BASEBALL
The Blue Devils (7-7, 1-2) will look to get back on the winning track after a 1-2 WIAC opening weekend at UW-Platteville. Stout will travel to UW-River Falls, Wednesday, April 10, then will host UW-Oshkosh, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14. The River Falls game is scheduled for 1 p.m., the Oshkosh games will be at noon. Last week: The Blue Devils split, April 6, with Platteville, losing the first, 5-3, then coming back to win, 6-3. With rain threatening or actually falling during play, the Pioneers took a 15-11 win in a contest that featured 29 hits between the two teams. The second game was cancelled, and will only be made up if the result would have a bearing on the conference picture. Position player of the week: James Foreman, So, Apple Valley, Minn; Pitcher of the week: Ryan Wolf, Sr, Adrian, Minn.

SOFTBALL
The Blue Devils (3-3, 0-0) will open WIAC play this week when they play at UW-River Falls, Wednesday, April 10. Stout will then be at the first WIAC Cluster Tournament April 13 and 14 at UW-Whitewater where they will face Whitewater, UW-Platteville, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point in single games. Stout's scheduled doubleheader with UW-Eau Claire has been postponed to Tuesday, April 23. Last week: Stout finished 3-1 in their own tournament, which was moved to Williams Stadium because of poor ground conditions at Wakanda Park. The Blue Devils won their first three games by the 8-run rule, then fell in the championship game, 7-6, to St. Scholastica. Position player of the week: Michele Harvieux, So, Centerville, Minn (Centennial); Pitcher of the week: Leslie Barkin, Fr, Buffalo Grove, Ill.

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
The Blue Devils will be at Gustavus Adolphus, Saturday, April 13. Last week: Stout competed at UW-Eau Claire. Track athlete of the week: Linnea Kersten, Fr, Downing, Wis. (Boyceville) Field athlete of the week: Jenney Luer, Sr, Colfax, Wis.

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
The Blue Devils will be at UW-La Crosse, Saturday, April 13. Last week: Stout finished second at the Luther College Norse Relays, April 6. Track athlete of the week: Dave Huber, Sr, Mendota Heights, Minn. Field athlete of the week: Jeff Rotering, Sr, Waumandee, Wis. (Arcadia)

WOMEN'S TENNIS
The Blue Devils will return to action for their spring schedule when they host St. Mary's, Wednesday, April 10 at 4 p.m.

Baseball

April 7, 2002

PLATTEVILLE - UW-Platteville erased a tied score with a 10-run fifth inning to down UW-Stout, 15-11, in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest Sunday, April 7 in Platteville. The second game was rained out.

The Pioneers (8-5, 2-1) sent 13 batters to the plate in the fifth inning as the Blue Devils (7-7, 1-2) failed to get any of the first six batters in the inning out. Even a strikeout didn't help, as a passed ball allowed the runner on and Platteville took a 15-5 lead.

To the Blue Devils' credit, they did come back in the game, getting a run in the seventh, tagging on four runs in the eighth and one in the ninth.

In the eighth, James Foreman (So, Apple Valley, Minn) led off with a solo home run. The next two Stout batters reached and Greg Meinertz (Fr, La Crosse) brought them home with a three-run home run.

Stout took an early 5-0 lead. Jake Riek (So, Boyceville) started things off with a lead-off home run. Nick Kalina (Sr, Potosi) scored moments later when Justin Biever (Jr, South Milwaukee) drove him in. Stout added three more runs in the second on Jon Kroening's (So, Ladysmith) three run shot.

The Pioneers added two runs in the second, two in the third on Merrill Brunson's round tripper and aded another in the fourth to tie the game at 5 apiece.

Stout will be at UW-River Falls, Wednesday, April 10 and will host UW-Oshkosh in a weekend doubleheader, April 13-14.

April 6, 2002

PLATTEVILLE - Adam Acker (Jr, Minnetonka, Minn) hit a two-run triple in the the eighth inning of the second game to help UW-Stout salvage a split at UW-Platteville, Saturday, April 6, in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener.

After dropping the first game 5-3, Stout (7-6, 1-1) and the Pioneers (7-5, 1-1) were tied at 3 apiece in the second when Acker, hitting in the ninth spot with two outs, drove in Rich Young (So, Woodbury) and Brock Meyer (Jr, Lyle, Minn). Acker came home seconds later when Nick Kalina (Sr, Potosi) was safe on an error.

Adam Rothenbuhler (Sr, Trego) went seven innings on the hill and had 10 strikeouts, but Ryan Wolf (Sr, Adrian, Minn) came on to toss the final two innings of scoreless ball to get the win.

In the opener, the Pioneers got to Blue Devil ace Matt Lunde (Sr, Eau Claire) for three runs in the first three innings. Stout did come back in the fourth for two runs, but the Pioneers answered back with two of their own in the bottom half of the stanza.

Lunde, who notched his first loss of the season, worked seven innings, striking out five and giving up five runs, three earned.

JW Dachel (Sr, Bloomer) was 3-for-5 in the game, while Rob Govek (Sr, Wausau) was 2-for-5 in his first game as a Blue Devil and James Foreman (So, Apple Valley, Minn) was 2-for-4.

Stout and Platteville will meet again Sunday, April 7 in Platteville.

April 7, 2002

MENOMONIE - St. Scholastica scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand host UW-Stout a 7-6 loss, their only loss of the tournament in the final game of the UW-Stout Fastpitch Tournament.

The Blue Devils (3-3) were down 5-2 heading into the seventh inning, but battled back to take a 6-5 lead.

Andrea Boyle (Fr, Blaine, Minn) started the inning off by reaching on an error. Pitcher Molly Kraft (Fr, St. Louis Park, Minn) walked and Scooter Aspen (So, Eau Claire) loaded the bases with a single. Sara Jensen (Jr, Eau Claire) walked to drive in Boyle and a sacrifice fly to center by Sara Kokke (Sr, Galesville) brought Kraft home. A single by Erin O'Connell (Fr, Altoona) and a double by Michelle Harvieux (So, Centerville, Minn) plated Stout's final runs.

The Saints (6-16) Jen Vancura led off the seventh with a walk, then was moved to second by Veronica Giesen's single to left. Kelsey Hedlund's fly out to right moved Vancura to third and an error allowed her to score, tying the game. Giesen advanced to third on the error, then came home when Kraft lost track of the pitch during the windup, recording a stolen base to win the game.

Both teams scored two runs in the first inning, but Scholastica added single runs in the second, third and fourth innings.

Complete Tournament Coverage

April 6, 2002

MENOMONIE - Maybe Sarah Kokke (Sr, Galesville) needs to make sure she is class more often on the days UW-Stout plays.

Kokke, after missing the first two games of the day because of Saturday classes, returned to the Blue Devils' final contest and made a triumphant entrance as Stout downed Northwestern College, 13-2 in five innings, at Williams Stadium, Saturday, April 6 in the final game of the day in the UW-Stout Fastpitch Invitational.

Kokke cracked out the first home run at Williams Stadium, a two-run smash over the center field fence in the second inning. Kokke capped off the day with a two-run single in the third inning.

Stout (3-2) smacked out 14 hits, with Kokke and Andrea Boyle (Fr, Blaine, Minn) each went 3-for-3. Kim Caswell(So, Stanley) and Sky Flanders (Fr, Elmwood) each recorded three RBI.

Molly Kraft (Fr, St. Louis Park, Minn) recorded the first win of her young collegiate career, going the distance, while scattering five hits.

Leah LaPine was 2-for-3 for Northwestern (3-2-1), which committed no errors in the game.

Scooter Aspen (So, Eau Claire) had two stolen bases to run her totals to six stolen bases on the day. Aspen also had several throws from her centerfield spot to hold Northwestern runners.

April 6, 2002

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout evened their season record with their second straight five-inning contest in their own tournament as they shut down Northwestern College, 12-4, Saturday, April 6 at Don & Nona Williams Stadium.

Assisted by two Northwestern errors in the fifth, Stout scored three runs to end the game. Erin O'Connell (Fr, Altoona) got a hit to left field to end the game when she drove in Scooter Aspen (So, Eau Claire). The Blue Devils (2-2) got three runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth.

Stout collected seven stolen bases, with Aspen getting three and Kim Caswell (So, Stanley) picking off two. At the plate, Aspen was 2-for-3 and scored three runs. Michelle Harvieux (So, Centerville, Minn) wielded the big bat for Stout, going 3-for-3 with five runs batted in.

Laura Bohn (Fr, Stoughton) notched her first collegiate win, allowing two earned runs and getting two strikeouts.

April 6, 2002

MENOMONIE - After giving up two runs in the first two innings, Leslie Barkin (Fr, Buffalo Grove, Ill) settled down to allow no more runs and Stout pounded out 10 runs in fourth inning to notch a 13-2 win over Northland College to open the UW-Stout Fastpitch Tournament at Don & Nona Williams Stadium.

Barkin finished up with six strikeouts and allowed only one earned run to lead Stout to their first win of the season.

Down 2-0 heading into the second, Andrea Boyle (Fr, Blaine, Minn) grounded out to third to drive in Scooter Aspen (So, Eau Claire), who had reached on a fielder's choice, then stole the next two bases. Michelle Harvieux (So, Centerville, Minn) singled, moved on Boyle's ground out, then scored when Kaylene Hanson (Fr, Black River Falls) was safe on an error.

The 10 run fourth was keyed by Erin O'Connell (Fr, Altoona) who cracked a two-run single to score Kaela Wold (Fr, Altoona) and Sara Jensen (Jr, Eau Claire). Northland committed five errors in the inning and eight in the game.

Harvieux, Jensen and O'Connell each were 2-for-3. Andrea Boyle (Fr, Blaine, Minn) had two RBIs.

Northland's Tiffany Fibert and Lindsey Wegner each were 2-for-3 with Fibert getting an RBI.

April 6, 2002

EAU CLAIRE - Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) won the 400-meter dash, the triple jump and the long jump, while teammate Jenney Luer (Sr, Colfax) won the shot put in school record fashion and the discus at the UW-Eau Claire Snow Open, Saturday, April 6.

Verdegan took the triple jump in an NCAA Division III qualifying distance of 38-feet, 4.75-inches, won the long jump in a distance of 17-4.75 and the 400 in a time of 1:01.34 minutes.

Luer captured the shot put in an NCAA Division III automatic qualifying and school record distance of 45-8.50. Luer tossed the discus in an automatic distance of 148-11.

Tracy Oostdyk (So, Shell Lake) was second in the 1500-meter run and the third in the 3000-meter run. Ann Schachtner (Fr, Somerset) was third in the shot put.

Stout will be at Gustavus Adolphus, Saturday, April 13.

Individual Results
First place, all Stout finishers
100: 1. Katie Miller (EC) 13.01; 14. Sara Manion 14.46; 15. Tricia Lipke 14.73; 200: 1. Katie Miller (EC) 27.03; 6. Laura Verdegan 28.22; 11. Kate Werner 28.83; 14. Danielle Wojcik 29.68; 15. Sarah Jenne 29.81; 16. Tricia Lipke 29.99; 400: 1. Laura Verdegan (Stout) 1:01.34; 6. Kelly Young 1:04.34; 7. Angie McConnell 1:04.82; 12. Amber Wilde 1:10.49; 800: Chrissy Baune (Augsburg) 2:22.48; 6. Heidi Bedsted 2:38.20; 7. Mara Anderson 2:41.82; 11. Denise Hady 2:49.91; 13. Alissa Leustek 2:57.89; 1500: 1. Alicia Fredricks (EC) 5:07.81; 2. Tracy Oostdyk 5:13.29; 5. Amy Arndt 5:21.08; 10. Kersten Wilson 5:31.03; 3000: 1. Jane Ovanin (EC) 10:50.82; 3. Tracy Oostdyk 11:42.10; 5. Amy Arndt 11:59.07; 8. Valori Schaffer 12:10.01; 5000: 1. Jane Ovanin (EC) 17:52.77; 4. Heidi Bedsted 19:33.41; 6. Lacey Osuldsen 20:04.18; 9. Nacole Ewerdt 20:46.82; 100-hurdles: 1. Amie Oltrogge (Winona) 16.74; 4. Linnea Kersten 17.90; 7. Attalia Young 19.57; 400-hurdles: 1. Breanna McMullen (EC) 1:05.54; 5. Linnea Kersten 1:11.57; 7. Sharon Klingen :14.56; 4X100-relay: 1. Eau Claire 50.46; 4. Stout 53.48; 6. Stout B 53.69; 4X400-relay: 1. Winona 4:13.48; 5. Stout 4:37.18; 8. Stout B 4:53.83;

High jump: 1. Beth Flink (EC) 5-0.50; 6. Ann Marie Curtis 4-8.50; 7. Ramona Vann 4-8.50; Pole vault: 1. Jenny Foegen (Winona) 9-0; Long jump: 1. Laura Verdegan (Stout) 17-4.75; 6. Ramona Vann 14-8.75; 7. Sara Manion 13-6; 8. Attalia Young 13-1.25; Triple jump: 1. Laura Verdegan (Stout) 38-4.75; Shot put: Jenney Luer (Stout) 45-8.50*a; 3. Ann Schachtner 40-7; 12. Tabitha Martin 33-3.75; 14. Marci Schachtner 31-5.75; 16. Donna Goodman 31-1.75; Discus: 1. Jenney Luer (Stout) 148-11p; 6. Ann Schachtner 116-9; 9. Marci Schachtner, Wendy Keller 105-2; 12.Kendra Busch 95-6; 14. Donna Goodman 87-8; 19. Tabitha Martin 73-6; Hammer: 1. Jenny Klatt (Winona) 136-1l 12. Marci Schachtner 80-2; 13. Ann Schachtner 79-9; 14. Wendy Keller 78-5;

April 2, 2002

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Jenney Luer (Sr, Colfax) walked away with two first-place finishes, two meet records, two NCAA qualifying marks and a school record as she competed in a meet at Augustana (Ill.) March 29.

The only Blue Devil to participate in the otherwise dual meet between Augustana and UW-La Crosse, Luer left her mark, winning the discus in an NCAA Division III automatic qualifying and school record mark of 152-feet, 2-inches.

Luer tossed the shot put an NCAA provisional qualifying distance of 43-3, only four inches short of the school record of 43-7.

Both marks were meet records.

April 6, 2002

DECORAH, Iowa - Jeff Rotering (Sr, Waumandee), Dave Hanson (Jr, Sun Prairie) and Dave Huber (Sr, Mendota Heights, Minn) took first place finishes at the Luther College Norse Relays, Saturday, April 6 in Decorah, Iowa.

Rotering won the pole vault with a distance of 15-feet, 2.25-inches. Hanson was first in the 400-meter hurdles (55.10). Huber took the gold in the 5000-meter run (15:42.18). Stout won the 1600-medley relay, anchored by John Hanson (Sr, Grantsburg).

As a team, Stout finished second at the meet.

Norse Relays
1. Augustana 194.5; 2. UW-Stout 148; 3. St. Olaf 136; 4. Luther 122.5; 5. Dubuque 100; 6. Coe 54; 7. Upper Iowa 26; 8. Cornell 10; 9. St. Mary's 6.

Individual Results
First place, all Stout finishers
110-hurdles: 1. Basil Steele (Dub) 15.11; 3. Dave Hanson 15.36; 6. Jeff Miller 15.98; 400-hurdles: 1. Dave Hanson (Stout) 55.1; 4. Steve Floyd 58.7; 5. Jeff Miller 59.7; 8. Eric Grunewald 63.0; 5000: 1. Dave huber (Stout) 15:42.18; 5. Tim King 17:16.69; Matt Miller 17:38.61; 10,000: 1. Kelly Fulton (SO) 33:07.56; 4.Ethan Webinger 33:32.72; 3000-steeplechase: 1. Nick Johnson (Aug) 9:56.6; 8. Ryan Chernik 11:01.6; 4X100-relay: 1. Coe 42.60; 4. Stout 43.60; 4X200-relay: 1. Coe 1:30.34; 2. Stout 1:30.41; 4X400-relay: 1. St. Olaf 3:20.83; 3. Stout 3:22.48; 8. Stout B 3:38.08; 4X800-relay: 1. Augustana 7:58.2; 3. Stout 8:21.3; 4X1600-relay: 1. Augustana 18:12.20; 3. 19:04.30; 1600-medley relay: 1. Stout 3:36.75; 10. Stout B 4:00.44; Distance medley relay: 1. Augustana 10:45.40; 5. Stout 11:33.75;

High jump: Cory Dungels (SO) 6-5; 2. Justin Zmyewski 6-1.25; 7. Jay Sitek 5-9.25; Pole vault: 1. Jeff Rotering (Stout) 15-2.25; 4. Lewis Cassilius 13-8.50; 6. Noah Fuller 12-8.75; Long jump: 1. Cory Dungels (SO) 23-1.50; 6. Eric Moe 20-1; 8. Mark Swenson 20-0; 11. Nate Olsen 18-8.75; Triple jump: 1. Ken Larson (Aug) 45-0; 4. Eric Moe 41-5.50; 6. Nate Olsen 37-8.25; 7. Chad Sosalla 37-7; Shot put: 1. Jon Pettlon (Luther) 49-6.25; 15. John Nelson 38-0; Discus: 1. David Gonzeles (Aug) 138-9; 11. John Nelson 116-2; 14. Jason Houtjec 110-5; Hammer: 1. Scott Searcy (Coe) 136-7; 4. Dave Luety 118-2; Javelin: 1. Todd Baldwin (Aug) 170-10; 7. Jeff Rotering 139-3; 18. Jason Houtjec 110-6; 20. Jay Sitek 102-11.

Women's Basketball

April 5, 2002

MENOMONIE - Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine) did a little bit of everything for the UW-Stout women's basketball team and was named the team's most valuable player for the second consecutive year, head coach Mark Thomas announced Friday, April 5 at the team's annual awards banquet.

The Blue Devils were the 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) champion and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs, finishing with a team record 23-5 overall record as well as a best-ever 15-1 WIAC record.

Zelinger was the team's leading scorer, averaging 9.6 points on a team that led the league in scoring with five players scoring between 9.4 and 9.6 points. Zelinger, a two-time first team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) choice. Zelinger, who has played all five positions this season, led the team in scoring with 9.6 points per game, pulled down 3.7 rebounds, dished out a team-high 2.82 assists and finished second on the team in steals with 2.0. Zelinger had 22 blocked shots. Zelinger was also a two-time choice to the WIAC all-defensive team. Zelinger finished her career with 1046 total points, ranking her fourth on the all-time Stout scoring list and set a school career record for steals with 275.

Tanya Halbach (Jr, Janesville) garnered the team's most valuable offensive award, averaging 9.5 points per contest and was well on her way to racking up more points when she injured her knee in the WIAC playoffs. Halbach was a first team all-WIAC pick.

Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) took home a passel of awards, including the most valuable defensive player award, chair of the boards (rebounds), was the steals leader and shared the Hustle Award. An honorable mention all-WIAC pick, Verdegan was named to the WIAC all-defensive team, leading Stout in steals with 2.3 per game and rebounds with 5.3. She averaged 9.4 points.

Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn) was named the rookie of the year, and led the team in scoring most of the season, finishing with 9.5 points per game for a total of 266 points, just one-tenth of a point short of Zelinger's average. Erichsen, an honorable mention all-WIAC choice, pulled down 5.0 rebounds.

Freshmen Ann Schachtner (Somerset) and Erin Churchill (Plum City) shared the most improved award. Schachtner played in the post, pulling down 2.6 rebounds while averaging nine minutes per game. Churchill played at the point guard spot and was second on the team to Zelinger in assists (78) and averaged 5.0 points.

Bonnie Thoe (So, Hayfield, Minn) and Sara Kahl (So, Menomonie) shared the Hustle Award with Verdegan. Jackie Ellsworth (So, Hayward), who was injured after nine games, and Bethany Halvorson (Sr, Independence) shared the Spirit Award. Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton) and Jessie Herrman (So, Barron) were the free throw percentage leaders and Tiffani Calmes (Jr, Abbotsford) and Jenny Sheffer (Fr, Merrillan) received the Coach's Award.

2001-02 UW-Stout Women's Basketball Team Awards
Most Valuable Player - Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine); Offensive MVP - Tanya Halbach (Jr, Janesville); Defensive MVP - Laura Verdegan (So, Tony); Rookie of the Year - Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn); Co-Most Improved - Ann Schachtner (Fr, Somerset, Erin Churchill (Fr, Plum City); Hustle Award - Laura Verdegan (So, Tony), Bonnie Thoe (So, Hayfield, Minn), Sara Kahl (So, Menomonie); Super Sub Award - Erin Churchill (Fr, Plum City); Spirit Award - Jackie Ellsworth (So, Hayward), Bethany Halvorson (Sr, Independence)

Statistical Awards
Chair of the Boards - Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) 5.3 rebounds/game; Scoring Champion - Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine) 9.6 ppg, Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn) 9.5 ppg; Assists Leader - Amy Zelinger 2.8 assist/game, Erin Churchill (Fr, Plum City) 2.8 apg; Steals Leader - Laura Verdegan 2.3 steals/game; Free Throw Percentage Champion - Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton) .806, 34/67, Jessie Herrman (So, Barron) .842, 16/19; Coaches Award: Tiffani Calmes (Jr, Colby), Jenny Sheffer (Fr, Merrillan).

First Year Letterwinners
Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn), Ann Schachtner (Fr, Somerset), Erin Churchill (Fr, Plum City), Kim Maley (Fr, West Bend), Jenny Philipsky (Fr, Lomira)

Repeat Letterwinners
Jackie Ellsworth (So, Hayward), Jessie Herrman (So, Barron), Tiffani Calmes (Jr, Abbotsford), Tanya Halbach (Jr, Janesville), Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton), Sara Kahl (So, Menomonie), Bethany Halvorson (Sr, Independence), Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine), Laura Verdegan (So, Tony), Jamie Retzloff (Sr, Strum), Bonnie Thoe (So, Hayfield, Minn),

Awards
Amy Zelinger (Sr, Racine) First team all-WIAC, All-WIAC defensive team, all-region third team; Tanya Halbach (Jr, Janesville) All-WIAC first team, Snowflake Jamboree all-tournament team; Stacie Anderson (Sr, Clayton) All-WIAC honorable mention, WIAC player of the week; Laura Verdegan (So, Tony) All-WIAC honorable mention, all-WIAC defensive team, Snowflake Jamboree all-tournament team; Lindsey Erichsen (Fr, Spring Valley, Minn) All-WIAC honorable mention; Mark Thomas, WIAC coach of the year; Team, 2001-02 WIAC Champions, ranked in top 10, won University of Chicago Tournament.

Updated: April 8, 2002