WIAC Hall of Fame
STEVENS POINT (July 19, 2022) - Three UW-Stout standouts will enter the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Hall of Fame this weekend. The WIAC will recognize wrestler Dale Evans, basketball player Kelsey (Duoss) Steinhagen and women's basketball coach Mark Thomas.
The three Blue Devils are members of the 27-member class for 2022 which will be inducted at the WIAC Hall of Fame Banquet to be held July 23, 2022, at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis. The 27 individuals will join a prestigious conference Hall of Fame that includes 87 members. Tickets for the event are sold out.
The WIAC established a Hall of Fame to coincide with the conference's celebration of its 100th anniversary, which took place during the 2012-13 academic year.
Dale Evans
Dale Evans was a member of UW-Stout's wrestling team from 1970-73 and became the first four-time champion in conference history, winning the 126-pound title in 1970, 134-pound title in 1971 and 1972, and 142-pound title in 1973. In 1972 and 1973, he was selected the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the conference championship and received All-America recognition. In 1973, Evans placed third at the national meet after placing fourth in 1972. He compiled a 104-15 record in his career. In 1972, he won in the Olympics district trials. In 2009, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Service Award. In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Wrestling All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration.
Kelsey (Duoss) Steinhagen
Kelsey (Duoss) Steinhagen was a dominant women's basketball player in the WIAC as UW-Stout won or shared three consecutive conference titles in her three seasons a Blue Devil. Transferring to Stout as a sophomore, Duoss helped lead the Blue Devils to conference titles in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. Along the way, she earned All-America honors in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and was a three-time All-WIAC first team selection, garnering WIAC player of the year honors as a junior and senior. A 6-2 forward, Duoss scored 1413 points, averaging 15.9 points per game, and pulled down 750 rebounds, averaging 8.4 per contest. Duoss holds the school record for career blocked shots (258) and is currently third on the all-time scoring list and fourth on the all-time rebounding list. Her No. 40 was retired in 2009 and she has been selected to the All-Decade (2000-09) Team by D3hoops.com. She is also a member of the WIAC all-time women's basketball team.
Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas led the Blue Devil women's basketball teams for 31 years, advancting to 10 national playoff berths, nine times in the NCAA. A six-time Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) coach of the year, the Blue Devils have won five WIAC titles and four WIAC tournament championships under Thomas' tutelage. Thomas-coached teams are responsible for 88.3 percent of Stout's total victories. Thomas is the longest tenured head coach in any single athletic program in Blue Devil history. Thomas, with an overall record of 472-346, was the first WIAC women's basketball coach to reach 400 career wins. Four players earned WIAC player of the year honors and 44 earned All-WIAC honors.
