SUPERIOR – Former UW-Stout women’s basketball coach Mark Thomas was recently selected to the UW-Superior Athletic Hall of Fame. Thomas will receive the Mertz Mortorelli Coaching Achievement. Thomas, and his father, Robert “Bob” Thomas, will be the first father-son duo inducted into the Yellowjacket Hall of Fame, with both receiving the Mortorelli award.

A four-year member of the Yellowjacket football and baseball teams, Mark Thomas went on to produce an illustrious coaching career. His 31 seasons leading the UW-Stout women’s basketball team is the longest tenure of any sport in Blue Devils history, compiling an overall record of 472-346 which ranks third on the WIAC’s all-time wins list. Taking over a program that won just two games in the two previous seasons, Thomas converted the program into a national powerhouse, which featured a program-best 24 wins in 2005, serving as the Blue Devils head coach from 1987 to 2018.

Thomas was selected as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women’s basketball coach of the year six times and was the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division III coach of the year twice. Thomas led the Blue Devils to 10 post-season bids, once in the NAIA and nine-times in the NCAA Division III.

Thomas has coached basketball at Spring Valley High School and is currently an assistant football coach at UW-Stout. Thomas recently began his third term on the Dunn County Board of Supervisors.

The Mertz Mortorelli Coaching Achievement award is in honor of Americo “Mertz” Mortorelli, a 1949 UW-Superior graduate who returned to Superior in 1954 to serve as the university’s first athletic director. Until his passing in 1985, Mortorelli taught physical education and coached Yellowjacket sports, including football, wrestling, track, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis and gymnastics. He was responsible for expanding the university’s athletic offerings from three sports to 14.

Thomas will join his father as a member of the UW-Superior Hall of Fame. The senior Thomas was inducted in 2004 as a member of the Yellowjacket men’s basketball and baseball teams of the late 1950s. Bob Thomas was inducted into the UW-Stout Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and Mark entered the UW-Stout Hall of Fame in 2022.

The UW-Superior Hall of Fame induction festivities are scheduled for Saturday, July 18.

Blue Devil Women’s Basketball Adds Assistant Coaches
UW-Stout women’s basketball coach Sam Clayton recently announced two additions to her coaching staff. Clayton was named the Blue Devils women’s basketball coach this spring after Hannah Iverson departed in March.

Mattea (Peplinski) Voss joins the UW-Stout after a successful stint at St. Cloud State, where she served as an assistant coach for the past four years. During her tenure, Voss played a pivotal role in various aspects of the program, including player development, operations, strategic planning, and recruiting. Her efforts contributed to notable achievements, such as recruiting and coaching an All-American, an All-Region selection, 10 All-Conference honorees, and two conference All-Defensive Team members.

Voss’ played at UW-Oshkosh from 2018-19 to 2020-21, and helped the Titans to three consecutive WIAC Tournament Championships, a regular season title and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. Over her three seasons, UW-Oshkosh achieved a 55-16 record and secured NCAA Tournament berths each year.

A native of Eau Claire, Voss graduated from Eau Claire North High School in 2018, where she was a multi-sport standout. She earned her undergraduate degree in Rehabilitation Science from UW-Oshkosh in 2021 and her master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology from St. Cloud State in 2024. | Complete Mattea Voss Story

Bridget Froehlke also brings a UW-Oshkosh connection, joining the Blue Devils after a four-year playing career as a Titan. During her four seasons with the Titans, Froehlke helped UW-Oshkosh capture three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season championships and make back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III Final Four in 2025 and 2026.

A native of Wrightstown, Froehlke appeared in 75 career games for the Titans, averaging 18.8 minutes per contest while shooting 36.6 percent from the field. She finished her career with 499 points, 121 rebounds and 88 assists. | Complete Bridget Froehlke Story