September 27, 1998

ON THE LINE: You be the judge! Who is the underdog here - a perennial powerhouse which is currently 0-2, or a traditionally .500 team that has been earning respectability and into this week's conference opening game is 2-1. The UW-Stout Blue Devils come into their match-up with UW-La Crosse as the 2-1, while the Eagles have yet to win in their two attempts. Both teams had a week off, the Blue Devils after a marathon 27-22 win over St. Ambrose on Sept. 19, and the Eagles, a 28-21 loser to Drake University on the same day.

LAST TIME OUT: Stout: Of the five-hours, 34-minutes it took for UW-Stout to defeat St. Ambrose, 27-22, at Nelson Field, the Blue Devils literally waited until the final minute to notch the victory. After nearly four entire quarters and a two-and-a-half hour rain and lightning delay, Stout's Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) scampered into the end zone on a 3-yard run with 52 seconds remaining in the game for the win. Lund ran for 127 yards on 18 carries and scored once on the ground and once through the air. Quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) did not have a stellar game, but did make the connections when they counted, driving the Blue Devils to their winning score. Bunyan, a preseason All-America, went 26-for-45 for 222 yards, 40 of that on the final drive. Tom Schaffner (So, Janesville) returned a punt 56-yards for a touchdown. Linebacker Eric Lund (So, Ashland) recorded three solo tackles, seven assisted tackles, five tackles for losses of 29 yards, two pass break-ups and two sacks for 18 yards as he was named the WIAC defensive player of the week. Bunyan needs three more scoring pass receptions to tie Tim Peterson for most career touchdown passes. Bunyan currently has 56.

La Crosse: The Eagles came from behind to score two touchdowns to knot the score with Drake University at 21-21, with Nik Kerr (Jr, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa) taking off on a 19-yard run with 2:22 remaining in the game for the tied score. But the Bulldogs drove 69 yards in six plays to get the game winner with 32 seconds remaining. Joe Rivard (Jr, Crivitz) rushed 17 times for 146 yards, while Beau Coulter (Sr, Kewaskum) added 104 yards on 19 carries. Two Eagle quarterbacks combined for 162 yards of passing with Coulter catching one touchdown strike early in the second quarter and Ben Antony (So, Sun Prairie) catching another midway through the fourth. Statistically, the game was even, with the Eagles gaining 440 total yards to the Bulldogs' 447.

LAST YEAR: Stout and La Crosse play in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and are affiliated with the NCAA Division III. After finishing seventh in 1996, the Blue Devils finished in a tie with UW-La Crosse for second. Stout was 6-4 overall, La Crosse 7-2 and both were 5-2 in the WIAC. The Blue Devils captured a 28-21 overtime win last season at La Crosse. Lund scored on a 4-yard pass, then Bunyan hit Pete Speigel with the 2-point conversion with 1:54 left in regulation for the tie. The Eagles fumbled into the end zone as time ran out. Fullback Ryan Patt ran three straight time before hitting paydirt to give Stout the lead. The Eagles hurt themselves with two penalties, then allowed a sack, before Corey Morning knocked down the fourth down pass.

THE SERIES: La Crosse leads the series, 59-8-5. Last year's Stout win was the first since 1987. La Crosse won the first ever meeting in 1913, a 12-3 win. Stout has never beaten La Crosse in two consecutive years. The closest they ever got was when they won, 20-7, in 1963 and, 26-19, in the 1965 championship year.

STOUT PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) 101-59-3, 704 yds (234.7/g); 9 TDs, ranked first in NCAA Division III in total offense (321.6) in 1997, threw 33 TDs in 1997; WR Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove) 19 rec, 306 yds, 16.1 yd/rec, 3 TDs; WR Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon) 5 rec, 104 yds, 20.8 yd/rec, 2 TDs; TB Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) 304 yds, 48 carries, 6.3 yd/carry, 9 rec, 70 yds, 3 TDs; CB Corey Morning (Sr, Bloomer) 20 tackles, 12 solo, 3 passes broken up; LB Eric Lund (So, Ashland) 22 tackles, 12 solo, 8 tackles for losses of 32 yards, 4 passes broken up; DE Bill Berg (Sr, Washburn) 8 tackles, 5 solo, 4 tackles for losses of 19 yards, 2 sacks for 17 yds; Josh Gawlik (So, West Bend) 12 tackles, 7 solo, 1 tackle for loss of 1 yard, 1 int; Blue Devils avg 411.0 total ypg, 175.0 rushing, 236.0 passing; gave up 326.3 total ypg, 124.7 rushing, 201.7 passing.

LA CROSSE PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Joe Rivard (Jr, Crivitz) 162 yds, 23 carries, 7.0 yd/carry, 81 yd/game, 4 rec, 42 yds; RB Beau Coulter (Sr, Kewaskum) 134 yd, 31 carries, 4.3 yd/carry, 67 yd/game; WR Nick Wagner (So, Reedsburg) 6 rec, 88 yds, 14.7 yd/catch; DB Kris Ausderau (Sr, Whitehall) 12 tackles, 7 solo, 1 tackle for loss of five yards, 1 pass break up; Mike Scheuer (Sr, Marshfield) pre-season All-America, 8 tackles, 5 solo, 1 int for 39 yds, 1 pass break-up; Eagles avg 315.5 avg total ypg, 173.0 rushing, 142.5 passing; gave up 420.5 total ypg, 225.5 rushing, 195.0 passing.

OFFENSIVE LOOK: La Crosse: Multiple; Stout: multi-pro set which incorporates a West Coast style offense. DEFENSIVE LOOK: La Crosse: 4-3; Stout: 4-3

COACHES: Stout coach Ed Meierkort (21-32 career) is in his sixth year, while La Crosse's Roger Harring (250-68-7) is in his 30th.

STOUT COACH ED MEIERKORT SAYS: "That game (against St. Ambrose) was wierd. I have been involved in two cancellations before, but never in a delay. I always thought St. Ambrose was a good team. Their quarterback took advantage of what we gave him. Their defense was more active than anyone else we have played. We are not playing real well. We must improve in our receiving corp. They need to make the big plays. (Quarterback) Matt (Bunyan) needs more confidence in where the receivers are. Our red zone offense has been ineffective and we have taken too many penalties. This week off came at the right time. It has allowed us a chance to get our receivers healthy.

"I expect this to be a typical La Crosse team, they will try to out-physical you. The key will be to not back down physically and we must stay aggressive. We are playing against their tradition and it's the first conference game. This is an enormous game for our program. We are going to catch them as dangerous as ever. You can talk all you want about the revenge factor, but that still puts a doubt into their minds. We have dented the armour once, and we feel the armour can be dented again. We have improved our running game dramatically. Right now, our passing game is average."

RADIO: WMEQ 880 AM, Jake Bostrom, Jay Fahl, Dick Lowery

Soccer

September 24, 1998

MENOMONIE - Despite being outshot by UW-River Falls, UW-Stout played the Falcons to a 1-1 tie in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference soccer contest at River Heights Elementary field Thursday, Sept. 24.

The Falcons (2-6-1, 1-2-1) scored first with Kate Pelinka sending the ball to the back of the net on a breakaway. Stout (3-5-1, 1-2-1) answered back with a crossing pass through the box from Alyssa Halverson (Sr, Rochester, Minn), to Jessica Unterweger (Jr, Nashotah, Wis), who slid the ball past Falcons' goal keeper Sara Hachey 34 minutes into the game. Unterweger scored minutes after coming into

the game, replacing Shannon Camp (So, Blaine, Minn) who had gone out after getting hit in the face with a ball.

Both teams had opportunities in the two, 15 minute overtimes, but came up short. River Falls outshot Stout, 17-10, for the game and also had twice as many corner kick opportunities. Stout's Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn) had nine saves, to Hachey's two.

Stout plays at home again Wednesday, Sept. 30 against Martin Luther College at 4:30 p.m. at the River Heights Elementary field.

Volleyball

September 26, 1998

EAU CLAIRE - Behind the offensive attack of Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) and Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn), the UW-Stout volleyball team finished third at the Lisa Siegenthaler Invitational Saturday, Sept. 26 at UW-Eau Claire.

Both Stoddard and Feit were named to the all-tournament team, as the Blue Devils posted a 3-1 tournament record to improve their overall record to 8-4.

Stoddard put on an offensive show, pounding out 66 kills in 13 games for 5.07 kills per game, while Feit put down 34 kills. Both were adept defensively, with Stoddard collecting five solo blocks and two block assists, while Feit had four solos and four assists.

The Blue Devils opened the tournament with a 15-2, 15-6, 15-12 sweep of UW-Superior Friday, but then fell to the host Blugolds, 15-11, 15-6, 15-10. Stout rebounded Saturday with a three-game win over Hamline, 15-10, 15-9, 15-6, then finished in third place behind Stoddard's 22 kills, downing conference foe UW-Stevens Point, 15-9, 11-15, 15-12, 17-15.

In the deciding game against the Pointers, Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) proved to be the difference, coming alive for seven kills.

Stout returns to Eau Claire, Wednesday, Sept. 30 to face the Blugolds in a conference contest at 7 p.m.

September 22, 1998

WINONA, Minn. - The UW-Stout volleyball team conquered, then struggled, then clawed their way back to take a five-game match at Winona State Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The Blue Devils downed the Warriors (5-7) in a marathon 16-14, 15-11, 7-15, 1-15, 15-8 win to improve their record to 5-3 overall.

Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn), who finished the match with 18 kills, smashed five kills in the first game, six in the second and five again in the deciding fifth game.

Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) finished up with 13 kills, while Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) and Heather Cassell (So, Lake Geneva) each had seven kills. Cyrus finished with 17 digs and Kim Roshell (So, Cornell) had 16.

Men's Cross Country

September 26, 1998

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn - Eric Hanson (Jr, Winona, Minn) paced the UW-Stout men's cross country team to a 13th place finish during the Maroon Race of the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational Saturday, Sept. 26 hosted by the University of Minnesota.
Hanson placed 48th of 256 NCAA Division II and III runners, clocking a time of 27-minutes, 6-seconds. Teammate Josh Johnson (So, Oregon) was right behind, finishing 50th at 27:07.

The Men's Maroon 8K had 31 teams entered. The Roy Griak has a number of races, divided into collegiate levels and high school levels. More than 1300 runners were expected to compete in the event.

Stout returns to action Friday, Oct. 9 when they compete at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational at Colfax.

1. South Dakota 95; 2. North Dakota State 100; 3. Mankato State 110; 4. Central Missouri 118; 5. UW-La Crosse 153; 6. Wartburg 182; 7. St. John's 207; 8. North West Missouri 214; 9. St. Thomas 223; 10. Dana 235; 11. UW-Eau Claire 254; 12. South Dakota State 310; 13. UW-Stout 408; 14. Hillsdale 410; 15. UM-Duluth 489; 16 Macalester 502; 17. St. Mary's 537; 18. Lakehead 546; 19. Augustana, SD, 580; 20. North Dakota 586; 21. Gustavus Adolphus 592; 22. UW-Superior 627; 23. Carleton 633; 24. Hamline 690; 25. Hastings 716; 26. St. Cloud 735; 27. Bethel 748; 28. Moorhead State 756; 29. UW-River Falls 885; 30. St. Scholatica 909; 31. Northwestern, Minn, 997.

1. Vladimir Golias (Central Missouri) 25:32; 48. Eric Hanson 27:06; 50. Josh Johnson 27:07; 93. Ethan Webinger 27:51; 103. Ryan Hill 28:05; 114. Josh Webb 28:16; 131. Jamie Block 28:33; 141. Bryan Ott 28:49; 170. Chris Stevens 29:04; 180. Todd Johnson 29:20.

NORTHFIELD, Minn - The UW-Stout junior varsity cross country team finished seventh at the Carleton Invitational Friday, Sept. 25 in Northfield, Minn.

Chris Emerson (Fr, West St. Paul, Minn) placed 46th with a time of 28:29 to lead the Blue Devils.

1. UW-La Crosse 29; 2. UW-Eau Claire 50; 3. St. Johns 81; 4. Wartburg 93; 5. St. Olaf 96; 6. St. Thomas 177; 7. Stout 209; 8. Carleton 245; 9. Upper Iowa 278; 10. Macalester 280; 11. UW-Superior, incomplete team

1. Andrew Cole (St. Olaf) 26:57; 46. Chris Emerson 28:29; 55. Seth Kaste 28:43; 61. Alex Anderson 28:55; 64. Jason Kirch 29:00; 78. Aaron Haas 29:26; 95. Tim King 30:12.

Women's Cross Country

September 27, 1998

MENOMONIE - The UW-Stout women's cross country team returns to action this weekend with a split squad, with one group going to the UW-Eau Claire Invitational Friday, Oct. 2 and another group heading to Chicago to compete in the Loyola University Lakefront Invitational.

Women's Tennis

September 25, 1998

MENOMONIE - Megan Schwanbeck (Fr, Lake City, Minn), playing in her first collegiate tennis match, was the only UW-Stout player to notch a win as the Blue Devils fell to UW-Oshkosh, 8-1, Friday, Sept. 25 at the Menomonie High School courts.

Schwanbeck downed Katie Hart, 7-5, 6-0 at No. 6 singles.

"Megan was a little nervous going in to her first collegiate match," said coach Craig Monson, "but she really worked hard and gutted out the match."

The Blue Devils, 0-3, 0-1, return to action Saturday, Oct. 3 when they host UW-Whitewater at 2 p.m. A match scheduled with Macalester College for Saturday, Sept. 26 was cancelled.

Singles: No. 1: Brittany Moser (O) def. Lauren Mader, 6-2, 6-4; No. 2: Jenny Pekulik (O) def. Ann Jackson, 6-1, 6-0; No. 3: Sara Fischer (O) def. Sarah Lundquist, 6-3, 6-3; No. 4: Alison Karel (O) def. Lauren Johnson, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3; No. 5: Amy West (O) def. Sara Hesli, 6-3, 6-1; No. 6: Megan Schwanbeck (S) def. Katie Hart, 7-5, 6-0; Exh: Dana Rozmenoski won, 6-4, 6-3;

Doubles: No.1: Moser/Pekulik (O) def. Mader/Jackson, 6-0, 6-0; No 2: West/Hart (O) def. Lundquist/Hesli, 6-4, 6-3; No. 3: Fischer/Karel (O) def. Johnson/Jodi Anderson, 6-2, 6-3; Exh: Jenny Anderson/Megan Schwanbeck (S) won, 6-2, 6-2.

General Athletic News

September 16, 1998

MENOMONIE - Until her retirement two years ago, Judy Spain was a fixture at UW-Stout athletic events - not only at the games but behind the scenes. Because of her efforts, Spain will receive the UW-Stout Distinguished Service Athletic Award at the annual Hall of Fame banquet Saturday, Oct. 3.

Spain, who was employed at the university in residence life from 1967-96, served as the Stout faculty representative to the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) from 1989-96, but was very involved in the athletic department well before that.

Spain worked with the Athletic Committee, was a member of the Hall of Fame committee, served on several committees to select coaching staff and the athletic director, was a member of the Physical Education and Athletics Task Force, was a neutral observer of basketball officials and worked the scoring table for gymnastics.

As a faculty representative, Spain served as the committee's vice president and was the co-chair of the WWIAC's 25th anniversary celebration.

In her job with residence life, where she was the director from 1972-96, she received numerous awards, both from the university and from various professional organizations. In 1995, Spain was awarded the UW-Stout Outstanding Service Award and was named an assistant professor emeritus in 1996. She received the highest national awards for the Association of College and University Housing Officers International Leadership, both as an active employee and as a retiree.

The student/athlete was always a special focus for Spain, who fought relentlessly for the women's athletic programs during their formative years.

"I enjoyed watching UW-Stout women's and men's team for 29 years," Spain said. "It was a joy to know the athletes and coaches personally."

Spain presently resides in San Francisco, Calif., where she works as a volunteer for the National Park Service in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Retirement also allows her to pursue her lifelong passion for golf, playing in two leagues.

The Hall of Fame banquet is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Oct. 3, in the Terrace of the Memorial Student Center. Tickets are $10. For more information, call the UW-Stout Athletic Department at 715-232-2224.