Sports

Mequon, Wis. — The No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team was impressive on both ends of the floor in an 80-37 win at Concordia Wisconsin [CUW] Wednesday night. 

The Warhawks held the Falcons scoreless for nearly eight minutes after CUW scored the opening bucket, allowing Wis.-Whitewater to lead 19-7 at the end of the first quarter. They capitalized on Concordia’s 10 turnovers while committing only two themselves. UWW was efficient from the free-throw line, making 7 of 8 attempts, and outscored the Falcons 8-3 on points from turnovers. Kacie Carollo contributed significantly for UWW, scoring a team-high with two 3-pointers and a total of 10 points in the quarter.

In the second quarter, UWW extended their lead over CUW with a 21-6 run. UWW held CUW scoreless for over seven minutes to start the period. The Warhawks dominated in the paint, scoring 12 points while also capitalizing on the Falcons’ turnovers with 5 points. The visiting team shot an efficient 9-for-17 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while CUW struggled offensively, making only 2 of 12 shots and committing 7 turnovers. UWW’s defense was active, recording 5 steals and limiting CUW’s second-chance opportunities.

The second half was more of the same with UW-Whitewater holding the advantage on both sides of the ball, extending the lead down the stretch. 

The Warhawk offense was stellar Wednesday as UWW shot 54-percent from the floor (30-56) and 73-percent from three-point range (8-11). Their efficiency from deep is tied for the fourth-best three-point percentage in a single game in program history. 

Carollo led the way with 21 points hitting 7-10 from the floor, 4-5 from deep and 3-3 from the charity stripe. She added nine boards and eight assists in the contest. Mia Gillis knocked down 6 of her 8 shots for 13 points. Defensively, Logan Lowry registered four blocks in the game while Bri McCurdy added three steals. 

UW-Whitewater returns to the court Tuesday as they host Illinois Wesleyan at 6 PM in Kachel. 

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Waukesha, Wis. — The No. 4 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team came back from a nine-point halftime deficit to top No. 21 Carroll 62-60 on the road Saturday evening. 

After an even first quarter where both teams scored 14, the Warhawk offense struggled in the second. UWW shot just 21-percent from the floor while the Pioneers put up 18 to take a 32-23 lead at the intermission. 

UW-Whitewater regrouped and came out on fire on the other side of the break. The Warhawks shot a phenomenal 90-percent (9-10) from the floor including 2-3 from beyond the arc adding a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe in the quarter. 

UWW whittled away at the lead eventually grabbing the advantage at the 56 second mark on a layup by Maggie Trautsch. She added a pair of free throws to give the Warhawks a 49-46 lead at the end of the third. 

An old-fashioned three-point play for Carroll to open the fourth knotted the game 49-49. UW-Whitewater responded with a five-point run courtesy of a triple from Kacie Carollo and a pair of free throws from Bri McCurdy. 

Over the next three minutes, the only bucket was a Pioneer free throw. McCurdy broke the drought with a three-pointer at the 2:20 mark to give UWW a 57-50 lead. 

The Pioneers hit a layup that was quickly countered by a Carollo layin for UWW. Back-to-back buckets for CU cut the gap to two, 59-57, with 30 seconds to go. 

UWW inbounded to Carollo who dribbled through traffic as time ticked off the clock. The Pioneers finally fouled with 19 seconds left and Carollo hit both from the charity stripe to push the lead back to four, 61-57. 

Carroll pushed the ball up the court and hit a quick three to narrow the gap to one with 13 seconds remaining. Carollo was fouled again and hit one of two to give UWW a two-point lead with just under 10 seconds to go. 

A foul in the paint stopped the clock with two seconds to go and gave the Pioneers an inbounds play with enough time to get a shot off. Carroll did get a three-pointer off but the shot went wide to seal the Warhawk win. 

Carollo paced the Warhawks with 26 points on 9-15 from the floor, 3-5 from deep and 5-6 from the free throw line. Trautsch added 17 bolstered by 3-4 from beyond the arc. Mallory Oloffson pulled down nine boards adding four steals in the game.

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Eau Claire, Wis. — The UW-Whitewater football was dominant in a 48-7 win at UW-Eau Claire Saturday afternoon.

Tyler Vasey and the Warhawk special teams unit set the tone early. Vasey took the opening kick 71 yards down to the UWEC 24-yard line. Three plays later, Jackson Fox nailed a 35-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead. That was the lone score of the first quarter. 

On the first play of the second quarter, Dyson Klubertanz jumped a passing lane inside the Warhawks five-yard line and returned the pick to the 29. The turnover led to UW-Whitewater’s first touchdown of the game – a 14-yard Jason Ceniti to Brian Stanton connection for the 10-0 advantage. That would be all the Warhawks needed in the game, but UWW continued to roll. 

UWW scored on the next drive as Drake Martin punched it in for the 17-0 lead. Jaden Hendrickson picked off a pass on the Blugold’s next drive and the Warhawks turned it into points on the other end. Another Ceniti passing touchdown, this time to Vasey from two yards out, put the finishing touches on the drive. Fox split the uprights on the point after for a 20-0 advantage. 

On the other side of the break, the Warhawks added 14 points in the third courtesy of a 36-yard Noah Battle run and a 44-yard Vasey carry. 

The fourth quarter saw 14 more added to UWW’s total in response to an Eau Claire touchdown early in the period. Ceniti took off on a 38-yard scoring sprint. He added a second score with his feet on a four-yard run to cap the scoring in the game for the 48-7 final. 

Ceniti was 10-11 for 149 yards and a passing touchdown. He added 124 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Vasey registered 75 yards on five carries with a touchdown in the game. 

Vasey was also the top target with four catches. Steven Hein led the receiving corps with 45 yards on a pair of catches. 

Defensively, Kamrin Hutt had a phenomenal game with 12 tackles including 10 solo and a tackle for a loss of two. 

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Northfield, Minn. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s cross country team finished second at the 2024 NCAA North Regional held in Northfield, Minnesota Saturday afternoon. 

The top teams from each of the ten regional sites automatically qualify for the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship with 22 more teams receiving at-large bids. Additionally, the top seven individuals from each regional, 70 total, who did not qualify with their team will earn a bid to the national championship. The complete championship field will be announced Sunday, November 17 on ncaa.com. 

Christian Patzka and Gunner Schlender crossed line together with a time of 24:30.40. Patzka officially took fourth with Schlender claiming fifth. The time is the second-fastest for Schlender in a regional meet. Dan Anderson added a 13th-place finish with a time of 24:50.10 while Chris Allen posted a time of 25:04.80 to finish 23rd. Allen’s mark is a regional best for the senior. All four Warhawks earn All-Region recognition with top 35 finishes. 

Tucker Johnson crossed the line just outside the top 35 with a time of 25:17.90 for 36th. Conner Murphy was right behind with a time of 25:19.30 for 38th. Alex Metko rounded out the group of Warhawks with a time of 25:43.30 for 56th in the field of over 200 runners. 

The 2024 NCAA Division III Championship will be held at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terra Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 23. 

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Northfield, Minn. — The UW-Whitewater women’s cross country team finished sixth at the 2024 NCAA North Regional held in Northfield, Minnesota Saturday morning.

The top teams from each of the ten regional sites automatically qualify for the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship with 22 more teams receiving at-large bids. Additionally, the top seven individuals from each regional, 70 total, who did not qualify with their team will earn a bid to the national championship. The complete championship field will be announced Sunday, November 17 on ncaa.com. 

Ari De La Cerda (Pewaukee, Wis./) paced the Warhawks with a time of 22:25.4 to finish 13th in a field of over 200 runners. A four-time regional participant, De La Cerda’s 2024 time is her best mark and top career finish at the meet. Payton Scoggin (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trails) was clocked in 22:39.7 to finish 19th at the meet. Her mark is also a personal best at the regional. In her second regional appearance, sophomore Renee Forystek (Waukesha, Wis./North) crossed the line in 22:54.9 to claim 29th. As top 35 finishers, De La Cerda, Scoggin and Forystek all earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors. 

Katie Erb (Winnebago, Ill./) added a time of 23:18.0 to finish 43rd while Ella Hansen’s (Pewaukee, Wis./) time of 23:33.4 was good for 54th. Abbey Wedwick (Westby, Wis./) registered a time of 24:23.5 with teammate Carleen Snow (Rio, Wis./DeForest) crossing the line just .02 later – both rank among the top 100. 

The 2024 NCAA Division III Championship will be held at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terra Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 23. 

Stevens Point, Wis. — The No. 7 UW-Whitewater volleyball team punched its ticket to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 28-26) sweep at UW-Stevens Point Thursday night. The Warhawks have advanced to the league tournament title match for the 11th consecutive time and will be seeking their third straight title on Saturday. UWW has won five of the last ten conference tournament championships.

In the other WIAC Tournament semifinal, top-seeded UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-Platteville in five sets. The Titans will host the title match Saturday at 7 PM in a rematch of the 2023 championship. 

UW-Whitewater registered a phenomenal performance in the rematch of a regular season loss in Whitewater Thursday night. On the Pointers’ home court, UWW hit .356 with three Warhawks tallying double digit kills. Meanwhile the defense limited UWSP to an attack efficiency of .202 bolstered by nine total team blocks in the contest. 

The Warhawks trailed through the majority of the first set but were able to capture their first lead of the match on a 4-0 run that forced a Pointer timeout with UWW leading 17-15. From there, the UW-Whitewater advantage hovered between one and three until a 3-0 spurt capped the set. A UWSP miscue was the catalyst on the run as Jenna Weinfurt and Alayna Jansky followed with two consecutive kills for the 25-21 final. 

The first set was the best for UWW offensively. The Warhawks hit .421 led by a fantastic six-kill set from Weinfurt. The powerful outside hitter hit .600 with zero errors in the opener. 

UW-Whitewater registered the first five points of set two before UWSP began whittling away at the lead. The Pointers came back to tie the set 9-9 and the squads traded points until UWW was able to put a small run together. With the gap pushed to three, 15-12, UWW maintained the advantage the rest of the way. Abbie Dix and Aubrie Krzus turned away a Pointer attack with a huge block to cap the set and secure the 25-22 win. 

Chloe Werner had the hot hand in set two with six kills. Dix showcased her blocking supremacy with five assist blocks in the second set. 

Set three was a battle from start to finish. The largest lead by either squad was a 7-4 UWSP advantage early in the set. The Warhawks staved off a first set point for the Pointers before UWSP held on match point to tie it up, 26-26. Weinfurt pounded down a kill to force a second match point and a UWSP error provided the final point. 

For the match, Weinfurt posted a team-high 14 kills followed by 12 each from Jansky and Werner. Jansky added three aces and led UWW with 12 digs on the night. Krzus notched 40 assists in the three-setter adding six blocks. 

Dix hit .462 with 6 kills in 13 attempts with no attack errors. Defensively, she was stellar matching Krzus’ six-block performance. 

According to an article on channel3000.com on November 13, “Chris Davis Jr. committed Arkansas State University Wednesday. Davis Jr scored more than 1000 high school career points last season at Sun Prairie West.”

“….He’s continuing the dreams of his father, Chris Davis Sr. He remains the only University of Wisconsin-Whitewater athlete to have a “player of the year” title. He also helped the Warhawks win two national titles and coached varsity basketball for Sun Prairie West High School.”

“….Davis Jr. plans to win a state championship at Sun Prairie East High School this season.”