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Whippet Volleyball Rock Valley Conference Tournament

The Whitewater volleyball team traveled to Edgerton Saturday morning, 10/19, to compete in the Rock Valley Conference Tournament. Whitewater put together a solid start-to-finish tournament . The netters started the day defeating Evansville in two straight sets 25- 23, 25-12. Up next Whitewater took on East Troy and lost in two close, hard fought sets, by the scores of 23-25, 21-25. Playing some of their best ball of the season by taking better care of first ball contacts and spreading the offense out, Whitewater rolled in the next two matches where they defeated both Turner and Jefferson in two straight sets. In the last match of the day Whitewater continued with their winning ways and defeated Big Foot 2-1 finishing the day with an overall record of 4-1 and a 5th place finish.

Tuesday, Oct. 22nd Whitewater travels to Big Foot for the first round of the WIAA regional play-offs. The match begins at 7:00 p.m. Please come join in the fun of watching and cheering on your Whippets to a first round victory.

Photos provided by Bob Mischka

No. 3 UW-Whitewater Football Moves to 3-0 in WIAC With Road Win

The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team overcame a slow start and rainy weather Saturday, October 19 for a 38-0 triumph at UW-Stevens Point in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Goerke Park.

The Warhawks (6-0 overall, 3-0 WIAC) piled up 215 rushing yards and held the Pointers to 59 yards rushing on the other side of the ball. Junior running back Alex Peete rushed 16 times for 114 yards and three touchdowns to lead the UW-Whitewater offense. Junior wide receiver Derek Kumerow caught four passes for 47 yards, and junior wide receiver JT Parish tallied three receptions for 47 yards.

Defensively, senior defensive lineman Jordan Brand registered seven tackles, including two for a loss, and senior linebacker Jacob Erbs collected seven stops, including one for a loss. Junior linebacker Kaleb Kaminski contributed six tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and senior linebacker Matt Anderson, junior defensive back Mark McGrath and sophomore linebacker Ryan Liszka each posted six tackles.

Erbs started the scoring for the Warhawks, ripping the ball from Pointers quarterback Matt Urmanski near midfield and rumbling 46 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just over two minutes into the game. In the second quarter, Peete completed an eight-play, 84-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 9:01 to play in the half. UW-Whitewater’s defense forced two more punts in the quarter to help the team take its 14-point lead into halftime.

The Warhawks started the second half strong with a 10-play, 75-yard drive to take a 21-0 advantage. Peete scampered in from 19 yards out with 10:40 left in the third quarter.

The two teams exchanged punts before the defense came up with a turnover. Kaminski popped the ball loose from Urmanski and Brand recovered it at the UW-W 32-yard line.

From there, UW-Whitewater drove 51 yards in 12 plays to set up a 34-yard field goal by junior kicker Wojciech Gasienica with 12:46 left in the fourth quarter.

The Warhawks forced another fumble on the ensuing drive as freshman defensive lineman Niko Lemke came up with the strip and recovery.

UW-Whitewater took advantage of the miscue with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by Peete’s 3-yard touchdown three plays following a 26-yard completion from junior quarterback Zach Oles to Parish. The team took a 31-0 lead with 8:24 on the clock.

A short punt following a three-and-out gave the Warhawks a short field, and they capitalized as sophomore running back Jaylon Edmonson carried on all five plays and crossed the goal line for a five-yard score with 3:36 remaining to account for the final margin.

UW-Whitewater resumes action next Saturday, Oct. 26, at UW-River Falls. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

Police Dept.: Pedestrian Dies from Injuries in Crash Near Mulberry Glen

A news release indicates that the Whitewater Police Department responded to a fatal traffic accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian, Sunday morning, October 20, 2019. Kay Gustafson, 71, of Whitewater was struck and later died due to her injuries. The accident took place near the 1300 block of West Main Street around 10:30 a.m. The driver of the vehicle is cooperating with law enforcement and sustained no injuries from the crash. The accident is currently under investigation by the Whitewater Police Department with assistance from the Walworth County Sherriff’s Department. “WPD would like to extend their deepest condolences to those involved in this terrible tragedy,” the release stated.

The name of the driver has not yet been released.

UW-W Enrollment Falls Again in Wake of Demographic Trends

Reflecting state and national demographic trends, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s preliminary enrollment for fall 2019 is 13,059, an overall 5.3% decline from last year. Enrollment at the Whitewater campus on the 10th day of the semester was 11,503 vs. 12,084 last year, for a decline of 4.8%. On the Rock County campus there were 865 students, compared with 975 last year, a decline of 11.3%.


Jeff Angileri, Assistant Director, University Marketing and Communications, stated, “Please note this is not an apples to apples comparison. Last year’s numbers are considered the final, official numbers. This year’s numbers are still considered preliminary. The general trend is that final enrollment numbers are usually higher than the preliminary numbers, so we are expecting are final enrollment count will be higher.”


“Our students recognize not only our great value but the high-quality education we offer along with excellent student support,” Chancellor Dwight C. Watson said. “Our graduate and online programs continue to see growth, with an increase in students this year. Our online programs are ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Last year, we saw a record senior class graduate from UW-Whitewater, with 2,923 students receiving degrees – but this success also means that our overall university enrollment is somewhat lower now than in previous years.”

The UW System’s preliminary enrollment for 2019 is 168,241 students, an overall 2% decline from last year. The system released a statement indicating, “Nationally, higher education enrollments are down. These modest enrollment reductions are not unique to the UW System amid trends of fewer high school graduates and low unemployment rates in a strong economy. Despite the decline, the UW System share of overall higher education enrollment in Wisconsin has increased since 2010, from 48.6% to 50.8% in 2018.”

Fall enrollment on the Whitewater campus:
2009 – 11139
2010 – 11557
2011 – 11643
2012 – 12031
2013 – 12015
2014 – 12159
2015 – 12351
2016 – 12628
2017 – 12430
2018 – 12084
2019 – 11503 (preliminary)

2019 Discover Whitewater Series Banquet


The Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, 5K and W3 Fit Kid Shuffle held its seventh annual race banquet on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at Willow Brook Golf Course. Gathered for a night of celebration were race sponsors, team leaders, volunteers and five local charities.

“The purpose of DWS is to support the community by giving back to organizations that are solely devoted to helping Whitewater,” DWS Executive Director Jefferey Knight said. “It is always wonderful to see different community members come out to support our cause!”

During the banquet, DWS presented $5,000 to each of the five charities, totaling $25,000. These five charities include: Working for Whitewater’s Wellness, Bethel House, Whitewater Unified School District, Whitewater LEADS and J-Hawk Aquatic Club.

Excluding the DWS donations, there was an additional $464 directly donated from anonymous individuals to the charities of their choosing on the DWS website.

“Besides the runners, obviously, anyone would be surprised by the amount of leg work that goes into the DWS Race Day Weekend,” GWC Chairman Larry Kachel said. “The number of community sponsors, volunteers and team leaders that help out is inspiring. However, my favorite part of DWS has been the $180,000 we have raised for Whitewater charities.”

The DWS post-race survey was sent out to runners via email and posted on DWS’s Facebook page. The purpose of the survey was to give race participants the opportunity to express their opinions of their overall race day experience.

In the 2019 DWS, 52 percent of the runners had participated in past DWS races. On the survey, 100 percent of all returning and first-time runners expressed that they felt satisfied to extremely satisfied with the race, and 100 percent of respondents also said they would recommend the DWS to friends and family.

“The 2019 race marks the third year that I have been the DWS Race Director,” DWS Race Director Dawson Miller said. “It still amazes me to see just how many individuals can come together in support of the community. I was a little concerned an hour before the race, but even with the rain we got, it was a great event.”

Next year, the eighth annual DWS will take place on Sunday, September 20, 2020.

Photos (Left to Right): Larry Kachel, Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC); Mark Elworthy, Whitewater Unified School District; Eric Boettcher, City of Whitewater; Michael Wallace, Fort HealthCare; Dwight Watson, UW-Whitewater; Dawson Miller, DWS; Jeffery Knight, GWC and DWS

Donation Recipients: Jen Kaina, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness; Marissa Kevin, Bethel House; Steve Ryan, Whitewater Unified School District; Rita Hookstead, J-Hawk Aquatic Club; Jim Winship, Whitewater LEADS

Upcoming City & Community Meetings: Week of October 21-27

Whitewater School Board Special Meeting - Monday at 6:00 PM
Central Office of Whitewater Unified School District - More Information  (Click on "meetings" in the upper right corner.)
Irvin L. Young Library Board of Trustees - Monday at 6:30 PM
Irvin L. Young Memorial Library - More Information
City of Whitewater Finance Committee - Tuesday at 5:30 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information
City of Whitewater Police & Fire Commission - Wednesday at 6:30 PM
Whitewater Municipal Building - More information 
Whitewater Community Development Authority - Thursday at 6:00 PM
 Whitewater Municipal Building - More information

Whitewater Whippets Boys Soccer Team Finishes up Regular Season with Win over Big Foot-Williams Bay

Many of the Members of the Whitewater Whippets Boys Soccer Team

The Whitewater Whippets Boys Soccer team finished up the regular season this past Thursday with a 3-0 victory over Big Foot-Williams Bay.  The Whippets picked up two goals in the first half, the first from a header from Cristian Reyes off of a corner kick from Colin Chenoweth and the second from a strike from Juan Cuellar with Marcos Contreras picking up the assist. Juan Cuellar notched the third goal of the night on a low, hard-driven corner kick that proved too difficult to handle by the keeper.  Good defensive play by defensive midfielders and defensive back stopped most of the offensive pressure of Big Foot with goalkeepers Antwan Banda and Sergio Zuniga each stopping shots to pick up the clean sheet.  The Whippets are in the state playoffs Thursday with an away game at Jefferson.

WHS Coin Contest Raises Money for Family Emergency Fund

The National Honor Society hosted the annual Homecoming Coin Contest at Whitewater High School October 7 – 10. Class participation was outstanding again this year! $740.45 was raised and presented to Mary Geraghty as a donation for the Family Emergency Fund! Thank you to everyone who shared their spare change and to National Honor Society members who counted all of the coins each day period 9: Sophie Olson, Jenna Lee, Mina Truesdale, Gwynne Sahyun, Jacee Johnson, Tessa Papcke, Bryce Hibbs, Hailey Murphy, Shawn Chan, Abby Grosinske and Allison Ceranske.

Florence Bassett Club Meeting

The Florence Bassett Club gathered at the Bassett House for some Tricks, Treats and games on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.

The Florence Bassett Club has been in existence since the early 1900’s, but was known under a different name – The Associate Group. When the Whitewater Federation of Women’s Clubs acquired the house at 708 W. Main St. in 1926, a gift from Florence Bassett, the Federation had to incorporate the Associate Group into a working club with officers, monthly meetings and members who held positions on the Federation Boards. In 1934 the group voted on a new name, the Florence Bassett Club.

The club says, “the main purpose of the Florence Bassett Club is to help preserve and maintain our club house, an historic Whitewater landmark. We support any endeavor, either financially or by working, that achieves this goal.”

The organization meets at 1:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month, and welcomes guests.  If interested in joining in the fun, contact Club President Carol Holford at 473-5840. 

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club Welcomes New Member and New Officers

The UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club kicked off their new year with a celebration on October 3 at 841 Brewhouse. Many members attended including Lieutenant Governor, Diane Matuszak. Food and laughter were shared among members, along with a few memories of the late Lou Zahn, who was an active, upbeat member who left a positive impact on the Whitewater community.

New member, Paul Waelchli was inducted, along with new Optimist board members. Al Hutchison has stepped into the role of the new Optimist president. In addition, Joyce Hutchison has taken the role of secretary, while Paul Waelchli and Duane Dickens have accepted roles as board members.


The UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club looks forward to another productive year of “bringing our community together to serve our youth.” The Optimist Club will be sponsoring Youth Appreciation Week in mid-November and Breakfast With Santa on December 7.


If you are interested in joining the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club, please visit our blog (http://blogs.uww.edu/uwwcommunityoptimist/) for more information.