News

UW-Whitewater Golf Wins Fourth Straight WIAC Championship

UW-Whitewater Golf Wins Fourth Straight WIAC Championship

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding

Results

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team claimed its fourth straight conference title and sixth overall Sunday on the third and final day of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver’s at Reedsburg Country Club in Reedsburg, Wis.

The Warhawks carded a three-day total of 925 (303-312-310) to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which is scheduled for May 11-14 at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, Mich.

UW-Whitewater is the only program in WIAC history to win four consecutive conference championships.

Kristin Bowe led the Warhawks and the 55-player field to become the team’s sixth medalist in program history and third in the last five seasons. Bowe fired a 223 (71-73-79) for the weekend to win the tournament by four strokes and set a program record for lowest individual 54-hole score in program history. Her first-round 71 tied the school record for 18-hole score.

Bowe was also named the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete for women’s golf following play. Head coach Andrea Wieland joined her as an award winner, garnering WIAC Coach of the Year accolades for the first time in her career.

CheyAnn Knudsen, the 2017 medalist, placed third with a 228 (77-76-75). Ashton Sinak and Kelly Storti tied for fifth with matching scores of 238. Sinak posted her best round of the weekend on Sunday (79-84-75), and Storti tallied a sequence of 76-81-81 for the weekend.

Playing in her first conference tournament as part of the lineup, Lily Sheppard finished the weekend with a 253 (79-82-92), good for a tie for 15th.

Grace Westerman led all individuals by tying for 11th place with a 243 (82-76-85) for an impressive conference tournament debut. Madi LaPaz tied for 15th with her 253 (83-85-85), and Lauren Winter totaled a 254 (84-82-88) to tie for 17th.

Sydney O’Hearn finished 28th overall with a 266 (84-96-86) in her first WIAC Championship.

UW-Whitewater will make its third appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Warhawks finished 12th in 2018 and 13th in 2019.

UW-W also qualified for the national championship in 2020, but the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHS Math Team Wins Conference Meet

Article submitted by Eric Kendall
Whitewater High School Math Team Coach
ekendall@wwusd.org

The Whitewater High School Math Team won the Rock Valley Conference Virtual Math Meet on April 29th. Five of the six top individual scores were achieved by Whitewater students!

Front: Reilly Aschenbrener, Andrew Rollette, Nikole Pelot
Rear: Coach Eric Kendall, Reid Gunnink, Arno Crowley, Cooper Hammond, Elijah Grall
Not Pictured: Crystal Chan

These clever young mathematicians solved challenging puzzles in the categories of Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Math, and Problem Solving. The hard work and enthusiasm of our students was evident as they triumphed in both the individual and team competitions. 

This year’s team members were: juniors Arno Crowley, Elijah Grall, Cooper Hammond, and Andrew Rollette; and seniors Reilly Aschenbrener, Crystal Chan, Carson Ellenwood, Reid Gunnink, and Nikole Pelot. The team’s adviser is Mr. Eric Kendall. 

Special congratulations to Reid Gunnink, the winner of the individual competition! 

#FlashbackFriday with the Historical Society: Center St. Around Turn of 20th Century

It’s time again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society!

This week, we’re featuring one of our newly-digitized glass plate negatives taken by Andrew Scholl around the turn of the twentieth century. He often captured many aspects of everyday life during this time, including a large collection of agricultural photographs. This image shows Center Street looking east towards Whitewater Street.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!
(2832GP, Whitewater Historical Society)

The Whitewater Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Whitewater and the surrounding area. Be sure to join us next week for more from the Society’s collections. Please “like” us on Facebook, and check out our website at whitewaterhistoricalsociety.org!​ 

Offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz is first UW-W player drafted in 14 years; UPDATE: At #98, the highest pick ever

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Quinn Meinerz NFL Draft Profile

  • Position: Offensive Line
  • School: Wisconsin-Whitewater
  • Current Year: Senior
  • Height: 6’3 1/4″
  • Weight: 320 pounds
  • Wingspan: 82″
  • Arm: 33″
  • Hand: 10 1/4″

Quinn Meinerz, a 2021 UW-W graduate whose senior year’s football season was canceled by COVID-19, didn’t let that slow him down, and his efforts were rewarded as he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the NFL draft on April 30, the 98th pick overall. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Meinerz became the first Whitewater player drafted since wide receiver Derek Stanley was taken by the Rams in the seventh round in 2007.

Meinerz, a graduate of Hartford High School, developed into an All-American guard as a junior at UW-W. Nicknamed “ The Gut ” for sticking out his belly on hot days, Meinerz put himself through a strenuous training regimen during the past year, losing weight and teaching himself the center position. That earned him an invitation to the Senior Bowl in Alabama in January, where he attracted a lot of media attention. Since then he had been rumored to be on draft radar by a number of teams.

“He did kill people,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said during the network’s broadcast. “And if you’re going to play in the NFL, you better dominate. And this kid did.

“He will be a center-guard option in the NFL. You look at the way he played. Heavy punch. The alertness to pick up stunts I love. Run blocker, he drives defenders off the ball.”

“This is a guy that went down to the Senior Bowl and made a name for himself,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said during the network’s broadcast. “He was the show.”

Broncos general manager George Paton, meeting with reporters, noted it was difficult to evaluate Meinerz because Whitewater’s 2020 season was canceled. “There were a lot of unknowns about him,” Paton said. “Then when you see him in one-on-one drills blocking these guys who are first- and second-round picks, it was pretty amazing.

“It’s been an amazing process,” Meinerz said. “To be Division III, have my season canceled. … To be able to climb up the boards like I did, it doesn’t happen very often.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz becomes the first UW-Whitewater player drafted in 14 years

The Denver Post: Broncos draft offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz at No. 98 overall

Warhawk Football on Twitter

Whitewater Farmers Markets Season Opens

Submitted by Downtown Whitewater, Inc.
director@downtownwhitewater.com

We are proud to announce the season kickoff for both the Whitewater Farmers Market and the Whitewater City Market. The Whitewater Farmers Market operates Saturdays from 8 to noon May through October at 301 W Whitewater St in the municipal parking lot. The Whitewater Farmers Market will be going into its 30th season and features an assortment of local farmers and producers.

 

The Whitewater City Market operates Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. May through October at 301 W Whitewater St around the historic train depot. The Whitewater City Market will be going into its 6th season and features local farmers, producers, artisans and food trucks. As the season builds towards summer you’ll also once again be able to enjoy live music and craft beer at the market. Stop by to enjoy the local goodies and relaxed community vibe.

Farmers markets are an important part of the farm to the community linkage and have continued to rise in popularity around the state and nation. This is due to the growing demand for fresh local products directly from nearby farms. Both the Whitewater City Market and Whitewater Famers Market provide our community access to locally grown/produced products. And to be honest, local just tastes better. See you at the markets!

Both markets host vendors who accept WIC and Senior FMNP.

Former UW-W Football Coach Lance Leipold hired by Univ. of Kansas

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

University of Kansas (KU) announced today that it has hired Lance Leipold as the head football coach for the Jayhawks, with a six year contract. Leipold, age 56, has served as the head football coach at the University of Buffalo since 2015, and at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater from 2007 to 2014. Per Wikipedia, “during his tenure at UW-W, the Warhawks won the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. During his time at Whitewater, Leipold led the Warhawks to five undefeated seasons. Leipold reached 100 victories faster than any coach in NCAA history, doing so in his 106th game on October 18, 2014.”

Leipold, a Jefferson native and former UW-W Hall of Fame quarterback, finished his eight seasons with the Warhawks with a 109-6 record, and with his hiring at Buffalo jumped from Division III to Division I, a rare accomplishment. He was 37-33 at Buffalo with two division championships and three consecutive bowl appearances, going 24-10 since 2018. In recent times he had been speculated to be under consideration for a number of other college programs.

“I can’t thank Lance enough for everything he has done for our football program,” Buffalo Athletic Director Mark Alnutt said. “His vision and leadership helped elevate the UB football brand. We are grateful for what Lance has done here and we wish him and his family all the best as they embark on this new journey.

“Since entering the FBS ranks in 1999, the UB football program continues to rise to unprecedented heights. From bowl victories to top NFL Draft picks, UB has established itself as one of the top programs in not only the Mid-American Conference, but the entire Group of Five. With our success on the field as well as facilities rivaling some of the best in the country, we know we are an attractive coaching destination and look forward to selecting the next leader of our football program,” concluded Alnutt.

“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Coach Leipold, Kelly, Lindsey and Landon to the Jayhawk Family,” KU Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. “He is a man of integrity, a developer of young men, a program builder and a winner. His track record of sustained excellence is exactly what we were looking for in our next leader, and is what the University of Kansas and our fans deserve.”

“It is an exciting and humbling opportunity, and this is a day I will never forget,” Leipold said in a release. “We are going to build this program through developing players, discipline and determination. The philosophies ingrained in our programs along the way will be key as we turn this around. This is a program that has a lot of young talent on the roster and has the infrastructure in place to succeed. The best days for this program are ahead, and my family and I are ecstatic to be a part of it.”

Some media stories are linked below:

Kansas hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as football coach – espn.com – “Kansas is 18-90 since 2011 and last had a winning season under Mark Mangino in 2008. Leipold will be the team’s sixth head coach since that last winning campaign.”

Kansas Football can make considerable growth under Lance Leipold – throughthephog.com

Kansas Hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as Football Coach – usnews.com

Our Readers Share – Getting Ready for the new Arts Alliance project

(Photographer wishes to remain anonymous, but we thank them for this fine contribution.)

Getting ready for the new Arts Alliance project

Sherry Stanek is working hard to make the current Arts Alliance project a success by cutting out the plywood hearts that will soon be on display throughout the city.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage.  Thanks for thinking about this!

This Weekend’s Garage Sales

164 S Ash Ln, Whitewater
Huge Spring Family Rummage Sale
Friday April 30th 9-6 p.m.
Saturday May 1st 9-2 p.m.

Name brand clothing! Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, Pink, Carters! Most only $1!
Boys sizes 6-24 months, 8-16.
Girls 6-18 months, 3T-4/5, 10-16.
Juniors, Women’s and Men’s! Plus size/Big & Tall too!
2 jumperoo’s, infant toys, household items, power washer, shark vacuum, too much to mention!
Neighbor is having moving sale as well!
No early sales!

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Shop Whitewater first, but if you’re looking for more, here’s another idea.

Sale Lists/Maps available at www.palmyrawi.org