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
The Whippet Swim Team finished out the season on some incredible swims at the State Meet on Friday, February 21st. Cruz Aranda started us off with a strong performance in the 200 Freestyle, finishing 14th with a time of 1:51.18. Cruz was then up in the 100 Freestyle where he swam a best time of 50.10! Myles Morse rocked his 500 Freestyle going right on his best time with a time 5:21.15. It was fun to watch his season and his high school swim career close out at the state meet!
Boys’ Swim Team Members
The relays really put on a show! In the 200 Freestyle Relay (Jack Hefty, Langdon Coburn, Mateo Bazeley, Cruz Aranda), those boys were chasing a school record and they got that school record and absolutely crushed it. The previous school record was set in 2019 with a time of 1:33.24. Each of them went out and went season best splits and broke the record by nearly 3 seconds. The school record now sits at 1:30.89! Jack Hefty led the way with a lifetime best 23.24; that time puts him 5th all-time on the Whippet Top 10 List. Langdon Coburn got under 23 seconds with a time of 22.97, Mateo Bazeley put up the fastest split with 22.19, and Cruz Aranda rounded us out with a time of 22.49.
Mateo Bazeley, Cruz Aranda, Langdon Coburn, and Jack Hefty
Cruz Aranda, Jack Hefty, Langdon Coburn, and Mateo Bazeley closed out the night with an 8th place finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay, dropping 7.28 seconds from last week’s sectional time with a 3:22.77. Cruz Aranda led the way with a time of 50.68, Jack Hefty posted a 50.71, Langdon Coburn went a 51.19, and Mateo brought it home with a 50.19. The boys won their heat and moved up 7 spots from their original 15th seed coming into the meet.
Congratulations to the Whippet Swim Team on a phenomenal season!
Article and Photos Courtesy of Sarah Reynolds Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu
On Friday night, February 14, the Girls’ Wrestling Team traveled to Mukwonago High School to participate in the Girls’ Regional Wrestling Tournament. This tournament consisted of 22 teams with girls wrestling to place in the top four of their weight class to advance to the Girls’ Sectional to be hosted by Whitewater High School on Friday, February 21. The girls are all in one division so participants range from Badger High School to a small division school like Catholic Central. Based on our location in the state this posed as a huge challenge for the girls.
All of our Whippet Girls wrestled very well on Friday night. Yes, there were disappointed ladies at the end of the day as unless you do not qualify in the top four you realize your season has come to an end. The coaches truly believe our girls are not ready to be finished with their season.
Leading the way for the Whippets was Marianna Kubicz who went 3-0 on the day securing a pin in the semi-finals and then a strong double leg takedown to start the championship match, unfortunately hurting the young lady she was wrestling who had to injury default.
Coming in 3rd place with an outstanding last match of the night for her was Payton Taylor who was in a very close match throughout, however continued to hold good positions. She was able to use her power in the end to get the opponent out of position scoring the decisive takedown near the end of the 3rd period. Payton is in her first year of wrestling but does a great job listening and adjusting during matches.
Rounding out our qualifiers was A’Lani Ross. A’Lani started her night off in great fashion with a 2nd period technical fall 17-0. She unfortunately dropped her semi-final match. In the 3rd place match she found herself in a tough battle with her opponent and was unable to finish with the victory but still secured her position on Friday night with a 4th place finish.
Taking 5th place and just missing out on the opportunity to advance was Atreya Wilson. Atreya won her 5th place match doing extremely well coming back from a tough loss early in the tournament and picking up a couple of wins to stay in contention. Unfortunately, the girl that Atreya needed to win the 3rd place match lost, so that girl took fourth. Had the other girl won, Atreya would have had the opportunity to wrestle for true 4th. She is an alternate so if something were to happen over the course of the week, she could be given the call up, so she will still keep her nose to the grind.
Other girls who competed with all their hearts included Isabelle Cantu who took 6th losing a very tough match for 5th. She was so close to pinning the girl but just couldn’t get the 2nd shoulder blade down. Ema Aranda was in the same boat, riding tough, but could not turn a girl with very flexible shoulders. Silvia Harris participated in the largest bracket in the tournament and wrestled well throughout, securing a very nice win by pin in her second match but was unable to get into the placement match. Aubrey Fuoco had a great last match, but inexperience showed, and she came up short. Vivian Harris drew a young lady who is someone you would want to come and watch on Friday night as she is so technically and physically strong. Vivian then came back, losing her final match and ending her first season in high school wrestling. To close out our girls was Alexa Arredondo who showed heart wanting to compete, battling through being not 100%.
Friday night Whitewater High School hosts the Girls’ Sectional starting at 5:00. The top two girls from each weight class will advance to the state tournament held at the Kohl Center. If you want to see some really good girls’ wrestling it is recommended you come to Whitewater on Friday night as many will argue this will be the toughest sectional in the state with many highly ranked girls participating.
Article Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team had a very fun and exciting day at the WIAA Sectional in Milton on Saturday, February 15. The swimmers all posted great times and even had a few STATE QUALIFIERS!
Sectional Swimmers
Qualifying for the State Meet on Friday, February 21st are:
Come watch the boys compete one last time at the WIAA State Meet on Friday, February 21st. Swimming starts at 5:30 pm!
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 101st Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Swimming and Diving Championships will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at Waukesha South High School in Waukesha, Wis.
TICKET INFORMATION: Ticket prices for each tournament session are $9 plus online fees, and they are only available to be purchased on-line on the WIAA website through GoFan, the WIAA ticketing partner, at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Tickets#42691538-boys-swimming.
MEET INFORMATION: The Division 2 championships will be held Friday, with the Division 1 championships to follow on Saturday. The Division 2 diving competition begins Friday at 1:30 p.m., and the swimming finals will follow at 5:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE ON WIAA.TV: Every event of the WIAA State Boys Swimming and Diving Championships will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming for only $11.99 per month, log-on to www.wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the “Subscribe Now” link located at the top right area of the page. Archived streams of the meets will be available on demand on the NFHS Network 72 hours after the tournament with a subscription.
On Saturday, February 15, the Boys’ Wrestling Team traveled to Delavan to participate in the Regional Wrestling Tournament. This tournament consisted of 14 teams with wrestlers competing to put themselves in the top four with the opportunity to compete in the Boys’ Sectional next Saturday at Waupun.
When the dust settled after lots of great wrestling throughout the day, the Whippets found themselves with five in the top four to advance to sectionals.
Leading the way were three champions: Jarvis Porcaro, Connor Friend, and Traysen Thomason. All three of these young men wrestled outstanding through the day. Jarvis started his day off with a first period pin and in the process earned his 100th career win, which is quite an accomplishment. Jarvis also pinned his semi-final opponent in the first period and wrestled an outstanding championship match securing a technical fall and winning his first regional title.
Connor Friend was our second champion. Connor wrestled with a purpose all day as he came out strong in his first two matches getting pins to work his way into the championship match. We knew that he had a tough competitor from St. John’s Military Academy and would need to weather the storm as the young man comes out showing his strength. Connor found himself in a hole after a big time throw from his opponent, but he kept his composure and just kept plugging away. As a coach I am not sure I have been in the corner of such an intense match. The crowd was really getting into the match, which was exciting, as it was so cool to see Rock Valley Teams getting involved in the cheering. By the 3rd period it showed why we stay after practice and do the extra things. Connor continued to plug away and was able to secure takedowns and back points to overcome his deficit, finally securing a pin. This match is what wrestling is about, a great battle between outstanding competitors and the crowd getting into it no matter what school they are from!
Traysen Thomason had the opportunity to be the next match on the mat and he fed off of the crowd energy. The coaches had never seen him wrestle with the intensity and drive that he did. He had a game plan for his opponent and followed it to a T. He secured three takedowns and then the pin to win his 2nd regional title. Traysen was extremely excited after the match as he had never shown the emotion he did with his excitement. It was a very exciting two matches in a row for the team.
Coming in runner up was Jasen Porras. Jasen started the day off with a nice pin and then had a very tough competitor in the semifinals from Shoreland. Jasen has become very good at watching his opponents and is good at analyzing what his opponents will do. He followed his plan and weathered an early storm but chipped away and ended up getting a technical fall 22-7 victory. This match also showed what the extra things outside of normal practice will do for a competitor. Jasen faced a tough foe in the finals as his opponent is ranked number 1, but Jasen did not back down and worked his tail off but came up short on the title.
Closing out the qualifiers was Richi Kalra who had a very exciting quarterfinal match that was exciting to the very end. It might be the best overall match Richi has wrestled all year as he kept himself in good position to secure the victory. He then ended up dropping his next two, but did secure his ticket to sectionals with his 4th place finish.
Coming in 5th was Adalynn Frye who stepped in and competed at 106 for the boys’ team. She had a couple tough opponents on the day but by being willing to step in, scored some points and is an alternate for sectionals if one of the top four are unable to go.
In the coaches’ opinion on the day we had everyone wrestle well as we had many nice wins along the way but then also some tough losses. Ruben Puc Chi stepped in and had a tough first round draw against a top 3 ranked student. He followed up with a very nicely wrestled match but ended up losing. The lack of varsity experience proved to be the difference in that last match. Keenan Sheffield started his day off with a nice first round win but then was unable to advance further and lost in the consolation bracket. Max Babcock started the day off with a very nice win against an extremely strong opponent, but in this case, Max used his technique against a guy who was strong but not technical. He then dropped his quarterfinal match and came back with another nice win for himself before dropping the consolation semi-final match ending his day.
Avi Kalra had a good day for himself as well. Like Max, he started his day with a nice win and then lost to the number 1 seed but came back with another win on the backside. In the consolation semifinal he wrestled a familiar foe from Lake Mills but dropped the match. He was very disappointed after, but he wrestled his heart out in that match.
Trevor Piper has continued to show progress although sometimes he may not see it. All year he has given up 10 pounds at the 190-pound weight class which can often be a difference in muscle mass. Trevor again wrestled his heart out, showing he is picking up the technique but at times just isn’t quite able to finish. As a sophomore he is showing progress technically and will get stronger, so the coaches are happy with his performance not only on Saturday but all season.
Making their way into the 5th place match but coming up short were Austin Retzlaff and Junior Soto. Austin started the day off with a nice win, then dropped his quarterfinal match, but came back with a couple of wins on the backside before falling in the placement match to a physical student from Martin Luther. Junior Soto lost a tough match in the quarter finals as he just got out of position. He came back through the backside with a couple of wins to put himself in the 5th place match. He was right in the match securing an early takedown, but in the end, he was overcome and finished in 6th place.
The 5 qualifiers will next be in action on Saturday, February 22, when they travel to Waupun High School. Wrestling starts at 10:00. The top three wrestlers from each weight will advance to the state tournament at the Kohl Center.
Article and Photos Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host the 2025 WIAC Wrestling Championship (presented by Culver’s) at Kachel Gymnasium on Feb. 15. UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse are the defending champions. Six individual weight class winners from last season return. (Championship Preview) (Championship Webpage)
Whitewater beat Monroe 55-26 on Senior Night for girls’ basketball.
Whitewater jumped out to an early lead but Monroe made a push to cut the Whippets’ lead to 24-20 at halftime. Whitewater’s defense took over as the Whippets outscored the Cheesemakers 31-6 in the second half.
Whippet Seniors
All four seniors combined for 42 of Whitewater’s 55 points.
Whitewater closes the regular season at East Troy (on Monday) and at Jefferson (next Thursday). Seeding information for the WIAA tournament will be posted Sunday afternoon.
Article Submitted by Mike Dowden Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach dowmi01@wwusd.org
