The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team cruised into the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 75-53 win over Principia College in Kachel Gym in Whitewater on Friday night.
With the win, the Warhawks advance to host UW-La Crosse Saturday at 7 PM in Kachel Gym. UWW defeated the Eagles in both regular season meetings — 62-56 on the road and 74-62 at home — this season. The Eagles topped Colorado College 79-52 in the first round.
Editor’s note: Whitewater had a good-sized crowd on Friday evening, and hopefully Saturday will be even better. Parking is free in lots 11 and 24 and tickets are purchased onsite. Adults are $15, Senior Adults, Students, and Children ages 6-17 are $10. Children under 6 are free. Those unable to attend may find links for listening or viewing the game here and here together with other information about the contest.
UW-Whitewater got off to an incredible start in Friday’s game against the Panthers. Mallory Oloffson (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) opened the scoring with a three-pointer off of a Maggie Trautsch (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) assist. Less than 30 seconds later, Trautsch hit her first attempt of the night – also from long range – off a Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) pass for a 6-0 lead. Trautsch answered a Principia basket with another triple before draining her third three in the first six minutes of the contest to give UWW a 14-4 advantage.
By the end of the first quarter, the gap ballooned to 24-18. Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) hit the first basket of the second quarter to push the margin into the 20s. Another three-pointer, this one from Renee Rittmeyer (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) with less than a minute left in the half, extended the Warhawk lead to 30, 47-17. Hildebrandt capped the first 20 minutes with a jumper to send UWW into the intermission with a 32-point advantage.
The Warhawks were efficient in the first half shooting 47% and 67% in the first two quarters respectively. Meanwhile, the defense held Principia to 15% and 31% from the floor in the first and second quarters.
The Panthers won the third and fourth quarters outscoring UWW 18-13 in each period for the 75-53 final.
Hildebrandt led the Warhawks with a double-double hauling in 15 boards to go with 15 points. Trautsch and Oloffson each scored 16 while Rittmeyer added 11.
Scores for other Wisconsin teams on Friday: UW-Superior lost to Whitman 54-77 UW-Oshkosh beat Calvin 61-52 UW- Stout beat Ripon 87-57 Gustavus Adolphus over Wisconsin Lutheran 61-49
The Whitewater Wrestling Team concluded their season this weekend with five competing on the Kohl Center floor in Madison. The format of the tournament was different this season with each competitor being guaranteed two matches over the weekend.
The team wrestled well throughout the weekend, but unfortunately three of them were unable to come off victorious even though they had given it their all on the mat. All of the losses the students took ended up being to opponents that placed in the top six and made podium on Saturday night.
Jarvis Porcaro
Jasen Porras, Traysen Thomason, and Marianna Kubicz each competed on Thursday night and Friday morning but had some tough challenges in front of them, coming up short.
Connor Friend started off the tournament with a very strong opponent who was a great rider on top. This was a tough loss, as all are in the state tournament, and he had to regroup and come back on Friday morning to stay in the medal hunt. Connor saw an opponent from Belmont/Platteville, whom he had lost to 4 weeks ago. Connor wrestled a great match coming out on top 4–1. This placed him in the consolation semifinals on Saturday morning. Connor had an opponent that was very good at defense, which made it difficult to get to his offense, which he is very good at. In the end, Connor fell just short of reaching his goal of being on the podium.
Jarvis Porcaro had a very good tournament. He started the tournament on Thursday evening with a nice technical fall victory in the opening round setting him up for a quarter final match against a state runner up from Richland Center. Jarvis wrestled an outstanding match, coming out with 10-8 victory, putting him into the state semifinals on Friday night. In this match, Jarvis wrestled against the number 1 seed in the tournament and came out very strong with an early takedown. Entering the 3rd period, Jarvis was down 7-5, but that was as close as it got. Jarvis ended up dropping the match, which was very disappointing to him as he self-analyzed his match right away and knew his errors in the 3rd period. He stayed positive with himself, which has been a huge battle for him to overcome since last season. This season, Jarvis was able to stay in the mental mindset, even during tough times. On Saturday morning, Jarvis came back to compete in the 3rd place match but lost the match, thus finishing in 4th place in the state. Jarvis had set his goals after last season to be in the state finals, and although he came up short of that goal, he was upbeat with his weekend and knows this is just one chapter of his life of wrestling. He will move forward working toward collegiate goals.
The weekend saw the close of some stellar high school careers from Jarvis, Jasen, Connor, and Traysen. They will be missed by the program, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host the first and second rounds of the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament Friday and Saturday, March 7-8. The tournament will be held in Kachel Gym in the Williams Center.
The first game of the Whitewater Regional will feature Colorado College (23-3) and UW-La Crosse (16-11). Tipoff is slated for 4:30 PM CT.
The Warhawks (22-6) will take on Principia (17-11) in game two that is set for a 7 PM tip.
The winners will advance to face each other at 7 PM on Saturday.
A livestream for all games in the Whitewater Regional will be available on ncaa.com.
Ticket information will be announced Tuesday. A full preview will be available later this week.
Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by UW-Whitewater. Principia is in Elsah, IL.
Wisconsin is well represented among the 64 teams in the bracket, with six teams, five of which are part of Universities of WI: La Crosse, Oshkosh, Stout, Superior, and Whitewater. The sixth team is Wisconsin Lutheran.
Oshkosh, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team took down #10 UW-Oshkosh 64-61 on their home court to hoist the WIAC Tournament trophy and claim the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The tournament title is the fourth in program history for UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks will find out what lies ahead in their 23rd – and ninth consecutive – NCAA Tournament appearance during the Selection Show set for 1:30 PM Monday. Fans can watch the selection show live on ncaa.com. The first round is scheduled for Friday, March 7.
After the two regular season meetings between these two squads featured a combined three overtimes – UWO winning both – basketball fans knew Saturday’s matchup was going to be a great game, and it certainly was.
UW-Whitewater got off to a quick start, scoring the first five points of the contest bolstered by a Katie Hildebrandt three-pointer. The Warhawk advantage would hit five three more times in the period including on the final bucket of the quarter – a jumper by Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) that made it 18-13.
The gap swelled to double digits in the second quarter with the Warhawks enjoying a 13-point, 38-25, lead at the intermission.
Although the margin dipped into single digits twice in the third, UWW pushed it back to double figures by the end of the quarter to hold a 51-41 lead going into the final quarter.
The Titans whittled away at the gap until pulling withing one, 58-57 with less than two to go. Hildebrandt knocked down a layup with 54 seconds to go to push the lead back to three, 60-57.
Mia Gillis (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) pulled down the defensive board on a missed layin for UWO and the Warhawks immediately called timeout. The inbounds went to Carollo and the senior hit one of two to make it a two possession game, 61-57, with 21 seconds left.
UWO scored quickly and fouled quickly to send Carollo back to the line with just seven seconds taken off from the previous set of free throws. Carollo missed the first but hit the second to make it 62-59 with 14 seconds on the clock.
The Titans put up a three-pointer that caromed off the rim and was nearly hauled in by Carollo but an Oshkosh player was able to gain possession and kick it back out for another deep shot. The shot was good, but to the dismay of the home crowd, the officials signaled for two, not three. The referees went to the replay computer to take a second look and came back with the same result – the shooter’s foot was on the line and the Warhawks maintained the lead, 62-61, with five seconds remaining.
The final play for UWW was an inbounds to Carollo, a foul and a pair of free throws for the senior guard to make it 64-61 with just two ticks of the clock left.
Oshkosh had an opportunity at the buzzer, but the floater inside the arc was no good as UWW gathered at center court in celebration.
Carollo picked up her 10th double-double of the season to tie the career record for career double-doubles with 28. She posted 20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a block in 37 minutes played.
Hildebrandt added 18 points and 6 boards while Gillis dropped in 12 points and hauled in 5 rebounds.
Prior to the start of the game, Carollo was named the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete for Women’s Basketball. A complete release on this accomplishment will be announced next week.
The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team claimed their spot in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship with a 69-63 win at UW-Stout Thursday night. The box score and other details may be found here.
With the win, the Warhawks advance to face UW-Oshkosh for the WIAC Tournament title and the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship. The game is slated for a 3 PM tipoff in Oshkosh on Saturday. Here’s the link for the livestream.
Johnson Fieldhouse has been a notoriously tough place for the Warhawks to play, so UWW knew the WIAC Semifinal would be a battle, but they were up for the challenge. Showcasing strength through adversity, UW-Whitewater battled through foul trouble throughout much of the game. In the end, it was the free throw line that sealed the Warhawk win.
In the first half, UW-Stout held the advantage in the foul and free throw columns. After the first 20 minutes of action, four Warhawks had been whistled for multiple fouls. The Blue Devils were a perfect 9-9 from the line while UWW was just 4-6 off of the five UWS fouls.
Still, the Warhawks held the lead, although a narrow one, 31-30. Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) bolstered the first half of play with 20 points in 20 minutes with nine rebounds.
On the other side of the intermission, the margin remained at three or less until late in the third. With Carollo on the bench in foul trouble, UW-Whitewater pressed forward putting together a 7-0 run to take a 48-41 lead, the largest of the game. The Blue Devils tallied the final bucket of the third on a jumper to narrow the gap to four heading into the fourth. However, UW-Whitewater now had four players with at least three fouls with just 10 minutes left to play.
The home squad whittled away at the margin eventually knotting the game 57-57 with 2:47 left. Coming out of a UWW timeout, Carollo hit a layup off a Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) assist. On the other end, Raegan Sorenson drew a shooting foul and hit one of two.
After a few missed shots on both ends, Carollo hauled in a defensive board and went coast-to-coast with a wide open left-handed layin that gave UWW a 61-58 lead with 1:22 remaining.
On UW-Stout’s next possession a jumper hit the back of the rim and bounced straight up. Carollo went up for the rebound and appeared to have possession as a Blue Devil reached in and tried to wrestle it away. Two officials blew their whistles at the same time – one signaling for a foul, the other for a jump. The pair came together to discuss and determined it was a jump ball as UWS retained possession on their offensive end.
Carollo contested the shot on the ensuing possession, but was whistled for the foul – her fifth – with 51 seconds left. UW-Stout made both from the free throw line to narrow the gap to one, 61-60.
The Warhawks called timeout and advanced the ball to their offensive end. The inbound found its way into Maggie Trautsch’s (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) hands near the top of the key. She pump faked and drove to her left using a pair of strong dribbles to create space before pulling up and draining a jumper from the elbow to give UWW a 63-60 lead with 27.3 seconds on the clock.
The Blue Devils advanced the ball on a timeout and went to Sorenson – their main offensive threat. Hildebrandt was tough on the glass forcing a jump ball on the rebound with the possession arrow favoring UW-Whitewater.
This time the Warhawks chose not to advance the ball. Instead Renee Rittmeyer (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) took the ball under the Blue Devil basket. Her inbound pass was intended for Bri McCurdy (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) but the sophomore guard was fouled and went to the line with 18.7 left. McCurdy hit both to extend the lead to five, 65-60.
Once again, UW-Stout called timeout and advanced the ball. The inbound went directly to their shooter Lexi Wagner in front of the Blue Devil bench. She threw up an off balance shot, but Sorenson grabbed the rebound and hit the put back and the free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play.
The Warhawks used their final timeout to advance the ball with 15 seconds on the clock. Mia Gillis (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) found McCurdy in the backcourt on the inbounds. She was immediately fouled and the sophomore went back to the line for a pair of huge free throws in the two point game. McCurdy hit both to push the lead to four, 67-63 with 13.9 to go.
After UW-Stout’s final timeout advanced the ball to near their bench, the Blue Devil inbound pass was launched to the far side of the court. The desperation three was no good, but there was a Warhawk foul whistled on the rebound. The Blue Devils missed the first, then the second, and then the putback chance before McCurdy hauled in the rebound.
McCurdy was fouled and sealed it with two more to remain perfect from the free throw line – not just for the game, but for the season. After hitting all eight of her chances from the charity stripe to seal the win Thursday, McCurdy is 23-23 on the season from the line.
Carollo led UWW with a double-double posting 26 points and 13 boards. Hildebrandt added 13 points and a team-high three assists. McCurdy ended up with 11 bolstered by the eight free throws while pacing the Warhawks in the steals column with four. Trautsch rounded out the double digit scorers with 10 on the night.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team, the defending NCAA Division III national runner-up and the favorite to repeat as conference champion, begins its 2025 season Friday, Feb. 28.
The Warhawks are picked to finish first in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) this spring and are ranked No. 1 in the D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason National Poll.
Last year, the Warhawks won the WIAC title by finishing 19-5 in conference play and 45-12 overall. UW-Whitewater won NCAA regional and super regional championships on its way to the NCAA Division III national championship series, where they were outlasted in a best-of-three series to finish as national runner-up.
John Vodenlich, a 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, enters his 22nd year as head coach of the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater begins its season Feb. 28 at Asbury University (Ky.) and plays its first home game March 26 against St. Mary’s (Minn.). For a complete season schedule, visit uwwsports.com.
Maggie Trautsch was the leading scorer, with 18 points / Photo by Olivia Zinanni
Correction 2/27/25 @ 2:35 p.m. – The player in the above photo was misidentified. This has now been corrected.
The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team topped UW-River Falls 66-52 in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday in Kachel Gym.
With the victory, the Warhawks advance to play UW-Stout on the road Thursday. The WIAC semifinal game is set for a 7 PM tipoff in Menomonie. The conference tournament championship will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on Saturday.
Senior guard Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) etched her name atop the WIAC record book in three-pointers Tuesday. Carollo needed just one to break the conference record with her 231st career three-pointer and she got it with the first bucket of the fourth quarter.
The game started on a different note, with the Falcons taking an early 7-3 lead less than four minutes in. UW-Whitewater responded in a big way holding UWRF scoreless the rest of the period while scoring 16 unanswered to take a 19-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Falcons cut the margin to six, 26-20, with just under two to go but the last minute of the first half featured a flurry of action. Maggie Trautsch (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) knocked down a three off a Carollo assist. Carollo hauled in the defensive board and that led to a Mia Gillis (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) layup with 15 seconds remaining. UWRF got down the floor quickly for a buzzer-beater layup to make it 31-22 at the break. The Falcons coach was whistled for a technical following contact on the play. With the choice to shoot the free throws immediately or wait until the other side of the intermission – the Warhawks chose the latter and headed to the locker room.
Carollo went to the line before the start of the third and hit both free throws to push the lead back to double digits. The gap dipped back into single digits just once the rest of the way – on the final bucket of the third.
Trautsch paced the Warhawks with 18 points bolstered by a 3-8 night from downtown. Bri McCurdy (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) hit 6-9 from the floor and 5-8 from beyond the arc for 17 points – all career bests for the sophomore. Carollo posted 11 points and added 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Gillis registered 10 points on 5-7 shooting from the field with 5 assists in the contest.
Update 2/25 @ 3:55 p.m. – The team plays in the first round of the conference championship tonight, Tuesday 2/25 @ 7 p.m. – UW-W (#3) vs. UW-RF (#6)
Unconditional love and basketball: Warhawk Kacie Carollo builds on family legacy
Written by Chris Lindeke Photos by Craig Schreiner, UW-Whitewater Athletics
The Carollo family name is synonymous with women’s basketball — and winning — at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
For more than two decades the family has been deeply associated with a team that has a strong legacy at the university and is a household name in NCAA Division III women’s basketball.
Keri Carollo was hired as head coach in April 2002. In 2008, her husband, Joe Carollo, joined her on the sidelines to be an assistant coach.
Fast forward to 2025, and their daughter, Kacie, is helping the family build on that exceptional success.
The Carollo family, including, left to right, Keri, Matthew, Kacie, Tyler, and Joe, hold the team’s conference championship and national runner-up trophies after the Warhawk women’s basketball team’s run to the Final Four in 2022. (UW-Whitewater athletics photo/Michael McLoone)
A two-time All-American, Carollo, an integrated science-business major, has been a linchpin in one of the strongest four-year stretches in the program’s history.
The run has included two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, one conference tournament title, and three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the Final Four in 2022, the Sweet 16 in 2023, and the Elite Eight in 2024.
Carollo has thrived on and off the court — she is a recipient of multiple scholarships and is a five-time member of the Dean’s List — and enjoys the small-town, community-like atmosphere and the caring faculty.
“The professors have been very understanding of our schedules and the demands,” she said. “They understand the time and energy commitment to sports, which I’m very grateful for.”
With just four games remaining in the regular season, Carollo is cherishing every remaining moment as a part of the team.
“It’s basketball, so it’s not the most important thing in the world, but it is to our family, and it is to my teammates,” she said. “Valuing every single day — and the people around me — has been super important for me, because it goes by really fast.”
Carollo’s journey to becoming a Warhawk started more than two decades ago.
A young Kacie Carollo holds an individual trophy between her parents, Keri and Joe Carollo, after the Warhawks placed third in the nation with an 80-67 win against Oglethorpe on March 22, 2008, in Holland, Michigan. (UW-Whitewater Athletics photo)
Raised to be a Warhawk
Carollo’s first memories of being involved in the program include “picnics” packed by her parents that included snacks, puzzles and games — all things to keep her occupied during the team’s practices and games.
She recalled being pushed around in the ball cart and being on the bus with her “big sisters” on the team.
“She was very outgoing, strong-willed, and personable,” Keri Carollo said. “You could tell she was a lot like me — she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and had a very strong personality but was also very caring and always looking out for everyone else.”
In 2008, when Carollo was just a small child, the Warhawks experienced their first big success under her mother’s leadership. The team made its first-ever trip to the Division III Final Four, where they went on to finish in third place.
More national success followed for UW-Whitewater. The team made back-to-back appearances in the Final Four starting five years later, finishing as national runner-up in 2013 and in third place in 2014.
Recruited to be a Warhawk
A three-sport athlete at Whitewater High School, Carollo worked closely with her parents to explore opportunities to compete in college basketball.
After a trip to St. Louis for a college visit as a high school senior, she realized that her home for the next four years may be right in her backyard.
Carollo was recruited closely by then-assistant coach Kirsten Hammer and then-graduate assistant Brooke Trewyn, who each earned a BSE in physical education and an MSE in professional studies from UW-Whitewater and were members of the Warhawk women’s basketball team as undergraduates.
“They asked me a lot of questions, and I could tell they really cared about me as a person,” she said.
Carollo enrolled at UW-Whitewater in the fall of 2021, joining a veteran-laden team that was poised for a big season after enduring a COVID pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign.
Warhawk Kacie Carollo, right, hugs Vayda Briggs, 10, who came to the game to see her former babysitter play. The Warhawk women’s basketball team defeated UW-Eau Claire to win the WIAC championship at Kachel Gym on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
Four years of success
Carollo was an immediate fit with the Warhawks during the 2021-22 season. She played a supporting role in helping UW-Whitewater capture the regular season league championship and make a run through the NCAA Tournament to the championship game.
After the team punched its ticket to the Final Four with a victory over conference rival UW-Oshkosh, Carollo embraced her mother and coach with tears in her eyes.
UW-Whitewater head women’s basketball coach Keri Carollo hugs her daughter Kacie, guard on the Warhawks, while players react after defeating UW-Oshkosh for a spot in the NCAA Division 3 Final Four Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 12, 2022. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
“Everything happened so fast, and none of it was expected,” Carollo said. “It was just so huge for everybody in that moment … I know how hard my parents have worked, so it was cool for me to be an actual, tangible piece of it rather than just supporting them.”
Most importantly, she showed her ability to blend in both on and off the court — a characteristic that’s stuck with her over the last three-plus seasons even with her parents as coaches.
“I have to give Kacie a lot of credit — she’s made it easy — and I would also give credit to the teams she’s played with,” Coach Carollo said. “They have been very understanding of that dynamic, and we’ve never had teams that Kacie’s played with give us any pushback.”
Carollo evolved into a central leader on the team starting with the 2022-23 season. The team captured its second straight conference title, won the WIAC Tournament and reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Players gather with Head Coach Keri Carollo at center court after the win. Kacie Carollo (13) is next to her mother, Keri. The Warhawks women’s basketball team defeated UW-Oshkosh on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. to advance to the WIAC tournament championship game. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
In 2023-24, UW-Whitewater, led by Carollo and another All-American — 2024 Jostens Trophy (National Player of the Year) recipient Aleah Grundahl — made a second straight run to the second weekend of the national tournament. The Warhawks finished one game away from a trip to the Final Four.
This year’s team is currently ranked #25 in the nation. The postseason begins the week of February 24, and the Warhawks are hopeful for another deep run.
“We value opportunity,” Coach Carollo said. “When you’re gifted an opportunity — not everybody gets to play college basketball — you make the most of that opportunity and try to get the most out of that experience. That goes for academics and social life, too, as not everyone gets to go to college. A lot of people take it for granted.”
Head women’s basketball coach Keri Carollo, center, and her husband Joe, an assistant, talk to players. Their daughter Kacie, right, is among the players. The Warhawk women’s basketball team defeated UW-Stevens Point, 53-44, on Jan. 10, 2024, in Kachel Gym. With the win, the Warhawks matched their best start in program history with 14 wins and no losses. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
Looking back (and ahead)
The Carollos have grown closer because of their basketball experiences inside of Kachel Gymnasium and around the country.
“We’ve always been close, but I think this has brought us closer, just seeing her go through the highs and lows and challenges of being a student-athlete and a woman,” Coach Carollo said.
The couple are also firmly embedded as leaders in other spaces around the Williams Center. Keri Carollo serves Warhawk athletics as senior woman administrator and assistant athletic director for compliance, while Joe Carollo is an assistant director for business affairs and event operations and a lecturer of kinesiology, teaching classes in the sport management minor.
“I know how much they care and how involved they are — it is literally their life,” Kacie Carollo said. “When they get after me or someone else, I know at the end of the day, it’s not personal — it’s just because they care.”
Carollo is on track to graduate in May 2025. She plans to remain in the area and pursue a career in health care administration.
Kacie Carollo (13), an integrated science and business major, comes off the court. The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team defeated Calvin University (Michigan) on Dec. 30 in its final home game of 2024. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
Carollo’s focus remains on basketball as she hopes to help extend the season deep into March. She has already etched her name into the program record book, currently ranking second in both career points and rebounds, and now looks to add even more team success to an already sterling career ledger.
No result will break a mother and daughter bond that has only grown stronger after more than 20 years of bleeding purple together.
“I tell her at the start of every year that no matter what happens — wins, losses, whatever — I’m always going to be proud of you and love you unconditionally,” the coach (and mom) said.
On Saturday, February 22, the Boys’ Wrestling Team was represented by five individuals competing to advance to the WIAA State Individual State Wrestling Tournament in the Sectional Tournament hosted by Waupun. When the day ended, the boys were 12-4 with four of them punching their ticket to the Kohl Center this coming Thursday night.
Jasen Porras, Jarvis Porcaro, Connor Friend, and Traysen Thomason
Jarvis Porcaro started things off for the Whippets, winning the sectional championship, being the 3rd one to do so since 2007. Jarvis dominated his competition, wrestling extremely well all day. He started the day with a technical fall 19-2. He followed that up with a first period pin in :57. For the finals, Jarvis wrestled very well getting a takedown, which would have ended the match with a technical fall, but due to taking down two students back he was able to secure the pin.
Jasen Porras was our second student to reach the finals with a very strong day of wrestling. He started the day off with a strong victory over a young man that proved to be a tough opponent on top, but Jasen secured a second period pin. In the semifinals, Jasen weathered a little bit of a storm early but was able to just wrestle very smart and was able to secure a 8-2 decision. In the championship match, he ran into the number one student in the state and fell against a young man that proved he is worthy of the ranking. Jasen had to wrestle back to hold onto his 2nd place finish. This can be a tough task coming off a loss and the opponent coming off a win. Jasen controlled him early and secured a first period pin, thus holding onto 2nd place!
Connor Friend followed, bringing home the 2nd championship of the day. He started off with a very nice win against a student who was physically quite strong. Connor ended up getting a 3rd period pin. In the semifinals, Connor was taken down earlier which was maybe a little bit of a wakeup call as he ended up controlling the rest of the match and secured a 20-4 technical fall win. In the championship, Connor had a young man who had some nice height and length, but Connor was patient and took control early on his feet. Connor was able to secure the championship with a 9-1 major decision.
Traysen Thomason was next up for the Whippets. Traysen started the day strong with a 18-3 technical fall win. In the semi-finals, Traysen had a very good match, and with a little bit of a scramble that didn’t quite go his way he ended up dropping the match 7-4. This put him into the wrestle backs where he would need to piece together two wins to advance. His first match was against a familiar opponent from the last couple of weeks, and Traysen continued a strong game plan pinning his opponent in 1:05. This put Traysen one win from a state berth against a tall young man from Lake Country Lutheran. Traysen did very well, wrestling a smart match, and was able to secure his state berth with a 19-9 major decision.
Richi Kalra was our 5th competitor on the day. In both of his matches, he wrestled very well. In the first match he came out and got the opening takedown and then was in on a second, but the opponent made a throw as a counter, pinning Richi. In the wrestle back match, Richi had a familiar foe from Delavan. Richi wrestled extremely well on his feet, holding good position. Unfortunately, Richi saw his season end with the loss. Both of the opponents Richi lost to qualified, with the student from the first match winning the tournament and the student from the second match taking 3rd, so Richi went down and competed well against the best!
The four boys will all be competing on Thursday night, February 27, at 6:00 pm at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
On Friday night, February 21, Whitewater Girls’ Wrestling had three ladies competing in the Sectional hosted at Whitewater High School for their opportunity to place in the top 2 and advance to the WIAA State Wrestling Individual Wrestling Championships at the Kohl Center. To note, girls’ wrestling is all one division so it can be the smallest schools in the state vs. the largest schools in the state.
A’Lani Ross, Payton Taylor, Marianna Kubicz
Leading the way for the girls was Marianna Kubicz who wrestled her way into the championship match by starting off with a bye and then getting a strong first period pin after two great takedowns against her Janesville Craig foe. Marianna has been working hard on some technique on her feet and it showed in the semifinal match. In the championship, Marianna came out strong but ended up getting pinned. She did not have a wrestle back so she was able to hold onto her runner up finish and her ticket to Madison.
Payton Taylor was next up. Payton started the night off strong with a very nice first period pin against her Janesville Craig foe. She came out and got the early takedown and then showed her improvement over the course of the season, securing the pin. In the semi-finals, Payton dropped the match against a girl who really wrestles well. Payton was not out of the running for state just yet, but she would need to win her next match and then get some help and hope to get a wrestle back. She wrestled an outstanding match for 3rd as she just kept holding good position and wore her opponent down. Both girls were really tired, but Payton was able to dig deeper and secure the bronze medal with an 11-7 victory. Payton then got the help that she needed and the girl who had defeated her did win the championship, so Payton got a true second wrestle back to try to get to state. In this match she came out and got the opening takedown and was very close to turning the girl with just a slight movement of her body position but unfortunately went the wrong way and got pinned. This was Payton’s first year of wrestling, so with another year of experience that positioning will improve.
Closing out our girls competing was A’Lani Ross who had a difficult first round draw. Her opponent had taken 3rd at state as a freshman and was a state champion last year. This was unfortunate, as with the girls and division 1 boys if you lose your first round, you are eliminated. The Milton girl proved that she is one of the best in the state getting the first period takedown. A’Lani had a strong senior season and has nothing to be ashamed of; it was just unfortunate with the “luck of the draw.”
Sectional Runner-Up Marianna Kubicz
Marianna will be competing in Madison at the Kohl Center. Wrestling will begin at 2:00 pm on Thursday afternoon, February 27.
Article and Photos Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
