October 5, 1998

ON THE LINE: Every game in this topsy-turvy Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a big game and this game is no exception. UW-Eau Claire was a preseason favorite and proved it with a 31-28 overtime win over defending WIAC champion UW-Whitewater. Even though it is early in the season, UW-Stout, also mentioned as a preseason favorite, must win to stay in contention. Stout lost a wild conference opener, 58-38, to UW-La Crosse Saturday. Two conference losses won't necessarily knock a team out of the race, but it will put a serious crimp in their plans. The game will also mark the Blue Devils' homecoming.

LAST TIME OUT: Stout: The Blue Devils came out on the short end of a conference record setting two-team performance, losing 58-38 to La Crosse in a game that saw 96 total points scored. But the Blue Devils had plenty to show for their efforts, racking up 450 total yards, including 399 yards passing by quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville). Bunyan set school records for most passes completed (37) and most passes attempted (61). Stout also notched 31 first downs. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the Eagles' running game was hot, tallying 497 yards and six of their seven touchdowns on the ground. Stout took an early lead when tight end Andy Mutch (Fr, Bloomington, Minn) hauled in his first career touchdown, an 11-yard strike from Bunyan. Mutch finished with seven grabs for 79 yards, while Tom Schaffner (So, Janesville) had five catches for 78 yards and a TD. Stout fell behind 21-6 in the first quarter, and could never catch up. Bunyan threw for four TDs, including two to Aaron Johnson (Fr, Clear Lake) in the fourth quarter.

Eau Claire: The Blugolds got a 31-28 win over Whitewater when kicker Jeremy Braun (Sr, Athens), who had missed two field goals earlier in the game, split the uprights with a 35-yard field goal in overtime. The Blugolds took an early 7-0 lead when QB Sean Hoolihan (Sr, Spring Valley) connected with Steve Crutchley (Sr, Black River Falls) for a 19-yard scoring strike, but the Warhawks struck back on a 70-yard pass play. The Warhawks would take a 28-14 lead, but the Blugolds came back when Hoolihan, who passed for 286 yards, found receiver Nate Thoreson (Jr, Eau Claire) for a 28-yard play to cut the lead to 28-21 late in the first half. The Blugolds tied the game in the fourth quarter, marching 91 yards, capping off the drive on another Hoolihan-to-Crutchley scoring play. The Warhawks had the ball first in overtime, but missed a 22-yard field goal. Crutchley caught 11 passes for 127 yards. Eau Claire amassed 451 total yards, while holding the prolific Warhawks to 371.

LAST YEAR: Stout and Eau Claire 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 5-2 in league play. Eau Claire finished at 7-3 overall, 4-3 and fourth place in the league. The Blugolds took a 45-38 overtime win last year in front of 6000 Eau Claire homecoming fans. Stout tied the game with 41 seconds remaining on a 23-yard Nolan Mosher field goal. Eau Claire's Chad Hoiska scored on the second play in the overtime, and Stout failed to reach the end zone.

THE SERIES: Eau Claire leads the series, 43-24-6, with Stout winning the first contest, 49-0, in 1917. The Blugolds have won the last two meetings, with the Blue Devils winning the two before that. Eau Claire holds a 7-3 advantage over the last 10 years.

STOUT PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) 162-96-5, 1103 yds (275.8/g); 13 TDs, set school career record for most TDs thrown with 60; WR Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove) 25 rec, 342 yds, 13.7 yd/rec, 3 TDs; TE Andy Mutch (Fr, Bloomington, Minn) 10 rec, 115 yds, 11.5 yd/rec, 1 TD; TB Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) 349 yds, 59 carries, 5.9 yd/carry, 13 rec, 135 yds, 3 TDs; CB Corey Morning (Sr, Bloomer) 29 tackles, 15 solo, 3 passes broken up; LB Eric Lund (So, Ashland) 31 tackles, 12 solo, 8 tackles for losses of 32 yards, 5 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) 17 tackles, 7 solo, 1 tackle for loss of 1 yard, 1 int; Blue Devils avg 420.8 total ypg, 144.0 rushing, 276.8 passing; gave up 392.0 total ypg, 217.8 rushing, 174.3 passing.

EAU CLAIRE PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Sean Hoolihan (Sr, Spring Valley) 101-65-2, 723 yards, 180.8 yd/game, 33 carries, 182 yds, 5.5 yd/carry; QB BJ Jones (Sr, Black River Falls) 60 carries, 348 yds, 5.8 yd/rec, 3 TDs; HB Darrell Souhrada (So, Lime Springs, Iowa) 43 carries, 223 yards, 5.2 yd/rec; WR Steve Crutchley (Sr, Black River Falls) 23 rec, 247 yds, 10.7 yd/rec, 61.8 yd/game; WR Nate Thoreson (Jr, Eau Claire) 10 rec, 159 yds, 15.9 yd/rec, 37.8 yd/game; CB Ben Buss (Jr, Marshfield) 21 tackles, 12 solo, 5 passes broken up; LB Andy Lehnen (So, Menomonee Falls) 21 tackles, 12 solo, 3 tackles for losses of 4 yards; (Blugolds avg 437.8 total ypg, 244.3 rushing, 193.5 passing; gave up 257.8 total ypg, 114.8 rushing, 143.0 passing.

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

COACHES: Stout coach Ed Meierkort (21-33 career) is in his sixth year. Eau Claire's Bob Nielson (64-30-1 overall, 16-8 at Eau Claire) is in his third at Eau Claire, his 10th overall.

STOUT COACH ED MEIERKORT SAYS: "We knew the key to the game (against La Crosse) be their running game, but not to the magnitude that it became. That is the most rushing yards I have ever given up. I think our kids may have panicked when they broke those two long ones in the first quarter. This was not a game where we didn't play hard. Our linebackers weren't filling the gaps, then they were able to outrun us. Our defense is stunned. How do you react to a game like that? It's important for people to understand we are not used to giving up big plays defensively.

"Right now (early in the week) it doesn't look like we have a chance to beat Eau Claire, but by Friday and Saturday we will have something in place. This is a great rivalry - there is mutual respect, mutual hatred, but a very healthy rivalry. I expect a hard played game with players shaking hands after the game. We have to find a way to stop the run. We can't worry about anything except us stopping the run. (Quarterback) Sean (Hoolihan) has the ability to run and pass. He reminds me of Brett Favre. He plays with a reckless abandon. We can't let him run around back there. We have to put a hat on him. He's not worried about getting hit. Their offensive line is probably the best we will face this year. We know they are capable of the big plays. We must try to get some big plays as well."

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

Ocotber 3, 1998

MENOMONIE - In a game of big plays and big numbers, most of them went the way of UW-La Crosse as the Eagles downed UW-Stout, 58-38, Saturday, Oct. 3 at Nelson Field in Menomonie in both teams Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener.

The Eagles rapped off 589 yards of total offense, 497 yards on the ground.

Beau Coulter accounted for a big chunk of Eagle offense, rushing 26 times for 224 yards, but his running mate, fullback Joe Rivard rushed 13 yards for 130 yards.

The Blue Devils' final numbers looked respectable, collecting 450 total yards, but 166 of that came on their final two scoring drives. Quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) completed 37 of 61 passes, both school records, and also threw for four touchdowns, boosting his career touchdown pass total to a school record 60.

Stout jumped out to a 6-0 lead when Bunyan hit tight end Andy Mutch (Fr, Bloomington, Minn) for an 11-yard pass midway through the first period.

The Eagles answered back with three scores in the quarter. Coulter had two long scoring runs, breaking through the Blue Devil defense for touchdown runs of 56- and 68-yards.

Stout's Kevin McCulley (So, Fond du Lac) added a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter, but the Eagles answered back with a 29-yard scoring pass from Andrew Youngbauer to Ben Antony. Bunyan collected his second touchdown pass of the night when he connected with Tom Schaffner (So, Janesville) for a 23-yard score.

The Eagles closed out the scoring with two field goals in the final 40 seconds of the half to take a 34-16 lead into the locker room.

The two teams traded scores in the third quarter and La Crosse added two TDs and a field goal in the fourth, while Bunyan hooked up twice with Aaron Johnson (Fr, Clear Lake) for scores.

The Eagle defense held Stout's running game to 51 yards on 27 rushes. Mutch led all receivers with 78 yards on five catches, while tailback Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland), who was held to 45 yards rushing, had four catches for 65 yards.

The 96 points scored by the two teams was the most points scored by two teams in a WIAC game. The teams eclipsed a record that La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire matched last year, with La Crosse downing Stout, 55-40. Eau Claire also figured into another 95 point game when they lost to Platteville, 52-43 in 1980.

Yellow flags were flying for both teams, with La Crosse getting penalized 14 times for 132 yards, while Stout was flagged 11 times for 80 yards.

Stout will try to get back on the winning trail when they host UW-Eau Claire, Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. for Homecoming.

Soccer

October 4, 1998

LA CROSSE - With their best offensive explosion in more than two weeks, the UW-Stout soccer team got back over .500 as they downed Viterbo College, 3-1, Sunday, Oct. 4 in La Crosse.

The Blue Devils (6-5-1), who had managed only one goal in each of the last five games, got two goals in the first half, and capped off the game with another score in the second.

The V-Hawks (4-6-1) took the early lead though, scoring at the 16 minute mark.

But Stout would come back with a vengeance, scoring two goals within 30 seconds of each other.

Shannon Camp (So, Blaine, Minn) scored unassisted at the 29:16 mark, then Alyssa Halverson (Sr, Rochester, Minn) got the eventual game winning goal on a pass from Jessica Unterweger (Jr, Nashotah) at 29:42. Defender Carrie Blaska (Sr, Ramsey, Minn) scored her first collegiate career goal when she scored on a penalty kick at the 57:10 mark of the second half.

The Blue Devils outshot the V-Hawks, 29-11, with Stout goalkeeper Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn) recording eight saves. Viterbo goalie Becker Adermann had 17 saves.

Stout returns home for a two-game stand over Homecoming, hosting UW-La Crosse, Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Edgewood College, Friday, Oct. 9. Both games begin at 4 p.m. and are at the River Heights Elementary school field.

October 3, 1998

PLATTEVILLE - Tricia Sykes (Fr, Cloquet, Minn.) scored the eventual winning goal at the 53:52 mark and the defense held on as the UW-Stout soccer team went on to a 1-0 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest over UW-Platteville Saturday, Oct. 3.

Sykes took the pass from fellow freshman Becky Howard (Fr, Wauwatosa) for the game-winning-goal.

Meanwhile, the Stout (5-5-1, 2-2-1) defense tightened up, allowing the Pioneers (3-10-1, 1-3-1) only three shots. Goalkeeper Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn) stopped all three shots.

September 30, 1998

MENOMONIE — The UW-Stout soccer team wasted little time with Martin Luther College, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute of the game when Alyssa Halverson (Sr, Rochester, Minn), put away the shot off a pass from Jessica Unterweger (Jr, Nashotah, Wis).

Despite many attempts, the Blue Devils were not able to score another goal. Stout had plenty of opportunities outshooting the Knights, 35-5, but Martin Luther (4-4) goalkeeper Erin Enter knotched 19 saves.

Volleyball

October 3, 1998

OSHKOSH - Using 10 service aces, the UW-Stout volleyball squad swept UW-Oshkosh, 3-0, in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match-up Saturday, Oct. 3 at Oshkosh.

The Blue Devils (10-5, 3-2) spread the aces around, with Jenny Kraczek (Jr, Blaine, Minn) recording three aces, and Heather Cassell (So, Lake Geneva) and Kathy Jahnke (Sr, West Allis) each getting two as Stout won, 15-12, 15-7, 16-14.

Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) led the offensive attack with 13 kills, while Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) added 11. Stoddard and Cassell each notched two solo blocks and three block assists, while Feit figured into four block assists.

The Titans (2-17, 0-4) actually recorded more kills, getting 55 to Stout's 48, but the Blue Devils made them count when they were needed.

Stout begins a three-match homestand Wednesday, Oct. 7 when they host UW--Superior at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils host their own invitational Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m., then close out the stand with a non-conference contest hosting Viterbo College, Tuesday, Oct. 13.

October 2, 1998

WHITEWATER - After downing UW-Eau Claire, the NCAA Division III Midwest Region's fifth ranked team earlier in the week, the UW-Stout volleyball team had their sites set on the region's top ranked team at UW-Whitewater.

The Blue Devils (9-5, 2-2) looked like they had a chance to upset the heavily favored Warhawks on their home floor, Friday, Oct. 2, jumping out to 9-0 first game lead before coming out on top, 15-6.

But the Warhawks (15-3, 5-0) would come back to sweep the remaining games, 15-6, 15-13, 15-8 to stay undefeated in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Despite dropping the match, Blue Devil coach Jill Jolliff was pleased with her team's effort.

"I thought we played well," Jolliff said. "We were doing things well."

Jolliff said Stout dug themselves into a hole early in the fourth game, but managed to claw back before getting edged by two.

Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) and Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) were again the offensive weapons, with Stoddard collecting 18 kills and Feit 14. Both had two solo blocks and Feit added an assist. Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) added 11 kills and Heather Cassell (So, Lake Geneva), after getting benched during the Eau Claire contest, came back to pound out eight kills.

September 30, 1998

EAU CLAIRE - UW-Eau Claire has held UW-Stout's number on the volleyball court for the last four years. The Blugolds had won nine straight matches stretching back to midway through the 1994 season and Eau Claire had already downed Stout twice this season, including a 3-0 thumping Friday, Sept. 25 at the Eau Claire tournament.

The Blugolds appeared to be well on their way to taking a 10th straight win Wednesday, Sept. 30, after winning the opening game, 15-9, but Stout rallied to take the next two games, 16-14, 15-7. Eau Claire knotted the score with a 15-8 fourth game win, but the Blue Devils took over in the match-deciding fifth game, 15-9.

Leading the attack for Stout (9-4, 2-1) were Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) with 20 kills, Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) with 18 kills and Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) with 16 kills. But it was a team effort that gave the Blue Devils their first win over Eau Claire since Oct. 8, 1994.

"After losing game one, we could have easily rolled over," coach Jill Jolliff said.

Jolliff credited the play of Gina Schwederske (Fr, Almena) who came off the bench in the first game - and played in all five games - with some outstanding passes to setter Jenny Kraczek (Jr, Blaine, Minn). Schwederske finished the match with 11 digs and nine kills.

While Kraczek recorded only one block assist, Jolliff said Kraczek's defensive play at the net kept the ball alive a number of times with her touches. Kraczek finished the two-hour match with 58 assists.

Kim Roshell (So, Cornell) showed some hitting accuracy, putting down six kills with a hitting percentage of .556.

Men's Cross Country

October 5, 1998

MENOMONIE -After a week off, the UW-Stout men's cross country team returns to action Friday, Oct. 9 when they compete in the UW-Eau Claire Invitational at Whitetail Golf Club in Colfax.

Women's Cross Country

October 3, 1998

CHICAGO, Ill. - UW-Stout's Katy Olsen (Sr, Rice Lake) placed eighth overall and Katie Jacobson (Sr, Eau Claire) finished 16th overall at the Lakefront Invitational hosted by Loyola University in Chicago, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 3.

Olsen finished in 18-minutes, 44-seconds to just edge out Kent State's Lisa Claypool for eighth. Jacobson was only a few seconds behind, coming in at 18:49. The race consisted of 386 finishers, from NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and NAIA schools.

As a team, Stout placed sixth of 19 Division II, III and NAIA teams. When just the smaller division schools were matched up, Olsen finished second and Jacobson was fourth.

The Blue Devils will return to action Friday, Oct. 9 when they compete at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational at Whitetail Golf Club in Colfax.

Lakefront Invitational team results
1. Western Ontario 59; 2. St. Olaf 76; 3. Carleton 126; 4. Windsor 163; 5. U of Chicago 164; 6. UW-Stout 185; 7. Indianapolis 237; 8. Saginaw Valley 242; 9. University of Findlay 255; 10. Lake Superior State 267; 11. Elmhurst 281; 12. Michigan Tech 285; 13. St. Joseph's 303; 14. Wayne State 348; 15. Alma 372; 16. Grinnell 381; 17. Kendall 467; 18. Illinois Institute of Technology 524; 19. Fanshawe College 608.

Individual results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
1. Erin Johnson (Open) 18:01; 2. Rhaina Echols (U of Chicago) 18:09; 8. Katy Olsen 18:44; 16. Katie Jacobson 18:49; 144. Katie Kuffel 20:34; 163. Tanya Miller 20:42; 178. Amy Arndt 20:50; 210. Jaime Souza 21:09; 238. Dana Piper 21:23; 265. Robin White 21:44.

October 2, 1998

COLFAX - Heather Meyers (So, Barron) placed 25th to lead the UW-Stout women's junior varsity cross country team team to a sixth place finish at UW-Eau Claire's Blugold Open at the Whitetail Golf Club in Colfax.

Meyers, who transferred from UW-Oshkosh, ran a 20:33.42. Coryn Delaney (So, Milwaukee) was 38th (21:24.51), Ellen Everson (Fr, Blair) was 43rd (21:42.49), Heidi Bedsted (Fr, Plainview, Minn) was 53rd (22:43.94) and Jessica Schultz (So, Manitowoc) was 68th (25:20.71).

The Blue Devils will return to Whitetail Golf Club Friday, Oct. 9 for the UW-Eau Claire Invitational.

Blugold Invitational team results
1. University of Minnesota-JV 40; 2. Bethel College 45; 3. UW-Eau Claire 60; 4. UW-Superior 86; 5. Gustavus Adolphus 170; 6. UW-Stout 177; 7. Augsburg 194.

Individual results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
1. Sarah Anderson (UW-Superior) 18:06.57; 25. Heather Meyers 20:33.42; 38. Coryn Delaney 21:24.51; 43. Ellen Everson 21:42.49; 53. 22:43.94; 68. Jessica Schultz 25:20.71.

Women's Tennis

October 3, 1998

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Lauren Mader (Jr, Neenah) was the only Blue Devil to notch a win as the Stout tennis team fell, 8-1, to UW-Whitewater, Saturday, Oct. 3.

Mader swept past Heather Hearn at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 7-5.

Lauren Johnson (So, Hamel, Minn) took opponent Tarah Martin to three sets, but fell, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The Blue Devils (0-4) will close out their home schedule Tuesday, Oct. 6 when they host UW-River Falls at the Menomonie High School courts at 3:30 p.m.

UW-Whitewater 8, UW-Stout 1
Singles: No. 1: Lauren Mader (S) def. Heather Hearn, 6-4, 7-5; No. 2: Tricia Strachota (WW) def. Ann Jackson, 6-1, 6-0; No. 3: Jenny Bacher (WW) def. Sarah Lundquist, 6-1, 6-0; No. 4: Tarah Martin (WW) def. Lauren Johnson, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; No. 5: Jeanna Anderson (WW) def. Sara Hesli, 6-0, 6-0; No. 6: Lisa Krist (WW) def. Megan Schwanbeck, 6-1, 6-3; Exh: Katy Berry (S) lost, 6-1, 6-1;

Doubles: No. 1: Hearn/Strachota (WW) def. Mader/Jackson, 6-2, 6-2; No. 2: Bacher/Anderson (WW) def. Lundquist/Hesli, 6-3, 6-0; No. 3: Martin/Krist (WW) def. Jody Anderson/Johnson, 6-3, 6-0; Exh: Jenny Anderson/Schwanbeck lost, 6-4, 6-1.

Women's Basketball

October 4, 1998

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its Academic Top-25 Team Honor Roll today and UW-Stout ranked No. 1 on the list.

The Blue Devils finished the 1997-98 season with a team grade point average of 3.713, almost two-tenths of a point higher than second place Gustavus Adolphus.

Two years ago, the Blue Devils ranked 10th in the inaugural honor roll listing.

With the honor roll, the WBCA recognizes the nation's highest NCAA Division III team grade point averages, based on nominations submitted by WBCA-member coaches.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport of women's basketball and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls.

UW-Stout will open their 1998-99 season Friday, Nov. 20 at the Alma, Mich., College Tournament.

1998 WBCA Academic Top-25 Team Honor Roll
(Rank, Institution, GPA, Coach)
1. UW-Stout, 3.713, Mark Thomas; 2. Gustavus Adolphus, 3.534, Peg Moline; 3. Otterbein, 3.515, Connnie Richardson; 4. Wartburg, 3.501, Monica Severson; 5. Eureka, 3.494, Sandy Schuster; 6. Messiah, 3.483, Mike Miller; 7. Millikin, 3.475, Lori Kerans; 8. Defiance, 3.472, Renne Kudia; 9. Luther, 3.469, Jane Hildebranch; 10. Illinois Wesleyan, 3.450, Mandy Neal; 11. Ithaca, 3.439, Christine Pritchard; 12. New York University, 3.414, Janice Quinn; 13. UW-Oshkosh, 3.411, Pam Ruder; 14. Buena Vista, 3.407, Janet Berry; 15. Cornell, 3.390, Jon Herbrachtsmeyer; 16. Central, 3.388, Gary Boeyink; 17. Drew 3.377, Linda Yost; 18. University of Redlands, 3.366, Micki McAulay; 19. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 3.348; 20. Russell Sage, 3.348, Sue Roarke; 21. St. Benedict, 3.338, Mike Durbin; 22. Hardin Simmons, 3.328, Julie Goodenough; 23. Wellesley, 3.313, Kathy Hagerstrom; 24. Emory & Henry, 3.311, Joy Scruggs; 25. Bethel, 3.310.