Pointer Notes - April 4, 2001

Pointers Land Four WIAC Athletes of the Week

     It was a big weekend for UW-Stevens Point athletics as the Pointers landed four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week.

     Three of the four came in track and field as Noah Eschenbach, a Rosholt native, was the men's field events Athlete of the Week and Craig Gunderson, a Waupaca native, took track events honors.

     A pair of Burlington natives were the other WIAC selections as Becky Lebak was the women's track events honoree and Jeff Kozelek was the baseball pitcher of the week.

     Eschenbauch won the shot put and hammer throw and was second in the discus as the Pointer men's outdoor track and field team captured its first meet of the season, winning the Coldman Invitational. Eschenbauch, a sophomore, won the hammer throw by over nine feet with a toss of 54.70 meters (179�5�).  He also won the shot put with a throw of 15.56 meters (51� 3/4�).  Eschenbauch placed second in the discus behind teammate Luke Hilgers with a throw of 45.40 meters (148�11�).

     Gunderson, a junior, won the 800 meter run at the Coldman Invitational in Stevens Point.  Gunderson beat the field in a time of 1:57.97 to help the Pointers win the meet with 289 points.

     Lebak, a junior, automatically qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the first outdoor meet of the season. Lebak ran 36:53.60 in the 10,000 meter run, winning the race by over two minutes and leading a Pointer sweep of the first four positions in the event at

the Coldman Invitational. The Pointers also won the team title in their season-opening meet.

     Kozelek, a sophomore, improved to 2-1 on the season in a 12-1 win over Northland.  Kozelek took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished the game allowing one hit and one run, while striking out four.

UW-Stevens Point Ranks Sixth in NCAA Volleyball Attendance

    The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team ranked among the nation's leaders in attendance this season, placing sixth among all NCAA Division III schools by drawing an average of 281 fans per match.

    The Pointers finished with a 12-22 overall record, but had 1,681 people witness their six home matches. The season-high was 314 people for a WIAC match with UW-Stout on Sept. 22. UW-Stevens Point averaged only 87 people at its 11 away matches and 50 people at neutral court matches this season.

     UW-Stevens Point also ranked fifth in both men's basketball and men's hockey attendance during the 1999-2000 seasons. The 2000-01 winter attendance figures have not been released.