Sports

Article by Chad Carstens, Photos by Bob Mischka
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org

Whitewater Cross Country is back and in action! It has been almost one and a half years since the last time a student-athlete from WHS was able to wear a CC uniform, and it was a beautiful sight to see. Despite less than ideal conditions filled with steady cold rain and winds, the team had a nice rust-busting effort in Evansville on Tuesday afternoon. This course was 2.8 miles on pavement out of the 3.1 mile course, and athletes wore training shoes rather than spikes for a typical off-road CC event. 

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On the girls’ side, junior Trinity Nickels paced the Whippets by placing 14th overall in the five team meet. Freshmen Danielle DePorter and Lauren Buehler placed 15th and 18th. Junior Emma Weigel placed 19^th, and rounding out the top five scorers was sophomore Caelyn Caputo in 22nd. Also finishing this event were Izzy Dieter in 23rd, Jenny Villarreal in 25^th, and Nikole Pelot in 28th. The girls’ team placed 3rd overall.

The boys’ race featured senior Trenten Zahn leading the Whippets to a 4th place finish and junior Cooper Hammond taking 10th. Sophomore CJ Tomomitsu placed 12th. Rounding out the top five were sophomore Ben McCulloch in 29th and senior Evan Schepp in 30th. Also completing the race for Whitewater was Andrew Rollette in 32nd. The boys finished in 3rd place.

Next up for the Whippets will be a true home meet which will be conducted at Whitewater High School for the first time since its construction 20+ years ago against Jefferson and Madison Country Day School on April 1. This event will start and finish near the JV baseball field and grassy knoll area. The boys will race first at 4:30 and the girls will compete at 5:15. 

Full Results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rVdss-q5p5K2GqdwTonolPm0d7j9kJJGbKQ-b_aM8FU/edit#gid=0

Box Score Game 1: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/baseball/2021/bb03.htm

Game 2: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/baseball/2021/bb04.htm

The No. 18 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team continued its winning ways Wednesday afternoon with a pair of victories over UW-Oshkosh in a doubleheader at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Warhawks (4-0 overall) claimed the opener by run rule, 14-2, in seven innings, and closed the day with a walk-off, 4-3 triumph.

In Game 2, catcher Ryan Norton socked a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but the Titans (2-2) leveled the game with a solo homer in the top of the ninth.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, third baseman Tucker Criswell extended the game with a double to left center. After left fielder Matt Korman drew a walk, the two runners advanced on a passed ball. Criswell scored on a balk to give the Warhawks a walk-off win.

Connor Moroder earned the win on the mound after inducing an inning-ending double play in the top of the ninth. Connor Spear started and tossed seven scoreless innings, scattering four hits and one walk while striking out six.

Criswell reached base four times with a pair of hits and two walks, while Norton and second baseman Bryan Sturdevant added two hits apiece. Designated hitter Ian Drays knocked in UW-Whitewater’s first run with a two-out, RBI single to center in the fifth inning.

In Game 1, the Warhawks scored six runs in the bottom of the second and eight more in the bottom of the fifth to secure the run-rule win.

Donovan Brandl pitched six innings for his first win of the year, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven. He also finished with two runs scored and two RBIs at the plate. Moroder recorded all three outs by strikeout in the seventh.

Centerfielder Zach Campbell recorded two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Korman mashed a three-run double as part of UW-W’s big fifth inning. Norton registered two hits and one run scored, and right fielder Jacob DeMeyer posted one hit, one walk, two runs scored and one RBI. Drays walked twice and scored a pair of runs.

UW-Whitewater hosts Finlandia (Mich.) for a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

UW-Whitewater Softball Takes Two Over No. 25 Carroll

Box Score (1): https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/softball/2021/sb09.htm

Box Score (2): https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/softball/2021/sb10.htm

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team remained unbeaten at home with a pair of wins over 25th-ranked Carroll on Monday at van Steenderen Softball Complex.

The Warhawks (6-4 overall) took the first game by a 3-1 score before ending the second contest in five innings by run rule by a 9-1 margin.

In the opener, pitcher Kate Cleveland tossed a complete-game, five-hitter, allowing only one run and striking out two without a walk. She improved to 3-2 with the win.

Designated player Kennedy Cox smashed a run-scoring double to center in the second inning with two outs to plate first baseman Kaleigh O’Brien and give UW-Whitewater a 1-0 lead.

UW-W touched home plate again in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by left fielder Krista Sbarra.

After the Pioneers (3-3) cut the Warhawks’ lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning, shortstop Sophia Kinjerski tallied a base hit up the middle to bring home O’Brien and provide a key insurance run.

Cleveland retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to end the contest. O’Brien finished 3-for-3, and Sbarra collected two hits.

In Game 2, Carroll took a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first before UW-Whitewater registered nine unanswered runs, including one in the first, two in the second, five in the third and one in the fifth.

Mallory Hollatz earned her first win of the year, striking out four and allowing only two hits over four innings. Marissa Adams pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning in relief.

Kinjerski led the offense with three hits and two runs batted in. Pflugradt scored two runs and totaled two hits, including a three-run homer. O’Brien posted two more hits and scored one run.

The Warhawks’ defense didn’t commit an error in either game.

UW-Whitewater returns to the diamond Saturday for a doubleheader against Chicago. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at van Steenderen Softball Complex.

The Whippet Volleyball Team continued their winning ways, sweeping Big Foot on Thursday, March 18, 25-22, 25-21, and 25-12.

Cora Linos had 6 aces, with 3 more added by Emme Bullis and 2 by Kindyl Kilar. Kilar and Bullis each added double-digit kills with 15 and 12 respectively. Linos totaled 29 assists in the victory.

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Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka.

Article by Kathy Bullis
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
kbullis@wwusd.org

The Whippets are on a four game winning streak. Last night our JV2, JV, and Varsity all defeated Jefferson. What a great confidence boost for our program! The Varsity was led by strong serving by Kindyl Kilar and Cora Linos. Kilar started the first set off serving 19 straight, and Linos went on a 13 serve run in the third set. Whitewater defeated Jefferson 3-0 by the scores of 25-11, 25-8, and 25-7.

We are back at practice tonight preparing for Thursday night’s match against Big Foot (2-2) when we’ll celebrate Parents’ Night. The JV and JV2 will begin play at 5:00, and parents will be recognized between set 2 and set 3. The Varsity match will start at 6:30, and parents will be recognized between set 2 and 3.

Highlights

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

Brianna Staebler finished in 4th place this weekend at the National Women’s NAIA Wrestling Tournament representing Campbellsville University, earning All-American honors.

She went 5-2 on the weekend with two wins (11-0, 6-0) and 3 pins. Her losses came to the young lady who took 3rd and to the eventual National Champion. As a team, the Campbellsville University Tigers claimed the National Championship.

Brianna started competing for the Tigers at Campbellsville, Kentucky, in mid-January and has transitioned well from being home in Wisconsin to her new home for the next four years of college in Kentucky. 

Brianna is a member of the Whitewater High School Class of 2020.

Emme Bullis was chosen as the MaxPreps/AVCA Wisconsin High School Volleyball Player of the Week for March 1st-March 7th.

Go, Emme, and Go, Whippets! 

https://www.maxpreps.com/news/NjXUJ8ZXXkO9ypo_3Iavfw/maxpreps-avca-players-of-the-week.htm

About the MaxPreps/AVCA High School Player of the Week Program:
The MaxPreps/AVCA High School Player of the Week Program is a partnership between the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and CBS MaxPreps, Inc. Each week MaxPreps and the AVCA recognize deserving student-athletes at the high school level who have demonstrated outstanding play on the court throughout the week of competition. Coaches must submit statistics to MaxPreps in order for their athletes to be considered for the program.

Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

Whitewater Volleyball defeated Beloit Turner 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-13) on Thursday night during the annual Play for Trey event.

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Kindyl Kilar and Emme Bullis led the team in hitting, each with 16 kills. Three players, Emme Bullis, Cora Linos, and Kindyl Kilar, had double-digit digs defensively, with 12, 11, and 10 respectively.

Play for Trey is an annual event for the volleyball team, asking spectators to donate to Treyton’s Field of Dreams, built in honor of Treyton Kilar, a young baseball fan who perished in a drunk driving accident following a Whippet volleyball game in 2010.

“Mighty Quinn – How a D3 Longshot Turned into a Top Prospect”

A lengthy article about “The Gut” on nfl.com starts with this statement, “Facing an uphill battle to the NFL with a cancelled college season, an incomplete D-III resume and a ballooning belly, Quinn Meinerz was at a crossroads. Then fate, hard work and a little luck intervened.”

Kevin Bullis is quoted as saying, “”I’ve coached 33 years now and been around a lot of motivated human beings,” said Bullis, the Whitewater head coach. “He might be the most intrinsically motivated person I’ve ever known.”

Though the article’s byline says March 9, 2019, that’s obviously a typo — it should be 2021. Check it out here.

Here’s a link to “2021 NFL Draft Player Profiles: Wisconsin-Whitewater C Quinn Meinerz” on steelersdepot.com.

Article and Photos By Kelly O’Hara
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
OHaraKL17@uww.edu

Whitewater High School Gymnastics wrapped up the 2020-2021 season with a banquet held on Monday, March 8^th, at Whitewater High School. The gymnasts did a fantastic job this season, and they will continue to do so in future seasons. The awards presented at the banquet were earned by the following gymnasts: MVP – Jenna Caldwell, Most Dedicated – Halee Peters, Most Improved Varsity – Caleigh Yang, Most Improved JV – Izzy Dieter, and Rookie of the Year – Lauren Buehler.

The Southern Lakes Conference awards were awarded to one gymnast this year. This is a very high honor for the Whitewater High School Gymnasts. Jenna Caldwell was the recipient who earned Honorable Mention this season.

Thank you to the parents for supporting the girls and all the other amazing things you have done throughout the season. Thank you to Mr. Mischka for coming to the gymnastics meet and taking pictures of the girls.

Although it was a very unconventional season due to COVID-19, it was still amazing, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. Go, Whippets!