By Kelly O’Hara Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach OHaraKL17@uww.edu
Whitewater High School Gymnastics had their first meet of the season against Jefferson High School on Friday, December 11th.
The WHS Gymnastics varsity team consisted of returning members sophomores Brenda Aguilar, Caleigh Yang, Maddy Beuhler, Halee Peters, and junior Anna Ejnik. JV Team members consisted of freshman Lauren Buehler and sophomores Brooke Bazeley and Isabelle Dieter.
WHS Gymnastics had a final team score of 108.75. The highlights of the meet on the varsity side consisted of Halee Peters scoring an 8.15 on vault and an 8.05 on floor, Anna Ejnik scoring a 7.775 on vault, Maddy Buehler scoring a 7.525 on vault, Brenda Aguilar scoring a 6.7 on beam, and Caleigh Yang scoring a 7.15 on the floor exercise.
Highlights on the JV side included Brooke Bazeley scoring a 5.3 on floor and Lauren Buehler scoring a 6.05 on beam along with Isabelle Dieter scoring a 4.35 on beam.
We are looking forward to the progress the gymnasts make as the season continues! The next gymnastics meet will be held Friday, December 18th, at Whitewater High School in a dual against Janesville Parker. Go, Whippets!
*Photos are screenshots of video recordings from the meet.
Article and Photos By Gina Foucault Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach gfoucault@wwusd.org
The Whippets swam well winning their first dual meet of the year against Delavan-Darien. All of our swimmers were able to score points towards the win, including a few athletes that are new to swim including Jake Kuhlow, Carter Schepp, and Cole Schlicher. With very little time to prepare for the first meet of the year these athletes showed up and raced hard!
The Whippets dominated several events finishing 1st and 2nd in several events:
1st – 200 Medley Relay (Tyler Arnett, Devin Bazeley, Tony Aranda, Keith Cameron) 2nd – 200 Medley Relay (Jake Kuhlow, Carter Schepp, Zach Tomomitsu, Cole Schlicher)
and we finished 1, 2, 3 in the 100 Breaststroke with Devin Bazeley, Keith Cameron, and Carter Schepp.
Our veteran swimmers led the way with some outstanding swims. Tyler Arnett beat the field by 7 seconds in the 200 Freestyle and by a large margin in the 500 Freestyle. These were strong swims to start the year; Tyler’s hard work in the off season is apparent. Devin Bazeley posted a fast time in his 200 IM and finished 10 seconds ahead of the field in the 100 Breaststroke also. Devin also puts in time in the off season which shows. Senior Tony Aranda is always ready to race and was able to win both of his events, scoring majors points for our team. Adding to these swims were strong efforts from Wyatt Anderson, Keith Cameron, and Zach Tomomitsu. All of these swimmers willingly swim whatever we need them to with no complaints. Wyatt took on the 200 Freestyle, Keith raced the 200 IM, and Zach raced the 100 Butterfly. These veterans raced hard knowing that we needed strong performances from them in these races.
It was amazing to see our new swimmers take on their first races of the year. Jake Kuhlow swam the dreaded 500 Freestyle with determination and scored points with his effort. Jake’s dedication to training and competition is such an asset to our team. Carter Schepp took on one of our more technical races with the 100 Breaststroke and is already posting a strong time. Carter also works hard and is quick to learn all the tiny things that add up to smart, fast swimming. Cole Schlicher loves to race and compete which served him well in his first races as a Whippet. I am thankful to have a great mix of athletes willing to put in the time and effort that swimming requires.
It was a great first meet for all our swimmers and I can’t wait to see what we can do with even more training and experience.
By Kristen Lippens Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach klippens@wwusd.org
Our team set some goals going into this game, reduce our turnovers, make our free throws and create more scoring opportunities. I am proud to say that we not only met our goals but exceeded them, beating East Troy 67 to 45.
Kindyl Kilar led the Whippets with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Kacie Carollo followed with 19 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds.
Lexi Juoni had 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Gwen Truesdale scored 8 points, had 3 blocks, and added 5 rebounds.
The Whippet Girls’ Basketball team hosted Palmyra on Saturday, November 28, and scored a 57-48 victory.
On Thursday, December 3, the Whippets traveled to Beloit Turner.
Coach Lippens stated, “Thursday night was a great match up, but we came up short in a tough battle against Turner. Reducing our turnovers and creating better scoring opportunities will be a focus moving forward.”
Kacie Carollo led the team on Thursday with 21 points, followed by Gwen Truesdale with 8 and Danielle DePorter with 6.
Home games are being broadcast on YouTube and/or the Whitewater High School Facebook page. Watch the Facebook page for updates on how to watch away games, as each school has their own method for streaming games.
Whitewater High School Senior Emme Bullis signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Division 1 Cal Poly State University, the team with the longest home-winning streak in Division I, at 32 games. Bullis has played many positions on the volleyball floor but was recruited by Cal Poly as a setter. She is hopeful that she’ll get to play her final season as a Whippet as the Rock Valley Conference postponed their fall sports season until spring.
Whitewater High School Senior Ella Houwers capped off her two-title performance at the state swim meet by signing her Letter of Intent to swim for Northern Michigan University on November 19. The Wildcats are part of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for swimming and diving.
Whitewater Girls’ Basketball fell to Lake Mills in their season opener on Tuesday, November 24, 62-23. The young Whippets were down 26-14 at the half. Captain Kacie Carollo scored 15 for the Whippets with additional points added by Lexi Juoni, Jenna Pope, and Kindyl Kilar.
Total fouls were even with 14 for Lake Mills and 13 for Whitewater. Ten of Lake Mills’ fouls came in the first half.
2020-2021 Whippet Roster
Number
Player
Grade
Position
3
Nikita Hartzheim
11
Guard
4
Jenna Pope
10
Guard
10
Savannah Hill
11
Guard
14
Kindyl Kilar
10
Guard/Forward
15
Kacie Carollo
12
Guard
21
Mayte Navejas
9
Guard
22
Danielle DePorter
9
Guard
23
Cali Kopecky
10
Guard
30
Aidyn Amundson
9
Forward
32
Lexi Juoni
11
Guard
33
Gwen Truesdale
11
Guard/Forward
35
Cora Linos
12
Forward/Center
The Whippets are coached by Kristen Lippens.
The Rock Valley Conference is not allowing spectators at games this season, but many games if not all will be livestreamed. Watch the Whitewater High School Facebook page for information on how to watch each away game. Catch all home Whippet basketball and wrestling matches streaming live on YouTube. The channel URL is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkSNbiMBtrtpskkb5l3OBQA. After going to that link, you’ll need to subscribe to the channel, and you should be all set. The games will be under the videos tab and should start recording approximately 10-15 minutes before each game.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
A reader shared this suggestion with the Banner:
“I am writing to offer an idea for you to consider for the future Mid-November issues of the Banner. Every year when I return to my hometown to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, I am always excited to grab the Clark County Press off the coffee table and pull out the Hunters’ Guide. This Seasonal sectional to the paper showcases the past year’s hunters and fishers and their success participating in our wonderful outdoor Wisconsin traditions. A first time hunter with their first deer, a young angler catching their first fish, a family group picture of “buck camp” or “fishing trip,” seasoned veterans landing a big musky, black bear, or whitetail buck…it is always exciting to see friends, family, and neighbors enjoying our great outdoors with family, and inspiring the next generation of Wisconsin Outdoorsmen. The success isn’t always in or near my hometown either. Many former members of town (myself included) have sent back photos and stories to share. I hope you will give the idea some thought and maybe help inspire some of our citizens to get outdoors and join in our wonderfully unique fall traditions!”
We would have been happy to share this reader’s name, but since we haven’t received permission to do so, you’ll have to ponder whether you know someone who hails from Clark County.
We’re happy to try this idea, so we encourage sportspeople to submit photos and/or stories related to your 2020 outdoor experiences. Although some of the stories will likely be featured in our “news” area, most will probably be found in the “sports” section. In particular we will not be featuring photos on our homepage that some non-hunters/fishers may prefer not to see. Let the boasting begin! Send your submissions to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks.
The Whippets started out strong at State! Our Medley relay (Sophia Fanshaw, Ella Houwers, Grace Foucault, Amber Krebs) finished in 9th place with a 1.63 second time drop and moved up one place from where they were seeded with a time of 1:54.54.
Brooke Bazeley, Ella Houwers, Grace Foucault, Amber Krebs, Sophia Fanshaw – Photo courtesy of Gina Foucault
Grace Foucault raced well in the 200 Freestyle, placing 13th overall! It was great to see this sophomore qualify in two individual events plus two relays!
After finishing in second place last year in the 200 Individual Medley, Ella Houwers took charge and raced hard to win this year. Way to go Ella! Ella’s time of 2:06.90 was a season best time!
Ella Houwers
Ella Houwers
Grace Foucault
Grace Foucault rocked her 2nd individual event, the 100 Backstroke. Grace continued to drop time after a great Sectional race and re-broke her own School Record with a 1:00.97 winning her heat and finished in 9th overall!
Ella raced to her third State Title in the 100 Breaststroke! Ella posted a 1:05.27 season best time! Congratulations on four very successful years of swimming at Whitewater High School.
A Pre-State Celebration at the Whitewater Aquatic Center – Photo courtesy of Tom Ganser
Grace Foucault Gets Set for the Backstroke
The Whippets ended the night on a high note finishing 8th in the 400 Freestyle Relay (Foucault, Krebs, Fanshaw, Houwers) dropping 4.79 seconds from last week’s Sectional time with a 3:47.68. All four swimmers posted best times with their splits. Grace Foucault is now 3rd overall on the Top Ten All Times list in the 100 Freestyle with her lead off split of 56.27. Seniors Amber Krebs and Sophia Fanshaw both dropped under a minute on their splits finishing their high school swim careers with fantastic swims. Ella Houwers rounded out a great day anchoring the relay in a 52.98. I am so proud of these ladies and Brooke Bazeley our alternate for their hard work this season and for their success at the State meet.
Article and Photos Submitted by Coach Gina Foucault
