By Stephen Eibes —
Track and Field
In the first leg of spring break the women’s 4×400 meter relay team took eighth place out of twelve and earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. At the same meet, Laurissa Titterud (Sr, Lino Lakes, Minn.) also finished thirteenth in the 400-meter dash, Megan Ward (Sr, Eau Claire, Wis.) placed sixth in the pentathlon earning All-American honors. Finally, Lydia Meier (So, Middleton, Wis.) and Michele Brandt (So, Wausau, Wis.) placed fourteenth and sixteenth place in the weight throw. On the men’s side, Patrick Jenkins (Sr, Cambridge Wis.) and Paul VanGrinsven (Sr, Little Shute, Wis.) finished in second (earning All-America honors) and fifteenth place in the 5000 meter run. Jenkins also finished thirteenth in the 3000 meter run. To finish break, the entire team opened the outdoor season with a meet in Tulsa, Okla.
Women’s Gymnastics
The gymnastics team competed at the WIAC Gymnastics Championship Sunday, March 15 and took third place in order to advance to the National Collegiate Gymnastic Association (NCGA) National Championships. In the meet, Kaylee Jondahl (So, Anoka, Minn.) earned All-America honors and set a school record on floor exercise (9.825), was second on the vault (9.650) and placed fifth in the all-around category with a score of 37.800. Kenzie Hyde (So, Sunderland, Ont.) also had a career day for the Blue Devils and earned All-America honors. She placed third all-around (38.000), tied fourth on beam (9.525) and tied for sixth on uneven bars (9.675). Those scores were career bests for Hyde. Stephanie Shields (Fr, Forest Lake, Minn.) placed twelfth on floor (9.575) and was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship team. Overall, the Blue Devils had a fantastic day as a team to help them advance to Nationals; this was Stout’s best meet of the year, and their best meet at the WIAC Championship since 2011. Later in the week, coach Becky Beaulieu was named the WIAC Coach of the Year. Stout will look to repeat a performance like this at the NCGA Nationals March 27 and 28 at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.
Baseball
Over spring break, the University of Wisconsin–Stout baseball team won five of their seven games in their annual trip to Florida. Their most impressive wins came against Knox College and LaSalle College. In the game against Knox, Stout tallied 17 hits on their way to a 11-2 victory. In the game, Nick Nalbach (Sr, Plover, Wis.) had four hits on five attempts to lead the Blue Devils. Jack Schneider (Sr, Minneapolis, Minn.) and Josh Halling (Jr, River Falls, Wis.) also both produced three hits each for Stout in a big day at the plate. In the game against LaSalle Hayden Bowe (So, Eau Claire, Wis.) pitched seven shutout innings for Stout and led them to a 4-0 victory. In the game, Bowe struck out seven batters and only allowed four hits. Bowe took the win, while Jacob Fredrick (So, Montecello, Minn.) and Austin Booher (Jr, Stillwater, Minn.) came in during the eighth and ninth innings pitch and preserve the shutout.
Softball
Stout posted a poor 3-7 record over their trip to Clermont, Fla. during spring break. In one of the three wins, Stout blasted Greenville College 13-7. In the game, the Blue Devils had 17 hits behind three hit performances from Tori Workman (Jr, Prior Lake, Minn.), Lyndzi Knudtson (Sr, Melrose, Wis.) and Sara Griesbach (Jr, Stratford, Wis.). Workman also earned the win for the Blue Devils on the mound throwing four strikeouts. Stout also played well against Framingham State College throwing an 8-0 shutout. Knudtson and Griesbach added two hits each for the Blue Devils, while Workman and Beth Wood (Fr, Mineral Point, Wis.) combined for six innings and tossed eight strikeouts.