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
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.
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
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.
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+.
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.
Bri McCurdy brings the ball up the floor in a game earlier this season (Tim Kruse)
By Angela Kelm Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
The No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team battled in a fast-paced, top 10 matchup against No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan Tuesday night in Kachel Gym. The Warhawks’ fourth-quarter comeback fell just shy in the 84-78 loss to the Titans.
The game came down to the wire in the fourth quarter with the difference coming from the free throw line. A two-point IWU lead after the first grew to six points by halftime, 40-46. On the other side of the break, UWW narrowed the gap by one to head into the fourth trailing by five, 51-56.
The Warhawks picked up the pace and put the pressure on in the fourth. UWW opened the period on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead, 57-56, courtesy of a pair of free throws from Katie Hildebrandt and layups from Mallory Oloffson and Bri McCurdy. The Titans responded with an old fashioned three-point play, but Kacie Carollo answered on UW-Whitewater’s end with a triple to put UWW back on top 60-59. Oloffson jumped a passing lane and found McCurdy cutting through the paint for a lay-in to push the lead to 62-59 with 7:12 on the clock.
The teams traded buckets until just under the five-minute mark when Illinois Wesleyan’s trips to the charity stripe took hold as they scored the next seven from the line. The Titans hit a three with 2:19 to go to take a four-point lead, 76-72. UWW scored quick with Oloffson hitting a layup off a Hildebrandt assist, but a pair of free throws for IWU had the gap back to four.
The Titans negated a single free throw with a layup to take a five-point advantage, 80-75, with just over a minute to go. McCurdy knocked down a pivotal three-pointer to pull UWW to within two 30 seconds later. Forced to foul late, Illinois Wesleyan was able to seal the game at the line.
The Warhawks held massive advantages in fastbreak points (40-3) and points in the paint (40-28), but free throws were vital. The Titans hit 21-22 from the charity stripe while UWW was 14-16 in the game.
Carollo led all players with 26 points playing the entire 40 minutes. She added five boards, six assists and three steals. Oloffson knocked down 8 of 10 for 16 points. McCurdy drained 3 of 5 from deep en route to a 16-point performance.
Maggie Trautsch paced UWW on the glass with six boards while Hildebrandt added three blocks and four steals.
Christian Patzka crosses the finish line at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana (Ryan Coleman, D3photo)
By Angela Kelm Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
UW-Whitewater’s Christian Patzka has been named the Men’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Patzka secured the individual national title at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 23. The Warhawk phenom traversed the 8k at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in 24:01.6, more than two seconds faster than the rest of the field.
The senior is the first Warhawk to win the national title and the first USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year for cross country in program history.
Over the course of his illustrious career at UW-Whitewater Patzka has accumulated numerous accolades in both cross country and track and field. In cross country, Patzka is a four-time All-WIAC honoree, four-time All-Region selection, four-time All-American, the 2023 WIAC individual champion, a two-time NCAA North Region champion (2022, 2023), a two-time North Region Athlete of the Year (2022, 2023) and the 2022 WIAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
On the track, Patzka has stood atop the podium five times earning the national title three times in the 5,000 (2023 and 2024 indoors, 2024 outdoors) and twice in the 3,000 steeplechase (2023, 2024). In total, Patzka holds six individual national titles and is now a 14-time All-American with five honors both indoors and outdoors and four in cross country.
Schlender, Patzka & Anderson earn All-America for UW-Whitewater men’s cross country
Left to right: All-Americans Gunner Schlender, Christian Patzka and Dan Anderson of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pose with their individual plaques and the team’s fourth-place trophy following the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Indiana. (Photo by d3photography.com):
Gunner Schlender, a Physical Education major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is one of three members of the Warhawk men’s cross country team who garnered All-America accolades by finishing among the top 40 in the field at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The Warhawks finished fourth overall with 219 points with three runners in the top 20 for team scoring. The fourth place finish is the highest finish in Warhawk men’s cross country history.
Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) became the program’s first-ever national champion. The national runner-up in both 2022 and 2023, Patzka crossed the line with a time of 24:01.6. In the last 200 meters, the 2024 North Regional Champion, Augsburg’s Mohammed Bati, led the pack of runners. Patzka made his move to pass on the final stretch, quickly gaining the lead he needed to finish with a national title. Patzka is the first Warhawk Cross Country runner to win the national title.
Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./Brillion) kept pace with Patzka, as they were sitting just a second a part after the 5.6K mark. Schlender finished 12th overall, scoring 10 team points, with a time of 24:22.1.
Both Patzka and Schlender finish their careers as four-time All-Americans in cross country.
Dan Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis./McDonell) was the next Warhawk to cross, finishing 22nd overall with a time of 24:32.9. In the last 1.5K, Anderson jumped up 9 spots to secure 19 team points for the Warhawks and claim his first career All-America medal.
Women’s Recap: De La Cerda Represents UWW at National Meet
Ari De La Cerda (Pewaukee, Wis./) from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s cross country team represented the Warhawks in the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship.
De La Cerda started out strong with a first half, moving up almost 30 places from 1K to 3K marks. Over the last 3K, De La Cerda worked her way to the finish line.
De La Cerda crossed with a time of 22:55.1 to finish 188th overall in the meet.
Photo credit: Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com
Men’s Recap: Patzka Claims National Title, Warhawks Highest Team Finish in History
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s cross country team finished fourth overall as a team. Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) secured the National Championship Crown.
The Warhawks finished fourth overall with 219 points with three runners in the top 20 for team scoring. The fourth place finish is the highest finish in Warhawk Men’s Cross Country history.
Patzka, the national runner-up in both 2022 and 2023, crossed the line with a time of 24:01.6. In the last 200m, the 2024 North Regional Champion, Augsburg’s Mohammed Bati, led the pack of runners. Patzka made his move to pass on the final stretch, quickly gaining the lead he needed to finish with a national title. Patzka is the first Warhawk Cross Country runner to win the national title.
Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./) kept pace with Patzka, as they were sitting just a second apart after the 5.6K mark. Schlender finished 12th overall, scoring 10 team points, with a time of 24:22.1.
Dan Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis./McDonell) was the next Warhawk to cross, finishing 22nd overall with a time of 24:32.9. In the last 1.5K, Anderson jumped up 9 spots to secure 19 team points for the Warhawks.
The fourth and fifth Warhawk scorers finished less than five seconds apart. Chris Allen (Downers Grove, Ill./North) finished 112th overall (90 team points) with a time of 25:15.6. Dan Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis./McDonell) crossed at 25:19.7 for 122th overall (99 team points).
Alex Metko (Brillion, Wis./) and Conner Murphy also represented on the National Championship Scene. Metko crossed with a time of 26:21.5 and Murphy finished with 26:39.1.
Warhawks pose after winning the regional title (Michael Gouvion)
By Angela Kelm Aast Athletics Director for Sports Information
Whitewater, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team punched its ticket to Salem with a sweep in the Sweet 16 over UW-Platteville 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-19) Saturday evening in Russell Arena.
The NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship will be held at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia beginning with quarterfinal matchups on December 4. The championship match is slated for December 7.
It was a memorable night in Russell Arena Saturday as the Warhawks dominated to hoist the Regional Championship trophy. UWW hit .337 in the match while holding the Pioneers to just .085 – much to the credit of the Warhawks’ huge block. UW-Whitewater registered 15 blocks in the contest compared to just 3 for UWP.
The defensive prowess at the net was a factor from the opening serve. UWW rattled off the first seven points of the match with Chloe Werner and Abbie Dix teaming up for a block and Jenna Weinfurt hammering down a pair of kills in the run. The Pioneers narrowed the gap to three, 14-11, but that’s as close as UWW would allow. A four-point run late handed the Warhawks their largest lead of the set, 22-13. A three-point spurt sealed set one as Alayna Jansky tallied a kill on each side of a Werner/Hannah Proctor block.
Set two went back-and-forth until UW-Whitewater ran off five straight to open up a 10-4 advantage. Werner and Proctor turned away a pair of Pioneer attack attempts in the run. From that point, UWW cruised to a 2-0 advantage in the match.
A massive triple block opened and put the finishing touches on set three. Werner, Weinfurt and Dix created a wall for the bookend blocks to send the Warhawks into the Final 8.
Jansky and Werner paced UWW offensively with 10 kills each. Weinfurt added nine and Proctor posted eight. True to form, the blocking stats were impressive Saturday — Werner tallied nine, Dix had eight, Proctor added five while Weinfurt and Krzus each had three.
Jaedynn Evans led UWW in the digs column with 13 while Jansky added 12. Krzus registered 35 assists adding three kills on the night.
Following the conclusion of the match, Dix was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional. Krzus and Jansky were also selected to the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Whitewater Regional All-Tournament Team.
It’s no surprise that UW-Whitewater’s block was one of the main components of the regional … after all matches have gone final across all regionals, the Warhawks remain atop the national rankings with a jaw-dropping 3.14 blocks per set – the next closest in Division III is 2.85 per set. In regional action alone, UWW averaged an incredible 4.83 blocks per set. Dix became the nation’s top blocker along the way, averaging 1.59 per set. That mark ballooned to 2.67 per set in the three regional matches.
The Warhawks are one of two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference programs to advance this weekend as UW-Oshkosh will also compete in Salem. The other six teams include Hope, Johns Hopkins, Emory, Washington & Lee, La Verne and Juniata. The Final 8 are re-seeded after the completion of all regional rounds.
UW-Whitewater is no stranger to the postseason as the Warhawks are amid their 35th appearance in the national tournament. UWW has won two national titles, finished as the national runner-up three times, placed third twice and fourth once along the way. This will be the first appearance for the Warhawks in the Final 8 since 2007.
More information on the national championship will be posted next week.
