Sports

Whippet Volleyball Falls to #8 East Troy

Tuesday night, 10/8, the Whitewater volleyball team celebrated their 2019 Senior Night in front a large, loud Homecoming crowd, led by the UWW Warhawk volleyball team. The Warhawks encouraged the high school students with many cheers, which helped make the gym roar. Before the start of the match junior Kacie Carollo spoke on behalf of the team about the only senior, #6 Maddie Arnett. Here is what Kacie shared with everyone one in the gym: “On behalf of the Whippet Volleyball program we want to thank Maddie Arnett, our only senior, for her dedication and loyalty to volleyball the last four years! She has been a great teammate, friend, and big sister to all of us. She truly embodies what it means to be a Whippet athlete, and we wish her the best with her future! Thank you, Maddie!”

  • Cali Kopecky
  • Kacie Carollo

Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

The Whippets fought hard against the #8 DII team in the state, East Troy, but lost 25-13, 25-20, 25-12. I am very pleased with how well the team played. Our defense is reading opponent hitters much better and continues to make strides forward pursuing balls. The team needs to keep working on more consistent first ball contact so they can run a fast tempo and stay in system. The Whippets served tough and aggressive which resulted in East Troy not being able to set their primary hitters.

Stat Leaders
Aces: Kiyla Kopecky 2
Kills: Kacie Carollo 5
Blocks: Emme Bullis 2
Digs: Cali Kopecky & Emme Bullis both with 10
Assists: Cora Linos 13

Whitewater hits the road for their last regular season conference match on Thursday, as they head to Clinton. They are looking to have another night of determined play against the Cougars and gain momentum heading into the conference tournament next Saturday, October 19th and then regional play-offs October 22nd.

Nightfall Classic WHS CC Results

Trenten Zahn (L) and Gio Anello

On a cool, crisp night in Wisconsin Dells the Whitewater Whippet cross country teams were able to finish off their regular season schedule on a high note. This meet is raced after sundown and contested under strategically placed flood lights to illuminate the course and Christmas lights on the sweeping turns and trees. There is no meet like this in the Midwest. There were over 40 teams that competed in the D1/D2 and D3 races throughout the night.


In near perfect race conditions, the girls got things started off first with nearly every girl running a new personal best. Gwen Truesdale paced the Whippets with a 54th place finish out of 151 runners. Her time of 23:38 is her best ever and her competitive edge is getting sharper by the day. Sabrina Bomberg also joined Gwen in the 23’s by running 23:55 and placed 62nd. Also dropping significant time were Morgan Stillwagon in 26:22, Jenny Villareal running 27:04, Jenna Lee 27:23, Izzy Dieter 27:40, Nikole Pelot 27:59, Jeanette Falcon 28:23, and Evie Troxel 28:04. The varsity girls placed 13th out of 14 teams in the D2 results. 


The boys reflected the same improvements as a slew of runners earned a new personal best. Gio Anello paced the Whippets early with a hot start that helped propel him to a new level of racing. He was rewarded with new confidence going into championship time as he rubbed elbows with some strong runners. He finished in 9th with a time of 17:06. Trenten Zahn wouldn’t disappoint as he saw his way through the field and finished with vengeance to take 6th place in 16:51. Both boys earned a medal in the meet. Cooper Hammond cracked 18 minutes for the second time in 6 days as he ran 18:40. Not far back was Manny Rodriguez running 18:57. Will Hofmann rounded out the top 5 with a time of 19:14. Also cutting time off their personal best were Jack Mayer in 20:04, Marcus DePorter 20:49, Evan Schepp 20:55, Jaden Salmieri 20:56, Broderick Frye 21:07, Josiah Holden 21:55, Andy Vo 22:20, Justin Mitchell 25:20, and Andrew Rollette in 26:02. The varsity boys placed 7th out of 16 teams. Full results: https://my3.raceresult.com/137852/results?lang=en


The team now takes the next week and a half to get ready for the championship phase of the season. The Rock Valley Conference Meet is being contested in Whitewater on the campus of UW-Whitewater on Thursday, October 17th. For all information regarding this meet, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IZ5KrWCVcMa5_OlOomKGeGRe8CrTcmGn_p0EcR_3KJo/edit?usp=sharing

Warhawk Golf Claims Third Straight WIAC Title, NCAA Bid

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team clinched its third consecutive conference title Sunday, 10/6, by winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship (presented by Culver’s) at Reedsburg Country Club in Reedsburg, Wis.

The Warhawks carded a WIAC Championship and UW-W program record 933 (314-314-305) for the tournament to best runner-up UW-Stout by eight strokes. It is the team’s fifth team championship in program history.

UW-Whitewater also claimed the WIAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which is slated for May 12-15, 2020, at the PGA National Resort – Champions Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. It will be the team’s third straight appearance in the national tournament.

Senior CheyAnn Knudsen tied her career best with a final-round 73 to complete a three-day total of 232 (76-83-73), good for third place out of 64 players.

Senior Ashley Hofmeister tied for fourth with a 233 (77-79-77), and senior Kristin Bowe finished sixth after recording a 236 (81-78-77), including a career-best tying 77 in Sunday’s final round.

Senior Kelly Storti also finished among the top 10 with a 238 (84-76-78), good for eighth place, and sophomore Ashton Sinak tied for 10th with a 240 (80-81-79).

Sophomore Lauren Winter finished fourth among individuals and 29th overall with a 262 (83-90-89), and sophomore Billie Jo Parker was 30th with a 263 (87-84-92).

Freshman Lily Sheppard tied for 33rd with a 266 (90-87-89), and freshman Madi LaPaz placed 56th with a 295 (98-101-96).

Saturday’s second round was suspended due to inclement weather and concluded on Sunday morning. The third and final round of the tournament was played Sunday afternoon.

UW-Whitewater’s three-peat is the first in school history and the third in conference history.

The Warhawks conclude the fall season starting next Sunday, Oct. 13, with the three-day Golfweek Division III Fall Invite at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Fla. The 54-hole tournament features many of the nation’s top teams.

No. 3 Warhawks Earn Hard-Fought Win in WIAC Opener

The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team used a strong third quarter and an opportunistic defense Saturday afternoon to defeat UW-Eau Claire 24-14 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game on a rainy, cool day at Perkins Stadium.

The Warhawks (4-0 overall, 1-0 WIAC) forced three turnovers, all on fumbles, and took advantage with 14 points off the Blugolds’ miscues in the third quarter to turn a three-point lead into a three-score advantage.

Junior running back Alex Peete led the offense with 13 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Zach Oles passed for 173 yards, and freshman wide receiver Sam DeLany caught two passes for 55 yards.

Senior running back Matt Anderson tallied nine tackles, including three for a loss, to pace the defense. Senior defensive lineman Jordan Brand collected two sacks, and junior defensive back Mark McGrath registered five tackles, including two for a loss, and forced and recovered one fumble.

On UW-Whitewater’s third offensive play from scrimmage, Peete bounced off of three tacklers and sprinted down the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown just two minutes into the contest.

After a botched punt snap by UW-Eau Claire early in the second quarter, the Warhawks took over at the Blugolds’ 15-yard line and had one play before the contest was suspended due to inclement weather.

Following an approximately 45-minute delay, junior kicker Wojciech Gasienica knocked a 27-yard field goal attempt through the uprights to give UW-Whitewater a 10-0 advantage with 9:27 left in the period.

UW-Eau Claire (2-2, 0-1) took advantage of a botched punt snap later in the quarter and scored with 1:06 remaining before halftime to cut the Warhawks’ advantage to 10-7.

After a three-and-out by UW-Whitewater to start the second half, senior defensive back Garrett Purdy stripped Keshaun Story on a long run into Warhawk territory on the next drive, and senior defensive back Jacob Frey recovered the loose ball.

The Warhawks then embarked on a seven-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Peete to make it 16-7 with 8:44 to play in the third.

On the ensuing drive, McGrath forced and recovered a Blugold fumble near midfield, and UW-Whitewater took advantage again. On third-and-16 near midfield, Oles hit senior wide receiver Josh Ringelberg for a 32-yard gain. Three plays later, senior running back Jarrod Ware rushed in from two yards out, and senior running back Ronny Ponick picked up the two-point conversion on a running play to make it 24-7 at the 3:06 mark of the quarter.

UW-Eau Claire scored with 1:25 remaining to cut its deficit to 10, and after a UW-W fumble, had the ball deep in Warhawk territory in the final minute.

UW-Whitewater made a defensive stand at its own 14-yard line, forcing an incompletion with 11 seconds remaining to seal the win.

The Warhawks resume conference play next Saturday, Oct. 12, against unbeaten UW-Platteville. Kickoff on Homecoming Saturday at UW-Whitewater is slated for 2 p.m. at Perkins Stadium.

WHS Tennis at Racine Prairie Sub-sectionals

From Coach Tim Nelson

For most of the team the season came to an end at Racine Prairie on Monday, 10/7. The number 2 doubles team of Melanie Reyes and Mariana Cano advanced with an excellent day. They opened the day with a big upset over the #3 seeded team of Kerstin Miller and Kylie Miller. The two had been beaten by the Monroe team in the first quad of the year 6-3, 7-6(4); today the Whippet pair defeated the Cheesemakers 6-1, 6-2. In their sectional qualifying match they started out slow, falling behind 5-1 to Eden Dempsey and Meghan Magner of Jefferson before rolling off 6 straight games to take the first set and then closing out the match with a 6-2 win in the second. The pair will play in tomorrow’s sectional at East Troy starting at 9 a.m. 

No. 10 Warhawk Volleyball Wins Eighth Straight

The No. 10 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team remained undefeated in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Friday night with an 18-25, 25-15, 26-24, 25-20 triumph at UW-Stout. The Warhawks (14-3 overall, 3-0 WIAC), who also extended their win streak to eight matches with the win, overcame a slow start to claim the final three sets in the match.

UW-Whitewater trailed 12-6 in the first set and was unable to recover as the Blue Devils (14-6, 0-3) jumped out to a 1-0 match lead. The Warhawks made a run early in the second set on the serve of sophomore outside hitter Emma Aske and never relinquished the advantage from there to level the match at 1-1. UW-Stout led 17-12 in the third before UW-Whitewater chipped away at the deficit and eventually take the lead at 20-19. The two teams went back and forth from there before the Warhawks claimed the final two points of the frame, with Aske posting the deciding kill on set point. UW-Whitewater held a commanding 16-9 advantage in the fourth before the Blue Devils ran off seven straight points to tie the set at 16-16. The Warhawks rallied for five of the next six points, and the two teams traded points from there, allowing UW-Whitewater to hang on for the four-set victory.

Senior middle hitter Ashton Doll, who put home the final kill of the match, led the Warhawks with 13 kills to go along with three blocks. Senior Rachel Butterfield contributed 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and added four digs and three blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Chloe Buescher totaled a double-double with 10 kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Aske finished with five kills, two service aces and 11 digs, and sophomore setter KellyAnn Sotiros collected 18 assists and five digs. Freshman setter Maggie Streckert tallied 17 assists and one block.

Freshman defensive specialist Morgan Jensen led the back row with 23 digs and added two assists. Sophomore defensive specialist Hailey Mackenthun registered 10 digs and two service aces.

UW-Whitewater resumes WIAC play Wednesday, 10/9, against UW-Platteville. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at Russell Arena.

Cross Country Team Had Strong Races and Two Medal-Finishers in Jefferson

Trenten Zahn

It was a wet and muddy race day in Jefferson for an 11 team invitational. The CC team had strong races and finished the day with two medal finishers. Trenten Zahn finished 3rd and Gio Anello finished 6th. The boys varsity finished in 3rd place and the JV finished 6th. Both teams were one spot out from a trophy.  On the girls side, Olive Coburn had a strong 3rd mile to be the top runner in 35th and Sabrina Bomberg placed 40th. The varsity team took 8th overall. All runners look to finish the week at the Nightfall Classic on Friday in Wisconsin Dells on the Spring Brook Golf Course.

Whitewater Whippet Swimmers Win Meets and Break Records

Ella Houwers breaks 2 records – 100 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke.

Whitewater 103 – Delavan-Darien 67
JV Whitewater 38 – Delavan-Darien 20

It was a great meet for the Whippets with Ella Houwers leading the way with two new school records.  Ella added the 100 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke races to her list of school records tonight.  Whitewater was able to win ten out of eleven races and added 7 times into the Top 10 All Time list. 

Race winners include the 200 Medley Relay team of Grace Foucault, Hailey Murphy, Brianna Zimdars and Sophia Fanshaw, Sophia Fanshaw in the 200 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke, Grace Foucault in the 50 Freestyle, Ella Houwers in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke, Brianna Zimdars in the 100 Freestyle, Amber Krebs in the 500 Freestyle, the 200 Freestyle relay of Grace Foucault, Sophia Fanshaw, Amber Krebs and Ella Houwers and the 400 Freestyle relay of Ella Houwers, Amber Krebs, Ellie Treder and Brianna Zimdars.

It is pretty rare for a team to take 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in a single event, but Sophia Fanshaw, Hailey Murphy and Brianna Zimdars were able to do just that in the 100 Breaststroke.

Top 10 times posted tonight include:
Grace Foucault, 50 Freestyle – 7th all time and 100 Backstroke – 3rd all time
Ella Houwers, 100 Butterfly – 4th all time, 100 Freestyle – 1st all time, 100 Backstroke – 1st all time
Brianna Zimdars, 100 Freestyle – 5th all time
Sophia Fanshaw, 100 Breaststroke – 8th all time

Other highlights include:
-Ellie Treder and Ashly Xochipa worked some strong finishes to touch out the Delavan competitors.
-Vanessa Falcon really raced well scoring several points tonight with some significant time drops.
-The Whippets were able to post 29 out of 33 best times!
-Brooke Bazeley did a great job in her first 500 as a Whippet hitting 6:41.88.
-There were so many great races, it’s hard to even pick which ones to talk about.

 Way to go Whippets!



UW-Whitewater Dance Team Pom Pon Kids Clinic!

Children from kindergarten to 8th grade are invited to come dance with the UW-W Dance Team during halftime at the October 5th Whitewater Warhawk Football Game!

Date: October 5th

Time: 10:00am- 12:00pm

Where: UW-Whitewater Williams Center in the Dance Studio

Cost: $15 registration fee (includes snack and a t-shirt)

Ages: K-8th grade

*Registration and fee will be done the same day of clinic*

● Tickets for the football game can be purchased for adults and children at the game. (kids that are participating in the clinic get in the game for free!)

Agenda:

10:00-10:30: Registration

10:30-11:00: Kids learn the routine

11:00-11:15: Snack Break!

11:15-11:45: Practice the routine

11:45-12:00: Perform for the parents

2:00pm: Football game starts!

Whitewater Tennis Completes Regular Season with 15-8 Record

From Coach Tim Nelson

Whitewater Tennis at Beloit Memorial

The Whippets wrapped up their 2019 regular season with a 6-1 victory over Beloit Memorial. The win gives Whitewater a final record of 15-8.

We got a few kids healthy from last week, but had one more go down over the weekend and another playing not at full speed. I was pleased with how we played; we were able to work on some things and get some match play in.

Anisa Dauti filled in for us at #2 singles and played probably her best match of the year winning 6-2, 6-2. Tessa Papcke at 3 singles and Josie Hintz at 4 singles came back strong after fighting illness last week to win their matches convincingly 6-2, 6-1 and 6-0, 6-0.

All three doubles teams, Odessa Sonn and Sophie Olson at 1, Melanie Reyes and Mariana Cano at 2, and Katelyn Lashley and Emily Scherer at 3 were solid tonight. All three won with identical 6-1, 6-0 scores.

The Whippets begin tournament play this coming Monday, Oct. 7 at 9 am with sub-sectional play at Racine Prairie High School.