MENOMONIE – The UW-Stout women’s basketball season wrapped up Saturday. And while the Blue Devil season didn’t go as hoped after a 9-2 non-conference start to the season, the very young team showed promise for the future.

After graduating seven seniors from last year’s team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four, the Blue Devils returned with two seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and five freshman. The young Stout team knocked off five teams that were nationally ranked at one point during the season.

Menomonie High School graduates Mary Berg and Brooklynn Birt were a valuable part of that young and growing team that learned how tough the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) can be.

Berg, a sophomore, saw considerable time during her freshman season, coming off the bench in all 31 games, averaging 20.1 minutes during the Blue Devils’ magical run. This season Berg ran the offense much of the time and and played and started in 24 games, averaging 32.4 minutes. Berg was second on the team in scoring with 9.3 points per contest, trailing only freshman guard Addy Verhagen, who popped in 11.8 points per game, one of the top single-season efforts by a freshman. Berg was the team’s top 3-point shooter, hitting 45 of 126 (35.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Berg led the team in steals with 42 and was stellar from the free throw line, dropping in 31 of 35 charity shots for a sparkling 88.5 percent.

Birt played in all 25 games, coming off the bench for all but four games and averaged 17.2 minutes per contest. A force to be reckoned with under the boards, Birt was second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game. She finished the season by averaging 8.5 points per game and led the team in blocked shots with 15, ranking among the top 10 in the WIAC. Birt was first on the team in field goal percentage among players who averaged more than 10 minutes, scoring at a 50.9-percent clip (84-165) and is ranked fourth in the WIAC at the end of the regular season.

Stout finished their season 13-12 overall and 4-10 in WIAC play, but won their final two contests against nationally ranked teams. Birt played a big part in Stout’s season finale, a 66-65 win over No. 22 UW-Platteville. Birt scored 12 points, pulled down six rebounds, and had the pivotal steal and defensive rebound in the final minute. Birt went to the free throw line with five seconds on the clock and hit a free throw that proved to be the difference in the game.

At Concordia-St. Paul, the Golden Bears women’s basketball team is riding a 13-game winning into the NSIC tournament this weekend. In the regular season finale Saturday, the Bears dominated in a 96-75 win over the No. 1 ranked team in the NCAA Division II, Minnesota State. In that contest, Menomonie’s Emma Mommsen recorded four points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal. Mommsen has started all 26 games this season, averaging 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. The Bears (21-6, 17-5 NSIC)  received a first round bye in the conference tournament and will open play Saturday, Feb. 28 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Hockey

Menomonie High grad Ashley Slupe wrapped up her first collegiate season at NCAA Division III Lawrence University. While the Vikings ended the season short of  advancing to the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) post-season tournament, Slupe was a regular for Lawrence, playing in all 25 contests. Slupe, a defenseman, finished fifth on the team in scoring, popping in three goals – of which two were power play goals – and two assists.

Slupe is the third generation of Menomonie Slupes who have played hockey collegiately. Both her grandfather, Tom Slupe, and her father, Greg Slupe, played at UW-Stout. Tom was the Stout men’s hockey coach from 1972-83 and Greg was an assistant at Stout for 18 years from 2004-22.