October 19, 1998

ON THE LINE: While not mathematically eliminated from the conference race, first place in the league for both UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh looks distant. But the game features the two strongest arms in the league, with the right arm of Stout's Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) and the left arm of Brian Tomalak (Sr, Green Bay). Together, the two have accounted for 3437 total passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns this season.

LAST TIME OUT: Stout: After jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead, then hanging on to a 21-14 halftime lead, the Blue Devils allowed three UW-River Falls touchdowns in the third quarter and could never recover, falling 48-36 to the Falcons Saturday, Oct. 17 at River Falls. Bunyan completed 18-of-28 passes for 266 yards and four TDs, with Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) on the receiving end of two. Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove) and Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon) each caught a TD. Diaz finished with seven catches for 83 yards and Witcraft five catches for 116 yards. The Blue Devils tallied 354 total yards, 318 through the air, but allowed 484 total yards, 447 on the ground.

Oshkosh: The Titans got roughed up by UW-Whitewater, 62-21, Saturday. After Oshkosh scored to open the game and take a 6-0 lead, the Warhawks ripped off five straight TDs within 13 minutes. Oshkosh's Jon May (Sr, Ashwaubenon) hauled in a 13-yard Tomalak pass just before halftime to cut the lead to 34-13. Tomalak was vicitimized in the third quarter when he threw an interception that was returned for a score. Whitewater outscored Oshkosh, 21-8 in the final stanza. Tomalak was 13-for-32 for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. May hauled in six passes for 90 yards. John Duginsky (Sr, Cudahy) rushed for a 114 yards on 28 carries. The Titans finished the game with 336 yards of offense, 165 by rushing, 171 by passing, but game up 532 yards, 392 on the ground.

LAST YEAR: Stout and Oshkosh 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 La Crosse for second last season. Stout was 6-4 overall 5-2 in league play. Oshkosh finished at 3-7, 1-6 in the WIAC, good for seventh. Last year's contest was a typical high-scoring WIAC affair, with Stout winning 48-37 at Oshkosh. Bunyan completed 22-of-34 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns, and also ran for another. Tomalakwas 25-for-49 for 299 yards.

THE SERIES: Oshkosh leads the series, 23-17-1, which dates back to 1947 when the Titans won, 19-12. Oshkosh holds a 3-2 lead over the last five years and a 6-4 lead over the last 10 years. Oshkosh won 12-7 the last time the teams tangled at Nelson Field.

STOUT PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) 222-133-7, 1813 yds (302.2 y/g); 22 TDs, holds school career record for most TDs thrown with 69; WR Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove) 37 rec, 531 yds, 14.4 yd/rec, 88.5 yd/game, 6 TDs; WR Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon) 13 rec, 349 yds, 26.8 yd/rec, 87.3 yd/game, 4 TDs; TB Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) 368 yds, 77 carries, 4.8 yd/carry, 24 rec, 357 yds, 7 TDs (two shy of tying school record for most TD passes caught); CB Corey Morning (Sr, Bloomer) 48 tackles, 28 solo, 4 passes broken up; LB Eric Lund (So, Ashland) 55 tackles, 27 solo, 10 tackles for losses of 45 yards, 4 sacks for 31 yards, 5 passes broken up; DE Bill Berg (Sr, Washburn) 24 tackles, 10 solo, 7 tackles for losses of 26 yards, 2 sacks for 17 yds, 1 fumble recovery; LB Chad Reichelt (So, Appleton) 39 tackles, 19 solo, 4 tackles for losses of 6 yards; Blue Devils avg 419.5 total ypg, 108.0 rushing, 311.5 passing; give up 391.5 total ypg, 240.8 rushing, 150.7 passing.

OSHKOSH PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Brian Tomalak (Sr, Green Bay) 180-102-8, 1624 yds (270.7 y/g), 18 TDs, became the 15th player in NCAA Division III history to throw for more than 8000 yards in his career; WR Jon May (Sr, Ashwaubenon) 38 rec, 800 yds, 21.1 yd/rec, 133.3 yd/game, 12 TDs; RB John Duginski (Sr, Cudahy) 825 yds, 166 carries, 4.97 y/carry, 137.5 y/game, leads the WIAC in rushing; P Mike Alioto (Sr, Milwaukee) 40.2 yd/punt; LB Craig Pierstorff (Jr, Rosendale) 42.5 tackles, 32 solo, 6 tackles for losses of 15 yds, 1 int, 1 fumble recovery; CB Brendan Winter (Sr, Chicago, Ill) 4 int, 20 tackles, 18 solo, 2 tackles for losses of 7 yds; DT Brendan Burns (So, Monroe) 17 tackles, 13 solo, 6 tackles for losses of 24 yards, two sacks for 20 yards. Titans avg. 450.8 total ypg, 171.5 rushing, 279.5 passing; give up 437.8 total ypg, 241.7 rushing, 196.2 passing.

OFFENSIVE LOOK: Oshkosh: Pro-set; Stout: multi-pro set which incorporates a West Coast style offense. DEFENSIVE LOOK: Oshkosh: Multiple 5-2; Stout: 4-3

COACHES: Stout coach Ed Meierkort (22-34 career) is in his sixth year. Oshkosh's Ron Cardo (54-88-4) is in his 15th year.

STOUT COACH ED MEIERKORT SAYS: "(The game with River Falls) looks like a defensive problem, but we didn't score enough points. We dominated the first half, but then went three-and-out three consecutive times in the third quarter. To go three-and-out in the second half is inexcusable. We have to take advantage of their defense, and we didn't. They always have an answer for you and we couldn't find an answer for them.

"We won't look past anyone, but there isn't a game we can't go into and win. We are 3-3 and must get to 4-3. This is the Battle of Quarterbacks, the top two quarterbacks in the league. We need to pressure Tomalak, but they have a (Wisconsin) Badger size line. On the eyeball test, they are as good looking a team as anyone in the conference. They, as well as us, have played a tough part of their schedule. We must continue to improve our defense and we must be more aggressive on offense. We are a good football team that is 1-2 (in league play). We must act like a good team to get to 2-2."

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

October 17, 1998

RIVER FALLS - Army versus Air Force. Ground assault versus aerial attack. In a typical high-scoring Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) offensive shootout Saturday, Oct. 17, it was UW-River Falls' ground game outscoring UW-Stout's aerial assault, 48-36, at the Falcons' Ramer Field.

Both teams played their trump cards, with the Falcons racking up 462 total yards, all but 37 on the ground, while the Blue Devils put up 354 yards, all by 36 in the air.

And it was the big play Blue Devils (3-3, 1-2) who jumped out of the chutes first, with quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) connecting on two touchdown passes in the first quarter.

After Erich Shaw (Sr, Menomonie) recovered a Falcon fumble on the River Falls' 20, Bunyan connected with his favorite receiver, Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove) on a 17-yard pass at the 13:53 mark in the game.

Eight minutes later, Bunyan needed only two plays to score again, this time a 73-yard pass play to burner Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon).

But the Falcons (5-1, 4-0) answered back midway through the second quarter, scoring on a 2-yard run by quarterback Randy Johnson at the 9:16 mark. The Falcons would drive later in the quarter, and this time Johnson connected on one of only four pass attempts to record a 14-yard TD to Mike Kaiser.

The Blue Devils took the halftime lead when Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) capped off a 65-yard drive with a 1-yard pass from Bunyan.

After the break, it would be all River Falls. The Falcons scored three times in the third quarter, all on the ground.

Stout did manage a 29-yard Kevin McCulley (So, Fond du Lac) field goal early in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons put a crimp in Stout comeback attempt when Taylor Hall broke loose for a 73 yard run to give River Falls a 42-24 lead.

Stout did come back to tighten the score to 42-30 when Bunyan hooked up again with Lund for a 19-yard scoring pass midway through the final quarter.

But the Falcons offense did what it does best on the ensuing drive when River Falls drove 80-yards in 13 plays to score at 1:11, but more importantly used up more than six minutes on the clock and took a 48-30 lead.

Stout did score on the final play of the game when reserve quarterback Marty Goryl (Jr, Greenfield) tossed a 5-yard pass to John Bekish (Jr, Park Center, Minn).

Bunyan finished the day with 266 yards and four touchdowns, giong 18-for-28. Witcraft hauled in five passes for 116 yards, while Diaz had seven catches for 83 yards and Lund had five catches for 70 yards.

Johnson led a very balanced rushing attack, tallying 97 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Scribner had 91 yards, Hall 87, Michael Grant 70 and Andrew Kruger had 57 yards, but scored twice.

The Blue Devils will look to get back on the winning track when they entertain pass-happy UW-Oshkosh, Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. at Nelson Field.

Soccer

October 17, 1998

SUPERIOR - The question of the day during warmups as the rain poured down at the UW-Stout/UW-Superior soccer match Saturday, Oct. 17 was "When would the rain stop?"

Shortly after the game started, the rain stopped falling. That's when Stout started scoring, and the Blue Devils (7-8-1, 3-3-1) wouldn't stop scoring until they matched their best-ever offensive output, downing the Yellowjackets, 5-0. All five goals came in the first half.

Twelve minutes into the game, Alyssa Halverson (Sr, Rochester, Minn), scored off a pass from Jessica Unterweger (Jr, Nashotah). Four minutes later, Halverson returned the favor and Unterweger scored off a pass from Halverson.

Halverson also put in the third goal with a pass from Stacy Langowski (Jr, Janesville). Heather Pihl (So, Cottage Grove, Minn), scored her first career goal with a pass from Unterweger. Tricia Sykes (Fr, Cloquet, Minn), scored the final goal of the game, closing out the scoring six minutes before halftime.

Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn), recorded five saves and her fourth shutout of the season. Yellowjacket goalkeeper Kristi Wilke recorded 12 saves as Stout outshot Superior, 24-8.

Stout closes out the regular season Thursday, October 22, in Eau Claire. The Blue Devils will participate in the WIAC Championships Oct. 29-31 in River Falls.

October 14, 1998

MENOMONIE - Bethel College took charge right away on their way to handing the UW-Stout soccer team a 2-0 loss Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Menomonie in the Blue Devils' final home contest of the season.

The Royals Amy Gilfillan, on a breakaway, put in the first goal of the game by scoring at the 4:50 mark. The Blue Devils (6-8-1) pressed the Royals (8-5) during the rest of the first half, but always came up just short.

The second half started with Bethel putting away another goal, this time only seven minutes into the half. Courtney Bressler got the ball off a goal kick and managed to put it in the back of the net.

The loss was Stout's third consecutive loss.

Volleyball

October 17, 1998

DE PERE - The UW-Stout volleyball team bounced back from a disappointing loss to UW-Stevens Point the night before to take both games at the St. Norbert College Volleyball Triangular Saturday, Oct. 17 in DePere.

The Blue Devils (16-6) fought their way past the host Green Knights in the first match, 15-10, 5-15, 13-15, 15-13, 15-13, then swept past Carthage College, 15-12, 15-4, 15-11.

Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) and Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) each had three kills in the fifth and deciding game with St. Norbert. Stoddard finished the match with 19 kills, one solo block and four assisted blocks, while Feit tallied 16 kills. Jenny Kraczek (Jr, Blaine, Minn) finished the two-hour marathon with 60 assists.

The Blue Devils simply overpowered Carthage and Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) led the way with 16 kills, six in the third game. Stoddard finished the match with 13 kills, seven in the third game. Stoddard also scattered four solo blocks.

Stout returns to Johnson Fieldhouse to conclude the conference schedule and regular home schedule when they host nationally ranked UW-River Falls, Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

October 16, 1998

STEVENS POINT - After losing the first game, the UW-Stout volleyball team came back to take the second two, but could not hold off UW-Stevens Point as the Blue Devils dropped a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest, 15-12, 6-15, 7-15, 15-10, 15-5, Friday, Oct. 16 at Stevens Point.

The loss dropped the Blue Devils to 4-3 in the WIAC, with a match remaining with nationally ranked UW-River Falls. Stout is fighting to maintain home court advantage in the quarterfinals of the WIAC championships.

Heather Cassell (So, Lake Geneva) took charge offensively in the second two games, combining for nine kills in the two matches. She would go on to finish the match with 14 kills.

The Blue Devils could never regain their composure in the final two games, shooting only 73 percent in the fourth game, then falling to a negative 25 percent.

Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) had 15 kills to lead the Blue Devils, while Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) and Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) each contributed 13 kills.

October 13, 1998

MENOMONIE - Everybody played and everyone contributed as the UW-Stout volleyball team swept past Viterbo College, 15-3, 15-7, 15-12, in a non-conference contest Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Blue Devil coach Jill Jolliff got a chance to use her entire bench after Stout handily took the first game.

Gina Schwederske (Fr, Almena) was the Blue Devils'(14-5) biggest hitter of the night, putting down seven kills in two games. Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) finished with six kills and four service aces in the first two games.

The V-Hawks (3-18) only had eight players suit up and used only six.

Men's Cross Country

October 17, 1998

WEST SALEM - Josh Johnson (So, Oregon) placed 49th to lead the UW-Stout men's cross country team at the Jim Drews Invitational Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Maple Grove Country Club at West Salem. The meet was hosted by UW-La Crosse.

Johnson finished the run 26-minutes, 28.1-seconds as the Blue Devils finished 18th as a team. Clint Latz (Fr, Lublin) was 87th in a time of 26:53.4.

Stout returns to action Friday, Oct. 23 with they compete in a dual meet with UW-Eau Claire at the Whitetail Golf Club near Colfax.

Jim Drews Maroon Men's 8K team results
1. UW-Madison 17; 2. UW-La Crosse 128; 3. North Central 138; 4. St. John's 146; 5. UW-Stevens Point 154; 6. St. Thomas 214; 7. UW-Whitewater 238; 8. UW-Oshkosh 243; 9. Wartburg 246; 10. UW-Eau Claire 266; 11. Nebraska-Wesleyan 282; 12. Concordia-Neb. 377; 13. St. Olaf 378; 14. Washington, Mo. 392; 15. Loras 406; 16. Augustana 422; 17. Hope 441; 18. UW-Stout 455; 19. UM-Duluth 495; 20. Macalester 546; 21. Luther 553.

Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
1. Matt Downin (UW-Madison) 24.27.5; 49. Josh Johnson 26:28.1; 87. Clint Latz 26:53.4; 122. Ethan Webinger 27:17.1; 142. Bryan Ott 27:33.4; 146. Jamie Block 27:36.0; 176. Chris Stevens 27:57.1; 199. Josh Webb 28:14.1; 208. Mike Schumann 28:23.7; 218. Chris Emerson 28:34.2; 224. Alex Anderson 28:42.2; 246. Aaron Hess 29:18.3; 252. Todd Johnson 29:23.2; 256. Jason Donovan 29:35.0.

Women's Cross Country

October 17, 1998

WEST SALEM - UW-Stout's Katie Jacobson (Sr, Eau Claire) established a new cross country school record as she finished second at the Tori Neubauer Women's Maroon 5K run at the Maple Grove Country Club in West Salem Saturday, Oct. 17.

Jacobson clocked an 18:29.1 as she ecliped the former record of 18:30, held by her teammate Katy Olsen (Sr, Rice Lake).

Olsen finished 10th in a time of 18:46.6 as the Blue Devils finished sixth overall in a 21-team race. UW-La Crosse hosted the event.

Katie Kuffel (Jr, Minneapolis, Minn) was 51st (19:47.4) and Heather Meyers (So, Comstock) was 81st (20:04.2). Jen Wucherer (Jr, Edgar) returned to the course after being out for more than a month with an ankle injury, finishing 111th in a time of 20:17.6.

The Blue Devils will compete in a dual meet with UW-Eau Claire, Friday, Oct. 23 at Whitetail Golf Club near Colfax.

Tori Neubauer Maroon 5K team results
1. UW-Oshkosh 91; 2. Nebraska Wesleyan 154; 3. Augustana, Ill., 157; 4. UW-La Crosse 195; 5. St. Thomas, 216; 6. UW-Stout 237; 7. Wartburg 257; 8. Washington, Mo., 262; 9. Macalester 266; 10. Loras 278; 11. Hope 286; 12. Chicago 300; 13. UW-Stevens Point 311; 14. Concordia-Moorhead 320; 15. Carleton 322; 16. Bethel 366; 17. Concordia-Neb. 367; 18. UM-Duluth 385; 19. St. Benedict 407; 20. UW-Eau Claire 433; 21. St. Catherine 519.

Individual results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
1. Rhaina Echols (Chicago) 18:15.8; 2. Katie Jacobson 18:29.1; 10. Katy Olsen 18:46.6; 51. Katie Kuffel 19:47.4; 81. Heather Meyers 20:04.2; 111. Jen Wucherer 20:17.6; 124. Amy Arndt 20:25.4; 222. Robin White 21:44.9; 244. Ellen Everson 22:21.3; 255. Heidi Bedsted 22:54.9.

Women's Tennis

October 17, 1998

EAU CLAIRE - After taking on two of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) heavy hitters, only UW-Stout's Lauren Mader (Jr, Neenah) was able to pick a single win in either match.

The Blue Devils (0-8, 0-6) were blanked by UW-Eau Claire, 9-0, Saturday, Oct. 17 and only Mader got a win as Stout fell to UW-La Crosse, 8-1, Friday, Oct. 16. Both games were on the road.

Mader, playing No. 1 singles, downed the Eagles' Sarah Stepnes, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, Friday, before getting stopped, 6-1, 6-3, Saturday, by the Blugolds' Molly Cope.

The Blue Devils will conclude the 1998 season this weekend when they host the WIAC Championships Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Nielsen Center on the UW-Madison campus. Seedings for the tournament are expected out the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 19.

UW-Eau Claire 9, UW-Stout 0
Singles: No. 1: Molly Cope (EC) def. Lauren Mader, 6-1, 6-2; No. 2: Kathy Nelson (EC) def. Ann Jackson, 6-1, 6-0; No. 3: Andrea Muellner (EC) def. Sarah Lundquist, 6-1, 6-1; No. 4: Jacie Outot (EC) def. Lauren Johnson, 6-0, 6-0; No. 5: Angie Johnson (EC) def. Sara Hesli, 6-0, 6-2; No. 6: Lisa Klawiter (EC) de. Jodi Anderson, 6-3, 6-2; Exh: Katy Pittel (EC) def. Dana Rozmenoski, 6-3, 6-1;

Doubles: No. 1: Cope/Coralie Lockner (EC) def. Mader/Jackson, 6-1, 6-3; No. 2: Johnson/Suzie Hickman (EC) def. Hesli/Lundquist, 6-1, 6-2; No. 3: Outot/Muellner (EC) def. Johnson/Jodi Anderson, 6-3, 6-0; Exh: Kathy Nelson/Lisa Klawiter (EC) def. Jenni Anderso/Cecily Marx, 8-1.

UW-La Crosse 8, UW-Stout 1
Singles: No. 1: Lauren Mader (Stout) def. Sarah Stepnes, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; No. 2: Jennie Movrich (LX) def. Ann Jackson, 6-1, 6-1; No. 3: Sarah Mashark (LX) def. Sarah Lunquist, 6-3, 6-2; No. 4: Lauryn Campell (LX) def. Lauren Johnson, 6-3, 6-3; No. 5: Brea Lenart (LX) def. Sara Hesli, 6-1, 6-1; No. 6: Trista Fisher (LX) def. Megan Schwanbeck, 6-3, 6-0; Exh: Sarah Kuntzsch (LX) def. Jodi Anderson, 6-1, 6-1; Laura Wilsing (LX) def. Cecily Marx, 6-1, 6-1; Dana Rozmenoski (Stout) def. Lynn Grabarczyk, 6-2, 6-4;

Doubles: No 1: Stepnes/Movrich (LX) def. Mader/Jackson, 6-1, 6-0; No. 2: Mashack/Lenart (LX) def. Hesli/Lundquist, 6-2, 6-1; No. 3: Becky Longsdorf/Krysten Leary (LX) def. Jodi Anderson/Johnson, 6-1, 6-4; Exh: Holly Smith/Kuntzsch (LX) def. Marx/Schwanbeck, 6-2, 6-2.

Men's Ice Hockey

October 19, 1998

MENOMONIE - With the warm weather lately, it may not look like it, but the collegiate hockey season will get underway this weekend when UW-Stout opens their season by playing a weekend series against arch-rival UW-Eau Claire. The Blue Devils will be at Eau Claire Friday, Oct. 23 for a 7:05 p.m. start, then will open their home schedule Saturday, Oct. 24 when they host the Blugolds at 7:30 p.m. at the Dunn County Ice Arena. Stout plays in both the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA)and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Stout plays the Blugolds four times over the season. The first two games will count in the WIAC standings only, while the second two will count in the NCHA standings only.

The Blue Devils will look to erase the memory of a frustrating 7-19-1 last season finish.

Stout will seek to get more scoring punch out of returners Mark Corbett (Sr, New Hope, Minn), Graham Lomen (Sr, Apple Valley, Minn) and Luke Murray (Jr, Bloomington, Minn).

Todd Sether (Sr, International Falls, Minn) returns to the goal and is expected get help from a refurbished defense led by Greg Foster (Sr, Roseau, Minn) and R.J. Schriefer (Sr, Inver Grove Heights, Minn).

A strong recruiting class should help the Blue Devils regain the respectability the achieved two years ago when they returned to varsity status.

Updated: October 19, 1998