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Volume 6, Number 17 December 16, 2002
Blue Devil Sports Releases Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Men's Hockey Women's Gymnastics
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December 14, 2002BLUE DEVILS STEAL WAY TO WIN OVER LUTHER DECORAH, Iowa - Sticky fingers were a sure way to a win as UW-Stout recorded 24 steals to snag a 75-65 non-conference win over Luther College, Saturday, Dec. 14 in Decorah, Iowa. Sara Kahl (Jr, Menomonie) led the way with six thefts, while Laura Verdegan (Jr, Tony) pocketed five. Tanya Halbach (Sr, Janesville) finished with four steals. The thefts kept the Norse off-balance, limiting Luther to 41 percent shooting for the game. The Blue Devils (8-2) shot 42 percent in the first half, but pulled away in the second half on 53 percent shooting. Lindsey Erichsen (So, Spring Valley, Minn) tallied a game-high 17 points for Stout, while Verdegan scored 15 and Kahl added 11. Verdegan pulled down 11 rebounds, seven of them defensive boards. Luther (3-2) got 14 points from Jenny Laursen and 12 from Kelly Have. Stout is off until Dec. 29 when they face Elizabethtown College in the Land of Magic tournament in Orlando, Fla. The Blue Devils will face Hanover College the following day.December 11, 2002BLUE DEVILS DOWN STEVENS POINT, 88-85, IN OVERTIME MENOMONIE - UW-Stout missed seven free throws in overtime, but a 3-pointer by Tanya Halbach (Sr, Janesville), field goals by April Andrist (Sr, Manhatten, Mont) and Lindsey Erichsen (So, Spring Valley, Minn) and five made free throws were enough as the Blue Devils downed UW-Stevens Point, 88-85, Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Johnson Fieldhouse. The Pointers (6-2, 1-1) opened the extra period on a bucket by Amanda Nechuta to take a 78-76 lead. After Erichsen made one charity shot, the Pointers' Cassandra Heuer canned a 3-pointer to lift Point up, 81-77. Halbach answered back with a 3-pointer of her own to tighten the score to 81-80 and Erichsen gave Stout (7-2, 2-1) the lead with 2:41 left with two throws. Megan Hodgson gave the Pointers an 83-82 lead, their last lead of the game. Andrist's shot from just inside the arc pushed Stout ahead to stay. Erin Churchill (So, Plum City) hit a throw and Erichsen scored with 45 seconds left to give Stout an 88-83 lead. Stout missed the final four free throw opportunities and the Pointers pulled to within three on a bucket by Andrea Kramer. Cassandra Schultz's desperation 3-pointer fell short. Stout enjoyed an early lead, by as much as nine points, 25-16, with 7:42 remaining in the first half, but the Pointers took a 32-31 halftime lead. The Pointers held much of the lead in the second half, taking a nine point, 55-46, lead with 13 minutes remaining, but unanswered buckets by Steffanie Nemitz (Fr, Bloomington), Laura Verdegan (Jr, Tony) and Churchill cut into the lead and the game was tied eight times during the remainder of regulation. Trailing by two, 76-74, with 57 seconds left, Erichsen made two free throws to tie the game. Two subsequent turnovers by Stevens Point and a turnover by Stout kept the remainder of regulation scoreless. The Pointers' Nechuta led all scorers with 25 points. Cassandra Heuer added 16, Amy Scott 14 and Kraemer 12. Stout got a team-high 17 points from Erichsen, 16 points from Churchill and a career-best 11 points from Nemitz. Stout connected on 20-of-33 free throw attempts, while the Pointers were 8-for-13 from the line. Stevens Point, which was ranked ninth in the latest D3hoops.com poll, lost its 14th consecutive game to Stout in Johnson Fieldhouse. The Pointers last won in Menomonie Dec. 9, 1989.December 9, 2002BLUE DEVILS ROLL OVER MARTIN LUTHER, 83-64 MENOMONIE - UW-Stout opened with a 10-2 run and went on to an 83-64 non-conference win over first-time ever opponent Martin Luther College, Monday, Dec. 9 at Johnson Fieldhouse. After Stout (6-2) built a 26-11 lead midway through the first half, Martin Luther (3-3) cut the lead to single digits only once the rest of the way. Stout had a 54-31 halftime score, hitting 55 percent of their first half shots, and ballooned their lead to a 31-point, 77-56 score midway through the second stanza. Stout finished shooting 46 percent on the night and held Martin Luther to 34 percent from the field. Sara Kahl (Jr, Menomonie) scored 14 points - 11 in the first half - to lead Stout. Bonnie Thoe (Jr, Hayfield, Minn) kicked in 10 points. The Knights got 14 points from Erin Czer, 13 points from Bethany Bauer and 12 from Emma Babinee.
December 15, 2002BRAY SCORES 26 AS STOUT DEFEATS U OF MARY IN OVERTIME BISMARCK, N.D. - Andy Bray (Jr, Menominee, Mich) scored a career-high 26 points and Barrington Smith (Sr, Oklahoma City, Okla) hit a shot seconds before the buzzer to send the game into overtime as UW-Stout went on to defeat the University of Mary, 75-66, in Bismarck, N.D., Sunday, Dec. 15. Smith's driving lay-up with nine seconds left put the cap on a comeback that saw Stout trail by 18 points at halftime - and by four, 59-55, with 39 seconds left in regulation. Overtime was another story as the Blue Devils scored the first eight points to lock up the win, outscoring the host, 15-6 in the extra period. Bray, who was 9-of-20 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the line, recorded a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds and had four blocked shots along with three steals for the Blue Devils, who evened their record to 4-4 overall. Smith scored 18 points and Casey Chapman (Sr, Hartland) added 14, connecting on 4-of-8 3-pointers for the bulk of his points. The Marauders got 14 points from Matt Shaw and 11 from Cory Neely. Stout is off until Dec. 28 when they play Nebraska Wesleyan on their Christmas break tour in Hawaii. Stout will play Illinois Wesleyan Dec. 29. Stout returns home to host UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 4.December 13, 2002BLUE DEVILS COME TO LIFE IN FINAL MINUTES, DOWN VITERBO LA CROSSE - Outplayed much of the game, UW-Stout found what they needed in the final seven minutes of the game to down Viterbo University, 59-51, Friday, Dec. 13 in La Crosse. Trailing 48-45 with 6-minutes, 45-seconds remaining, Blue Devil point guard Barrington Smith (Sr, Oklahoma City, Okla) hit back-to-back buckets to push Stout (3-4) out to a 51-48 lead as the visitors took command to give Viterbo their fourth loss in five games. Stout nailed 6-of-8 free throws in the final 2:21 to seal the win. Stout's Jeff Vandenberghe (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn) led all scorers with 17 points and was perfect from the line by hitting all seven of his chances.December 11, 2002BLUE DEVILS HURT AT THE LINE IN LOSS TO POINTERS STEVENS POINT - UW-Stout outscored UW-Stevens Point by 12 points from the floor, but could not overcome a big advantage the Pointers had at the free throw line as the Blue Devils fell, 69-64, Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Stevens Point. The Blue Devils (2-4, 1-2) shot 24-for-54 from the floor and 7-for-11 from the penalty stripe, but the Pointers (6-0, 2-0), who hit 18-of-47 field goals, wore out the line by connecting on 24-of-33 free throws. Stout lost three players to fouls, two of them their top scorers - Jeff Vandenberghe (Jr, Coon Rapids, Minn) and Andy Bray (Jr, Menominee, Mich). Bray scored 15 points while Vandenberghe added 13 points. The Pointers held a 45-35 lead in the second half when Stout used a 13-3 run to tie the game, but a technical foul on the Blue Devils would become a marker in the game. Point went on a 7-1 run after the technical and was 12-for-15 from the line in the final four minutes. The Pointers were led by a game-high 20 points by Josh Iserloth. Nick Bennett added 14 points and Jason Kalsow tossed in 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
December 14, 2002BLUE DEVILS TAKE IT ON THE CHIN WITH LOSS TO AUGSBURG MINNEAPOLIS, Minn - UW-Stout lost a 7-3 non-conference decision to No. 15 ranked Augsburg College, Saturday, Dec. 14 in Minneapolis, Minn. Augsburg scored only 29 seconds into the game on a Joe Pontrelli goal, then came back 10 minutes later with another. But Stout cut the lead in half less than 30 seconds later when Nate Legler (Jr, Lakeville, Minn) scored on an assist by Dan Winkler (Jr, Brooklyn Center, Minn). The pattern repeated itself in the second period with Augsburg scoring two goals before Stout's Andy Jasicki (So, New Brighton, Minn) scored his first goal of his collegiate career, assisted by Drew Nichols (Sr, Victoria, Minn) with nine minutes off the clock. The teams traded goals in the remainder of the stanza with Pontrelli getting his second goal of the contest. Stout's Justin Huth (Fr, Shakopee, Minn) scored on the power play with four minutes remaining to cut the lead to 5-3. Mitch Kellin (Jr, Cohasset, Minn) and Mike Elm (Fr, Falcon Heights, Minn) assisted. The Auggies scored to close out the period, then tacked on another in the third. The Auggies were coming off an 8-1 shellacking at the hands of UW-River Falls the night before. Augsburg outshot Stout, 40-26. Stout is off until they travel to St. Olaf, Friday, Jan. 3.December 12, 2002TOMMIES SPREAD WEALTH AROUND IN WIN OVER BLUE DEVILS ST. PAUL, Minn - Seven different St. Thomas players scored goals as the Tommies ripped UW-Stout, 7-0, Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Coliseum in St. Paul, Minn. The Tommies (8-2-2), ranked sixth in the latest USHCO.com poll, two goals in the first and second periods and added three more in the final period. Stout (4-9-0) was outshot, 47-24.
December 10, 2002BLUE DEVIL WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ANNOUNCES TEAM AWARDS MENOMONIE - Lacey Osuldsen (Sr, Ladysmith/Bruce HS) was named as the most valuable runner for the UW-Stout women's cross country team, coach Joe Harlan announced recently. Osuldsen ran as the Blue Devils No. 1 runner in all but two races and had Stout's highest finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships, placing 18th in a time of 24-minutes, 23-seconds on the six-kilometer course. Kersten Wilson (So, Tomahawk) and Jenny Hopps (So, Coon Rapids, Minn) were named as the most improved returners, while Leah Karaliunas (Fr, Oconomowoc) was named the most improved freshman. Heidi Bedsted (Sr, Plainview, Minn) was named as most inspirational. Team captains for 2002 were Bedsted and Lisa Sorvala (Jr, New Brighton, Minn) and team captains for 2003 are Tracy Oostdyk (So, Spooner/Shell Lake HS) and Rachel Wurz (Fr, Marathon).
December 10, 2002BLUE DEVIL MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ANNOUNCES TEAM AWARDS MENOMONIE - Ryan Chernik (So, Pewaukee) was named as the most valuable runner for the UW-Stout men's cross country team, interim coach Joe Harlan announced recently. Chernik ran as the Blue Devils No. 1 runner in all but three races and had Stout's highest finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships, placing 62nd in a time of 28-minutes, 8-seconds on the eight-kilometer course. Adam Burrack (Fr, Shawano) was named the most outstanding freshman and was the Blue Devils' top runner in three races, including the NCAA Division III Midwest Regionals where he placed 99th (26:52.74) with the top eight-kilometer time of the season for any Blue Devil. Nate Lynch (So, Appleton/East HS) was named as the most improved runner. Co-captain Tim King (Sr, Waukesa/West HS) was given the Lou Klitzke Award for his contributions to the team. Dave Huber (Jr, Mendota Heights, Minn), who redshirted the season and was the other 2002 co-captain, was named a 2003 captain along with Todd Dexheimer (So, White Bear Lake, Minn) and Casey Otto (Jr, Fall Creek).
December 16, 2002BLUE DEVIL GYMNASTS SHOULD MAKE STRONG CASE MENOMONIE - Strong returners, the largest freshman class in more than a decade and a transferring individual conference champion should help UW-Stout make a strong case in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA). Tasha Pasch (Sr, Northfield, Minn) a two-time conference all-around champion and three-time national qualifier leads the Blue Devils for fifth year coach Jeff Richards. Pasch missed out on her chance for a three-peat at the WIAC Championships last season, but did qualify to the 2002 NCGA nationals for the third year, this time on the uneven bars and the floor exercise. Pasch advanced to the second day of competition on the bars, where she placed ninth, setting a school record in the process. Pasch's resume is impressive. The two-time All-American has held or currently holds or shares the school record for all five individual events. Richards expects to see Pasch go out in a flurry. "Tasha had not considered herself a bar worker, " Richards said, "but when she qualified to nationals and then advanced to the finals in the (uneven) bars, that made her realize. Tasha has increased her difficulty on the bars. "We expect a lot of her on the beam, floor and bars. There is a lot more competitiveness from her than in the past." Erika Opoien (Sr, Superior) shares the school record on the vault (9.40) with Pasch. "We will see Erika come into her own," Richards said. "She is more competitively mature and understands the focus of the meet. She has shown a lot more consistency during the preseason." Richards has also seen the pair of seniors take a more demonstrative role in terms of leadership. UW-River Falls' loss was UW-Stout's gain. When the Falcons dropped gymnastics last spring, Tiffany Reber (Sr, Mantorville, Minn), the defending WIAC vault champion, transferred to Stout. Reber also holds the River Falls school record in the vault with a 9.50. Reber was also an all-WIAC selection on the vault in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. "Tiffany obviously did very well at River Falls," Richards said. "She brings a lot of talent and depth to the team, as well as a whole new atmosphere." Reber has fit in very well with the Blue Devils, Richards said. "All the seniors know each other very well," Richards said, alluding to their three years of competition, but specifically mentioning when Reber qualified to the national meet, along with Pasch and Katie Hanson, a student assistant coach who competed for Stout, as a freshman. "They are all excited to have her here," Richards said. Jennie Rosinsky (Jr, Green Bay), Jill Birschbach (So, Chilton), Amanda Neuman (So, St. Paul, Minn) and Lacey Schroedl (So, Minneapolis, Minn) round out the returners. Rosinsky, who transferred from Stout for one semester, is strong on the vault, beam and floor, and was named as the Blue Devils' hardest worker last season. "Jennie was very strong on the vault as a freshman," Richards said, "and is back strong on the vault." Neuman was a picture of consistency for Stout, hence her receiving the most consistent performer award. Neuman has improved her bar set, Richards said, and has been particularly strong on the floor exercise and vault. "Mandy has given us so much depth on all four events," Richards said. Birschbach works primarily vault, beam and floor exercise. Schroedl is an all-arounder who battled through injuries last season and put up some strong numbers. "Jill will be able to step in anywhere to fill a void," Richards said. Schroedl has added difficulty to many of her events, in particular the floor. Incoming freshmen include: Greta Bachinski (Superior), Kelsey Gamelin (North Branch, Minn), Cassie Johnston (Albertville, Minn), Shanna Kissinger (Sioux City, Iowa), Robyn Niederkorn (Galesville), Helen Pansch (Zimmerman, Minn) and Rhian Paulson (Stillwater, Minn). Bachinski will work floor, beam and vault, and has added difficulty on the floor and beam, Richards said. Gamelin is a very talented performer who will be well seasoned, Richards said, by the time she is ready to compete. Kissinger has been plagued by an ankle injury early in preseason, but should be healthy enough to compete on the uneven bars and beam late in the season. Niederkorn is a power lifter who competed internationally last summer, Richards said in pointing out her strength. Robyn's bars routine is not quite fully put together yet," Richards said, "but she has learned so much." Pansch has "incredible lines and impeccable form," Richards said. "She is just beautiful to watch." Paulson and Johnston are both gymnasts to keep an eye on, Richards said. "The skills Rhian brings are phenomenal," Richards said. "She has so much difficulty in her floor routines that she is doing what maybe five percent of the NCGA competitors are doing." Paulson competed in club gymnastics and will reap the benefits a close-knit team can provide. "She will find out what it means to have a team behind her," Richards said. "She will find out what it means to compete for a team." Johnston has been the surprise performer on the squad for Richards. Richards said Johnston is strong both physically and mentally. "She could give some of our top kids a run, "he added. "She will surprise her own teammates and a lot of other teams." As Richards takes an overall look at his squad, he sees improvement, especially on the uneven bars. "If you look at our scores over the last few years, you will see that our strongest event has been the beam," Richards said. "The vault and the bars have been weaker." Richards likes what he sees about his overall young squad, a squad that boasts three seniors, one junior, three sophomores and seven freshmen. "We have the potential to be a top NCGA team," Richards said. "Our top kids are so well seasoned that when they get a good score, they will pull everyone up." The Blue Devils will open the season Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Winona State. Stout's first home meet is Friday, Jan. 31 when the Blue Devils host UW-Oshkosh.Updated: December 16, 2002 |