Sports

Written by Abigail Dotzler | Photos by Joe Kusumoto/USOPC,  Craig Schreiner

With a supportive community at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater behind him, John Boie has achieved his dreams. 

Boie — a UW-Whitewater alum, academic advisor at the Academic Advising and Exploration Center and two-time Paralympic gold medalist — shares his success with the friends, family and teammates that have spurred him to achieve. 

On July 8, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome Boie into its ranks during a ceremony at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee. Because of his monumental achievements in wheelchair basketball, Boie will be the first Paralympic athlete to be inducted. 

Boie was first introduced to wheelchair basketball at a camp held by UW-Whitewater when he was 11 years old. He played through a season the next fall and fell in love with the sport. Boie still returns to that camp every summer — now as a camp coach. 

Boie felt the love as soon as he arrived at UW-Whitewater as a college student.

“[Wheelchair basketball provided] a big community [for me] to have coming into college and friends that I still have today,” Boie said.  

In 2014, following an illustrious career on the Warhawk men’s wheelchair basketball team, he graduated from UW-Whitewater with a bachelor’s degree in human resource management.  He continued his education at UW-Whitewater with a master’s degree in human resource management and a master’s degree in accounting. 

Boie has remained on campus as an academic advisor, working with students during their academic journey to ease their path to a degree and their intended profession.

“UW-Whitewater has such a strong tradition of wheelchair basketball, and we’re really excited to have someone who is a continuous and long-time member of our community just really excel at a state level, and national level, and global level,” said Marissa Gruel Hainstock, director of Academic Advising and Success and Boie’s supervisor. 

Boie continued in his basketball journey, competing in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, earning his first gold medal and recognition at the White House. He tried out for Team USA for nine years before finally making the cut for the 2020 Paralympics. 

Boie almost never left the court at his first Paralympics.

“[It felt] like I’d finally reached the goal I set when I was 11 years old,” he said. 

The time, effort and dedication Boie puts into his sport give him the skills to achieve his dreams. He won gold again at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. 

Boie credits part of his success to Jeremy “Opie” Lade, his long-time friend, coach and fellow Warhawk. Lade, who led the UW-Whitewater men’s wheelchair basketball team to six national championships, coached Boie during his time on the UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball team and has encouraged Boie through his entire basketball career.  

“He’s kinda always been in my corner since I was little. He gave me my first basketball chair when I was a little kid,” Boie said. “Opie was a heck of a coach. [He] prepared me for Team USA… and we even play on different club teams in the U.S., so he and I get the opportunity to play against each other.”

Boie continues to pour himself into the wheelchair basketball community — both on and off campus. He officiates tournaments, scrimmages with the Warhawk men’s wheelchair basketball team, and serves as a role model to all student-athletes. Preparing the next generation of gold medalists and Hall of Fame inductees, Boie inspires students to compete, to work hard and to succeed. 

“I can still connect with students — especially student athletes,” Boie said about his role as an academic advisor. “Because I know what it takes to compete at a college level and beyond.” 

While this latest recognition from the Wisconsin Hall of Fame is “still pretty surreal” for Boie,  he’s incredibly excited. 

“I’m thankful for all the people that have helped me get there: family, friends, and community — and that includes the Warhawk community of our campus.”

He’ll represent Team USA again this September at the 2026 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation World Championships in Ottawa.

Editor’s note: This article was provided by UW-Whitewater.

Molly Griep-Popowski recently earned Northeast Region Girls’ Track and Field Coach of the Year honors in North Dakota.

Molly’s team had 24 athletes qualify for the state track and field meet, which will take place May 21–23 in Bismarck. Reflecting on the achievement, Molly said, “I have a great staff of coaches that dedicate a lot of their time and are selfless in helping get this track team where it is today.”

Molly has served as the head coach at Hatton-Northwood High School for the past three years and has been involved with the program for six years overall. She is currently a K–6 physical education teacher at Northwood Public School.

A 2012 graduate of Whitewater High School, Molly is the daughter of Pete and Lisa Griep. During her time at Whitewater, she became — and remains — the school record holder in both the shot put and discus. She also captured the state championship in the shot put in 2012. She earned High School All-American Honors in that event as well as discus.

Congratulations, Molly!

Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Assistant Track and Field Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org

UWW Finishes 2026 Season 43-6

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team fell in extra innings to Bethany Lutheran College in the Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament. The heartbreaker came to an end in the bottom of the 11th, with the Vikings hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly to score the winning run. 

The Warhawks struck first in the game, scoring at the top of the first as the designated away team. Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) scored the first run of the game off a single from Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North). 

From there, it was the Vikings quieting the Warhawks’ offense, keeping UWW at just one run until the 8th inning. On the offensive end, Bethany Lutheran piled on some runs to take the lead. A 2-run homer in the third put a crooked number on the board. The Vikings added one run in the fifth, and a solo home run plus an RBI double in the 7th to build a 6-1 lead. 

Entering the last two down by five, the Warhawks’ time was running out. Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) was able to spark some momentum with a solo home run over the right field scoreboard to get the first run on the board since the first inning.

The four-bagger from Bowers kick-started the Warhawks’ offense. Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) got a hold of one for his own three-run homer with Wyatt Jensen (Luck, Wis./Luck) following up McVay’s at bat with another solo shot to tie the game up at 6-6. 

Still in the top of the 8th, the Warhawks kept the inning going with a single from Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine). Hopper moved up 180 feet, getting second on a wild pitch & third from an errant throw down by the catcher. Hopper came in for the go-ahead run off a deep double by Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North). With just one inning, the Warhawks had flipped the script & took a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. 

Bethany Lutheran was able to tie up the game from a wild pitch in the 8th, but no scores in the ninth sent the game to extras. In the 10th, the Warhawks had just a single base runner, but couldn’t move him past second. The Vikings were able to get runners on second & third, but the UW-Whitewater defense escaped the frame to send it into the 11th. 

UW-Whitewater was retired in order on the 11th as the side flipped back to the Vikings. A single, sacrifice bunt, and a single put runners on the corners with just one out. A fly ball to right field did the job for the Vikings, as they scored the winning run after 3-hours & 40-minutes of game time. 

The Warhawks 2026 campaign came to a close with a 43-6 record, the second-highest winning percentage in Warhawk history. The 2026 season included a school-record 36-game win streak as well as a perfect 28-0 record in conference play, the first time a team has done so in WIAC history. 

Editor’s note: The above is from the UW-W Athletics website. Attendance was 632.

UW-W baseball kicks off the regional competition on Friday, May 14 at 11 a.m. at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium. Their first opponent is Macalester College of St. Paul, MN. Most everything you need to know may be found on UW-W’s Regional Tournament page. That includes admission costs, parking info (remember, Saturday is commencement, so parking arrangements will change), and the schedule for the tournament.

The information below was previously printed on The Whitewater Banner.

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee has announced the 64 teams that will compete in the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

Four teams will compete at each of the 16 regional sites from Friday-Sunday, May 15-17. Regionals will use a double-elimination format. Forty-one conference champions qualified automatically.

Winners of the sixteen regional tournaments will qualify for eight, best-of-three series at the super regionals, Friday-Saturday, May 22-23. The eight super regional winners will then qualify for the pool play double-elimination championship at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake, Ohio, Friday-Thursday, May 29-June 4, 2026.

UW-W is an automatic qualifier after having clinched the WIAC Championship last weekend over La Crosse. That team will be the only other WIAC competitor in the 64-team field. Wisconsin-Whitewater is the reigning DIII baseball champion, after beating Messiah 21-5 in 2025. 

UW-Whitewater will host the first round of the competition beginning this Friday, May 15. In the first game UW-W (41-4) will face Macalester (29-15) at 11 a.m. at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee has announced the 64 teams that will compete in the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

Four teams will compete at each of the 16 regional sites from Friday-Sunday, May 15-17. Regionals will use a double-elimination format. Forty-one conference champions qualified automatically.

Winners of the sixteen regional tournaments will qualify for eight, best-of-three series at the super regionals, Friday-Saturday, May 22-23. The eight super regional winners will then qualify for the pool play double-elimination championship at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake, Ohio, Friday-Thursday, May 29-June 4, 2026.

UW-W is an automatic qualifier after having clinched the WIAC Championship last weekend over La Crosse. That team will be the only other WIAC competitor in the 64-team field. Wisconsin-Whitewater is the reigning DIII baseball champion, after beating Messiah 21-5 in 2025. 

UW-Whitewater will host the first round of the competition beginning this Friday, May 15. In the first game UW-W (41-4) will face Macalester (29-15) at 11 a.m. at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Saturday, May 30 features a Community Youth Sports Day at Whitewater High School from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event is free to all children with soccer games, a bike rodeo and more.

Donated items will also be available for youth that day. Anyone can contribute to the sports equipment drive between May 15 and 27 at The Community Space, Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center or the Whitewater Municipal Building.

This event is sponsored by Whitewater United FC, the Whitewater Police Department and the Immigrant Support Coalition.

UW-Whitewater adds lettermark logo to Warhawk athletics brand

Written by Chris Lindeke | Graphic by Chris Hilbelink

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has unveiled a lettermark logo to enhance and expand the visual identity of Warhawk Athletics while honoring its longstanding tradition of athletics excellence.

The “W”-shaped lettermark was designed to be a complement to the Warhawk head logo that has been a prevalent part of the university brand for the last 25 years, as intercollegiate teams built UW-Whitewater into a consistent, national powerhouse.

“When I talk to recruits and their families, or connect with alumni, I’m reminded that our brand is about more than a logo — it’s about what it stands for,” said Ryan Callahan, assistant chancellor and director of intercollegiate athletics. “This new mark captures that intensity. It feels competitive, confident, and authentically Warhawk.”

The lettermark embodies the spirit of Warhawk Athletics — the stories that lead up to championship moments and the pride felt across campus and the broader community.

The new mark is not a replacement or rebrand. It is an intentional addition to an already strong identity.

“This is not a departure from who we are — it’s an evolution,” said Ann Stadler, assistant chancellor for marketing and communications. “We wanted to create something that feels uniquely ours — something that honors where we’ve been and represents where we’re going.”

The new logo was designed by Chris Hilbelink, art director of University Marketing and Communications, in partnership with Warhawk Athletics. A focus group that included UW-Whitewater students, faculty, staff, alumni, and stakeholders engaged with university leaders to share feedback throughout the creative process.

The lettermark will begin appearing later this year across select athletics applications, including warm-up gear, uniforms, digital platforms, and merchandise available through the UW-Whitewater Bookstore.

UW-Whitewater brand identity and guidelines »

UW-Whitewater Athletics has claimed 21 team national championships, including 18 in the last 25 years, and is an established, perennial national power as a member of NCAA Division III. Warhawks champion a cultural tradition of student-athletes prepared to succeed far beyond sports. In 2024-25, each of the Warhawks’ 20 programs achieved a team grade point average above 3.0, and Warhawk teams engage in thousands of hours of community service annually.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by UW-Whitewater.