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Volume 6, Number 18 December 23, 2002
Blue Devil Sports Releases Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Men's Hockey Women's Gymnastics
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December 17, 2002LINDSEY ERICHSEN NAMED WIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK MENOMONIE - In three victories last week, UW-Stout forward Lindsey Erichsen (So, Spring Valley, Minn/Kingsland) scored 43 points (14.3 ppg), shot 14-of-27 (.519) from the field, 15-of-25 (.600) from the line, had 20 rebounds (6.7 rpg), three assists, three blocked shots and four steals. For her efforts, Erichsen was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women's basketball player of the week.Erichsen scored 17 points in a 75-65 win over Luther College, Dec. 14, 17 in an 88-85 win over defending national champion UW-Stevens Point including two free throws to tie the game in regulation, Dec. 11, and nine points in an 83-64 win over Martin Luther, Dec. 9. On the season, Erichsen lead the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game and is second in rebounds with 5.7 caroms. She is shooting .506 from the field (43-of-85) and .687 from the line (46-of-67). In addition, Erichsen has 10 assists, nine blocked shots and 14 steals. Erichsen ranks seventh in the WIAC in scoring and is 18th in rebounds. She is seventh in shooting percentage, 15th in free throw percentage and ninth in blocked shots. The Blue Devils are currently 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the WIAC and is ranked 14th in the Dec. 15 D3hoops.com national poll. Stout resumes play Sunday, Dec. 29 at the Land of Magic tournament when they face Elizabethtown College.
December 23, 2002HAWAIIAN GAMES TO BE BROADCAST OVER THE WEB MENOMONIE - Both of UW-Stout's games in Hawaii are scheduled to broadcast live from Hawaii by WMEQ AM-880 radio, with Jake Bostrom and Steve Schrantz broadcasting while wearing their best flowered Hawaiian shirts. The games will be streamed over the Internet at WMEQ. Game time for the Saturday, Dec. 28 game vs. Nebraska Wesleyan is scheduled for 10:30 p.m., Central Time. The Sunday, Dec. 29 game vs. Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
December 23, 2002BLUE DEVILS IDLE UNTIL JANUARY 3 MENOMONIE - UW-Stout swings back into action Saturday, Jan. 3 when they travel to Northfield, Minn., to face St. Olaf. The Blue Devils will host Gustavus Adolphus, Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
December 21, 2002SPIELMAN, RHONE 1ST TEAM, KNEPPER 2ND TEAM D3-FOOTBALL.COM ALL-AMERICAMENOMONIE - UW-Stout linebacker Jamie Spielman (Sr, Menomonie) and defensive back Tyrone Rhone (Sr, Milwaukee/Vincent) were named to the first team of the 2002 D3football.com All-America team and offensive lineman Ben Knepper (Jr, Rice Lake) was a second team choice as the teams were announced Saturday, Dec. 21 at the NCAA Division III championship game in Salem, Va. Spielman was the Blue Devils' leading tackler with 86 tackles, 59 of them solo. He led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in tackles for loss (21-70 yds) and was second in sacks (7-50 yds). Spielman is a two-time first team all-WIAC selection and was named to the WIAC second team twice. Spielman was an a first team selection to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America team, a second team pick to the 2002 Football Gazette All-America team, an honorable mention All-America choice to the Hewlett-Packard team, a finalist for the prestigious Gagliardi Award and was a defensive team captain in the Aztec Bowl, an all-star game that features a Mexican national team and top NCAA Division III players. Rhone stepped into the uniform vacated by former Blue Devil All-America Tony Beckham - literally, he wore Beckham's No. 2 - and filed the spot admirably. Rhone recorded 41 tackes, 25 solo, had four interceptions, six pass break-ups and one fumble recovery. Rhone also returned punts and kicks, averaging 8.3 yards per punt return and 21.6 yards per kick off return. Rhone has attracted the attention of more than 20 NFL teams. "Tyrone has great feet, athletic ability and toughness," said Stout defensive coordinator Todd Strop. "He is one of the most competitive young men I have been around." Knepper is a 6-foot, 4-inch, 305-lb, tackle who helped produce one of the Blue Devils' top running games of all time. The Blue Devils averaged 225.1 yards per game on the ground, second only to the wishbone offense of UW-River Falls. As a team, Stout averaged 398.1 total offensive yards per contest. Knepper started all 10 games this season despite a mid-season injury, and surrendered only one sack the entire season, that coming in the opening game. The Blue Devils ran 65 percent of their running plays to Knepper's side, said offensive line coach Rod Carey. Knepper was a third team selection to the 2002 Football Gazette All-America team. All three players were first team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), Spielman and Knepper unanimous picks. December 19, 2002SPIELMAN, KNEPPER EARN FOOTBALL GAZETTE ALL-AMERICA HONORSMENOMONIE - UW-Stout linebacker Jamie Spielman (Sr, Menomonie) and offensive lineman Ben Knepper (Jr, Rice Lake) were named to Don Hansen's Football Gazette 2002 NCAA Division III All-America Team, Thursday, Dec. 19. Spielman, who was a first team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) selection, was a second team choice to the Football Gazette team and Knepper was a third team pick. Both Spielman and Knepper were unanimous first team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) picks. Spielman was the Blue Devils' leading tackler with 86 tackles, 59 of them solo. He led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in tackles for loss (21-70 yds) and was second in sacks (7-50 yds). Spielman is a two-time first team all-WIAC selection and was named to the WIAC second team twice. Spielman was a an honorable mention All-America choice to the Hewlett-Packard team, a finalist for the prestigious Gagliardi Award and was a defensive team captain in the Aztec Bowl, an all-star game that features a Mexican national team and top NCAA Division III players. Knepper is a 6-foot, 4-inch, 305-lb, tackle who helped produce one of the Blue Devils' top running games of all time. The Blue Devils averaged 225.1 yards per game on the ground, second only to the wishbone offense of UW-River Falls. As a team, Stout averaged 398.1 total offensive yards per contest. Knepper started all 10 games this season despite a mid-season injury, and surrendered only one sack the entire season, that coming in the opening game. The Blue Devils ran 65 percent of their running plays to Knepper's side, said offensive line coach Rod Carey. Spielman was the only WIAC player placed on either the Gazette's first or second All-America teams. Three other WIAC players joined Knepper on the third team. Stout finished the season at 7-3 overall, 4-3 in the WIAC. Both Spielman and Knepper were first team all-West Region choices by the Football Gazette. A total of 74 players were chosen for the Football Gazette All-America team by sports information directors for the 13th straight year. All-Region teams were selected from each of the NCAA's four football regions with first and second team selections moving on the All-America ballot. December 17, 2002JAMIE SPIELMAN TABBED ALL-AMERICA BY COACHESMENOMONIE - UW-Stout linebacker Jamie Spielman (Sr, Menomonie) was named to the 2002 AFCA Division III Coaches All-America Team, announced Tuesday, Dec. 17, by the American Football Coaches Association. Spielman was the Blue Devils' leading tackler with 86 tackles, 59 of them solo. He led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in tackles for loss (21-70 yds) and was second in sacks (7-50 yds). Spielman, the only WIAC player named to the 2002 AFCA team, is a two-time first team all-WIAC selection and was named to the WIAC second team twice. He was a unanimous first team selection this year. "Jamie's ability to change the tempo of the game with his big plays and his level of emotion," said coach Ed Meierkort, "is a big reason this team has been so formidable these last three years." Stout has led the league in total defense the last three years and this year's defense allowed a Division III best 50 rushing yards per game. Stout allowed 239 total yards, ranking ninth in the NCAA. Stout finished the season at 7-3 overall, 4-3 in the WIAC. Spielman, a finalist for the prestigious Gagliardi Award, was one of the defensive captains for the United States in the annual Aztec Bowl, a game that pits the top NCAA Division III players against a Mexican all-star team. Spielman is the third UW-Stout player in as many years to be placed on the AFCA team. Defensive lineman Jeff Hazuga was a 2000 choice and defensive back Tony Beckham was on the 2001 team. Spielman is the son of Jeff and Geneva Spielman. The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all four divisions. The team is chosen exclusively by a panel of college football coaches. Spielman was also an honorable mention selection for the 2002 Hewlett Packard Division III All-America team. A total of 115 players from 69 schools were named to the team Wednesday, Dec. 18. The 25th annual, silver anniversary team was selected by a panel of 29 sports information directors representing the four playoff regions in NCAA Division III. Voters made first-, second-, and third-team selections with candidates receiving points on a 25-15-10 scale. In addition to the top three teams, players who received 100 or more points earned honorable mention status. The ballot included 377 players representing 147 of the 228 NCAA Division III (non-scholarship) football-playing institutions. Teams with two or fewer losses were allowed five nominations; teams .500 or better could nominate up to three players; and schools finishing below .500 were allotted two nominations. The Gagliardi Award was awarded to Dan Pugh, a running back from Mt. Union. Spielman was a finalist for the award, which is equivalent to the major college Heisman Award. College presidents nominate their top student-athletes for the award. The J-Club Board of Directors narrows the field to 10 finalists and a national selection committee selects the winner. In a close vote, seven different finalists received first place consideration. The award is named in honor of St. John's University long-time coach John Gagliardi, who recently won his 400th game. December 17, 2002FIVE NAMED TO FOOTBALL GAZETTE WEST REGION TEAMMENOMONIE - Linebacker Jamie Spielman (Sr, Menomonie) and offensive lineman Ben Knepper (Jr, Rice Lake) lead five UW-Stout football players named to the Football Gazette's 2002 NCAA Division III All-West Region Football Team, Tuesday, Dec. 17. Spielman and Knepper were first team picks, while center Josh Towner (Jr, La Crosse/Onalaska) was a second team selection and defensive lineman Joe Kersten (Jr, Menasha/Fox Valley Lutheran) and defensive back Tyrone Rhone (Sr, Milwaukee/Vincent) were third team selections. Spielman was the Blue Devils' leading tackler with 86 tackles, 59 of them solo. He led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in tackles for loss (21-70 yds) and was second in sacks (7-50 yds). Spielman, a 2002 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America, is a two-time first team all-WIAC selection and was named to the WIAC second team twice. He was a unanimous first team selection this year. Knepper, a 6-foot, 4-inch, 305-lb, tackle was also a unanimous all-WIAC first team selection and, together with Towner, helped produce one of the Blue Devils' top running games in Stout history. The Blue Devils averaged 225.1 yards per game on the ground, second only to the wishbone offense of UW-River Falls. As a team, Stout averaged 398.1 total offensive yards per contest. Knepper started all 10 games, despite a mid-season injury, and surrendered only one sack the entire season, that coming in the opening game. The Blue Devils ran 65 percent of their running plays to Knepper's side, said offensive line coach Rod Carey. "We ask Ben not only to block straight ahead," Carey said, "but to pull and run wide outside the defensive ends." Towner has started all 30 games since his freshman season. "Josh has great quickness which allows him to get to the linebackers," Carey said, adding that Towner makes all the protection and run game calls at the line of scrimmage. "We ask Josh to block defensive tackles and linebackers, in addition to pulling him with the quarterback either under center or in the shotgun." Kersten, a 6-5, 290, defensive lineman was in on 22 tackles, 13 of them solo. He had 10 tackles for losses of 34 yards and had five sacks for 18 yards. Kersten broke up two passes at the line of scrimmage and recovered and forced one fumble. Rhone stepped into the uniform vacated by former Blue Devil All-America Tony Beckham - literally, he wore Beckham's No. 2 - and filed the spot admirably. Rhone recorded 41 tackes, 25 solo, had four interceptions, six pass break-ups and one fumble recovery. Rhone also returned punts and kicks, averaging 8.3 yards per punt return and 21.6 yards per kick off return. Rhone has attracted the attention of nearly 20 NFL teams. A total of 91 players were chosen for the Football Gazette's All-West Region Team by sports information directors from the 57 schools that sponsor football in the West Region. The All-West Region first and second team selections will be placed on a national ballot used to select the Football Gazette's 2002 All-America team. The Football Gazette selects teams from the North, South, East and West regions. December 14, 2002SPIELMAN CAPTAINS ALL-STAR TEAM TO AZTEC WIN TORREON, Mexico - UW-Stout linebacker Jamie Spielman (Sr, Menomonie) was one of four team captains for an America all-star team that defeated a Mexican national team, 15-9, in the Aztec Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 14 in Torreon, Mexico.The USA took a 7-0 first quarter lead, then fell behind, 9-7, before putting together an 89-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter for the win. Spielman finished the game with two solo tackles, one assisted tackle and one tackle for loss. The other three captains included quarterback Scott Biglin from Whitworth College, running back Fred Jackson from Coe College, and linebacker Preston Meyer from Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico’s college football season. The game has been played 30 times since 1947 with the last five contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up. Mexico faced a mixture of NCAA and NAIA colleges, junior colleges, armed forces teams and international teams in the 26 Aztec Bowls prior to 1997. The United States team is now made up of NCAA Division III players.
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 23, 2002 |