MENOMONIE – The UW-Stout men’s and women’s basketball teams and the men’s hockey team will get their seasons underway this weekend.
The women’s basketball team, which includes Menomonie graduates Mary Berg and Brooklyn Birt, will kickoff their season with a pair of non-conference games at UW-Eau Claire’s Sonnetag Center, meeting Ripon College, Saturday, Nov. 8 and Lakeland University Sunday, Nov. 9. Stout will host Bethel University, Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
The men’s basketball team will open the 2025-26 season under first-year coach Tom Webb by hosting Oak Hills Christian College, Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. in Johnson Fieldhouse.
The Blue Devil hockey team will be on the road the first weekend, traveling to St. Mary’s University, Friday, Nov. 7 and at Hamline University, Saturday, Nov. 8. Stout will open the home part of their schedule when they host Bethel University, Friday, Nov. 14 and St. John’s University, Saturday, Nov. 15. The puck drops at the Fanetti Community Center at 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
The Blue Devils enter 2025-26 season looking to build on one of the most successful years in program history while integrating a new core of players into its lineup.
The Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four a season ago for the first time in program history and finished with a 23-8 overall record, including a 10-4 mark in the WIAC. However, coach Hannah Iverson’s squad graduated all five starters and seven total letterwinners, leaving plenty of opportunity for new contributors to step forward.
Iverson, entering her eighth season at the helm, returns nine letterwinners. Key returners include senior forward Rosella Wille, junior center Maraya Wiltrout, and sophomores Mary Berg and Julia Rybacki, both guards who gained valuable minutes last season. Stout’s depth, defensive intensity and balanced scoring will be critical as it faces another challenging WIAC slate.
In the WIAC preseason poll, UW-Stout was picked to finish fourth. UW-Oshkosh, the two-time defending champion , was selected to win the league, followed by UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse. Rounding out the predictions are UW-Stevens Point, UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Platteville.
Berg made an immediate impact in her freshman season at UW-Stout, playing in all 31 games and helping the Blue Devils reach their first-ever NCAA Division III Final Four. Averaging 20.1 minutes per game, Berg, a business adminstration major, contributed 4.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists, shooting 33.1 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from beyond the arc. She scored in double figures six times, highlighted by a season-best 14 points against UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 18. Before joining the Blue Devils, Berg was a standout at MHS, where she scored more than 1,000 career points. She was named Big Rivers Conference Player of the Year and All-Northwest Player of the Year as a senior, helping lead Menomonie to multiple conference, regional and sectional titles. Berg this year will wear No. 2.
Birt, a 2025 MHS graduate, was a four-year varsity contributor and standout guard. She earned first-team all-conference and all-state honorable mention honors as a senior, following second-team recognition as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore. Birt, a 5-11 forward, helped lead Menomonie to conference and regional titles and played club basketball with the Wisconsin Playmakers. Birt, a criminal justice major, will wear No. 23.
2025-26 UW-Stout Women’s Basketball Schedule
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team begins the 2025-26 season under new leadership as Tom Webb takes over as interim head coach. Webb, in his first year at the helm but eighth with the program, inherits an experienced group that returns 14 letterwinners and three starters from last year’s 8-17 squad.
Senior center Aiden Shore, a two-time All-WIAC and defensive standout, and junior guard Colin Vick, an honorable mention pick, lead the Blue Devils’ returning core. Veterans Colin Hudson, Justin Nelson, Mason Stoik, and AJ Uttech also provide depth and experience as Stout looks to rise in the competitive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).
The WIAC preseason poll places UW-Stout eighth in the league. UW-La Crosse, ranked No. 7 nationally, is favored to win the regular-season title, followed by UW-Platteville at No. 18, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, and UW-River Falls.
2025-26 UW-Stout Men’s Basketball Schedule
Men’s Hockey
The Blue Devils return 20 letterwinners as it looks to climb the WIAC standings in 2025-26. The Blue Devils, who finished 12-13-2 last year, were picked fifth in the WIAC preseason poll.
Sixth-year head coach Mike MacDonald will lean on returning All-WIAC picks Nicolas Pigeon, a two-time first-team forward, and Gunner Moore, an honorable mention defenseman. Veterans Kullan Daikawa, Nicholas Stevens, and Hayden Stocks add scoring depth, while Sam Kroon and returning goalies Tomas Bolo and Ethan Chadwick bolster the defense.
UW-Stevens Point is projected to win the WIAC title, followed by UW-Superior, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, and Beloit College.
2025-26 UW-Stout Hockey Schedule
Layne Pitt retired as the longest serving sports information director at UW-Stout and also worked more than a decade at the Dunn County News.
Menomonie Collegians by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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