Sports

The Whippets took care of business against Beloit Memorial, picking up a 108–49 victory and winning 9 of the 11 events Tuesday night, January 20!

Meet Highlights:

• 200 Freestyle

Wyatt Esch won his heat with a time of 2:18.68. Sam Nickelsburg dropped 8 seconds for a best time of 2:20.07, and Hunter Runnoe had a massive 55-second time drop going 2:44.15.

• 200 IM

Langdon Coburn won the event with a time of 2:21.84. Caleb Kluck gave the 200 IM a try for the first time, posting a solid 2:45.88, while Ian Agen dropped 6 seconds off his previous time.

• 50 Freestyle

In the JV heat, ChaCha Binagi won with a blazing 30.41, and Cooper Housel dropped 2 seconds to go 32.84.

In the varsity heat, Mateo Bazeley won the event with a lifetime best 23.28, jumping from 9th to 6th on the Whippet Top 10 list.

• 100 Fly

Sam Nickelsburg won his heat swimming right on his best time at 1:10.50. Angel Kilar also had a strong swim, posting a new best time.

• 100 Freestyle

Langdon Coburn hit a lifetime best with a 54.58, and Hunter Runnoe followed with a best time of 1:11.10.

• 500 Freestyle

Mateo Bazeley won the event in his first-ever 500, clocking a 5:46.69. David Enns dropped nearly a full minute for a lifetime best of 7:36.69, and ChaCha Binagi also put together a solid swim in his first 500 of the season.

• 100 Backstroke

Wyatt Esch dropped 2 seconds, finishing with a time of 1:13.68.

• 100 Breaststroke

Caleb Kluck posted a lifetime best 1:20.59, dropping 6 seconds off his previous time.

The Whippets were back in action tonight, Thursday, January 22 as they traveled to Badger High School to take on Badger and Platteville/Lancaster.

Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

On Saturday, January 17, the Whitewater Girls’ Wrestling Team boarded the bus and traveled to Janesville Craig High School to participate in their first annual girls’ wrestling invite. The Whippet girls performed very well with many great performances throughout the day. When the dust had settled the ladies found themselves on top of the podium as a team, outdistancing Verona by 22 points to bring home the team gold.

Leading the way for the ladies was Kora Davis (120) who had a great gut wrenching match in her semi-final coming out with the 8-6 victory to reach the championship. In the championship round Kora had a tough match against her opponent but came up short. This was Kora’s highest placement for her this being her first season of wrestling. 

Madi Kubicz (185) also had a great semi-final match against her opponent, getting the 1-0 victory. In the championship, much of the match was wrestled in the neutral position with Madi providing much of the action, but Madi was unable to completely finish and ended up falling and bringing home the silver.

Also reaching the podium and bringing home the bronze were Isabelle Cantu (100) and Storm De Porter (126). Isabelle lost a tough semi-final ending up on the short end of a scramble. The girl she lost to went on to win the gold in a similar match, coming out on top in a scramble. Other than the one defeat, Isabelle had a really good day, securing three pins during the day.

Storm had a very nice day showing lots of aggression on her feet and wrestling tough on top. She had a very strong opponent in the semi-finals from Monroe, coming up short for the finals. She battled back strong, coming up with two more wins, both by very strong pins.

Other placements on the day included Ema Aranda (107), Katie Rojas-Reyes (132), Atreya Wilson (138), Burma Vubumu (145), Aubrey Fuoco (145), Saray Villegas (152), Payton Taylor (165) and Silvia Harris (120). Silvia had a very good day coming away with three pins and finishing in 5th place. In her 5th place match Silvia was down 9-3 in the 3rd period and was able to come away with the pin.

The girls are in action on Wednesday night, January 21, when they host Madison Memorial and Big Foot. This will be Senior Night and Parents’ night starting at 6:00.

Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

Clinton beat Whitewater 69-40 in RVC Girls’ Basketball action Friday night, January 16. After the game was tied 8-8, Clinton went on a 14-3 and then never looked back. Whitewater plays again on Thursday at Brodhead.

Information Provided by Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org

The Whippet Wrestlers hosted quite an exciting dual Tuesday night, January 14, hosting Jefferson. There was a full house and lots of excitement and yelling in the stands. Coach Schimming stated, it’s “always fun to be a part of a good dual meet.”

The dual came down to the last match of the night, which is always the one people remember, however a lot of things happen in the previous 13 so we never say it was the last match; it was a culmination. When the excitement and the yelling came to a climax our Whippet boys ended up on the short end, so the Whippets will have a share of the Valley Conference Title. Please congratulate the wrestlers when you see them. It hurt last night but, “We don’t lose, we Learn.”

On Wednesday, January 21 our girls’ team will take the mat and have two duals, Madison Memorial and Big Foot. Come on out and support the girls’ wrestling team with matches starting at 6.

Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team competed at the Stoughton Invitational on Saturday, January 10th, finishing 5th overall while racing against Division 1 programs and swimming college-format events. The boys stepped up to the challenge and put together a strong day of racing!

Meet Highlights:

• 400 Medley Relay
  • A Relay (Cruz Aranda, Caleb Kluck, Langdon Coburn, Mateo Bazeley) finished 5th overall. Mateo Bazeley had a really nice split of 50.80 in the 100 freestyle portion.
  • B Relay (Wyatt Esch, David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, Eloy Rodriguez) finished 12th overall. David Enns had a strong 100 breaststroke split of 1:18.61.
• 200 Freestyle – Mateo Bazeley placed 3rd with a time of 2:00.17.
• 50 Freestyle – Wyatt Esch finished 10th with a time of 25.62.
• 400 IM – Cruz Aranda finished 4th with a time of 4:35.93.
• 100 Freestyle – Sam Nickelsburg placed 11th, touching in 1:03.52.
• 200 Freestyle Relay
  • A Relay (Langdon Coburn, Caleb Kluck, Mateo Bazeley, Cruz Aranda) finished 2nd with a time of 1:35.77
  • B Relay (Wyatt Esch, Eloy Rodriguez, Sam Nickelsburg, David Enns) finished 12th with a time of 1:55.23
• 500 Freestyle – Caleb Kluck placed 13th with a time of 6:31.88
• 200 Backstroke – Langdon Coburn placed 7th with a time of 2:16.41.
• 400 Freestyle Relay
  • A Relay (Cruz Aranda, Mateo Bazeley, Caleb Kluck, Langdon Coburn) finished 2nd overall with a time of 3:35.74
  • B Relay (David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, Eloy Rodriguez, Wyatt Esch) finished 10th with a time of 4:15.93

Racing against larger programs in a college-style meet gave the boys great experience and showed the continued progress of this group as the season moves forward.

The Whippets are back in action on Tuesday, January 13th against Delavan-Darien!

 Senior Night  — be sure to come out and cheer on our seniors and the rest of the team.

‍️ Swimming starts at 5:30 pm 

Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

Congratulations to the Boys’ Varsity Wrestling Team for winning the Clinton Invitational on Saturday, January 10. Bringing home individual gold were Gabe Crane and Austin Retzlaff. There were lots of big wins on the day and a couple big come from behind wins. The Whippets won the tournament by 1 point.

Congratulations to the girls’ team for taking 5th out of 32 at Muskego. Top finishers for the Whippets included Ema Aranda 4th and Madi Kubicz 6th. Many girls had winning records on the day.

Finally, the JV competed at home hosting a 17 team JV regional. Yuver Meija will represent Whitewater at Wausau in the state JV finals. Just missing out on a trip were Franklin DiFiore and Carlos Salinas.

Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team hosted Elkhorn and The Prairie School on Tuesday, January 6th for an exciting triple dual. While the Whippets outswam The Prairie School 111–43, they came up short against a strong Elkhorn squad 109–61. Overall, the boys had some really good swims, and it was great to be back racing!

Highlights from the night include:

• 200 Medley Relay – Langdon Coburn, Caleb Kluck, Cruz Aranda, and Mateo Bazeley finished 2nd with a time of 1:50.19. Caleb had a strong 50 Breast split, clocking 34.44.

• 200 Freestyle – Langdon Coburn finished 2nd with a time of 2:04.78. Carson Miller and Ian Agen both tried the 200 Free for the first time and went under 3:30.

• 200 IM – Cruz Aranda won the event with a time of 2:07.94, moving him into 5th place on the Whippet Top 10 List. Eloy Rodriguez swam the event for the first time and did a great job.

• 50 Freestyle – Mateo Bazeley continued to swim fast, hitting right on his best time. Chacha Binagi dropped a huge 4 seconds, going 34.67, and Cooper Housel posted a new best time of 34.50.

• 100 Butterfly – David Enns and Mateo Bazeley both swam the event for the first time in their careers. Mateo finished 7th with a time of 1:07.30, and David followed with a solid 1:24.34.

• 100 Freestyle – Cruz Aranda took 2nd with a time of 52.12. Wyatt Esch dropped 5 seconds to go 1:02.18. Hunter Runnoe dropped an impressive 8 seconds, hitting 1:12.06, and Ian Agen had a massive 16-second drop, posting a best time of 1:24.88.

• 200 Freestyle Relay – Langdon Coburn, Mateo Bazeley, Caleb Kluck, and Cruz Aranda won the event with a time of 1:39.23.

• 100 Backstroke – Chacha Binagi and Hunter Runnoe both had huge time drops. Chacha dropped nearly 15 seconds, finishing in 1:40.47, and Hunter dropped 14 seconds, posting a new best time of 1:34.80.

• 100 Breaststroke – David Enns continued his strong improvement with a best time of 1:23.43. Carson Miller dropped 10 seconds, touching in 1:52.58.

• 400 Freestyle Relay – Wyatt Esch led off with a strong split, bettering his 100 Free time again with a 1:01.23.

Up next: The Whippets head to Stoughton on Saturday, January 10th to compete in the Stoughton College Invitational. Swimming starts at 10:30 AM — hope to see you there!

Article Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

On December 30, the Whitewater Girls’ Wrestling Team woke up early and caught the bus at 5:45 AM to travel to Lakeland University in Plymouth, WI. They participated in the Sheboygan South Girls Holiday Invite, which featured 27 teams. This event was an excellent test of both ability and mental toughness for our girls, and they performed very well in both areas.

Our 13 wrestlers managed their emotions effectively and supported each other throughout the day. As a team, the girls placed fifth out of 27 teams. Leading the way was Marianna Kubicz, who won all four of her matches by pin. Marianna demonstrated remarkable mental toughness in the championship match, remaining calm under pressure and successfully pinning her opponent, who had only two losses on the season.

Other notable performances came from Isabelle Cantu and Ema Aranda, who both finished in third place. Isabelle won four matches, losing only one in the semifinals, and clinched her third-place match with a score of 8-3. Ema also won three matches, but she fell in her semifinal match to a girl with only two losses on the season. Ema secured her third-place finish by winning her final match due to a medical forfeit.

All the girls showed great improvement throughout the day. The team will be on the move again this upcoming weekend for the Muskego Invite.

Article and Photos Courtesy of Juan Gomez
Whitewater High School Girls’ Wrestling Coach
jgomez@wwusd.org

UW-River Falls won its first ever national title on Sunday, January 4 in a 24-14 victory against North Central (Illinois) in the Stagg Bowl. In their first playoff appearance since 1996, the Falcons defeated the defending champions, North Central (Illinois), to clinch the 2025 DIII football championship.

Editor’s note: The above is from the NCAA website, where the championship bracket may be viewed. This article, North Central: The Dynasty You’ve Never Heard Of, from Mikefarrellsports.com, makes clear what a surprise it was for UW-RF to beat North Central in its sixth consecutive Stagg Bowl appearance, having won three of the last five games.

To close out 2025, the Whippet Wrestling Team hosted the 53rd annual Mid-States Wrestling Classic held at UWW and hosted by Whitewater High School. The field of teams this year was as usual quite competitive with teams from Illinois and Wisconsin competing over the two-day event. As a fan following the tournament for the first time who is familiar with Illinois wrestling told me, “Boy those are some top notch teams in that tournament.” That it was, and it proved to be a good test for the Whitewater Team.

Leading the way for the Whippets was freshman Gabe Crane who had some very tough matches over the course of the two days. He was in some very tight battles three times over the tournament, which is exactly what Gabe needed, and he proved that he has improved since the first competition of the season in early December. The Mid-States medals the top 8 individuals in their weight classes. Gabe found himself reaching the podium as a freshman in 8th place.

Also having a good tournament was Brady Friend who was 4-3 over the course of the two days with again some very competitive matches for himself. Brady had a couple of pins as well as a couple of hard-fought wins along the way. Brady ended up finishing in 11th place at 138 lbs. Although he stated he should have been on the podium, as a coaching staff we are seeing steady improvement from Brady, and he shows that desire to want to better no matter the outcome.

Austin Retzlaff at 215 lbs had a nice two days as he finished in 12th place going 4-4 over the course of the two days. Austin had some really significant wins on day one that placed him in contention for a medal on day two. He dropped a couple of close matches dropping him into 12th place.

The Whippets have a busy week as we head back to school from the winter break. On Thursday, January 8, the team travels to Monroe to take on the Cheesemakers in a big Rock Valley Conference Dual meet. Saturday, the Varsity then travels to Clinton to take part in a 12-team tournament. The JV boys will be staying in Whitewater as they host a 21 team JV Challenge Series where the top 3 contestants at each weight class earn a trip to the JV Challenge Series Finals. And finally, the Girls will travel to Muskego to take part in a large girls’ tournament on Saturday.

Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org