FOOTBALL
The Blue Devils (3-0, 1-0 WIAC) will be off until Saturday, Oct. 1 when they host Waldorf College in a 1 p.m. non-conferenece contest. Last week: The Blue Devils took a 24-7 win out of Springfield, Mass., over the Springfield College Pride in the team's first-ever meeting, Sept. 17. Offensive player of the week: Jesse Wendt, Jr, New Auburn (Chetek); Defensive player of the week: Travis Hoffmann, Jr, Schofield (DC Everest); Special teams player of the week: Brandon Olson, Jr, Eleva/Eleva-Strum.

VOLLEYBALL
The Blue Devils (9-3, 2-1) will be at UW-River Falls (4--6, 0-2), Wednesday, Sept. 21, then will be at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational, Sept. 23-24, where they will meet the host Blugolds (10-1) , UW-Stevens Point (9-4, 1-2), Millikin University (9-4) and UW-River Falls. Last week: Stout went 2-1 in conference play last week, downing UW-Eau Claire, 3-0, Sept. 14, UW-La Crosse, 3-2, Sept. 16 and falling to No. 9 ranked UW-Platteville, 3-0, Sept. 17. Player of the week: Lacey Bunkelman, Fr, Chippewa Falls

SOCCER
The Blue Devils (4-0-1, 1-0-1) have only one game this week, but it is a big one when Stout hosts perennial power UW-Stevens Point (4-2-0, 1-0-0) Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. Last week: Stout did not allow a goal last week as they defeated MSOE, 2-0, Sept. 10, UW-Whitewater, 3-0, Sept. 16, and tied UW-Oshkosh, 0-0, Sept. 17. Offensive player of the week: Michelle Lizotte, So, Racine/Horlick; Defensive player of the week: Heidi Schultz, Sr, River Falls

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Blue Devils women will be off until Saturday, Oct. 1 when they compete at the Beloit Old English Style Invitational. Last week: Stout placed seventh of 18 teams at the St. Olaf Invitational Sept. 17. Runner of the week: Katee Rosburg, Fr, Superior

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The Blue Devils men will be off until Saturday, Oct. 1 when they compete at the Beloit Old English Style Invitational. Last week: Stout placed seventh of 15 teams at the St. Olaf Invitational Sept. 17. Runner of the week: Nate Haeny, Jr, Sauk Rapids, Minn.

TENNIS
The Blue Devils (2-2) will be at UW-Eau Claire, Tuesday, Sept. 20, then will host the UW-Stout Triangular, Saturday, Sept. 24 at 9 a.m.. Last week: The Blue Devils competed at the UW-Whitewater Triangular where they lost 9-0 to Whitewater and 6-3 to St. Norbert. Singes player of the week: Katie Brott, Sr, Sheboygan/South

Football

WATKINS, BLUE DEVILS SHOW PRIDE THEIR SKILLS IN FIRST HALF

SPRINGFIELD, Mass (September 17, 2005) - A breakout performance by reserve running back Coty Watkins (Fr, Bloomington, Minn) helped UW-Stout overcome three significant injuries to spring past Springfield (Mass) College (0-2), 24-7, Saturday afternoon and improve its 2005 record to 3-0.

With starting running back Andy Reese (So, Lodi), linebacker Luke Steffen (Jr, Greenwood) and wide receiver Jesse Wendt (Jr, Chetek) falling victim to injuries, the Blue Devils needed a spark. Watkins provided that pick-me-up by rushing for 68 yards and one TD on 17 carries, while collecting one reception for another TD. Watkins had 37 yards and one TD on 15 carries, along with zero receptions, in the first two games this season.

Watkins helped the Blue Devils draw first blood, reaching pay dirt on a six-yard scamper with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the opening frame, about five minutes before kicker Evan Larsen (Sr, River Falls) lifted Stout's lead to 10-0 with a 20-yard field goal early in the second stanza.

The Pride cut the gap to 10-7 behind the strength of a 44-yard pass from Joe Deptula to Joe Czarnecki with 5:28 remaining before intermission, before the Blue Devils answered back with a knockout combination.

With 4:45 left in the second frame, Wendt snared a 49-yard touchdown strike from Keldric Stokes (Sr, Benton Harbor, Mich) to up his team-leading season TD reception total to five. And with 64 ticks left before the break, Watkins recorded the first reception of his young collegiate career, an 18-yard scoring pass from Stokes, who increased his season passing TD count to nine in helping up Stout's advantage to 17, at 24-7.

Stout outgained the Pride in net offensive yardage, 307 yards to 203. The Blue Devils totaled 178 rushing yards and 129 yards through the air. Springfield picked up 159 rushing yards and 44 passing yards. Stout earned 17 first downs to Springfield's 11. Stout committed three turnovers, Springfield four.

Prior to departing with his injury, Reese racked up a team-high 84 rushing yards on 13 carries, while back-up QB Tanner Kattre (So, Abbotsford) added 25 yards on eight rushes. Stokes connected on 10-of-18 aerial attempts for 115 yards, while tossing two picks. Kattre completed 4-of-7 passes for 14 yards. Wendt snared a team-high six catches for 84 yards before leaving the game, while John Henry Freeman (Jr, St. Louis, Mo)pulled down five catches for 22 yards.

Travis Hoffmann (Jr, Schofield) paced Stout defensively, netting 13 tackles (nine solo) and two sacks. Stephen Schils (So, Green Bay) added another sack to his team-leading season total and picked up seven tackles (three solo). Cory Brown (Sr, Milwaukee) picked off his team-high fourth pass of the season, whileJoe Seep (Sr, Reedsburg) picked off his third pass of the year and Tony Fitts (Jr, Kewaskum) collected an interception.

Marc Hatch totaled a game-high 108 rushing yards on 23 carries for Springfield, while Deptula kept the pigskin 23 times for 55 yards. Deptula completed 1-of-6 passes for 44 yards.

The Blue Devils will return to action Saturday, Oct. 1, when they host Waldorf (Iowa) College in a non-conference tilt at Don & Nona Williams Stadium.

MENOMONIE (September 13, 2005) - UW-Stout running back Andy Reese (So, Lodi) has been named to the d3football.com Week 2 Team of the Week.

Reese totaled a career-high 210 rushing yards on 38 carries Saturday, Sept. 10, to help spark the Blue Devils to a 24-16 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) victory over visiting UW-Platteville. Reese picked up first downs on 12 of his carries, which included jaunts of 40, 20, 19, 14, 13, 12 and 11 yards. Reese also returned one kickoff 43 yards.

Reese's previous career-high rushing total was 109 yards, which he picked up Oct. 2, 2004, during Stout's 65-7 romp over Waldorf (Iowa) College.

With 277 rushing yards in two games thus far in 2005, Reese is leading the WIAC's individual rushing total standings by 50 yards.

MENOMONIE (September 13, 2005) - UW-Stout linebacker Luke Steffen (Jr, Greenwood) has been named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) defensive player of the week for the week of Sept. 5-11.

Steffen earned the honor by recording 14 tackles (nine solo), two tackles for losses and a pass break-up Saturday, Sept. 11, during the Blue Devils' 24-16 defeat of WIAC foe UW-Platteville at Don & Nona Williams Stadium.

Blue Devil running back Andy Reese (So, Lodi) was nominated for offensive player of the week honors Stout's punter, Brandon Olson (Jr, Eleva), was nominated for special teams accolades.

Volleyball

PIONEERS PUT AN END TO STOUT STREAK

PLATTEVILLE (September 17, 2005) - UW-Platteville put an end to UW-Stout's winning streak at five with a convincing 3-0 win at Platteville, Saturday.

The N0. 9 ranked Pioneers (10-2, 2-1) put themselves into a tie for first place in the WIAC with the Blue Devils (9-3, 2-1) with a 30-26, 30-26, 30-10 win.

Stout hurt their cause with poor shooting, posting a hitting attack with only .034, but went into the negative range in the third game as Stout put up only 10 points and recorded only four kills. The Pioneers posted a hitting percentage of .229.

The Pioneers had two players with 10 kills, Mallory Dzubay and Dana Alf, while stout had none. Lacey Bunkelman (Fr, Chippewa Falls) recorded nine kills for Stout.

The service line and defensive net play were key in the game. The Blue Devils recorded six service errors, to only one for Platteville. The Pioneers also stuffed Stout at the net, picking up 17 block assists, while Stout had eight block assists and one solo block.

The Blue Devils will be at UW-River Falls, Wednesday, Sept. 21, then will be the UW-Eau Claire Invitational, Sept. 23-24.

LA CROSSE (September 16, 2005) - Displaying striking resilience and intestinal fortitude, UW-Stout battled back from continual deficits Friday evening to eke out a 3-2 victory over conference rival UW-La Crosse.

In a game that served to exemplify the parity in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) volleyball picture, the Blue Devils suffered sound defeats in the first and third games before running the table in nail-biting fourth and fifth games to improve to 9-2 overall (2-0 in the WIAC) and avenge a 3-2 setback to the Eagles in last season's NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Eagles, who entered the match with a three-game winning streak, fell to 9-3, 1-1. Entering the matchup, La Crosse was ranked No. 18 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, while the Blue Devils were ranked No. 22.

La Crosse dominated the first game, winning 30-18, before Stout pulled even by winning the second game, 30-22. The Eagles thumped the Blue Devils, 30-19, to take a 2-1 game lead, before the Blue Devils dug deep to capture 30-28 and 16-14 wins in the deciding two games.

"(Assistant coach) Pam (Schroeder) summed it up well in the huddle when she said, 'We're young but you can't teach heart,'" Stout head coach Jill Jolliff said after the game. "We played with a lot of heart. The players just decided they weren't going to lose."

Lacey Bunkelman (Fr, Chippewa Falls) continued to pace Stout's attack, totaling a team-high 16 kills. Linda Meyer (So, Cedarburg) added 14 kills, Jenny McDermid (Jr, Oconto Falls) 13 and Sarah McElfresh 11. Jenna Welsh (So, Abbotsford) dished out 34 assists, while Kat Roesler (Jr, Chippewa Falls) pitched in 17. Rachel Linbo (Sr, Stewartville, Minn) and Meyer led Stout in digs, with 27 each, while Welsh tallied 21 and Casey Huntoon (So, Mantorville, Minn) 18. Meyer, Roesler and Welsh recorded two service aces each.

Jessica Freund led La Crosse with 20 kills, while Tanya Foldy tallied 57 assists and Jennifer Jaeger totaled 24 digs.

Stout compiled a .135 hitting percentage, hitting below .100 in games one (.026), three (.085) and five (.083). La Crosse hit at a .190 clip, failing to eclipse the .100 mark in game five (.056). Both teams tallied 67 kills, while Stout collected 118 digs to La Crosse's 98.

The Blue Devils return to action Saturday when they travel to UW-Platteville for a contest slated to commence at 1 p.m.

"We just need to take one point at a time," said Jolliff of what her team must do to keep on the right track. "We can't afford to overlook a point, game or match. We just have to keep playing hard each point and that's what we've done thus far."

MENOMONIE (September 14, 2005) - Outside hitters Lacey Bunkelman (Fr, Chippewa Falls) and Linda Meyer (So, Cedarburg) attacked with all pistons firing, as UW-Stout earned a gargantuan sweep of previously-unbeaten rival UW-Eau Claire Tuesday in the teams' Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener Tuesday evening.

An enthusiastic crowd witnessed the Blue Devils' 30-24, 30-25, 30-28 victory, which lifted Stout's record to 8-2, 1-0 in the WIAC, and dropped the Blugolds to 8-1, 0-1. The win marked Stout's 11th win over Eau Claire in 13 tries this decade.

"I thought our team stepped up to the challenge," Blue Devil coach Jill Jolliff. "It's hard to put into words. This win came at exactly the right time. It's a huge confidence builder for my young team. I was pleased with all aspects of the game. Eau Claire had a nice block going but Linda and Lacey found a way to hit through it, around it or over it."

Bunkelman tallied a game-high 17 kills for Stout, posting a .433 hitting percentage and netting a team-high three service aces. Meanwhile, Meyer totaled 12 kills and led Stout in digs, with seven. Sarah McElfresh (Jr, Osceola) and Natalie Naaktgeboren (So, Maple Lake, Minn) added six kills apiece. Jenna Welsh (So, Abbotsford) distributed a team-high 30 assists, while Kat Roesler (Jr, Chippewa Falls) added 14.

Jodi Dunbar paced Eau Claire in kills with 10, while Carly Freiborg dished out 35 assists and Shanna Berger collected 10 digs.

As a team, Stout totaled 46 kills to the Blugolds' 36 and compiled a .323 hitting percentage to Eau Claire's .147. Stout outhit Eau Claire, .467 to .147 in the final game.

BLUE DEVILS AND OSHKOSH BATTLE TO SCORELESS TIE

MENOMONIE (September 17, 2005) - In a rough and tumble contest, neither team could pierce the other's defense as UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh placed to a scoreless tie in a WIAC soccer contest.

The two teams shot fairly evenly, with both teams putting nine shots on goal. Stout (4-0-1, 1-0-1) and Oshkosh (2-3-1, 1-0-1) were also fairly even in number of fouls shot as the combatants combined for 35 fouls. Six yellow cards were also distributed.

Both teams had opportunities, especially in the overtime periods. The Blue Devils had a dead on shot that sailed just over the goal, while the Titans had a point blank shot late in overtime that Stout's Charla Buxbaum (Fr, Hermantown, Minn) swallowed up.

"Even though it was a 0-0 game," coach Dave Morris said, "it was an all-out attack from both teams. Both defenses performed exceptional under pressure."

Morris was pleased with the performance and leadership of senior midfielder, Heidi Schultz (Sr, River Falls).

"Heidi had an inspirational game," Morris added. "She stepped up and demanded our players to win some balls in the overtime. We did make a break through in overtime, won some balls, and created some chances."

Buxbaum finished with eight saves, while a Stout defender stopped another shot. The Titans' Christine Barutha had nine saves.

Stout will return to action Saturday, Sept. 24 when they host UW-Stevens Point at 2 p.m.

MENOMONIE (September 16, 2005) - UW-Stout's soccer team would have been hard-pressed to find a better way to kick off this year's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) schedule.

Shining as brightly as the sun that warmed Nelson Field throughout the contest, the Blue Devils (4-0-1, 1-0-0) continued their unbeaten ways and notched their third consecutive shutout by defeating visiting UW-Whitewater (2-2-0, 0-1-0) 3-0 at Nelson Field. The blanking marked Stout's second straight shutout win over Whitewater.

"It was great to get the WIAC season off to a solid start," Blue Devil coach Dave Morris said. "It was nice to see everybody contribute. I thought Michelle, Shannon and Kelly did a great job. Our midfield was able to provide them with a lot of service and our defense is building a nice little shutout streak."

Forward Shannon Hermes (Jr, Prior Lake, Minn), in her first game back from an injury that prevented her from playing in any of Stout's previous 2005 tilts, netted a goal assisted by midfielder Carli Rindt (Jr, New Berlin) in the contest's ninth minute to put Stout up, 1-nil.

Just over four minutes later, forward Michelle Lizotte (So, Racine) fired a shot that found the back of the net for a 2-0 Stout advantage. Midfielder Katie Zernikel (So, Racine) assisted Lizotte's goal, which upped her team-leading season goal total to four.

Shortly after intermission, forward Kelly Stolarczyk (Sr, Elk River, Minn) scored her third goal of the season, lifting Stout's advantage to 3-0. Defenseman Al Smith (Sr, Chippewa Falls) assisted the goal.

Stout outshot Whitewater, 12-8, and committed four fouls to Whitewater's 14. Blue Devil goalkeeper Charla Buxbaum (Fr, Hermantown, Minn) recorded five saves in her 90-minute, shutout performance, while Sam Neely collected four saves for Whitewater.

Stout instituted a goalie-by-committee game plan, with Charla Buxbaum (Fr, Hermantown, Minn), Katie Thompson (Jr, St. Francis, Minn) and Anna Peterson (Fr, Burlington) taking turns tending the Blue Devils' net. Buxbaum played 60 minutes of shutout soccer, tallying two saves. Thompson netted two saves in 18 minutes, while Peterson played 12 minutes.Leah Kutz recorded eight saves for the Raiders, while Tina Forstrom saved four shots.

Women's Cross Country

BLUE DEVILS PLACE THREE RUNNERS IN TOP 40 AT ST. OLAF

NORTHFIELD, Minn (September 17, 2005) - In their first contest of the season, the UW-Stout cross country team place three runners in the top 40 at the 18-team St. Olaf Invitational in Northfield, Minn.

Krista Jahimiak (So, La Crosse) and Bridgette Crozier (So, Winona, Minn) paced the Blue Devils as Stout placed seventh overall. Jahimiak was 34th in a time of 24-minutes, 20-seconds. Crozier was right on her shoulder in 35th with a time of 24:22.

Stephanie Nichols (Jr, Chetek) was not far behind, finishing 40th (24:34) in a pack of runners. Abbey Ring (So, Manitowoc) was 45th (24:41) and Katee Rosburg (Fr, Superior) was 55th (24:56).

Stout is off until Saturday, Oct. 1 when they compete at the Beloit Old English Style Invitational.

Men's Cross Country

NATE HAENY PLACES 18TH AT ST. OLAF INVITATIONAL

NORTHFIELD, Minn (September 17, 2005) - Nate Haeny (Jr, Sauk Rapids, Minn) placed 18th at the 15-team St. Olaf Invitational to pace UW-Stout to a seventh place finish.

Haeny clocked a time of 26-minutes, 56-seconds. John Maresh (Sr, Bloomington, Minn) was 35th (27:41) and Brett Heimstead (Sr, Savage, Minn) was 57th (28:22).

Stout is off until Saturday, Oct. 1 when they compete at the Beloit Old English Invitational.

St. Olaf Invitational
1. Minnesota State-Mankato 57; 2. St. John's 72; 3. UM-Duluth 93; 4. Macalester 98; 5. Central College 126; 6. St. Olaf 135; 7. UW-Stout 222; 8. Gustavus Adolphus 242; 9. Minnesota State-Moorhead 253; 10. UW-River Falls 295; 11. Martin Luther 327; 12. St. Cloud State 341; 13. North Central 402; 14. Ellsworth Community College 428; 15. Crown College 454.

Women's Tennis

TENNIS TEAM DROPS PAIR AT WHITEWATER TRIANGULAR

WHITEWATER (September 17, 2005) - UW-Stout lost two dual meets Saturday at the Whitewater Triangular, evening their season record at 2-2.

The Blue Devils rebounded from a 9-0 shutout loss to the host school in the morning to play St. Norbert College tough in a 6-3 setback in the afternoon.

Jodie Czech (Fr, Foley, Minn) earned a 6-0, 6-0 blanking of her St. Norbert foe at No. 3 singles. Julie Mirenda (Fr, East Troy) posted a 1-0 singles record on the day, edging her St. Norbert adversary, 2-6, 6-2, 11-9. Katie Brott (Sr, Sheboygan) faced a defending conference champion during Stout's meet vs. St. Norbert, collecting a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The Blue Devils will return to action Tuesday, Sept. 20, when they travel to UW-Eau Claire for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Doubles: No. 1: Stamm/Farrar (WW) def. Bettmann/Hayek, 8-6; No. 2: Seitz/Dawson (WW) def. Hohl/Julie Mirenda, 8-3; No. 3: Brittany Gehring/Jenny Woyahn (WW) def. Czech/Farchmin, 8-5.

Doubles: No. 1: O'Brien/Weis (SNC) def. Bettmann/Hayek, 8-1; No. 2: Olberding/Heather Kerswill (SNC) def. Mirenda/Michelle Hohl, 9-7; No. 3: Jenna Prince/Emily McElhan (SNC) def. Czech/Farchmin, 8-2.

Women's Basketball

THOMAS HUMBLY ACCEPTS WBCA COACHING AWARD

MENOMONIE (September 17, 2005) - UW-Stout's Mark Thomas offered a crystal clear reminder of his down-to-earth nature in describing how he felt to be named the 2005 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Women's Coach of the Year.

Thomas explained how, upon introspective analysis, he was taken aback by being selected to receive the prestigious award.

And, instead of detailing his contributions to the Blue Devils' remarkable level of success last season or suggesting he employed impressive coaching tactics in leading Stout to a 24-7 season record, 12-4 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season mark, WIAC Tournament title and NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 appearance, Thomas credited last year's team members for putting him in a position to be honored by the WBCA.

"I'm very humbled that the state association would choose us for this award," said Thomas, who will be honored, along with the other recipients of the WBCA's 2005 coaching awards, at a special ceremony Saturday, Sept. 17, in Madison.

"It's a really cool deal for us. When I say us, I mean our program. I'm just representing the whole team. When I look at who I'm going to be up there with - Bo Ryan (DI Men's Coach of the Year), Jack Bennett (DIII Men's) and Kevin Borseth (DI Women's) - to be in a group of coaches like that is a really humbling feeling. For me to be thought of in the same breath as those three, to be chosen by my peers, is an exciting and neat feeling."

"Last year's team was a real treat to coach," added Thomas, who will speak at the WBCA's annual clinic Oct. 7. "To watch them mature and take on the challenges of our schedule speaks volumes of what the team was made up of, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. They bought into what we were teaching and took it to another level. The part I played was to keep them organized, prepared and focused for the next contest. The kids did all the work."

During the 2005-06 campaign, the Blue Devils will look to take advantage of the momentum generated by last year's squad and add to the excellence Thomas helped foster during his previous 18 years at the Stout helm.

Compiling 310-166 (.651) overall and 180-108 (.625) conference records as head coach of the Blue Devil women's basketball program, Thomas led Stout to NCAA Division III playoff showings in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002 and 2005; an NAIA Tournament appearance in 1991; an NAIA District 14 title in 1991; WIAC regular season and tournament crowns in 2002 and 2005; and a WWIAC co-championship in 1997. Thomas - who has amassed the most wins of any coach in WIAC women's hoops history - received conference coach of the year accolades following the 1993, 1997, 2002 and 2005 campaigns.

Thomas also serves as an assistant coach for the Blue Devils' baseball and football programs. Prior to his tenure at Stout, Thomas was an assistant football and baseball coach at Spring Valley and co-coached a highly successful girls' basketball program for his alma mater. Thomas has served as the chair of the Central Regional Advisory Committee, the group that ranks regional teams throughout the year.

Thomas was a two-sport letterwinner at UW-Superior, quarterbacking the Yellowjacket football team and playing catcher for the baseball team. He and his wife, Tracy, have two daughters, Lindsay and Leslie, and a son, Mitchell.

Updated: September 19, 2005