Sports

Warhawks: Former catcher Wegner dies of cancer

July 17 (Daily Jefferson County Union) – Justin Wegner, a former catcher for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team who battled a rare form of cancer for more than three years, died last week. He was 22.

A celebration of Wegner’s life will take place at St. Raphael Catholic Church at 1215 Modaff Rd. in Naperville, Ill., this Thursday, July 18, with visitation from 4 to 9 p.m. Funeral mass Friday, July 19 at the church starting at 10:30 a.m.

Wegner played for the Warhawks in 2016, batting .250 with one home run and had nine RBIs during 24 games, including 14 starts. A member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, Wegner helped UW-Whitewater reach the NCAA Division III World Series that season after winning the NCAA Central Regional in Sauget, Ill.

Following the 2016 season, Wegner was diagnosed with a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma, a type of cancer.

Wegner captivated hundreds of student-athletes at UW-Whitewater, which held fundraisers for his #JwegStrong campaign during several athletics events.

Members of the UW-Whitewater community took to social media to share memories of the courageous battle Wegner fought.

Whitewater High School Announces Justin Crandall as the next WHS Athletic Director

Mr. Mike Lovenberg is proud to announce the administrative recommendation of Justin Crandall as the next WHS Athletic Director. Justin was selected from a candidate pool of 27 applicants and starts July 15. The interview committee was impressed with his experience and organizational skills. Justin has worked for the Port Edwards School District since 2012 as a physical education teacher and the last five years as its athletic director. He has experience as a Head Football Coach and Head Baseball Coach. At Whitewater, Justin will serve as the High School Athletic Director and teach physical education courses. 

Justin Crandall

In his letter of application, Justin shared that one of his major goals as an educator is to build many solid relationships with his students. “I want to be the teacher that my students look forward to the most. I think the best way to make my class desirable is by challenging them.  In my opinion, most of my students thrive on being challenged and pushed out of their comfort zones. It’s only after I make some type of connection and build a positive relationship with the student can I push them to those limits.  I’ve learned over the course of my working with young people that I can get so much more academically, socially, and emotionally from them if those solid relationships are built and maintained.”

We are excited to have Justin joining our athletic program and community. We look forward to future successes. A welcome reception is being planned so that the community will have an opportunity to meet Justin.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Announces 55th Hall of Fame Class

Former student-athletes Fulton “Trey” Bell ’18, Erin Bravo ’05, Ryan Callahan ’04, Brady Endl ’04, Angela (Sheehan) Rachidi ’98 and Michelle Stanislawski ‘05 will be inducted. Former head football coach Lance Leipold ’87 will be inducted under the category of staff/coach, and longtime Warhawk supporter Jim Kuehn will be inducted for his distinguished service to the institution.

The 1984 men’s basketball team, which claimed the program’s first-ever national championship, will also be inducted under the team category. It is the first team ever inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame.

All eight individuals and the 1984 men’s basketball team will be recognized for their contributions to Warhawk athletics as part of the UW-Whitewater football team’s game against UW-Platteville on Saturday, October 12, at 2 p.m. Inductees will be part of the Homecoming Parade, which begins at 10 a.m., and be honored at halftime of the football game and at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet, which begins following the contest at 5:30 p.m. at the University Center’s Hamilton Room.

To purchase tickets for the game and/or Hall of Fame Banquet, visit the Hall of Fame Registration Web Page. For more information regarding the banquet, contact Lauree Miller at 262-472-6202 or millerla@uww.edu.

Fulton “Trey” Bell competed for the UW-Whitewater football team in 1999 and from 2002-04. The Racine, Wisconsin, native played on back-to-back 7-3 teams in 2003 and 2004 that helped catapult the program to its nationally-competitive level. A defensive back and kick/punt returner, Bell earned first team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and third team honors from D3football.com in 2004 after totaling 34 tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries defensively and more than 200 yards in the return game. He was named the team’s Co-Most Valuable Player that same year. A two-time All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, Bell finished his career with 121 tackles, 12 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. He played for the Chicago Fire of the American Football League in 2006. Bell graduated with a bachelor’s in physical education in 2018.

Erin Bravo was a member of the UW-Whitewater softball program from 2003-04. She collected first team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and all-region accolades in 2003, when she helped lead the team to the NCAA Tournament. One year later, Bravo was named WIAC Player of the Year and a first team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association after leading the Warhawks in hits (61), home runs (9), batting average (.452), runs batted in (35) and doubles (14). She is the program’s all-time leader in career batting average (.431) and currently ranks among the top five in conference history in both career batting average and career slugging percentage (.758). An Arlington Heights, Illinois, native, Bravo graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in criminal justice in 2005.

Ryan Callahan was a three-time All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection and two-time all-region honoree for the UW-Whitewater baseball team from 2000-01 and 2003-04. The pitcher/outfielder helped the Warhawks claim four WIAC championships, two conference tournament titles, and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Division III World Series in 2004. Callahan led UW-Whitewater in complete games (5), shutouts (2), innings pitched (72), and strikeouts (72), and compiled a team-leading 2.21 earned run average and two shutouts as a senior in 2004. The Janesville, Wisconsin, native was signed by the San Francisco Giants upon graduation, pitching in the organization for several years. Callahan graduated with a degree in elementary education in 2004 and currently serves as UW-Whitewater’s Interim Director of Athletics.

Brady Endl was a four-year standout for the baseball program from 2001-04. In 2004, he was selected American Baseball Coaches Association National Pitcher of the Year and the Academic All-America® of the Year by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Endl finished his career as a two-year All-American and Academic All-American, and was the WIAC Baseball Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete in 2004. The four-time All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree helped the Warhawks claim three WIAC championships, two conference tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Division III World Series in 2004. Endl’s name is etched throughout the program and conference record books, ranking No. 1 in school history in innings pitched (261 2/3) and strikeouts (251) and No. 2 in league history in pitching wins (27). He also ranks among the top 10 in program history in home runs (40), walks (78), and runs batted in (138). Endl is a member of the WIAC’s All-Time Baseball Team, which was recognized during the league’s Centennial Celebration in 2013. He was selected in the 10th round by the Atlanta Braves in the 2004 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft, and played professionally in the organization for three years. A Jefferson, Wisconsin, native, Endl graduated with a degree in finance in 2004.

Angela (Sheehan) Rachidi was named all-conference four times and all-region two times at second base during her four-year career with the UW-Whitewater softball team from 1995-98. The Lancaster, Wisconsin, native is one of four players in program history to earn All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference accolades four times. Rachidi was named first team Academic All-District® by the College Sports Information Directors of America in 1996 and was selected WIAC Softball Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete as a senior in 1998. She helped lead the Warhawks to the conference championship in 1996 as well as NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996 and 1998. Rachidi ranks among the top 10 in program history in career doubles (37), runs (124), batting average (.370), and hits (183). She graduated with a bachelor’s in public policy administration in 1998.

Michelle (Stanislawski) Anderson was a two-time All-American as a setter for the Warhawk volleyball team. During her career, which spanned from 2001-04, Anderson was selected All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and all-region two times each, and was a member of the WIAC All-Defensive team in 2002. She helped the Warhawks win the national championship in 2002 and was a part of three other NCAA Tournament appearances as well as three WIAC championships and two conference tournament titles. Anderson ranks among the program’s top 10 in career digs (1,551) and assists (2,357), and her 1,704 assists in 2003 are the second-most in one season in program history and ninth-most in the WIAC record book. A Milwaukee native, Anderson graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 2005.

Lance Leipold led the Warhawk football team to six national championships during his eight-year run as head coach from 2007-14. A six-time American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com National Coach of the Year, Leipold left UW-Whitewater with the highest winning percentage (.948) among active NCAA coaches at any level, and became the fastest head coach in NCAA history at any level to reach 100 career wins (106 games). The four-time Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year helped UW-Whitewater claim seven conference titles and several individual accolades, including 66 All-America honors, 132 All-WIAC accolades, six WIAC Player of the Year awards, and six National Player of the Year honors. Leipold also worked tirelessly off the field to extend UW-Whitewater’s profile, appearing regularly on regionally- and nationally-syndicated sports broadcasts, communicating frequently with local, regional and national media, and forging a partnership with ESPN Milwaukee. A 2003 Hall of Fame inductee as a former Warhawk quarterback, Leipold currently works as head football coach at the University at Buffalo, a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Jim Kuehn has been an avid supporter of the UW-Whitewater athletic department and its teams for nearly 40 years. He has been a member of the UW-Whitewater football team’s Quarterback Club since 1982, serving as a board member on several occasions. Kuehn is credited as one of the founders of the Quarterback Club Golf Outing, which began in 1987. He also serves as a member and organizer of the football “chain gang,” a position he has held since 1983. In addition, Kuehn serves as a committee member and financial contributor for Wally & Rod’s Warhawk Auction Raffle, the largest annual fundraiser for the Warhawk football, men’s basketball, and baseball programs for nearly 25 years. He has also been instrumental over the years in coordination of post-event meals for football student-athletes and their families. Kuehn is retired after working for the Jefferson Fire Department for 58 years.

The 1983-84 men’s basketball team earned UW-Whitewater’s first national championship trophy. Highly regarded after a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four the previous year, Dave Vander Meulen’s squad lived up to the expectations. Behind senior guard Andre McKoy, still UW-Whitewater’s career scoring leader and the only player in program history to reach 2,000 points, UW-W shared the Wisconsin State University Conference title. McKoy was named the WSUC Player of the Year, and Vander Meulen was the league’s Coach of the Year. Junior center Mark Linde, who went on to earn All-America honors the next season, and junior forward James Wilson, among UW-W’s best defenders and a certainty as the school’s all-time shot blocker if it had been an official statistic at the time, gave UW-W the complimentary inside game to defeat Clark University 103-86 in the championship game in Grand Rapids, Michigan, giving UW-W a 27-4 record and the WSUC its first national basketball champion.

Related Links:
Hall of Fame Web Page – Registration and Information

Gio Anello – National Qualifier Jr. Olympics Track & Field

Gio Anello, age 15 of Whitewater High School, has qualified for the National Jr. Olympics in three events by his performances in the recent National Regionals held over the weekend.

Gio Anello

Gio placed 2nd in both the 3000 and 800 meter races and won the 1500 meter race in the 15/16 year old category to earn his way to Nationals.

While Gio had earned the right to participate in the 100 meter qualifications by his performance at the District meet the prior week, he chose to focus his efforts on the distance events.

Congratulations, Gio!

10u Quad County Baseball All-Star Roster Bleeds Red

Congratulations are in order to both Whitewater State Farm and Whitewater Ketterhagen Motors 10u Baseball Teams. Quad County North Division All-Star Game selections are in, and Whitewater has six players starting (Ty Bucholtz, Tristen Kolb, Caleb Jagodzinski, Emmett Spear, Marcus Roselle, Archie Briggs), 2 reserves (Evan Jagodzinski, Blake Robb) and a player coach (Jessie DeMarasse) selected to represent the North vs South Saturday, June 29th, in East Troy. The Whitewater State Farm coaching staff, Ray Bucholtz, Eric Cutshall, and Jen Hutchison, were selected to coach the South All-Stars. 

“I am very happy with how hard these kids have worked and how far they have come. A sincere thank you to our team Sponsors State Farm and Ketterhagen Motors. Also, for the support of Fort Jr Blackhawk Baseball Club, Coburn Co, and Premier Bank. The Jr Blackhawks and Coburn Company were generous enough to allow our players to share their training facility free of charge this winter. Premier Bank also sponsored a speed and agility training group for a good majority of the players over the winter,” says Head Coach Ray Bucholtz. “Youth sports in Whitewater has not experienced much success in recent years. A good majority of these young kids are experiencing the fruits of their labor by being a part of a positive winning team for the first time in their lives.”

Bucholtz also states, “It’s not a coincidence that both Whitewater teams are in 1st and 2nd place in the division. No other team has worked harder than our kids over the year. It is a great community collaboration addressing the need for building a positive success mindset in our youth. We don’t want the kids to focus on wins and losses to measure success at this age. We focus on getting better every day in baseball and in life. For every kid that means something different. It took winning a few games to start getting the kids to believe they are worthy of winning and to buy into our daily growth mindset.”

The big match-up is Friday, June 28th, at 6pm, on Treyton Field, between 1st place Whitewater State Farm and 2nd Place Whitewater Ketterhagen Motors.

WHS Softball Wraps Up Excellent Season

Pictured left to right are Elizabeth Katzman, Bryce Hibbs, Morgan Gransee, Alyssa Schumacher, and Kiyla Kopecky.

The Whitewater High School Softball Team recently wrapped up an excellent season – finishing 14-4 in conference and 16-7 overall. They set new program records – most homeruns in a season (15), most doubles in a season (35) and most conference wins (14) – and batted .364 as a team. Four Whippet players received First Team All-Conference honors – senior Sara Johnson (pitcher) and juniors Morgan Gransee (outfield), Bryce Hibbs (infield) and Alyssa Schumacher (catcher). Sophomores Elizabeth Katzman and Kiyla Kopecky received Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Whippet Girls Soccer downs Delavan Darien 1-0

On Monday the Whitewater Whippets traveled to Delavan for a non-conference matchup and defeated the host Comets 1-0 on a first half goal by Sierra Brunner, assisted by Carmen Kraayvanger. The Whippets maintained possession in the first half with solid midfield play enhanced by a formation change practiced on Friday.  The Comets brought three attackers in the second half forcing the Whippets to revert back to a more defensive structure. Delavan dominated possession but the shorthanded Whippets did not break. Cora Linos recorded 12 saves in goal. The Whippets completed their regular season with an overall 6-10-2 record. Up next, WIAA regional play with Whitewater, a tenth seed, traveling to East Troy, a 7th seed, for a first round game on Thursday May 30 at 4:00 p.m.

Whippet Softball Team Defeats Edgerton

The Whitewater girls’ softball team finished the regular season with a win against Edgerton by a score of 12-2. The Whippets scored 1 run in the first inning but Edgerton took the lead with 2 runs in the top of the second. Whitewater exploded for 7 runs in the bottom of the second to take an 8-2 lead. The Whippets added 3 runs in the 3rd inning to go up 11-2 and won the game in the 5th inning as Bryce Hibbs hit a homerun to put Whitewater up by 10. Sara Johnson pitched a complete game to earn her 11th win of the season. Bryce Hibbs (photo) and Sara Johnson had 3 hits each while Morgan Gransee and Alyssa Schumacher had 2 hits each. Hibbs scored 4 runs while also hitting a double and a homerun. Liz Katzman, Alyssa Schumacher and Sara Johnson each drove in 3 runs.

This was also Senior Day so Whitewater honored 5 seniors for their contributions over the last 4 years. Honored were Autumn Lesar, Jocelin Beecroft, Sara Johnson, Catherine Yang and Kailey Ruhl.

Whitewater ended the season tied with East Troy for second place in the Rock Valley Conference with a 14-4 record. Overall the Whippets finished with a 15-6 record.

The Whippets start regional play next Tuesday, May 21st , as they travel to Waukesha to take on Waukesha Catholic Memorial. Game time is 5:00.

Whippet Golfers Conclude Regular Season Play

The Whitewater Whippet Golf Team concluded regular season play on Tuesday, May 14th competing in the final Rock Valley Conference (RVC) match of the season. The Whippets turned in a team score of 231. Wesley Abramson and Jaden Condon each shot a score of 50 to lead the Whippets. Abramson continued his consistent play, while Condon bounced back from a tough round on Monday at Abbey Springs. Camden Frye fired a 62. Dane Hillmer and Hogan Alexander finished out the scoring for the Whippets with a 69 and 74 respectively. Tomorrow, May 15th the Whippets will compete in the RVC Invitational at Riverside Golf Course in Janesville. Tee times are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

Freshman Golfers Come Up Big at Conference Invitational

The Whippet Golf Team began championship play on Wednesday competing in the Rock Valley Conference Invitational. The team finished with a 447. Entering the invite, freshman Dane Hillmer (photo) found himself playing from the team’s number 5 position having battled an inconsistent driver all season long. Hillmer shot some balls on his family farm on Tuesday night, unable to find the right stroke. With the season struggles and the practice experience on his mind, Hillmer decided to leave the driver in his bag for most of the day. “I knew if I used my driver I was just going to get myself in trouble, so I just left it in the bag,” said Hillmer. The decision paid off for Hillmer who posted a career low round and led the team with a score of 106. Hillmer shot 60 on his front nine and  49 on the back nine. Fellow freshman Jaden Condon, having added a few new clubs to his bag over the weekend, found a groove to shoot 107. Condon shot 55 on the front and 52 on the back. Condon walked off the last green, feeling confident. “I feel that I did pretty well and am accomplishing most of my goals,” said Condon. Sophomore Wesley Abramson, the team’s number one golfer all season shot 113 with a 57, 56. Rounding out the scoring for the Whippets was Maddie Arnett and Camden Frye with a 121 and 137 respectively. The Whippets aim to build off of this momentum next Tuesday, May 21st at the WIAA Regional competition at Grand Geneva Highlands.