WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Blue Devils (11-5, 4-3 WIAC) will attempt to improve on their record this week by hosting their nearest rivals, UW-River Falls (11-5, 2-5) on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. and UW-Eau Claire (14-2, 6-1) Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Stout has yet to play the Falcons this year, but begin the second loop of the WIAC with the Blugolds. The Blugolds are in a three-way tie for first. Stout is tied with UW-Platteville for fourth and River Falls is in sixth.The Blue Devils swept the Falcons last season, 89-74, and 65-56. Stout lost 70-69 in overtime Dec. 6 to Eau Claire. Last week: Stout got two wins last week, a 77-61 win over UW-La Crosse, Jan. 13 and a 65-50 win over UW-Whitewater Jan. 17. Player of the week: Erin Churchill, Jr, Plum City

MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Blue Devils (10-5, 4-3 WIAC) will host UW-River Falls (10-5, 4-3) and NBA prospect Rich Melzer, Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., then will welcome in arch-rival UW-Eau Claire (9-7, 3-4), Saturday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. The Blue Devils and the Falcons split two overtime games last season, with Stout taking an 88-79 decision at River Falls, while the Falcons revenged that with a 93-86 win in Menomonie. Stout lost to Eau Claire, 62-58, Dec. 6r. Last week: The Blue Devils defeated UW-La Crosse, 67-48, Jan. 14, but fell, 79-66 at UW-Whitewater, Jan. 17. The win over La Crosse pushed Stout into a five-way tie for first place, but the loss to Whitewater knocked the Blue Devils out of the crowded top spot. Stout is currently in a four-way tie for third place along with the Falcons. Eau Claire is currently in seventh place. Player of the week: Jacob Nonemacher, Fr, Kalispell, Mont. (Flathead)

HOCKEY
The Blue Devils (10-7-0, 1-5-0 NCHA, 1-2-0 WIAC) head into the final month of action as they host UW-Superior, Friday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m., then head up to Duluth, Minn., to take on St. Scholastica, Saturday, Jan. 24. Last week: After more than a month off, the Blue Devils traveled east and south where they dropped a 7-1 decision to No. 2 ranked St. Norbert, Jan. 16, then fell, 3-1, to Lake Forest, Jan. 17.

GYMNASTICS
The Blue Devils will be at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational, Saturday, Jan. 24.. Last week: The young Blue Devils were tripped up by Winona State, 173.525-169.775, Jan. 14. Gymnast of the week: Rhian Paulson, So, Stillwater, Minn..

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
After kickstarting the season with an intrasquad and alumni meet, Jan. 17, the Blue Devils get the season underway Saturday, Jan. 24 by traveling to St. Benedict for a dual meet.

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
The Blue Devils got the season underway last weekend with an intrasquad and alumni meet, Jan. 17. Varsity competition gets going Friday, Jan. 23 when the Blue Devils travel to UW-La Crosse.

Women's Basketball

January 17, 2004

WHITEWATER - Even though UW-Stout had an eight point halftime lead, Blue Devil head coach Mark Thomas was not a happy man.

His Blue Devils were outshot in the first half, and that doesn't happen often. Stout (11-5, 4-3) rectified the situation and went on to a 65-50 win at UW-Whitewater, Saturday, Jan. 17.

While the Warhawks (6-10, 2-5 WIAC) may have gotten off more shots (7/38) in the first half, the Blue Devils did a better job putting down their shots (12/25) to take the halftime lead. It was no contest in the second half as the Stout pressure got to the Warhawks and Stout built to the 15-point win.

Stout finished the game shooting 24-of-58 (41 percent), while the Warhawks shot 16-of-65 (25 percent).

Sara Kahl (Sr, Menomonie) led Stout with 11 points, inching closer to 1000 career points. Kahl currently has 989 points over her four year career. Laura Verdegan (Sr, Tony) finished with 10 points.

Turnovers played a big part in the contest, with Stout committing 33 to Whitewater's 29. Stout had 14 steals, Whitewater seven.

Stout will host UW-River Falls, Tuesday, Jan. 20, and UW-Eau Claire, Saturday, Jan. 24.

January 13, 2004

LA CROSSE - UW-Stout won their 16th consecutive game over UW-La Crosse, but it wasn't without a struggle - both with the Eagles and with themselves - that the Blue Devils posted a 77-61 win in La Crosse, Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Stout (10-5, 3-3) tallied 30 turnovers on the evening and allowed the Eagles, who are winless in conference play, to cut away at a 15 point lead and pull to within 64-58 with four minutes remaining in the game. But the Eagles (6-9, 0-6) went scoreless from the field the rest of the way as Stout went on a 13-3 run to end the game and pull back to .500 in the WIAC for the first since December.

Erin Churchill (Jr, Plum City) racked up a double-double for the Blue Devils, scoring 13 points and snagging 12 rebounds. Sara Kahl (Sr, Menomonie) stayed near her season average by scoring 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Kahl is well within range of scoring 1000 career points this season. She currently has 978 career points. Molly Hendricks (So, Blaine, Minn) tossed in 10 points. Laura Verdegan (Sr, Tony) scored eight points and had five blocked shots and five steals.

While Stout committed 30 turnovers, the Eagles turned the ball over 28 times. Stout blocked 13 shots and had 13 steals. The Eagles finished with 15 steals. Stout held a 41-36 halftime lead, then shot a little ragged in the second half, but held La Crosse to 25 second half points and only 16 percent shooting. La Crosse finished the game shooting 25 percent (19-for-75) from the field, Stout 41 percent (27-of-66).

The Eagles were led by Amanda Cushman with 13 points. Kathryn Searing had a game-high 15 rebounds as the Eagles stayed even off the boards of the normally prolific rebounding Blue Devils. Stout pulled down 56 boards to 55 for the Eagles.

Men's Basketball

January 17, 2004

MENOMONIE - UW-Whitewater went on a 8-0 run midway through the second period to turn back UW-Stout, 79-66, at Whitewater, Jan. 17.

With the Blue Devils leading 53-52, the Warhawks got five points from Melvin Williams in the spurt to push the Warhawks to a 60-53 lead and Stout would get no closer the rest of the way.

With the win, Whitewater (13-2, 5-2) moved Stout (10-5, 4-3) out of a five-way tie for first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Whitewater is now tied with UW-Oshkosh for first as UW-Superior upset UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Platteville toppled UW-River Falls.

The Blue Devils stayed with the 14th ranked Warhawks throughout much of the game, trailing only 36-33 at halftime as Jacob Nonemacher (Fr, Kalispell, Mont) scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first stanza.

But the drought beginning at the 10:14 mark of the second half would dry the Blue Devils out.

The Warhawks got 16 points from 16 points from Matt Jones, 12 from Jeremy Manchester, 11 from Angelo Griffin and 10 from Williams.

Nonemacher finished with a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds. Jeff Vandenberghe (Sr, Coon Rapids, Minn) was Stout's only other player in double figures with 11 points before fouling out.

Stout will host UW-River Falls, Wednesday, Jan. 21 and UW-Eau Claire, Saturday, Jan. 24.

January 14, 2004

MENOMONIE - For the second consecutive game, UW-Stout held an opponent under 50 points as the Blue Devils moved into a five-way tie for first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with a 67-48 decision over UW-La Crosse, Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Mitchell Hall.

Stout improved to 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the WIAC, moving into a tie with UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh. Whitewater knocked off Stevens Point, 71-69, to help create the logjam. Stout will be at Whitewater Saturday, Jan. 17.

After leading 24-21 at halftime, the Blue Devils went on a 12-2 run to open the second half. The Blue Devils built the lead to as much as 22 points in the second half.

Jeff Vandenberghe (Sr, Coon Rapids, Minn) led all scorers with 20 points, nailing 4-of-7 3-pointers for the bulk of his points. Freshman Jacob Nonemacher (Kalispell, Mont) continues to show improvement to his game, scoring a career-high 18 points. Nonemacher also had three blocked shots.

The Blue Devils allowed only one La Crosse (7-8, 0-6) player - and no starters - to score in double figures. Joe Werner came off the bench to score 13 points. Casey Taggatz, who ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring with 14.9 points, was held to six points.

The Blue Devils held a big bulge off the class, pulling down 38 rebounds to 25 for the Eagles.

Women's Gymnastics

January 14, 2004

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout added five points over their last outing, but were still edged by Winona State, 173.525-169.775, Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Rhian Paulson (So, Stillwater, Minn) captured first on the floor exercise with a personal best 9.35.

Shanna Kissinger (So, Sioux City, Iowa) finished third in the all-around with a personal best 34.725. Kissinger was also third on the vault with a personal best 9.075. Lesley Rick (Fr, Birchwood, Minn) took a second on the uneven bars (8.60) and was fourth on the balance beam (8.75) and in the all-around (34.575).

Stout is off until Saturday, Jan. 24 when they are at UW-Eau Claire.

Winona State 173.525, UW-Stout 169.775
Individual Results (first place, all Stout finishers)
Vault: 1. Emily Brys (Winona) 9.15; 3. Shanna Kissinger 9.075; 6. Lesley Rick 8.975; 7. Robyn Niederkorn 8.90; 10. Jennie Rosinsky 8.775; 11. Helen Pansch 8.625; 12. Christine Sobczyk 8.175;

Uneven bars: 1. Allyson Thelen (Winona) 8.75; 2. Lesley Rick 8.60; 6. Shanna Kissinger, Rhian Paulson 8.15; 9. Christine Sobczyk 7.35; 10. Erin Kampa 7.30; 12. Robyn Niederkorn 6.65;

Balance beam: 1. Emily Brys (Winona) 9.40; 4. Lesley Rick 8.75; 5. Shanna Kissinger 8.70; 6. Rhian Paulson 8.65; 7. Caitlin Burch 8.50; 10. Helen Pansch 8.20; 12. Erin Kamps 7,80;

Floor Exercise: 1. Rhian Paulson (Stout) 9.35; 3. Shanna Kissinger 8.80; 4. Helen Pansch 8.55; 8. Lesley Rick 8.25; 10. Christine Sobczyk 8.125; 11. Jennie Rosinsky 8.05;

All-around: 1. Emily Brys (Winona) 35.30; 3. Shanna Kissinger 34.725; 4. Lesley Rick 34.575.

Football

January 16, 2004

MENOMONIE - Five have been named finalists for the head football coaching position at UW-Stout.

Jeff Gabrielsen, the head coach at Concordia University in Mequon, J. Donald Montgomery, the defensive coordinator at Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, Joe LaBuda, the head coach at Menomonie High School, Duey Naatz, the assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator at UW-Stout, and Todd Strop, the defensive coordinator at UW-Stout, have been named as finalists, UW-Stout athletic director Steve Terry said.

The position became vacant when Ed Meierkort accepted the head football position at the University of South Dakota in December. UW-Stout finished the 2003 season at 6-4 overall and, over the past four years, posted a 29-11 overall record, with the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title in 2000, and no conference finishes below third place.

More than 60 applications from around the country and from all levels of football were received for the position. On-campus interviews will be conducted over the course of the next week. Following are short profiles of each finalist, listed in alphabetical order.

Jeff Gabrielsen
Gabrielsen has been on the coaching staff at Concordia University for the past 20 years and has been the head coach since the 1990 season, posting a 91-44 overall record.

Gabrielsen's teams have been nationally ranked the last three seasons. The 2003 team won the Ilini-Badger Football Conference (IBFC) championship, earning the team a bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Statiscially, the team also ranked No. 1 nationally in turnover margin, No. 2 in total defense, No. 4 in scoring defense and No. 7 in rushing offense. Gabrielsen was named the 2003 conference coach of the year and was the 2002 Wisconsin Football Coaches' Association college coach of the year.

Prior to becoming the head coach, Gabrielsen was Concordia's defensive and special teams coordinator. A graduate of Ripon College, Gabrielsen played professionally in the USFL and the Canadian Football League.

J. Donald Montgomery
Montgomery has been an integral part of the NCAA Division III football juggernaut at Mt. Union College, his alma mater, since 1973 when he played for the Raiders as an offensive guard. Following a stint at Indiana State as a graduate assistant coach, Montgomery returned to Mt. Union where he worked with both the offensive and defense lines before being named the defensive coordinator in 1985.

Since that time, Mt. Union has won 15 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) titles, including the last 12. Mt. Union has been to the NCAA playoffs 15 times and won the NCAA Division III championships seven times. The Raiders finished as runner-up in 2003.

Montgomery was the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) assistant coach of the year in 1999 and was the OAC assistant coach of the year in 2001.

Montgomery was the Raiders' wrestling coach for 23 years from 1978-2000, where he was named the OAC coach of the year seven times and won nine OAC wrestling titles.

Joe LaBuda
Joe LaBuda's name has become synonymous with Menomonie football. The head coach at Menomonie High School since 1989, LaBuda's teams have won five Wisconsin Division 2 titles, were runner-up twice, were semi-finalists four times and quarterfinalist twice. LaBuda coached teams have won or shared 12 Big Rivers Conference titles in his 15 years and have reached the playoffs every year since 1990, his second year at Menomonie.

In 2002, LaBuda was named coach of the year by the Green Bay Packers, the National High School Football (NHSF) coaches and the Wisconsin Coaches' Association, an honor he also collected in 1993.

In addition, LaBuda has received the following honors: Nike Midwest Region coach of the year (1993), Wisconsin AP State coach of the year (1993, 95) and Milwaukee Journal coach of the year (1993). He received the District coach of the year eight times, the latest in 2003.

LaBuda also coached the Menomonie High School baseball team since 1999, winning three conference titles and advancing to the sectional finals twice.

Prior to coming to Menomonie, was on the staff at North Marion High School in Florida, and was the head coach at Hawthorne in 1988, where his team won the conference title and advanced to state competition.

Duey Naatz
Naatz has worn several different hats as a member of the UW-Stout football staff since arriving in Menomonie in 1990. Naatz, a graduate of Moorhead State University, began by coaching the defensive backs and offensive line. He was named the offensive coordinator in 1996 and the assistant head football coach in 1997, titles he still carries.

The Blue Devil offense has been one of the top four offenses in the WIAC over the last six years, and has broken a number of school records, including passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, total yards per game, single season rushing, touchdown passes and scoring.

Stout's offense ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Division III in total offense and scoring in 1997 and 1998.

In addition to his football duties, Naatz has been the department's strength and conditioning coach, facilities coordinator, and assistant track coach where he coached nine NCAA Division III All-Americans and the 1998 national shot put champion.

Todd Strop
Strop has been UW-Stout's defensive coordinator since 1998. The Blue Devil defense was the WIAC's top defense in 2000, 2001, 2002 and ranked third last season. Stout's run defense ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III in 2002 and 13th in overall defense.

Under Strop's tutelage, UW-Stout has produced six defensive All-Americans, and two players who made NFL rosters - defensive lineman Jeff Hazuga and defensive back Tony Beckham.

Strop was the WIAC assistant coach of the year in 2000, the year Stout won the WIAC and made their first trip to the NCAA playoffs.

Strop is Stout's recruiting coordinator and recruited 12 of 22 starters from last year's squad.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin where he played defensive back, Strop was the special teams coordinator at UW-Platteville from 1992-94, then was at Ohio University for two seasons as a graduate assistant.

Strop took over an ailing high school program at Durand where he turned a longtime struggling team into a playoff caliber team. Strop was at Durand from 1995-98.

Updated: January 19, 2004