MENOMONIE (November 9, 2020) - Basketball was one of the more popular sports among women involved with the Women's Recreation Association (WRA) so it is no surprise that basketball became one of the first varsity sports, along with volleyball and track and field at then Stout State University some 50 years ago.
The first "official" varsity women's basketball program began with the 1971-72 school year, but in contrast to the men's program, did not start their season until early February and concluded about six weeks later in mid-March.
Chris Zampach, an instructor in the women's physical education department, was the first varsity women's basketball coach. In addition, Zampach coached women's volleyball and women's track and field in its early women's sports days.
The Jan. 28, 1972, issue of the Stoutonia announced the start of the women's basketball season and printed a 15 game schedule. The majority of the games were on weekends - Friday nights, Saturday mornings, Sundays at noon, in all likelihood to not interfere with the men's basketball games. One road weekend had the Blue Devils playing four games over a weekend, including playing Friday night at Oshkosh State, then turning around for a Saturday doubleheader in Fond du Lac, playing two-year UW-Fond du Lac in the morning, then going across town to play at Marian College later in the day. Sunday morning found the Blue Devils at UW-Green Bay before making the four-hour trip back to Menomonie.
The Stoutonia article, "WOMEN'S B-BALL OFF TO A COLD START" did not refer to a losing streak, but rather the early morning practices during a particular fridge January.
"Anyone getting up early on the cold mornings we've been known to have around here lately and going to the Fieldhouse to practice basketball at 6:45 a.m. probably would be called crazy," the Stoutonia read.
"If they weren't crazy they would have to be (sic) Chris Zampach, Women's Varsity Basketball Coach, and the 12 members of SSU Women's Varsity Basketball team. When a team will get up Monday through Friday on Wisconsin's frigid mornings it's an indication that the team is practicing with pride and determination to win."
The 12-woman roster included: Chris Albertson, Toby Bodeen, Mary Cave, Maggie Gliniecki, Elle Goeke, Lynn Husbuscher, Carol Lund, Cheri Meisner, Linda Olthafer, Ann Storbeck, Theresa Walker and Jan Werblow.
And on Jan. 28, 1972, to the best of our knowledge, the women's basketball team made their first official varsity appearance at Whitewater State.
Over the years, the program would have huge highs which five conference titles and 10 post-season appearances and huge lows, which included a two-year losing streak during one stretch in the 1980s.
Tonight, Monday, Nov. 9, would have been the opener to the 2020-21 season as the Blue Devils were scheduled to host UW-Superior. The current COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the first half of the season as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Confrence (WIAC) opted to halt play through the first semester. When the competitive season will begin has yet to be determined.
The WIAC is marking 50 years of sponsoring women's championships. The WIAC began as the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) in the 1971-72 school year.
Following is a week-by-week trip down memory lane through issues of the Stoutonia from the pen of student scribes.
GIRLS BASKETBALL WINS 2 OF 3 (February 4, 1972)
by Trice Smith
Friday, Jan. 28, the SSU Women's Basketball team started their season off in the wrong direction by letting Whitewater stomp them, 53-24.
However, Saturday, Jan. 29, the team came back heading in the winning direction with two big wins, defeating UW-Waukesha, 35-25, and also later that same day pouncing on Mount Mary with a win of 47-30.
In the opening game against Whitewater, the star was Chris Albertson, who had the high total of 11 points. The team had a difficult time scoring in the game with the tight defense Whitewater was playing. During the second quarter, Stout's defense played especially well in not letting Whitewater score for six minutes.
The team put their talents to work and defeated Waukesha with a 10 point difference. This game had a tie for highest scorer with teammates Linda Olthafer and Mary Cave, both scoring 11 points. It was Mary giving her teammates good opportunities to score.
After the first two minutes of the game at Mount Mary, Mount Mary's team never saw the lead. It was a good combination of offense and defense making the question clear that the Bluedevils were playing their best.
"Tree" (Theresa) Walker was the high scorer in the game, scoring 12 points. The team left Mount Mary having defeated them on their home court, 47-30.
WOMEN'S B-BALL WINS 44-15 (February 11, 1972)
Saturday, the Women's basketball team stomped Northland College of Ashland, 44-15.
Although Stout was able to smear Northland, according to Chris Zampach, basketball coach, the team wasn't playing their best.
"We just weren't with it. I feel we should have beaten them by more, but we weren't at our top performance. I put the "B" team in the last quarter and they did an excellent job holding the score."
Carol Lund, "Red" as she is called by her teammates, was the star with a high score of 15 total points, seven baskets and one free throw.
Not far behind her was teammate "Tree" (Theresa) Walker with a total of 12 points. Wearing No. 24, Chris Albertson was the outstanding ball handler at guard position.
According to Zampach, Cheri Meisner will be seeing more action as a guard.
In the rebound department, Ann Storbeck had five rebounds. Maggie Gliniecki and Mary Cave also saw light on the rebound scene.
This weekend is a big trip for the team playing four important games. The team will travel to Oshkosh Friday, eager for a win.
On Saturday, it will be a contest between UW-Fond du Lac and later the same day, a game against Marian College, Fond du Lac. The team will finish up their weekend trip by visiting UW-Green Bay Sunday.
CHICKS WIN 3 OF 4 (February 18, 1972)
Basketball was the name of the game this past weekend when the Women's Varsity Basketball team traveled across Wisconsin tossing three of their four opponents off their home courts, Fond du Lac, 33-28; Marian, 44-23; and UW-Green Bay, 28-26., in an exciting overtime. Oshkosh was the only team which stood taller than the Stout Women Cagers this weekend when they pounced them, 57-23.
It was Friday evening when the weekend started to look sad with Oshkosh taking the lead from teh start. None of the Stout cagers had a chance to show potential with the tight guard of Oshkosh's team.
Toby Bodeen was high scorer with eight total points, splitting her points evenly with two baskets and four free throws. Other points in the game came from "Tree" (Theresa) Walker and Mary Cave each scoring four points. Chris Albertson gave the team three more points.
Jan Werblow and Elle Goeke each gave the team one point by making a free throw as did Maggie Gliniecki, in the rebound department.
Despite their loss of Friday evening, the team jumped right in Saturday, defeating two teams. In the morning the team was the guest of UW-Fond du Lac. Through the effort of eight players, Stout was able to walk away with a 33-28 win. It was Albertson who put the ball in the hoop the most for Stout, scoring nine points. In the game later that afternoon against Marian College, Albertson still put her talents to work scoring seven points of the 44 team total. Bodeen dominated the scoring in this game against Marian, scoing 10 total points. This was a scoring game for Stout.
WOMEN'S B-BALL BOUNCED TWICE (February 25, 1972)
by Trice Smith
An eight letter word and two five letter words, Superior and River Falls spelled the SSU Women's basketball team's downfall this past weekend.
It was Superior who bounced the Women Bluedevils 57-21 on our own court Friday. River Falls came for a visit Sunday and pounced our team just as hard., 46-13, leaving our girls with their fifth loss for the season.
Despite a good defense performance, the Women Cagers couldn't break their scoring slump in either game. "If our defense stars as good as it has been and we start shooting, we;ll be playing winning ball games again," commented Chris Zampach, Women's basketball coach
"Ann Storbeck played as n excellent game against River Falls as a forward. She is doing fine work of helping us control the defensive boards."
"Jan Weblow," continued Zampach, "has done a really fine job in keeping our defense intact by playing her guard position well."
Thus far this season, it has been Toby Bodeen, the blonde from Port Wing, Wis., who has been most consistent in scoring with her 5.6 average.
In these last few games, Maggie Gliniecki has improved her playing with, what Zampach calls an "aggresive brand of ball." Maggie looks promising with potential, and it is hoped she will, with the help of her teammates, deliver these talents in the remaining games.
Although the two games this past weekend would like to be forgotten, they go into the season standing six and five for our "Women Cagers", with the remaining games of the season.
This weekend, Stout is hosting Stevens Point Saturday at 9 a.m. and the UW-Madison, Sunday at 12 noon.
GIRLS' B-BALL DROPS TWO, SHOOTING SLUMP PERSISTS (March 3, 1972)
by Trice Smith
Saturday morning, Feb. 26, found the Stout's Women's basketball team hosting Stevens Point. The results found Stout falling to Stevens Point, 49-29.
Although the team had the right ingredients the first and fourth quarters, their game lacked the necessary mixtures the second and third quarters that kept them from winning.
Carol "Red" Lund was the standout in the game, scoring 12 points. It was Lund, the redhead from Minneapolis, who accumulated 14 rebounds.
Jan Werblow, a resident of Juneau, Wis., was coach Chris Zampach's standout in the defense department as she played an excellent defense position.
Sunday afternoon came all too soon for the Women Cagers when they again were the hosts, letting their guests UW-Madison stomp them 45-21.
This game wasn't a sample of Stout's good abilities as the team failed to put things together in both their shooting and ball handling departments.
Werblow again showed again showed her precision in getting the ball in the hoop as did Mary Cave, scoring five and four points respectively.
With only one game remaining in the season against the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Lund has taken the lead for scoring with 82 points for the total season. Toby Bodeen is shooting 51 percent from the free throw line with 27 points made this season. Cave, of Wilson, Wis., has had the highest rebounds with 109 offensive and defensive rebounds.
Again in these two weekend games a shooting slump continued which is the reason for the past losses. The team has one more game in the season and they will be trying their hardest to break this slump and score, subsequently winning.
BODEEN MAKES VALUABLE PLAYER (March 17, 1972)
by Trice Smith
The basketball season in the Women's competition has been a tough one for Stout's Women basketball team. Things didn't change against hosting St. Catherine in the final season game for our lady cagers as St. Catherine dribbled our team off the court 35-33.
Toby Bodeen, who was recently voted by teammates as most valuable player, showed a fine performance, scoring 10 points in her final game of the season. Aside from Bodeen's performance, the team didn't look its best, as they went on to their seventh consecutive season loss.
This final game left the following season results not to be changed or forgotten:
At the recent basketball dinner the team voted on the traditional, most valuable, most inspirational and most improved players. They were Toby Bodeen, Christ Albertson and Ann Storbeck being awarded the honors respectively.
Highest scorer, Carol Lund; most consistent scorer, Carol Lund; best overall percent shooter, Lynn Hunsbuscher; highest free throw shooter, Toby Bodeen; best percent free throw shooter, Linda Olthaler; best overall defense player, Theresa Walker; best offensive rebounder, Theresa Walker; best defensive rebounder, Mary Cave.
The final season standings of six wins and 10 losses is the story of Chris Zampach, basketball coach, and her 1972 12-member basketball team. The team, being a young one, with the loss of one graduating senior, Chris Albertson, will be back again next year, showing as they did this year that women can play an interesting game of basketball too.
