The Whitewater High School Girls’ Tennis team traveled to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin for a non-conference dual against Wayland Academy on Thursday, August 29. The Whippets ended the night with a 6-1 dual win.
Article and Photo Courtesy of Greg Stewart
Whitewater High School Assistant Tennis Coach
gstewart@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Whippet Boys’ Soccer Team invites all Whitewater youth to join them on Thursday, September 5th, at 7:00 PM, for the 2nd annual WHS Boys’ Soccer Youth Night.
An article by Ben Pickman in The Athletic (a New York Times publication) on August 28 was titled “Welcome to UW-Whitewater, the bedrock of the U.S. Paralympic wheelchair basketball teams.” Excerpts of the story, which is behind a paywall, are shown below.
“The scuff and skid marks help tell the story. Of collisions, of wheelchairs tipping over, of abrupt stops, pivots, and turns. The banners on the walls around the court’s perimeter serve as a complement to those tales — of a World Championships in Amsterdam, of a Parapan-Am Games in Toronto, of the 2012 London Paralympics, of the three women’s and 14 men’s collegiate national titles.
From the outside, the Roseman Building…looks like another indistinguishable administrative hall….But “Roseman,” as its inhabitants call it, is home to some of the best wheelchair basketball players in the United States….It is one of the most understated venues used by high-level athletes.
…As the Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, the core of the U.S. wheelchair basketball program has roots in the school and the Roseman Building.
Of the 12 members on Team USA men’s wheelchair basketball squad, six are alumni of UW-Whitewater, the most of any university. The women’s team has two players, and one alternate, who competed collegiately at UW-Whitewater…Two alums will play for Germany and another is on the Netherlands roster.
That a university with Division III athletics, and a student body of around 11,000 (more than 1,300 of which have disabilities) became a leader in the wheelchair basketball space stems from serendipity.
In the early 1970s, only a few programs provided services to students with disabilities across America. Less than a half-dozen had wheelchair basketball teams.
John Truesdale was working for Wisconsin’s division of vocational rehabilitation when UW-Whitewater received grant money to support students with disabilities. Shortly after, he was brought into the university to address campus accessibility needs, eventually starting the school’s disabled student services office — which then served around 10 students — and its adaptive recreation program.
Truesdale played stand-up basketball recreationally throughout his youth but had no prior coaching experience. Nevertheless, he took over the sideline duties…. A group of non-disabled students practiced with them because they liked the competition. “I really didn’t know anything,” Truesdale said. “It wasn’t anything that I did as much as it was students and staff buying into it because they saw the need.”
The existence of the program was a starting point.
Shortly after the program’s launch, the university rewrote its mission statement and committed to developing and providing services for students with disabilities. Its intentions were clear. Buy-in followed. “Interest spread throughout the entire campus,” Truesdale says. “It was somewhat unique.” Nowadays, more than 12 percent of Whitewater students use the services offered by the center for students with disabilities on campus.
…..Talen Jourdan represents this generation. Jourdan is from nearby Deerfield. He didn’t know much about the program’s history when he enrolled. But he does now. And on top of the tales of those before him, he appreciates that the men’s team has their own locker room, space for chairs, and a weight room.
Jourdan’s hands are full of calluses and his forearms have countless scars because he uses them to help brake. The marks have been worth it. This spring, he learned he had made his first Paralympic team.
While the U.S. women are looking to win their first gold since 2016, the men are seeking a third consecutive title and to complete the first Paralympic three-peat in men’s wheelchair basketball. “It would mean a lot to everybody,” says Jourdan, who graduated from Whitewater in May…“I love playing at Whitewater because everybody knows about wheelchair basketball and the success the program’s had.”
A comment made by a reader of The Athletic:
Bruce G.
Thanks for the great article celebrating UW-Whitewater. Both of our boys swam at UWW but went to wheelchair basketball games and had their players come to their meets. I remember watching wheelchair basketball games during tournaments UWW would host and being in awe of the athletes. Our experience at UWW was all athletes from all the sports fully supported each other.
Men’s fixtures
Women’s fixtures
Live coverage of the opening ceremony will be shown on USA Network at 12pm CDT. Then on every sporting day, starting on Thursday, August 29, USA Network will provide coverage of the most exciting events, including live finals. Streaming service Peacock will also broadcast around 1,500 hours across all 22 sports throughout the 12-day event, including the hugely popular ‘Gold Zone’ whip-around show.
NBC will have three primetime windows: Friday, August 30 at 8pm CDT; Sunday, September 1 at 6pm CDT; and Friday, September 6 at 8 pm CDT, while CNBC will present live action each weekend. NBCParalympics.com will have the most up-to-date listings and information for viewers in the States.
The Paralympics YouTube channel will also provide live coverage, replays, highlights, creator content and athlete features.
A comment made by a reader of The Athletic:
Bruce G.
Thanks for the great article celebrating UW-Whitewater. Both of our boys swam at UWW but went to wheelchair basketball games and had their players come to their meets. I remember watching wheelchair basketball games during tournaments UWW would host and being in awe of the athletes. Our experience at UWW was all athletes from all the sports fully supported each other.
| Person | Team | Role | At UW-W |
| Jake Williams | USA Men | Player | Former student athlete |
| AJ Fitzpatrick | USA Men | Player | Current student athlete |
| Talen Jourdan | USA Men | Player | Former student athlete |
| John Boie | USA Men | Player | Former student athlete; Current academic advisor |
| Nate Hinze | USA Men | Player | Former student athlete |
| Jeromie Meyer | USA Men | Player | Former student athlete |
| Becca Murray | USA Women | Player | Former student athlete |
| Lindsey Zurbrugg | USA Women | Player | Former student athlete |
| Christine Schwab | USA Women | Head coach | Former women’s coach; Manager Learning Communities Program |
| Desiree Miller | USA Women | Asst coach | Former student athlete |
| Sammy White | Australia Men | Player | Former student athlete |
| Mareike Miller | Germany Women | Player | Former student athlete |
| Vanessa Erskine | Germany Women | Player | Former student athlete |
| Mariska Beijer | Netherlands Women | Player | Former student athlete |
Whitewater Varsity Volleyball opened its season Tuesday night, August 27, hosting Burlington Catholic Central, Stoughton, and Sun Prairie in a Quadrangular. Whitewater went 1-2 on the night, beating Burlington Catholic Central (2-0) before falling to Stoughton (1-2) and Sun Prairie East (0-2).
Senior Calli Grosinske led offensively for the Whippets, contributing 17 kills and 17 assists on the evening. Defensively the Whippets were led by senior Ella Spear who picked up 21 balls.
The Whippets continue their play this Friday and Saturday in the UW Whitewater Tournament.
Article Submitted by Caitlin Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
dowca01@wwusd.org
The Whippet Girls’ Swim Team opened up their season on Saturday, August 24 at the Tom Lieder Milton Invite. We had many new swimmers competing in their first ever competitive swim meet, and let’s just say with only 2 weeks of practice under their belt they absolutely crushed it!
There were some impressive time drops from our new swimmers from the first-time trial at practice to the meet. In the 50 Freestyle, Caitlin Alford dropped 11 seconds, Maya Davis dropped 7 seconds, Laken DePorter dropped 6 seconds, and Maria Pena dropped 2 seconds. In the 100 Freestyle, Maya Davis dropped 16 seconds, Grace Coleman dropped 10 seconds, and Kendra Serrano dropped 6 seconds!
Finishing in the Top 16 include:
The Whippet Swimmers are back in action on Thursday, September 5th for Conference Relays. The meet starts at 5:30 pm at Beloit Memorial High School. Hope to see you there!
Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu
The Whippets opened their football season against Big Foot on Friday, August 23. The final score was Big Foot 7, Whitewater 6.
Coach Sam Bartlett commented, “The game was a hard fought, physical contest with both teams pounding the ball downhill in the run game. We battled the entire time, and I am so proud of everything the kids did out there. We put together a great drive and scored on a short run by Traysen Thomason to put up a score. Defensively we played extremely well, not giving up a single point. The lone score came on special teams which we will get better at. Ultimately the game came down to holding onto the football. Big Foot had one lone turnover, and we gave them the ball three times. It is hard to win games when giving up the ball. We will improve on that part of the game. The biggest thing I was proud of is the kids never gave up and fought until the final whistle. We made mistakes but we did not have a lack of effort out there. They exemplified the ACE standards we strive to live out in everything we do. I have no doubts that by the end of the season we can be a team that is playing a week 10 if we keep improving and play for each other!”
Rushing Offense:
Passing Offense:
Notable Player Stats:
Article Submitted by Sam Bartlett
Whitewater High School Head Football Coach
barsa01@wwusd.org
Photo Credit: Olivia Kowalski
The annual Whitewater Whippet Cross Country water softener salt fundraiser is currently accepting orders! This wildly popular fundraiser looks to take the less-than-exciting chore of going to the store, loading bags of salt, and heading to the register before loading them into your vehicle. Let’s not forget the unloading at home and taking them down your stairs. What a hassle, but not anymore!
The team hopes the heaviest thing you lift when buying salt this year is your pen as you write a check to let us do all the hauling and stacking at your home. Check out the sales flyer linked below to find out all the details about the price per bag and delivery date. We will accept orders through Friday, August 30th. If you have any questions, reach out to any athlete on the team or to Coach Chad Carstens at ccarstens@wwusd.org
A special thank you to Dalee Water Conditioning for supplying the salt for our event!
Link to flyer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RNE1_bdszMsmXri7aZB69flYgOB7PvX_9oLNju6_A0E/edit?usp=sharing
The Greater Whitewater Committee is Set to Host Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Ryan Callahan, as a Guest Speaker at the August Meeting.
The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) is set to host UW-Whitewater Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Ryan Callahan, at the upcoming August meeting. Callahan will be presenting on the state of athletics at the university.
Ryan Callahan was named Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics in May, 2019, and assumed the position on a permanent basis in July of 2021.
As the Director of Athletics, Ryan Callahan is responsible for the oversight of the Warhawks’ 22 varsity programs and is a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet. Callahan started working at UW-W in 2007, including a period as Director of Continuing Education, after several years of playing for the San Francisco Giants as a pitcher.
Ryan Callahan is a UW-Whitewater graduate. He was a pitcher for the Warhawk baseball team from 2001-04. He was a three-time all-conference selection and part of three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championships, two conference tournament titles, and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2004 trip to the NCAA Championship round. He was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
The GWC’s upcoming monthly meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 8th at 7 a.m. at 841 Brewhouse: 841 E Milwaukee St, Whitewater, WI 53190. The public is more than welcome to attend this meeting to hear more about UW-W intercollegiate athletics. If interested in attending, you must RSVP. To reserve your spot, contact Jeff Knight at jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or 920.728.0662 by Wednesday, August 7.
“We are very excited to have Ryan Callahan speak at our upcoming GWC meeting,” said GWC President, Jeffery Knight, “ We are interested to learn more about the state of the UW-Whitewater athletic program.”
About the GWC
The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to working with citizens, elected officials, and policymakers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. The agenda advances the economic, education, and social policies required to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.
Fall Whippet athletes and their parents/guardians will have a mandatory player/parent meeting in the high school auditorium at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 30. At 6:00, Athletic Director Mr. Justin Crandall will share updated sports guidelines for the fall. Immediately following the large group session, players and parents will transition to sport specific meetings. For more information, contact the Whippet Athletic Department office at 262-472-8105.
Start dates for fall sports at Whitewater High School:
According to an article dated July 22 on WeAreGreenBay.com, “A Wisconsin native is receiving quite the contract extension with the Denver Broncos after signing a four-year, $80,000,00 deal.
After signing the extension, Hartford’s Quinn Meinerz, who played for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, will play on Denver’s offensive line through 2028.
A third-round pick in 2021, Meinerz was the 98th overall pick and made an immediate impact for the Broncos. He appeared in 15 games and started nine contests as a rookie before emerging as one of the league’s top guards in 2022…..
Known as a bruiser, Meinerz has gained a reputation as a powerful run blocker and helps his running backs fight for extra yards. In the passing game, according to Pro Football Focus, Meinerz allowed the fourth fewest pressures of any guard with at least 625 snaps in 2023……”
Editor’s note: The photo on the homepage is captioned: Quinn Meinerz is a member of the 2019 D3football.com Preseason All-America team. (Photo by Michael McLoone) Additional photos and information regarding Meinerz’s UW-W career may be found here.