:32.91; 4X400-relay: 1. Stout 3:25.92; 6. Stout B 3:33.80;

High jump: 1. Steve Quackenbush (Stout) 6-4.25; 9. Jay Sitek 5-8.50; Pole vault: 1. Phil Barry (SJU) 15-4.25; 3. Jeff Rotering 14-10.25; 4. Jeremy Weir 14-10.25; 6. Corey Knudsen 13-10.50; 11. Tyler Severson 13-4.50; Jamie Buchholtz, Bob Cahow, Matt Lausted NH; Long jump: 1. Scott Whirry (EC) 22-9.25; Triple jump: 1. Jeff Bergstrom (EC) 46-10.25; Shot put: 1. Bob Schmidt (EC) 50-11.50; 2. Mike Bethke 47-2.25; 3. Kevin McCulley 45-1; 11. Dave Luety 34-10.25; 35-lb wt: 1. Joe Bilek (UST) 57-2.75; 5. Kevin McCulley 34-9.50; 8. Dave Luety 32-4.25.

Women's Track & Field

February 18, 2000

RIVER FALLS - For the third time this season, UW-Stout's Sara Pivec (So, Coon Rapids, Minn) broke the school shot put record.

Competing at the UW-River Falls Falcon Open, Pivec won the event with a toss of 40-feet, 6-inches, outdistancing the second place finisher by 19 inches. Pivec finished third in the 20-lb. weight throw (40-1.50). Stout's Jen Turner (Jr, Eden Prairie, Minn) finished second in the event (41-11.50).

Lisa Sorvala (Fr, New Brighton, Minn) and Katie Kuffel (Sr, Minneapolis, Minn) placed first and second, respectively, in the 3000-meter run. Sorvala edged Kuffel, coming in at 10:55.37, while Kuffel followed her at 10:56.01.

Tracy Gundert (Fr, Malone) was third in the 400-meter dash (1:06.38) and Amy Biegel (Fr, Eau Claire) was fourth (1:07.00). Michelle Beckman (Jr, Monroe) placed third in the 800-meter run (2:24.36), as did Amy Arndt (So, Lakeville, Minn) in the 5000-meter run.

Ann Marie Curtis (So, La Crosse) was fourth in the high jump (4-11). Michelle Abramczak (Jr, Stanley) had the second best time in the preliminaries of the 55-meter hurdles, but placed fifth in the finals (9.57).

As a team, Stout placed fifth of five teams. The Blue Devils will be at the Pointer Invitational Saturday, Feb. 26, at Stevens Point.

UW-River Falls Falcon Open
1. UW-River Falls 194.50; 2. St. Benedict 177.50; 3. UW-Eau Claire 132; 4. Winona State 92; 5. UW-Stout 89

Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
55: 1. Jamie Miller (Win) 7.65; 17. Sarah Jenne 8.22; 200: 1. Kyrstin Bodenburg (RF) 26.62; 16. Sarah Jenne 29.22; 19. Michelle Abramczak 29.46; 21. Amy Biegel 29.62; 23. Tracy Gundert 29.84; 400: 1. Kyrstin Bodenburg (RF) 1:00.47; 3. Tracy Gundert 1:06.38; 4. Amy Biegel 1:07.00; 800: 1. Lori Hokeness (St. Ben) 2:29.50; 3. Michelle Beckman 2:34.36; 7. Nora Ready 2:39.80; 1500: 1. Tiffany Chartier (EC) 5:12.11; 6. Heidi Bedsted 5:29.40; 3000: 1. Lisa Sorvala 10:55.37; 2. Katie Kuffel 10:56.01; 9. Meredith Nordberg 12:10.24; 5000: 1. Kelly Bullion (EC) 19:01.62; 3. Amy Arndt 19:35.39; 55-hurdles: 1. Katie Rhody (EC) 9.02; 5. Michelle Abramczak (9.52 prelims) 9.57; 10. Amy Biegel 9.97; 11. Alison West 10.01; 4X200-relay: 1. Eau Claire 1:50.35; 5. Stout 1:57.06; 4X400-relay: 1. River Falls 4:19.18; 4. Stout 4:24.83; 6.Stout B 4:42.31;

High jump: 1. Kady Kleven (RF) 5-3; 4. Ann Marie Curtis 4-11; Pole vault: 1.Brandi Long (RF) 10-0.50; 9. Dana Rozmenoski 7-7; Shot put: 1. Sara Pivec (Stout) 40-6*; 5. Jessie Krecji 35-7.25; 20-lb wt: 1. Lisa Moore (RF) 42-9.75; 2. Jen Turner 41-11.50; 3. Sara Pivec 40-1.50; 8. Carolyn Myrlie 35-3.