Sports

Swimmers Defeat Edgerton/Evansville 112-46

The Whippet swimmers started off conference duals with a win against Edgerton/Evansville with a score of 112 to 46 on Tuesday, December 10th. The night was filled with a lot of really good swims!

Whippet Boys’ Swim Team

Most notable swims include:

  • Medley Relay of Miles Nickelsburg, David Enns, Myles Morse and Caleb Kluck out touched the Tide at the wall to secure a 1st place finish. Caleb Kluck had an impressive split in the 50 Freestyle going a time of 26.98.
  • Langdon Coburn and Miles Morse finished 1st and 2nd in the 200 Freestyle. Langdon swam a lifetime best with a time of 2:08.24
  • Isaac Straight dropped over 6 seconds in his 50 Freestyle going a time of 40.08, and Sam Nickelsburg continues to drop time in his 50 Freestyle going a time of 32.34
  • Mateo Bazeley made his way onto the Whippet Top 10 List in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 53.93. He is now 10th overall.
  • Xavier Ortiz dropped 6 seconds in his 100 Freestyle with a time of 1:11.55.
  • Miles Nickelsburg swam a lifetime best in the 500 Freestyle with an impressive time of 6:07.13.
  • In the leadoff spot of the 200 Freestyle Relay, Cruz Aranda went a 23.93. With that time he now sits 7th on the Whippet Top 10 List.
  • Angel Kilar dropped over 30 seconds in his 100 Backstroke to go a time of 1:40.97.
  • Jack Hefty and David Enns both swam great races in the 100 Breaststroke.

The Whippets are back in the water on Saturday, December 14th at the Elkhorn Invite. The meet begins at 10 am; we hope to see you there!

Article and Photo Courtesy of Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

Swim Team Brings Home 6 Medals from Tom Lieder Invite

The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team had a great meet at the Tom Lieder Invite in Milton on Saturday, December 7th. The boys finished 3rd out of 11 teams and brought home 6 medals! 

Medalists

Top 16 finishes include:

  • 200 Medley (3rd – 1:54.72) Langdon Coburn, Jack Hefty, Cruz Aranda, Myles Morse
  • 200 Freestyle – 
    • 2nd – Cruz Aranda (1:55.97)
    • 6th – Miles Nickelsburg (2:11.39)
    • 9th – Myles Morse (2:16.25)
  • 50 Freestyle –
    • 4th – Mateo Bazeley (24.83)
    • 8th – Jack Hefty (25.26)
  • 100 Freestyle – 
    • 4th – Mateo Bazeley (56.16)
    • 8th – Jack Hefty (57.66)
  • 100 IM – 
    • 2nd – Langdon Coburn (1:02.82)
    • 5th – Miles Nickelsburg (1:11.08)
    • 13th – Andrew O’Toole (1:17.11)
    • 14th – Caleb Kluck (1:20.97)
  • 500 Freestyle – 
    • 2nd – Cruz Aranda (5:19.11)
    • 3rd – Myles Morse (6:03.70)
  • 200 Freestyle Relay (6th – 1:47.52) – Wyatt Esch, Miles Nickelsburg, Andrew O’Toole, Mateo Bazeley 
  • 100 Backstroke –
    • 5th – Langdon Coburn (1:03.06)
  • 100 Breaststroke –
    • 13th – David Enns (1:27.09)
  • 400 Freestyle Relay (This race is a little different at this meet it is an 8×50) 2nd place finish with a time of 3:27.59 – Cruz Aranda, Miles Nickelsburg, Langdon Coburn, Wyatt Esch, Myles Morse, Mateo Bazeley, Caleb Kluck, Jack Hefty

There were many best times on the day! Angel Kilar dropped nearly 10 seconds off his seeded time in the 50 Freestyle going a 35.62. Isaac Straight started right where he left off last season crushing the 100 Breaststroke! Xavier Ortiz got to experience some individual racing for the first time; he had a great 100 Breaststroke time. 

The Boys will have their first home meet on Tuesday, December 10th against Edgerton/Evansville. The meet starts at 5:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

Boys Open Basketball Season with Overtime Win

The Whitewater High School Boys’ Basketball team traveled to Delavan-Darien High School on Friday night to open up the Rock Valley Conference season. The Whippets won 82-70 in overtime. Whitewater High School was led in scoring by Reece Condon with 27 points; none were bigger than his three pointer to open up overtime. The Whippets outscored the comets 15-3 in overtime, and sophomore Connor Brummeyer added six of those.

Reece Condon

Matthew Carollo opened up the game with 5 of his 6 threes in the first half and handled the ball against a very physical DDHS team. The second half was more of a fight than a basketball game. The Whippets built a 17-point lead and withstood a late game charge from the Comets. 

Senior Ty Hagedorn had huge rebounds in the second half!

The Whippets play Monroe on Thursday night, December 12. 

Article Submitted by Michael McCabe
Whitewater High School Head Boys’ Basketball Coach
mccmi01@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka

UW-W Volleyball Finishes as National Runner-up

Warhawks celebrate a point during the match against Juniata (Keith Lucas)

Salem, Va. – The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrapped up a phenomenal 2024 campaign as the NCAA Division III National Runner-Up Saturday. The Warhawks fell to undefeated Juniata 3-2 (25-19, 25-19, 15-25, 26-28, 15-10) at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia. UWW pushed a fifth set for the first time in nine seasons in the national title match – the previous eight were 3-0 sweeps.

UW-Whitewater battled back to force the decisive fifth after trailing 0-2 in the match. The Warhawks turned it around in set three as the best blocking team in the country lived up to its reputation. UWW registered seven blocks in the set, holding the Eagles to a negative attack percentage. Meanwhile the offense picked up the pace hitting .235 with 13 kills. The offense-defense combination led to a lop-sided 25-15 win in the set. 

The fourth set was arguably one of the most thrilling of the season. UW-Whitewater trailed early until Jenna Weinfurt took over. The powerful outside hitter posted UWW’s next five points – all on kills – to tie the set 10-10. From there, the teams traded points, battling it out as the set continued on. Juniata claimed the first set and match point, 25-24, but the Warhawks had the response on an Alayna Jansky kill. 

The Eagles forced another match point and setter Aubrie Krzus pushed the ball back to this outside, this time for Weinfurt. She drove the ball on a dart toward the endline and the line judge lifted his flag to signal out. Juniata rushed the floor as Head Coach Stacy Boudreau immediately grabbed the green challenge card. The officials went to the monitor and quickly returned to the floor indicating the ball was in, the call overturned for a UWW point and the set now tied 26-26. 

On the next play, the Eagles’ set drifted over the net and Weinfurt put it back down for a UW-Whitewater set point. In a rare feat for a title match, the Warhawks won the set on a bad set as the Juniata setter pushed the ball to the outside pin as the hitters all collapsed toward the middle. The error sent the squads into a fifth. 

Following the brief intermission, the Eagles came out on fire scoring the first eight points. The Warhawks did not fold and continued to battle pulling to within four, but the deficit was too much to overcome in the shortened fifth set.

Weinfurt had a phenomenal match with 25 kills while Jansky posted 16 in the contest. The pair combined for 99 kills over the three matches in the championship and were named to the NCAA Division III Championship All-Tournament Team for their performances. Krzus tallied 38 assists in the match. 

Defensively, Jaedynn Evans led UWW with 19 digs while Weinfurt added 18 and Jansky posted 12. At the net, Hannah Proctor had 10 blocks, Krzus and Abbie Dix each registered eight and Chloe Werner added four. 

The Warhawks wrap up the 2024 campaign with a 31-4 record, the first 30-win season since 2015. The trip to the national title match is UWW’s first since 2007. Juniata has won 97 consecutive matches including three straight titles. 

Boys Swim Places Third at Conference Relays

The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team had an AMAZING night of racing at the Southern Lakes Conference Relays Championship Meet on Thursday, December 5th. The Boys placed 3rd overall as a team, with all relays finishing in the Top 10, and 4 of them brought home some hardware!

Whippet Boys’ Swim Team

Top 10 finishes include:

⭐ 200 Medley Relay A (5th – 1:56.23) Langdon Coburn, Jack Hefty, Cruz Aranda, Myles Morse

⭐ 200 Medley Relay B (10th – 2:25.86) Xavier Ortiz, David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, Angel Kilar

⭐ 200 Free Relay (5th – 1:54.98) Andrew O’Toole, Caleb Kluck, Sam Nickelsburg, Wyatt Esch

🥉 4×100 IM Relay (3rd – 4:27.00) Jack Hefty, Langdon Coburn, Myles Morse, Cruz Aranda

🥉 1000 Free Crescendo Relay (3rd – 12:20.74) Mateo Bazeley, Wyatt Esch, Miles Nickelsburg, Andrew O’Toole

⭐ 200 Butterfly Relay (6th – 2:13.97) Miles Nickelsburg, Sam Nickelsburg, Caleb Kluck, Myles Morse

🥇 100 Free Relay A (1st – 46.54) Langdon Coburn, Jack Hefty, Mateo Bazeley, Cruz Aranda

⭐ 100 Free Relay B (10th – 1:02.32) Xavier Ortiz, Angel Kilar, David Enns, Isaac Straight

🥈 500 Free Crescendo Relay (2nd – 4:56.16) Myles Morse, Jack Hefty, Langdon Coburn, Cruz Aranda

⭐ 400 Backstroke Relay (4th – 4:50.98) Mateo Bazeley, Andrew O’Toole, Wyatt Esch, Miles Nickelsburg

⭐ 400 Breaststroke Relay (5th – 6:29.49) Caleb Kluck, Xavier Ortiz, Isaac Straight, David Enns

⭐ 400 Freestyle Relay A (6th – 4:09.66) Miles Nickelsburg, Andrew O’Toole, Wyatt Esch, Mateo Bazeley

⭐ 400 Freestyle Relay B (8th – 4:45.62) Sam Nickelsburg, Caleb Kluck, Xavier Ortiz, David Enns

Medal Winners

We are excited to see what the rest of the season has in store! The boys also traveled to Milton on Saturday, December 7th for the Tom Lieder Invite.

Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

UW-W Volleyball Plays for National Championship Today at 3






The national championship game will stream from Salem, VA this afternoon, Saturday, December 7, at 3 p.m. CST. Unfortunately, the game will only be shown on ESPN+, a pay service that is only available through an app.

Previously posted on The Banner:

Salem, Va. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball topped Johns Hopkins 3-2 bolstered by an incredible fifth set to advance to secure their spot in the national title match. The Warhawks will play the winner of Hope and Juniata for a chance to hoist the national championship trophy on Saturday at 4 PM EST/3 PM CST. [The Warhawks (No. 6) will play Juniata of Pennsylvania (No. 1) for the championship after Juniata beat Hope 3-2. Juniata has been the champion the past two years.] The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Thursday’s national semifinal featured big wins by each squad with Johns Hopkins taking sets one and three while UWW cruised to wins in sets two and four. It all came down to the decisive fifth set and the Warhawks showcased why they are the best blocking team in the nation.

Outside hitter Alayna Jansky tooled the block for the first point of the fifth. A fantastic serve by Riley Braunschweig had JHU out of system, but a UWW miscue tied the set 1-1. On the next rally setter Aubrie Krzus and middle hitter Hannah Proctor teamed up for the Warhawks’ first block of the set. A Blue Jay kill from the right side made it 2-2. 

The Johns Hopkins float serve sailed well long of the end line for a 3-2 lead. The Blue Jays set to the right side again but outside Jenna Weinfurt and Proctor turned their hands in on the attack sending the ball back to the floor quickly for the second block of the set — 4-2 Warhawk lead. 

The next rally had Proctor teaming with right side Chloe Werner to shut down another Blue Jay attack to force a timeout with UWW leading 5-2. On the other side of the break, Jansky’s tough serve forced a free ball and Weinfurt capitalized hammering down a kill from the outside for a 6-2 advantage. 

Weinfurt and Proctor made it five straight for UW-Whitewater with yet another block, this one deflected straight back into the hitter for the point and a 7-2 advantage. 

A cut shot for JHU hit the floor to end the run, but the Warhawks responded quickly with the team’s fifth block of the set. Werner and Proctor shut down the outside to force the side switch with UWW leading 9-3. 

A Blue Jay kill after the brief intermission made it 9-4, but once again, UW-Whitewater answered. An attack from Werner nearly hit the floor but a pancake kept the play alive. JHU was able to get the ball over the net and Krzus went back to Werner. This time she opted for the deep corner with the ball landing just inside the lines for a 10-4 lead. 

Back-to-back points for the Blue Jays narrowed the gap to four, 10-6. 

On the next play, Krzus pushed the set to the pin and Weinfurt elevated hitting over the block down the line for a kill and an 11-6 lead. The best blocker in the nation, middle Abbie Dix, got in on the block action on the next rally. She teamed up with Krzus for a huge one to force the final Johns Hopkins timeout of the set. 

Out of the timeout it was Dix and Krzus yet again for the Warhawks’ seventh block of the set to make it 13-6. 

Following a UWW service error, the Blue Jay server was whistled for going over the line on her serve to force match point. UW-Whitewater ended it in perfect fashion, with their eighth, yes eighth, block of the set as Krzus and Proctor sealed the win. 

The Warhawks ended up out-blocking the Blue Jays 14-9 with Dix leading all players with eight. Krzus and Proctor each had six while Werner added four and Weinfurt three. 

Offensively, Jansky hammered down 17 kills while Weinfurt posted 16. Krzus dished out 43 assists. In the dig column, Weinfurt registered 17 with libero Jaedynn Evans tallying 12 and Jansky adding 11. 

On Saturday, the Warhawks will play for the national title for the third time under Head Coach Stacy Boudreau. UWW hoisted the trophy in 2005, her first season at the helm, and finished as the national runner-up in 2007. 




UW-W Women’s Basketball Sponsors Hoops4Hunger

The UW-Whitewater Women’s Basketball team is hosting the Hoops4Hunger Event on Wednesday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kachel Gymnasium in Williams Center. As of December 5, the team’s record is 5-1.

Editor’s note: This announcement was submitted by Kendall Roquet, grad assistant, who welcomes any questions at roquetk23@uww.edu

UW-W Volleyball Advances to NCAA Division III Semifinal

UWW celebrates after a point against Emory (Keith Lucas)

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Salem, Va. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team opened play at the NCAA Division III Championship with a phenomenal three-set sweep over Emory Wednesday morning. The Warhawks took down the Eagles 25-13, 25-23, 25-19 in the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia. 

With the win, the Warhawks advance to the semifinals to face the winner of a match between Johns Hopkins and UW-Oshkosh currently underway at the Cregger Center. UWW’s semifinal match is slated for Thursday, December 5 at 4 PM CST. [Per the bracket, Johns Hopkins beat UW-O by 3-2.] The championship is being streamed exclusively on ESPN+. 

UW-Whitewater set the tone early in set one to draw all of the momentum in the arena. The Warhawks followed up a 6-2 run with five consecutive points to open up an 18-9 advantage. The five-point spurt featured a pair of kills from Alayna Jansky and a huge block by Chloe Werner and Hannah Proctor. UWW capped the set with a 6-1 run to take an early match lead. 

The second set was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading the lead eight times. The battle came down to the wire in the end. With the Eagles leading 22-21, Jenna Weinfurt hammered down a kill to knot the set. After a miscue from each team, the squads were tied for the 14th time in the set, 23-23. Jansky gave the Warhawks set point with a cue and another Eagle mishap had UWW enjoying a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Set three was all Whitewater from the first serve. The Warhawks scored the first three and never looked back, leading the entire way through to secure their spot in the semifinals.

Like it has been all season for UWW, defense was a key difference maker in the match. The Warhawks held the Eagles to a .000 attack percentage in the first set and a negative hitting efficiency in the third. Meanwhile, the offense was working in tandem as UWW hit .234 for the match with double digit kills in each set. 

Jansky led all players with 13 kills, adding 17 digs. Weinfurt also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Jaedynn Evans tallied 16 digs in the match. 

Aubrie Krzus averaged over 10 assists a set with 37 total in the sweep. Middles Abbie Dix and Hannah Proctor combined for seven blocks in the match. 

UW-Whitewater has now won their last 14 matches and is a perfect 25-0 in three-setters this season. The Warhawks are amid the program’s 11th trip to the final eight. 

NCAA DIII Volleyball Championship – UW-W Taking on Emory Wednesday

Salem, Va. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s volleyball team is set to open the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship with a quarterfinal match against Emory University Wednesday, December 4. The championship is being held at the Cregger Center at Roanoke College. 

The sixth-seeded Warhawks (29-3) will take on the number three seed Eagles (29-2) at 11:30 ET Wednesday. The match will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+. 

For more information: https://uwwsports.com/news/2024/11/27/ncaa-championship-preview-warhawk-volleyball-sets-sights-on-salem.aspx

Culver’s WIAC Student-Athlete Spotlight: David Cushman

Each week during the 2024-25 academic year, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) will feature two student-athletes (one male and one female) from one of its eight institutions for a “Student-Athlete Spotlight” Q & A segment. The segments will be posted every Thursday and individuals are selected by the institution. The WIAC Student-Athlete Spotlights are presented by Culver’s.

Name:  David Cushman
Institution:  UW-Platteville
Hometown (High School):  Whitewater, Wis. (Whitewater High School)
Year in school:  Senior
Sport:  Wrestling
Major:  Mathematics with an emphasis in Secondary Education
Minor:  Spanish

Why did you choose UW-Platteville?
UW-Platteville provides many quality majors I could choose from coming in as a freshman. At the same time, I love the size of Platteville and the surrounding areas in Southwest Wisconsin are unmatched. On my visit here as a senior in high school, I quickly felt that this was a place that I could grow on my own and succeed, which I can gladly say I was right about 4 years later.

What other clubs/organizations on campus are you involved in?
I coach youth wrestling outside of campus.

What do you like most about competing in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and being a NCAA Division III student-athlete?
Being a Division III student-athlete has provided me many opportunities to meet new people and help me grow. I can’t count the number of times being involved with athletics pushed me to higher standards despite how hard college may be at times. Further, wrestling at the collegiate level has been a way for me to work my hardest in all areas of my life such as academics, athletics, and learning to be in the real world.

What is your favorite…
Flavor of the Day from Culver’s?  Crazy for Cookie Dough
Menu item from Culver’s?  Pub Haus Burger
Non-Athletic Spot on Campus?  The Bear’s Den is a calm place where I can either sit back and relax or work on my homework and study.
TV Show?  Yellowstone
Holiday?  Fourth of July
Food?  I can’t go wrong with a burger.
Animal?  German short haired pointer
Smartphone App?  Instagram
Musical Group/Artist?  I’m a big fan of country music with current artists I listen to ranging from George Strait and Toby Keith to Cody Johnson and Riley Green.
Professional Sports Athlete/Team?  Green Bay Packers
Vacation Spot?  The coastline of the Carolinas

What is your greatest sports moment? 
I don’t think there’s any better rush than coming back from behind in matches to win in overtime in front of the team and a big crowd. This just happened at the University of Dubuque Invite in the finals for an overtime win.

What is your favorite thing to do off the court/field with your teammates?
I like doing anything relaxing with the team whether that’s having fires or practicing roping. Another fun thing my teammates and I like to do is go line dancing in Dubuque.

Who is someone that you look up to?
My parents.

Do you have any words of advice for younger/upcoming student-athletes?
Don’t take the little things for granted. Every moment spent with teammates, coaches, and friends are priceless and these relationships go far beyond the mat, court, or field. It’s easy to be hyper focused and stressed about succeeding, but great things will come to those who work hard and earn the moment.

One word that describes you?
Tenacious.

What is your dream job? 
My dream job is teaching and positively impacting others’ lives.

Three things on your “bucket list”?
—Go elk hunting out west in the mountains.
—Go on a big trip somewhere with friends.
—Run a tough mudder.

Do you have any pre-game/pre-event superstitions or rituals? If so, what are they?
I eat a peanut butter and jelly after every weigh-in.