Sports

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.

UW-W Baseball to Host NCAA Regional Starting Friday, 5/17

Complete preview, including game notes: https://uwwsports.com/news/2019/5/14/no-12-baseball-primed-for-ncaa-diii-

The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team will make its 12th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament and host the four-team Whitewater, Wisconsin Regional starting this Friday at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.
 
The second-seeded Warhawks (34-10 overall) will face No. 3 seed North Central (Ill.) in their opening game Friday at 3 p.m. No. 1 seed Webster (Mo.) will take on fourth-seeded Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) to open the day at 11 a.m. UW-Whitewater earned a Pool “C”, or at-large, bid for its 22nd appearance in the national tournament.
 
See below for the regional’s complete schedule.

Friday, May 17 (home teams listed first):
11 a.m. – Game 1 – Webster vs. Bethany Lutheran
3 p.m. – Game 2 – UW-Whitewater vs. North Central
 
Saturday, May 18:
11 a.m. – Game 3 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
3 p.m. – Game 4 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
6 p.m. – Game 5 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3
 
Sunday, May 19:
12 p.m. – Game 6 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5
4 p.m. – Game 7 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (if necessary)

UW-Whitewater Athletics: Ryan Callahan Named Interim Athletic Director

Ryan Callahan

Ryan Callahan, a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus community for more than 15 years, has been named Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. The announcement was sent to all university faculty, staff and students by Interim Chancellor Cheryl Green.

Callahan most recently served as Assistant Athletic Director for Internal Operations, a position he held for the last two years. In that role, Callahan maintained operating budgets for all 20 sport programs and oversaw event management, NCAA/postseason reporting and campus purchasing. He also played a role in capital projects and strategic planning.

“Ryan brings a wealth of experience to this important position for our campus and Warhawk Athletics,” Green said. “For a number of years, he has been a strong and collaborative leader at UW-Whitewater. I believe the breadth of his experiences – from his roles as Assistant Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Director of Continuing Education, to his time as a Warhawk student-athlete – will enhance the solid foundation that exists in our athletics department. He is committed to creating an environment of excellence for our student-athletes, inspiring them to excel in the classroom, the community, and their chosen sports.”

Callahan began working at UW-W in 2007, serving in multiple campus roles before being named Director of Continuing Education. He began working in intercollegiate athletics after serving as Director of Continuing Education from 2012-17. In that role, he assisted with the campus-wide effort in identifying, planning and providing non-credit programming that addresses needs and opportunities among regional constituencies and their communities. His role included oversight of all UW-Whitewater Camps and Clinics, where he worked closely with the UW-W athletic department.

Callahan was a member of the Warhawk baseball team from 2000-01 and 2003-04, helping the team reach the NCAA Division III World Series in 2003 and claim Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004. A three-time all-conference and two-time all-region honoree as a pitcher and outfielder, Callahan is among the top 10 in the program record book in career shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts and walks allowed per nine innings. After graduation, Callahan played several years within the San Francisco Giants organization as a pitcher. He served as an assistant baseball coach at UW-Whitewater upon arriving back on campus.

Whippet Softball Team Defeats Big Foot

The Whitewater girls’ softball team improved to 8-3 in conference and 9-5 overall with a 10-2 win over the Big Foot Chiefs on April 23.

Whitewater got behind 2-1 after the first inning but pulled away with 5 runs in the third inning and 3 runs in the fourth. Morgan Gransee and Liz Katzman had 2 hits each while Katzman also scored 3 runs. Kailey Ruhl drove in 3 runs while Kiyla Kopecky and Catherine Yang each drove in 2 runs.

Sara Johnson pitched an outstanding game as she gave up only 2 hits while striking out 13 Big Foot batters. Johnson improved to 7-3 on the season.

Next up for the Whippets is a game against Brodhead on Thursday April 25th. This game will be played at Brodhead.

UW-Whitewater Football Announces 2019 Schedule

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team has released its 2019 schedule, which begins Sept. 7 at Perkins Stadium against Dubuque (Iowa) at 2 p.m.

More information will be released about season tickets and parking in the coming months.

The Dubuque game is one of three non-conference contests on the 2019 slate for the Warhawks, who enter the program’s 126th season of competition this fall.

UW-Whitewater topped Dubuque 38-6 on the road in its 2018 season opener. Members of the American Rivers Conference, the Spartans finished with a 7-3 record last season, and are coached by former UW-W offensive coordinator Stan Zweifel.

The Warhawks visit Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) on Sept. 14 for a 12 p.m. kickoff in another rematch from last season. The Cobbers finished 5-5 last fall, including a 4-4 mark in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

UW-Whitewater defeated Concordia-Moorhead 24-6 at Perkins Stadium in last year’s affair.

The non-conference season closes Sept. 21, when the Warhawks visit St. Xavier at 1 p.m. in Chicago. The Cougars reached the NAIA national quarterfinals and finished with a 9-4 record in 2018. UW-Whitewater last played St. Xavier on Sept. 5, 2008, at Perkins Stadium, posting a 24-9 victory.

Following a bye week, the seven-game Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule kicks off on Oct. 5 at home against UW-Eau Claire. The contest, which begins at 2 p.m., is part of Family Fest weekend at UW-Whitewater.

The Warhawks continue action at Perkins Stadium Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. with a game against UW-Platteville for the Miner’s Axe. The game will be the 25th edition of the George Chryst Bowl in honor of former Pioneers head coach George Chryst, who passed away suddenly in 1992.

UW-Whitewater hits the road for games at UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. and at UW-River Falls on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.

After hosting UW-La Crosse on Nov. 2 at 1 p.m., the Warhawks close the home portion of the schedule Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. against UW-Stout for Shriners Day and Senior Day at Perkins Stadium.

The regular season concludes Nov. 16 with a 1 p.m. game at UW-Oshkosh.

UW-Whitewater won the program’s 36th WIAC championship and reached the NCAA Division III semifinals for the 11th time in program history in 2019. The team finished with a 13-1 record, including a 7-0 mark in conference play.

View the entire schedule here.

Former WHS tennis team member, Betsy Hixson, signs Letter of Intent with Dominican College

Former Whitewater High School tennis team member Betsy Hixson, recently signed a national letter of intent to play tennis for NCAA Division II member Dominican College of Orangeburg, New York.

Hixson played on the conference championship WHS team her freshman year before her family moved to Smithfield, Utah.

She played three years for Sky View High School, qualifying for the Utah State High School tournament in her junior and senior years.

Dominican College tennis coach Joseph Gravagna said he is excited to have Betsy on the team, and he is confident she will make a great addition to the tennis program at Dominican.

Hixson was also awarded an academic scholarship.

Former Whippet voted to the NCCAA DII South Region All-Freshman Team

Daniel Fuller was voted to the NCCAA DII South Region All-Freshman Team

Former Whippet Daniel Fuller was recently voted to the All-Freshman Team by the coaches of the NCCAA DII South Region. Injuries and other personnel issues opened the door for Daniel to make the team right before the season started and caused the team to get off to a slow start. Midway through the season Daniel cracked the starting lineup and was a key contributor to the Bruins finishing 7-1 in their regional play.  Fuller averaged 8.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 43% from beyond the arc.

“I’m very happy for Daniel to receive this recognition from the coaches in our region,” Bruins men’s basketball head coach Burton Uwarow said. “He works hard and does things the right way while always looking to improve. We wouldn’t be where we are this season without him and the impact he has had on our team this year.”

For more visit the Bob Jones University announcement here.

Youth Wrestlers Meet Their High School Wrestlers

On Thursday night the youth wrestlers of Whitewater had the opportunity to have a short practice on the varsity mat prior to the varsity competing against Clinton. It provided the young wrestlers the chance to show off to the fans what they have been learning so far in their season.  During the varsity competition the team appreciated the excitement the young wrestlers brought to the stands. After the dual meet the high school team had a meet and greet of the youth and gave out a trading card of themselves for the youth to have to remember the night.

It was an enjoyable experience not only by the youth but the high school wrestlers also stated it was a lot of fun meeting the young wrestlers.