October 26, 1998

ON THE LINE: UW-Stout is back in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference race, as is just about everybody in the league. UW-Whitewater (3-1) and UW-La Crosse (3-1) are a half game behind UW-River Falls (4-1). Stevens Point (3-2) is fourth, while UW-Eau Claire (2-2) and Stout (2-2) are within striking range. The Blue Devils will have to go against the top defensive team in the league without the services of quarterback Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville), who had a open dislocation of his left ring finger. The Warhawks are rated in the top 20 in almost every Division III poll.

LAST TIME OUT: Stout: The Titans jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Bunyan started to find his bearings in the second quarter, leading Stout to three TDs, running for one and throwing for two. Bunyan went down midway through the third period, but Stout didn't miss a beat when reserve QB Marty Goryl (Jr, Greenfield) tossed a 21-yard completion on his first play. While not throwing for a TD, Goryl led the team to two rushing TDs, as Stout went on to a 35-24 win. Ryan Patt (Jr, N. Fond du Lac) led a rejuvenated running attack, picking up 87 yards on seven runs and a TD. Patt also caught 10 passes for 89 yards and a TD. Stout tallied 189 yards on the ground, 282 in the air. Bunyan finished with 166 yards passing and two TDs, while Goryl finished with 116 yards passing.

Whitewater: Trailing UW-Platteville, 14-13 into the fourth quarter, the Warhawks took over in the fourth quarter with two TDs, one a 1-yard run by QB Ty Grovesteen (Sr, Evansville) and an 80-yard pass play by Tony Magestro (Sr, Madison) from Grovesteen, as Whitewater went on to a 27-21 win. The Warhawks outgained the Pioneers, 450-325, getting 228 on the ground, 222 in the air, all from Grovesteen. Jeff McKenzie (Jr, Whitewater) led all rushers with 112 yards, while Magestro had 189 receiving yards.

LAST YEAR: Stout and Whitewater 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. Whitewater was WIAC champion with a 7-0 record, and finished 9-1 overall, falling in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Warhawks took a 35-14 win at Nelson Field last year, as they piled up 342 yards on the ground, and limited Stout to 253 total yards, 201 in the air.

THE SERIES: Whitewater leads the series, 30-8-2, which dates back to 1928 when the Warhawks won, 40-0. Whitewater has won the last 11 games and Stout's last win came in 1985, a 7-0 win at Nelson Field.

STOUT PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) 245-147-7, 1979 yds (282.7 y/g); 24 TDs, holds school career record for most TDs thrown with 71; QB Marty Goryl (Jr, Greenfield) 26-14-0, 172 yds, 1 TD; WR Jesse Diaz (Jr, Cottage Grove) 39 rec, 571 yds, 14.6 yd/rec, 81.6 yd/game, 6 TDs; WR Jesse Witcraft (Sr, New Lisbon) 14 rec, 358 yds, 25.6 yd/rec, 71.6 yd/game, 4 TDs; TB Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) 415 yds, 87 carries, 4.8 yd/carry, 27 rec, 390 yds, 8 TDs (one shy of tying school record for most TD passes caught); CB Corey Morning (Sr, Bloomer) 58 tackles, 36 solo, 4 passes broken up; LB Eric Lund (So, Ashland) 63 tackles, 30 solo, 12 tackles for losses of 51 yards, 5 sacks for 36 yards, 5 passes broken up; DE Bill Berg (Sr, Washburn) 28 tackles, 10 solo, 8 tackles for losses of 31 yards, 3 sacks for 22 yds, 1 fumble recovery; LB Chad Reichelt (So, Appleton) 46 tackles, 19 solo, 5 tackles for losses of 7 yards; Blue Devils avg 424.0 total ypg, 116.7 rushing, 307.3 passing; give up 391.0 total ypg, 218.7 rushing, 172.3 passing.

WHITEWATER PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Ty Grovesteen (Sr, Evansville) 110-62-2, 1265 yds (210.8 y/g), 14 TDs, 94 carries, 391 yds (65.2 y/g), 7 TDs; RB Jeff McKenzie (Jr, Whitewater) 578 yds, 118 carries, 4.9 yd/carry, 96.3 yd/g; RB Justin Warren (Fr, Palmyra) 330 yds, 39 carries, 8.5 yd/car, 66 yd/g; WR Tony Magestro (Sr, Madison) 27 rec, 597 yds, 22.1 yd/rec, 99.5 yd/game; DB Jake Wolter (So, Wauwatosa) 31 tackles, 15 solo, 5 int for 121 yards, 3 pass break ups; DB Brad Kilgora (Jr, Whitewater) 56 tackles, 36 solo, 1 sack, 2 pass break ups; DL Dave Vitel (Sr, Elgin, Ill) 34 tackles, 21 solo, 8 tackles for losses of 26 yards, 2 sacks for 17 yds; Warhawks avg. 482.5 total ypg, 255.7 rushing, 226.8 passing; give up 280 total ypg, 102.2 rushing, 177.8 passing.

OFFENSIVE LOOK: Whitewater: 2 back-I pro-set; Stout: multi-pro set which incorporates a West Coast style offense. DEFENSIVE LOOK: Whitewater: 5-2; Stout: 4-3

COACHES: Stout coach Ed Meierkort (23-34 career) is in his sixth year. Whitewater's Bob Berezowitz (97-41-2) is in his 14th year.

STOUT COACH ED MEIERKORT SAYS: "Marty (Goryl) did exactly what we expected him to do, he just happens to be behind one of the top quarterbacks in the country. For him to come in and lead us to two TDs is a real tribute to our offensive coaches. Here we have someone we can run up the flag pole and come into the game and lead us to a WIAC win. Our key was stopping the run and we needed to run the ball because we felt we lost that last week. We couldn't allow Oshkosh to open up their playbook.

"This is our Super Bowl going down to a hostile environment, a great college football environment. This will be a big week for us. (Ty) Grovesteen can beat you by himself. We have got to keep the ball out of his hands. Their defense is always tough. You have to earn everything against them. In our mindset, we have to make the plays. It will come down to whose players will make the most plays."

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

October 24, 1998

MENOMONIE - The UW-Stout offense was hitting on all cylinders as the Blue Devils downed UW-Oshkosh, 24-35, in Menomonie Saturday. For the first time in weeks, Stout looked to its running backs and they delivered. The Blue Devils rushed for 169 yards - the team's top rushing performance of the year.

Early on it appeared as if it would be a long day for the Blue Devils. Oshkosh took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter when John Duginski scored on a two-yard run from scrimmage. Then, with just seconds gone by in the second quarter, David Gaulke nailed a 35-yard field goal to increase the Titans' advantage to 10-0.

From there, the UW-Stout offense took control. With 11:33 remaining in the second quarter Matt Bunyan (Sr, Janesville) topped off a 68-yard drive with a one-yard sneak to score the Blue Devils' first touchdown of the game.

Then, on the Blue Devils' next possession, Shawn Lund (Jr, Ashland) scored on a 10-yard pass from Bunyan, giving Stout its first lead of the game at 14-10.

The Stout defense held the Titans to a three-and-out on their insuing possession. After the punt, the Blue Devil offense methodically marched 86 yards to score the team's third touchdown of the second quarter. With just 10 seconds remaining in the frame, Bunyan completed an eight-yard pass to Ryan Patt (Jr, N. Fond du Lac). Kevin McCulley (So, Fond du Lac) was successful on the extra point, so the Blue Devils took a 21-10 lead to the locker room at the half.

Both teams exchanged punts throughout most of third quarter; however, Oshkosh was able to put some points on the board in the final minute. Duginski ran it from three yards out for his second score of the game, lifting the Titans to within three points of the Blue Devils.

But in the fourth, Stout shut the door on UWO. At the 12:39 mark, McCulley set up for a 22-yard field goal, but a bad snap forced holder Tom Schaffner (So, Janesville) to scoop up the ball and run. To the delight of the Blue Devils, Schaffner ran straight into the end zone. McCulley tacked on the extra point, and Stout led 28-18.

Then, with 5:31 remaining, Patt scored on a 21-yard run. Nolan Mosher (Jr, Janesville) added the extra point, giving Stout a 35-18 lead.

Oshkosh fought back and quickly scored when quarterback Brian Tomalak ran the ball in from seven yards out with 4:36 still remaining in the fourth quarter; however, Gaulke missed the extra point, so the Blue Devils led by eleven.

The Titans got the ball back with 2:26 remaining and were well on their way down the field, but John May lost the handle on the ball after catching a 35-yard pass near the Stout 31-yard line. Stout safety Jeff Jackman (Jr, River Falls) recovered the fumble, dashing any hopes of victory for Oshkosh. The Blue Devils successfully ran out the clock to log the 35-24 victory. The win improved Stout's overall record to 4-3 and 2-2 in league play.

Bunyan left the game injured late in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Marty Goryl (Greenfield) came on to complete 9 of 16 passes for 116 yards and led the Blue Devils to two scores. Bunyan and Goryl combined for 282 yards passing.

Ryan Patt was Stout's top gainer, leading the Blue Devils with 87 yards rushing and 89 yards receiving.

On the Oshkosh side, Tomalack passed for 302 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. Duginski led the Titans on the ground, rushing for 60 yards and scoring two TD's.

The Blue Devils travel to UW-Whitewater to meet the first place Warhawks Saturday, Oct. 31./by Anne Steiner, UW-Stout Sports Information assistant

Soccer

October 22, 1998

EAU CLAIRE UW-Stout took an early lead into halftime against UW-Eau Claire, but couldn't hold off the Blugolds, falling 3-1 Thursday, Oct. 22 in Eau Claire in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) soccer contest.

Stout (7-9-1, 3-4-1) scored the only goal of the first half when Jessica Unterweger (Jr, Nashotah, Wis), scored off a pass from Becca Carlson (Jr, Rosemount, Minn).

The second half did not go as well for Stout. Eau Claire (14-3-1) came back with three unaswered goals. Erica Thompson deflected the ball off Kari Blasczyk's cross for Eau Claire's first goal. Blasczyk scored an unassisted goal less than two minutes later to give Eau Claire a 2-1 lead. The Blugold's Katie Pierquet scored the last goal off a pass from Nikki Johnson. Eau Claire outshot Stout, 19-3. Stout's Nikki Bezak (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn) had four saves, while Eau Claire goalkeepers only had to turn away one shot.

Volleyball

October 24, 1998

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - After winning 10 of their last 13 matches, the UW-Stout volleyball team ran into a buzz saw in northern Minnesota, coming out of the St. Benedict Invitational with a 1-3 record, Saturday, Oct. 24 in Collegeville, Minn.

But the win came over arch-rival UW-Eau Claire, a 3-0 pasting of the Blugolds that came in the Blue Devils' final match of the tournament. Stout swept past Eau Claire, 15-6, 15-4, 15-10 as Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) had 14 kills, one solo block and four assisted blocks to lead the Blue Devils.

With the win, Stout bested last year's win total of 17 and ran their record to 18-9, their most wins since the 1994 season.

Before meeting Eau Claire, Stout fell to host St. Benedict, 15-6, 15-3, 15-12, St. Olaf, 15-11, 7-15, 15-6, 15-8 and the University of Dubuque, 6-15, 15-8, 15-4, 11-15, 15-13.

Against the Oles, Stoddard belted out 17 kills, but was upstaged by Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn), who had 20 kills.

On the weekend, Stoddard finished with 76 kills, five solo blocks and 10 assisted blocks. Stoddard was named to the all-tournament team. Feit had 61 kills, four solo blocks and five assisted blocks.

The Blue Devils will be off until they play at the UW-River Falls Trick or Treat Invitational, Oct. 30-31. The Blue Devils will travel to UW-Stevens Point Tuesday, Nov. 3 for the quarterfinals of the WIAC Volleyball Championships.

October 21, 1998

MENOMONIE - Nationally ranked UW-River Falls twice came back from 9-1 deficits, but UW-Stout held on to down the Falcons, 16-14, 4-15, 15-13, 16-14, Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The Blue Devils (17-6, 5-3) put the Falcons (22-3, 6-2) in a 9-1 hole in both the first game and the third game.

In the first game, River Falls roared back to take a 14-11 lead, and Stout clawed back until two consecutive service aces by Stout's Jenny Kraczek (Jr, Blaine, Minn) gave Stout a 15-14 lead. Stout lost the ball, but a kill by Stacy Stoddard (Sr, St. Paul, Minn) gave the Blue Devils the ball back and Heather Cassell (So, Lake Geneva) slammed down the kill for game point.

The Falcons, ranked ninth in the latest AVCA poll, easily disposed of Stout, 15-4, in the second game.

The Blue Devils came up big in the third game, jumping out to another 9-1 lead, but the Falcons worked to a 13-12 lead. A kill by Monica Cyrus (Sr, Farmington, Minn) and a combined block gave Stout a 14-13 lead. Gina Schwederske (Fr, Almena) served game point when she notched her only service ace of the night.

The deciding game was tight the entire way, not separated by more than one point until the final score. Leading 14-13, the Falcons gave Stout, the Midwest Region's eight ranked team, the game and the match with three attack errors. Stoddard served up the two final points, her only two serves of the evening.

Stoddard was an effective offensive weapon all night, racking up a match-high 21 kills. Cyrus finished with 14 kills and Tori Feit (Jr, Rushmore, Minn) had nine kills. The Falcons' Caroline Schwane and Joy Nicholson each had 13 kills.

Men's Cross Country

October 23, 1998

COLFAX - Eric Hanson (Jr, Winona, Minn) easily outpaced the field to lead the UW-Stout men's cross coutnry to a win with a dual meet with UW-Eau Claire Friday, Oct. 23 at Whitetail Golf Club near Colfax.

Hanson outpaced teammate Ryan Hill (Sr, Chetek) for medalist honors, coming in at 26-minutes, 58-seconds. Hill finished at 27:29. The Blue Devils outdueled Eau Claire, 23-32.

The Blue Devils took four of the top six places with Corey White (Fr, Roberts) fifth (27:43) and Joshua Webb (So, Chippewa Falls) sixth (27:48).

Stout will conclude the regular season Saturday, Oct. 31 when they participate in the WIAC Championships at Oshkosh.

UW-Stout 23, UW-Eau Claire 32
Stout Individual Results only
1. Eric Hanson 26:58; 2. Ryan Hill 27:29; 5. Corey White 27:43; 6. Joshua Webb 27:48; 9. Mike Schumann 28:08; 12. Todd Johnson 28:20; 13. Alex Anderson 28:27; 15. Chris Emerson 28:35; 16. Aaron Haas 28:38; 18. Seth Kaste 29:01; 19. Jason Donovan 29:03; 20. Jason Kirch 29:43; 21. Mike Western 29:50; 22. Bryan Walvohd 30:09; 23. Tim King 30:14; 24. Chris Bedsted 32:37.

Women's Cross Country

October 23, 1998

Meyers finished in a time of 20-minutes, 16-seconds to lead all Stout runners. Jen Wucherer (Jr, Edgar) continues to recover from an early season ankle injury and placed 11th (20:41). Jamie Souza (Fr, Joplin, Mo) was 16th (21:06) and Robin White (Jr, Ladysmith) was 18th (21:09) for the Blue Devils who were ranked 19th in the Oct. 19 NCAA Division III coaches' poll.

UW-La Crosse won the event, sweeping all five top spots. Stout was second with 52 points and Eau Claire was third with 71 points.

Stout will conclude the regular season Saturday, Oct. 31 when they participate in the WIAC Championships at Oshkosh.

UW-La Crosse 15, UW-Stout 52, UW-Eau Claire 71
Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
1. Tara Schmitz (LX) 19:51; 6. Heather Meyers 20:16; 11. Jen Wucherer 20:41; 16. Jaime Souza 21:06; 18. Robin White 21:09; 25. Dana Piper 21:22; 27. Joylyn Jans 21:46; 29. Tanya Miller 21:53; 30. Coryn Delaney 21:55; 32. Ellen Everson 22:00; 43. Jessica Schultz 24:46.

Women's Tennis

October 25, 1998

Lauren Johnson (So, Hamel, Minn) and Sarah Lundquist (Fr, Minneapolis, Minn) both moved up on their No. 7 seed, finishing sixth. Johnson dropped her first No. 4 singles match, but then defeated Tarah Martin of UW-Whitewater, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4. She then lost the fifth place match to UW-Stevens Point's Jenny Oelke, 6-0, 6-4. Lundquist lost her first No. 3 singles match, but came back to down the Pointers' Anne Renken, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1. She lost in the fifth place match, 6-3, 6-2, to UW-River Falls' Meghann Mulligan.

Lauren Mader (Jr, Neenah) finished the highest of any Blue Devil, placing fifth at No. 1 singles. Mader lost her opening round match to Sarah Stepnes of UW-La Crosse, then downed River Falls' Lindsey Oberg, 6-1, 6-1 and the Pointers' Amy Oswald, 6-2, 7-5.

WIAC Tournament Championship Team results
1. UW-Eau Claire 68 (14 pts); 2. UW-La Crosse 47 (12); 3. UW-Oshkosh 42 (10); 4. UW-Whitewater 39 (8); 5. UW-Stevens Point 28 (6); 6. UW-River Falls 22 (4); 7. UW-Stout 15 (2).

WIAC Dual Team standings
1. UW-Eau Claire 6-0 (7 pts); 2. UW-La Crosse 5-1 (6); 3. Tie, UW-Whitewater 3-3 (4), UW-Stevens Point 3-3 (4); UW-Oshkosh 3-3 (4); 6. UW-River Falls 1-5 (2); 7. UW-Stout 0-6 (1).

Overall WIAC Women's Tennis Standings
1. UW-Eau Claire 21; 2. UW-La Crosse 18; 3. UW-Oshkosh 14; 4. UW-Whitewater 12; 5. UW-Stevens Point 10; 6. UW-River Falls 6; 7. UW-Stout 3.

Singles: No. 1: Lauren Mader lost to Sarah Stepnes (LX), 7-5, 6-1; def. Lindsey Oberg (RF), 6-1, 6-1; def. Amy Oswald (SP), 6-2, 7-5, placed 5th; No. 2: Ann Jackson lost to Jenny Pekulik (Osh), 6-0, 6-0; lost to Christine Kraft (RF) by default, 7th; No. 3: Sarah Lundquist lost to Suzie Hickman (EC), 6-1, 6-0; def. Anne Renken (SP) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; lost to Meghann Mulligan (RF) 6-3, 6-2, 6th; No. 4: Lauren Johnson lost to Julie Willkom (RF) 6-4, 6-0; def. Tarah Martin (WW), 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4; lost to Jenny Oelke (SP), 6-0, 6-4, 6th; No. 5: Megan Schwanbeck lost to Jen Derse (SP) 6-3, 6-4; lost to Allison Karel (Osh), 6-1, 6-3, 7th; No. 6: Dana Rozmenoski lost to Trista Fisher (LX) 6-0, 6-1; lost to Lisa Krist (WW), 7-5, 6-1.

Doubles: No. 1: Ann Jackson/Lauren Mader lost to Heather Hearn/Tricia Strachota (WW), 6-3, 6-2; bye; lost to Meghann Mulligan/Lindsey Oberg, 6-3, 7-5, 6th; No. 2: Sara Hesli/Sarah Lundquist lost to Heather Janssen/Anne Renken (SP) lost to Christine Kraft/Julie Willkom (RF) 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 7th; No. 3: Jodi Anderson/Lauren Johnson lost to Katie Hart/Amy West (Osh), 6-4, 6-4; def. Rory Holmquist/Sadie Rassmussen (RF) 6-2, 6-3; lost to Tammy Byrne/Laura Henn (SP) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Men's Ice Hockey

October 24, 1998

MENOMONIE - Kelly Selix's (Sr, Elk River, Minn) goal with seven minutes remaining in the game proved to be the game-winner as UW-Stout shook off the effects of a previous night's loss and downed UW-Eau Claire, 3-2, Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Dunn County Ice Arena.

Selix took a pass from Tom Schaffner (Sr, Janesville) and Shane Maher (So, Forest Lake, Minn) as Stout evened their overall and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) record to 1-1.

It was the Blugolds that came out the chutes first, when Jamie Hanson scored with about five minutes remaining in the first period. Eau Claire (1-1) made it a 2-0 game with only a minute off the clock in the second period when Chris Smith split Stout goalie Ben Plester (Fr, Chemainus, British Columbia).

But Stout would charge right back and did it twice on the power play within a minute midway through the second period.

Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich) scored with 10:40 off the clock and got assists from Joe Berry (Fr, Apple Valley, Minn) and Jason Jones (Jr, Plymouth, Minn).

Eau Claire outshot Stout, 44-40, with Plester turning away 42 shots.

Stout will host UW-River Falls Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in an Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) opener for both teams at the Dunn County Ice Arena. Stout travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., for a series with the Air Force Academy Oct. 30-31.

October 23, 1998

EAU CLAIRE - The UW-Stout hockey team took a 2-0 lead, allowed UW-Eau Claire to tie the game, regained the lead, then lost control of the game, falling to the Blugolds, 9-5, in the season opener for both teams at Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire, Friday, Oct. 23.

But Eau Claire would tie the game with two quick goals in the second. Stout regained the lead when Kelly Selix (Sr, Elk River, Minn) scored at the 11:27 mark.

The Blugolds then went on a roll, popping off four goals through the second and third periods to take a 6-3 lead. Stout cut the lead to 6-4 when Mark Corbett (Sr, New Hope, Minn) scored. Eau Claire's Adam Sklader gave the Blugolds a 7-4 lead before Selix scored his second goal of the night 14 minutes into the third period.

Eau Claire retaliated with two more late period goals within 20 seconds of each other.

The Blugolds outshot Stout, 41-34, but did a lot of damage in the third period, outshooting the Blue Devils, 14-6, and getting five goals.

Updated: October 26, 1998