Women's Gymnastics

March 11, 2002

ST. PETER, Minn - UW-Stout's Tasha Pasch (Jr, Northfield, Minn) has qualified to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships on the uneven bars and the floor exercise.

Pasch will be making her third consecutive trip to the national meet. Last year, the Blue Devils qualified to the national event as a team and Pasch earned All-America honors, placing fifth on the vault and eighth in the all-around. As a freshman, Pasch earned All-America honors in the all-around, placing sixth.

This marks the first time Pasch has advanced individually to the national meet on the bars or the floor.

The 2002 NCGA Championships will be held March 22-23 at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y.

March 8, 2002

ST. PETER, Minn - With their second best team score of the season, UW-Stout wrapped up their season at the Midwest Regionals at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., Friday, March 8.

The Blue Devils scored a 170.50, second only to a 172.575 in January, but still finished eighth of eight teams in the regionals. Gustavus Adolphus edged out defending national champion UW-La Crosse by less than a half point.

Tasha Pasch (Jr, Northfield, Minn) will find out Monday if she advances to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships, March 22-23 at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y.

Pasch had Stout's top finish in all five events, but broke the top 10 in only two events - the all-around, where she placed seventh (35.95), and on the uneven bars, where she placed ninth (8.70). Pasch was 13th on the floor (9.25), 17th on the balance beam (8.925) and 17th on the vault (9.075).

Lacey Schroedl (Fr, Minneapolis, Minn) was 19th on the vault (9.050).

Midwest Regional Team Results
1. Gustavus Adolphus 180.60; 2. UW-La Crosse 180.175; 3. Hamline 177.60; 4. UW-River Falls 176.325; 5. UW-Oshkosh 175.90; 6. UW-Whitewater 175.275; 7. UW-Eau Claire 174.25; 8. UW-Stout 170.50.

Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
Vault: 1. Amanda Parker (GA) 9.475; 17. Tasha Pasch 9.075; 19. Lacey Schroedl 9.05; Erika Opoien 8.825; Jennie Rosinsky 8.525; Jill Brischbach 8.50; Mandi Neuman 8.30;

Uneven bars: 1. Melissa Stanton (Ham) 9.375; 9. Tasha Pasch 8.70; 24. Erika Opoien 8.35; Mandi Neuman 8.275; Lacey Schroedl 8.075; Scarlett Ramey 7.45; Jill Brischbach 7.30;

Balance beam: 1. Jennie Williams (Osh) 9.675; 17. Tasha Pasch 8.925; 23. Lacey Schroedl 8.75; Mandi Neuman 8.525; Erika Opoien 8.20; Jill Birschbach 7.75; Jennie Rosinsky 7.45;

Floor exercise: 1. Leslie Stewart (LX) 9.50; 13. Tasha Pasch 9.25; 23. Lacey Schroedl 8.95; Jennie Rosinsky 8.60; Erika Opoien 8.425; Jill Birschbach 8.00;

All-around: 1. Amanda Parker (GA) 37.325; 7. Tasha Pasch 35.95; 20. Erika Opoien 33.80; 21. Mandi Neuman 33.45; 22. Jill Birschbach 31.55.

Women's Track & Field

March 9, 2002

ADA, Ohio - UW-Stout's Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) and Jenney Luer (Sr, Colfax) placed third in their respective events at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships, Saturday, March 9 at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

Luer closed out her collegiate indoor career with her first All-America award, tossing the shot put 45-feet, 10.50-inches. Luer out-tossed Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) champion, Tabitha Fendrick of UW-Whitewater, who placed eighth with a throw of 44-2.75. Healy Thompson of Williams College won the event with a distance of 47-4.25.

Verdegan, competing in only her second meet of the season, extended her own school record in the triple jump, erasing the old mark of 38-3.50 with a jump of 38-4.75 to earn her first indoor, but second, All-America award. Verdegan placed third at the 2001 outdoor championships in the triple jump.

Verdegan, who placed second at the conference meet in the triple jump last weekend only three days after the completion of Stout's basketball season where she is a starting forward, outpaced UW-Oshkosh's and WIAC champion Jill Kincaid, who jumped 37-10.50 to finish sixth. Shimera Daniels of Wheaton, Mass, won her second consecutive triple jump title, this time setting a new Division III mark of 40-10.50.

As a team, Stout placed 11th, the Blue Devils' highest finish ever at nationals, with 12 points. UW-Oshkosh was second (37 pts), UW-La Crosse third (30.5), UW-Superior 20th (8), UW-Stevens Point 27th (7), UW-River Falls 40th (4), UW-Eau Claire 47th (3), and UW-Whitewater 57th (1). Wheaton, Mass, won the team title.

The Blue Devils will begin their outdoor season Saturday, March 16 when they compete at Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, Calif.

March 8, 2002

ADA, Ohio - UW-Stout's Jeff Rotering (Sr, Waumandee) placed third in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, Friday, March 8 at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

Rotering cleared 15-feet, 11-inches to grab his first All-America award. Jeremy Scott of Allegheny College set a new NCAA Division III record with a jump of 18-0.50 to take top honors, snapping UW-La Crosse's Mike Schnurr's record jump of 17-4.25 from 1996.

The Blue Devils' Dave Hanson (Jr, Sun Prairie) did not qualify to the final rounds in either the 55-hurdles or the 400-meter dash, which were run 25 minutes apart. Hanson was fourth in his heat and 13th overall in the hurdles (7.82) and second in his heat and 11th overall in the 400 (50.27).

Basil Steele of Dubuque and Shawn Levinson of the College of New Jersey each finished in 7.57 for top times in the hurdles. Andrew Rock of La Crosse turned in a time of 48.25 in the 400 to pace the field.

Rotering's six points placed Stout 25th. UW-La Crosse won the team title (54 pts), UW-Oshkosh was fifth (26), UW-Whitewater ninth (17), UW-Eau Claire 11th (16), UW-Stevens Point 18th (10), and UW-Platteville 22nd (8).

March 4, 2002

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn - One was never seriously in doubt, the other was a nailbiter, but UW-Stout opened the 2002 baseball season with a sweep over the University of Dubuque at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., Monday, March 4.

Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh of the second game, pinch hitter Jon Kroening (So, Ladysmith) drove in the tying and winning runs with a single to centerfield to give Stout (2-0) a 6-5 win.

In the opener, Matt Lunde (Sr, Eau Claire) went the distance and record eight strikeouts to record a 4-0 shutout.

In the second game, Stout entered the seventh inning trailing 5-2, but Brad Barneson (Sr, Strum), who went 4-for-6 on the day, crushed a lead-off ground rule double to center field. Barneson came home on a triple by JW Dachel (Sr, Bloomer) and Dachel scored on Justin Biever’s (Jr, South Milwaukee) single, sending the Spartan pitcher to the showers.

Jake Riek (So, Boyceville) reached safely on a throwing error on his sacrifice bunt. Adam Acker (Jr, Minnetonka, Minn) moved Brad Kaul (So, Hartford), who was running for Biever and Riek on a sacrifice bunt, setting the table for Kroening.

Stout scored first in the contest when Nick Kalina (Sr, Potosi) led off the first with a triple, then was plated by Brock Meyer’s (Jr, Lyle, Minn) groundout.

The Spartans took over the lead in the second inning with three runs, set up by a Stout throwing error. Stout added a single run in the fourth to pull to within 3-2 when Barneson tripled, then scored on a wild pitch.

Dubuque (1-7) added two more runs in the top of the seventh, with help from Stout’s second throwing error. Starting pitcher Adam Rothenbuhler (Sr, Trego) got knocked out of the game when he collided with Barneson going for a chopper off the artificial surface.

Nick Jones (So, La Crosse) picked up the win in two-thirds of an inning. Rothenbuhler had nine strikeouts in 7.1 innings, and allowed five runs, four earned.

Stout had two hits in the first six innings and notched five runs in the seventh.

Lunde had a perfect game going through the first three innings before the Spartans’ Cory Parr connected on his first of two hits in the fourth inning of the opener. Lunde held Dubuque scoreless until the seventh when Parr reached again, then moved to second on Brett Firzloff’s two out single. Lunde struck out the final batter looking.

Stout got all of their hits and runs in the first three innings.

Barneson led off the second with a triple, then came home on Dachel’s in-the-park homer. Following an out, Matt Hoeft (Jr, Elk Mound) doubled, then came home on Jim Foreman’s (So, Apple Valley, Minn) single.

Stout’s final run came in the top of the third. Kalina reached on a lead off single, stole second, then came home on a single by Barneson.

Stout is off until they head to Missouri for their annual spring break trip, March 17-22 in Joplin, Mo.

Updated: March 11, 2002