Congratulations to Abdi Calvillo and Emiliano Olivares for their recognition as Second Team All-Conference for the Rock Valley Athletic Conference for soccer. Congratulations also go out to Avi Kalra and Casey Schlicher who received Honorable Mention nods.
The 2024 State Cross Country Meet in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, November 2, was exactly what the team had envisioned months ago when this group of seniors laced up their shoes for their first summer runs. They were driven and would not waver from the vision of being the best version of themselves by wearing a Whitewater Cross Country uniform this fall. They followed through with that in spades, as the team finished ninth overall, capped off with an individual state title from Jack Hefty.
In near perfect race conditions for both the course and the weather, Jack Hefty asserted himself early on with the pack that he was a force to reckon with. Positioned nicely with the leaders at the first mile at 5:00.7, he was poised to have a great day. By the second mile, he was now in third with his sights set on when he would make a push for the title. In the third and final mile, the most difficult part of the course with several challenging hill sections, Jack took the lead with about 300m to go. Making his last turn onto the final straight to a roaring crowd that was several people deep, it was all gas and no brakes as Hefty looked as smooth as ever with a lead that grew with every stride. The Whippet jersey once again was on full display for the crowd to see as Jack became the third Whitewater athlete to win a state cross country title (Rick Bergholtz ’75, Ben Maas ’95). Jack ran 15:46.5, the ninth fastest time overall across all divisions, which earned Jack first team All-State honors. His time is also the ninth fastest in Division 2 state history, and the sixth fastest on this course at the Ridges which has hosted the state race for over 35 years. Jack simply ran a flawless race that was the most complete 5000 meter effort of his life. He won every race he entered this season except one invitational in Janesville.
Miles Nickelsburg also shined brightly on this day as he made it back-to-back state meets where he came up big and was the team’s second runner. He methodically sawed his way through the field moving from 69th up to 53rd and finished in 17:18. Miles ran 29 seconds faster than last year’s state meet performance. Xavier Zei was the team’s third runner and finished in 78th in 17:35. Xavier was able to put a more complete race together this season which afforded him an incredible 57 second improvement over 2023. One year ago, Luc Pomazak wasn’t even a scoring runner on our JV team. This year, he was the fourth man on a team that finished 9th at state with a time of 18:01 and placed 101st. A year ago, Andrew O’Toole was the team’s 7th runner and finished in 20:29. This year he was the team’s fifth man placing 128th with a time of 18:31! Nearly two full minutes were cut from his state race a year ago. Onyx Thompson placed 134th with a time of 18:55, a 35-second improvement from a year ago. Isaac Straight was the final Whippet to cross the line in 150th place with a time of 20:18.
As a team, they finished in 9th place overall, moving up five spots from one year ago. It was an incredible day with incredible results. This was not just any team, this was a team consisting of all seniors – boys that started as freshmen who simply found their way, pulling in friends, and sharing their love of the sport to create a beautiful masterpiece as seniors. They will cherish this for the rest of their lives and fondly remember what they were able to accomplish together as one team, one family.
Last time it happened:
Full Results: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=7561
Article and Individual Photos Courtesy of Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored 13 second-quarter points and held UW-River Falls to 3-of-13 on third down and 2-of-6 on fourth down in a 13-7 victory in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game on Homecoming Saturday at Perkins Stadium.
The Warhawks (5-3 overall, 3-2 WIAC) also tallied four sacks and held the Falcons scoreless in the red zone on three of four trips.
UW-Whitewater took over on downs deep in its own territory with 6:56 to play after an incomplete pass on fourth down with Paul Kim applying pressure to the quarterback.
From there, the Warhawks marched into UW-River Falls territory. On fourth down at the Falcons’ 35-yard line, Jackson Fox drilled a 52-yard field goal, but UW-River Falls was flagged for being offsides, and UWW opted to take the ball back with a first down and just under three minutes to go.
On third and five from the 27, Jackson Chryst faked a handoff and ran a bootleg around left end for eight yards and a first down. From there, the Warhawks ran out the clock to stay one game out of first place in the league standings.
Ty Schultz carried 23 times for 137 yards to lead UW-Whitewater, which totaled 351 yards of offense with 23 first downs.
Drake Martin ran for 49 yards, and Chryst registered 126 yards passing and 28 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Brian Wilterdink caught five passes for 56 yards to lead the receiving corps.
Ethan Gallagher led the defense with nine tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and one interception. Kamron Hutt added eight stops.
After a scoreless first quarter, Fox put the Warhawks on the board with a 48-yard field goal just over a minute into the second period.
Following a fourth-down stop, Fox capped an 11-play drive with a 39-yard field goal at the 6:38 mark.
Gallagher’s interception on the next drive – deep in UWW territory – set up UW-Whitewater’s lone touchdown drive. The Warhawks converted three third downs on a 14-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown run by Chryst.
UW-River Falls (5-3, 2-3) cut the UWW lead to one possession with 5:16 to play in the third quarter.
The two teams exchanged several punts prior to the Falcons’ final offensive drive. A 45-yard pass put UWRF into Warhawk territory before UWW made its last defensive stand.
A total of 12,213 fans packed Perkins Stadium for UW-Whitewater’s 2024 home finale. Warhawk athletics also recognized its 2024 Hall of Fame inductees at the game, including head coach Jace Rindahl, who will be inducted as a player.
The Warhawks continue conference play next Saturday, Nov. 9, at UW-La Crosse. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s and women’s cross country teams each placed among the top half of the field Saturday at the 2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships (presented by Culver’s) at Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point, Wis.
The Warhawk men placed second for the fourth consecutive season, while the women finished fourth for their second straight finish in the top half of the conference.
Christian Patzka also reset the men’s school record for the second straight meet, and Gunner Schlender established the second-best time in program history.
Women
Four women earned all-conference honors – the most in one season in program history – by placing among the top 20 individually in the 6-kilometer race as the Warhawks totaled 94 points.
Ari De La Cerda garnered all-conference accolades for the third time in her career with a 10th-place showing. She crossed the finish line in 21:53.5, shattering her personal record by nearly 30 seconds and posting the second-best PR in program history.
Payton Scoggin, Renee Forystek and Ella Hansen claimed spots on the honorable mention All-WIAC team by placing 16th, 18th, and 20th, respectively. Scoggin, now a two-time all-conference honoree, established a new career best with a time of 22:10.8, good for third in the program record book. Forystek and Hansen also entered the top 10 in the school record book. Forystek finished the race in 22:18.2, and Hansen clocked a 22:19.0 – both personal records.
Katie Erb, Abbie Wedwick and Carleen Snow rounded out UW-Whitewater’s top seven. Erb tallied a 22:44.6, Wedwick collected a personal-best 23:01.2, and Snow completed the race in a PR of 23:07.9.
Other Warhawks who completed the race include (PR = personal record):
Men
The nationally-ranked Warhawk men continued their strong 2024 campaign with three runners among the top 10 of finishers.
Christian Patzka and Gunner Schlender placed second and third, respectively, to round out their careers with their fourth all-conference accolades. Patzka crossed the finish line in 23:48.7, besting his previous program record by four seconds, while Schlender was just behind, completing the 8K in a personal-best 23:49.5, the No. 2 PR in the program record book.
Patzka and Schlender are the second and third UW-Whitewater student-athletes to be four timeall-conference runners in the last 50 years, joining former teammate Justin Krause (2019-23).
Dan Anderson picked up his second all-conference medal, finishing ninth overall with a time of 24:19.0, good for a career record and No. 8 in the program record book.
Chris Allen finished just outside of All-WIAC status in 21st place with a 24:48.1, topping his previous PR by more than five seconds and entering the top 20 in the team record book.
Alex Metko, Tucker Johnson and Keegan Bratt finished out the team’s top seven. Metko ran a PR of 25:00.7 to place 29th overall and earn a spot among the top 25 in program history. Johnson moved into the program’s top 30 with a 25:05.1, good for 32nd, and Bratt crossed the finish line in a career-best 25:11.3, good for 37th.
Other men’s finishers included (PR = personal record):
Following the conclusion of the race, Schlender was named the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete for men’s cross country. A formal announcement will be posted on uwwsports.com early next week.
Murphy (men) and Ramirez (women) are UW-Whitewater’s representatives on the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Teams.
The Warhawks travel to Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 16, for the NCAA Division III North Regional. The women’s 6K race begins at 11 a.m. at Bill Huyck Course, followed by the men’s 8K event at noon.
Editor’s note: The image on the homepage is from a previous meet.
On Tuesday, October 29, the Whippet Swimmers started off our Championship season at JV Conference in Elkhorn. What an incredible way to end the season for some of our athletes!
Zoe Zei started off the competition in the best way with a 1st place finish in her heat and a best time in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 3:00.21 (11 second time drop). She swam her race well and earned herself a 6th place finish overall!
Marijose Verduzco (14th) and Laken DePorter (15th) placed in the top 16 in the 50 Freestyle.
Maria Pena had an impressive 100 Freestyle and earned herself a best time of 1:46.22. What an awesome way to end her swim season!
Maya Davis took on the 400 Freestyle for the 2nd time this season and improved her time by 5 seconds (8:05.90). For only swimming this event twice, Maya swam a very controlled and fast race.
In the 200 Freestyle Relay, Marijose Verduzco, Caitlin Alford, Zoe Zei, and Laken DePorter placed 6th overall. Caitlin swam a best time in her split by going a 40.36.
In the 100 Backstroke, Marijose Verduzco placed 6th with a time of 1:33.31. Caitlin Alford placed 8th with a best time of 1:42.88 which is a 13 second time drop!
And in the final event of the meet, the Whippets (Laken DePorter, Zoe Zei, Caitlin Alford, and Marijose Verduzco) showed up to compete and placed 5th overall. Caitlin Alford and Marijose Verduzco had impressive splits and earned themselves best times.
We are so proud of how the Whippets competed at JV Conference! Up next, Varsity Conference, this Saturday, November 2, at Badger High School. We hope to see you all there!
Article and Photo Courtesy of Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu
Aubrie Krzus serving during a match from earlier this season (Michael Gouvion)
By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
The No. 7 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team swept No. 17 UW-Platteville 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 27-25) in the team’s regular season home finale Wednesday night. Before the start of the match, the Warhawks recognized its senior class including Ally Longden, Hannah Proctor, Ava Rebarchik, Jaedynn Evans, Alayna Jansky, Ally Warburton, Jenna Weinfurt and Payton Kuepers.
UWW was efficient hitting .320 while adding 10 aces and 12 blocks in the match. The defense held the Pioneers to an attack percentage of .190 in the contest.
The Warhawks jumped out to a quick 7-4 lead bolstered by a string of four points that included a pair of kills from Jansky and two aces from Aubrie Krzus. Later in the set, UWW went on a 6-0 run that featured four more aces with Krzus at the service line. From there, the Warhawks cruised to the first set win 25-15.
Set two was a back-and-forth battle until UW-Whitewater scored five consecutive to take an 18-14 lead. Jansky put the finishing touches on the set with a kill for the 25-20 final.
UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 9-3 advantage in the third set but ended up needing to stave off a huge 9-0 Pioneer run late in the set. The spurt put UWP up 23-20 but the Warhawks were up for the challenge. Kills from Chloe Werner and Proctor sandwiched a Pioneer miscue to tie the set 23-23. The squads traded points with UW-Platteville holding a 25-24 lead when UWW strung together three in a row. Werner picked up the first point with a kill. The next two showcased why UW-Whitewater is the best blocking team in Division III — Abbie Dix and Krzus turned away a pair of attacks with two huge blocks to secure the win.
Outsides Jansky and Weinfurt combined for 24 kills to lead UWW offensively. Defensively, Proctor tallied six blocks while fellow middle Dix posted five. Evans and Weinfurt registered nine digs each.
Krzus had a monster night all around for the Warhawks. In addition to 31 assists, the setter hit .571 with four kills in seven attempts without an attack error. She added seven aces – a mark that is the third-most recorded by a Warhawk in a single match and shared match-high honors with six blocks.
With one match left in league play, UW-Whitewater is third in the current WIAC standings with a 4-2 record. UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point sit atop the standings at 5-1 while three teams are tied for fourth through sixth with a 3-3 mark.
UWW will head to Elmhurst Wednesday before wrapping up the regular season at UW-Stout on Friday, November 8.
By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Madison, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s tennis team claimed the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the 18th consecutive time Sunday. The Warhawks won four singles flights and swept the titles in doubles play en route to the championship.
The WIAC champion is determined by using a combination of the regular season dual meet standings and the WIAC Championship results. The Warhawks entered the championship tied for first with six points from dual meet results. UW-Whitewater added 14 points from the championships for a total of 20 to claim the title by two points over UW-La Crosse.
SINGLES
No. 1: Gracie Ha secured her second straight singles title (No. 2 singles champion in 2023) after defeating UW-Eau Claire’s Samantha Fuchs 6-2, 6-1 in the title match. To get to the title, Ha received a bye before defeating UWO’s Mana Usui 6-3, 6-3 in the second round.
No. 2: Molly Asfeld battled back from a 6-2, 6-4 loss in round two to eventual champion Shelby Roth (UWL) to secure bronze. In the third place bout, Asfeld took down Maya Kunze (UWSP) 6-3, 6-4. Her first round win was a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Alexis Budzinski (UWRF) Saturday.
No. 3: Abby Weaver picked up a pair of wins Sunday to claim gold in the third singles flight. After topping Morgan Dekan (UWEC) 6-0, 6-2 in the second round, Weaver bested UWL’s Lauren Lindow 6-1, 7-5 for the championship. She was 3-0 in singles play with a first round win over Ella Lamppa (UW-Stout) 6-1, 6-2 on day one.
No. 4: Alex Repplier won her second consecutive title in singles play Sunday. The top seed defeated Brianna Owens (UWO) 6-1, 6-1 before securing the title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Maia Samuelson (UWL). She adds the 2024 championship to a No. 5 singles gold from 2023.
No. 5: Sarah Ferguson went 2-0 after receiving a first round bye for the title. She took down Allie Brosteau (UWSP) 6-0, 6-1 in the second round and defeated Emma Heinert (UWL) 6-4, 6-0 in the championship.
No. 6: Crystina Lee battled hard in the No. 6 singles championship match. After taking the first set against top-seeded Hannah Cady (UWL), she dropped set two 6-4. Lee finished as the runner-up after the tiebreak went to the Eagles 10-2. On her way to the title match, Lee defeated Lexie Stein (UW-Stout) in straight sets and Tea Armstrong (UWEC) 3-6, 6-1, 10-5 in the second round.
DOUBLES
No. 1 – Gracie Ha & Abby Weaver: The Warhawk tandem in the top doubles flight came in as the No. 1 seed and punched their ticket into the championship with an 8-1 win over a UWSP pair. Ha and Weaver took down UWL’s Tasha Bailey and Roth 8-5 for the title. The championship is the second consecutive at No. 1 doubles for Ha.
No. 2 – Molly Asfeld & Alex Repplier: As the top seed in the second doubles flight, the Warhawks received a first round bye. In round two, Asfeld and Repplier defeated Morgan Dekan and Liv Herzog (UWEC) 8-6 to secure their spot in the championship. UW-Whitewater won the title with an 8-5 victory over UWL’s Samuelson and Cady. The doubles title is the second straight for Asfeld.
No. 3 – Ava Andrae & Crystina Lee: The Warhawks’ pair in the third doubles flight entered as the No. 2 seed. The duo defeated Hailey Reuvers and Mykela Hanson (UWRF) 8-1 and the UWEC tandem of Armstrong and Aubrey Wittwer 8-3 to punch their ticket to the title match. Andrae and Lee won a thrilling battle for the championship defeating Lindow and Heinert (UWL) 8-7(4).
Following the completion of the championship, the WIAC announced Cassie Lee as the Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete. A full release on Lee’s accomplishments will be published in a separate story. She is the fourth Warhawk to earn the honor in the last five seasons and thirteenth in program history. Gracie Ha was selected as UW-Whitewater’s representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.
UW-Whitewater has now won 25 WIAC titles in program history. The top four teams from the conference championship (UWW, UWL, UWEC, UWSP) advance to the team tournament that will determine the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Championship. The team tournament will be hosted by UWW on April 26, 2025.
The Whippet Boys’ Cross Country Team emerged as sectional champions once again after supreme races from top to bottom on Friday, October 25 on the campus of UW-Whitewater. In a very controlled, dialed-in effort, Jack Hefty once again led the team to his second individual sectional title in 16:39. Xavier Zei ran perfectly and closed the door on his race very well and finished fifth overall. Miles Nickelsburg had the race of the day for the team placing in sixth overall. He methodically made his way through the upper crust of the pack passing two runners in the second mile and five runners in his final 1.1 miles of the race to stop the clock in 17:47. Luc Pomazak will get his first taste of the state meet after never seeing a varsity race all last season. Having improved significantly this season, he was the team’s fourth runner today and placed 17th in 18:28. Andrew O’Toole rounded out the team scoring with a strong 23rd place finish and an overall time of 18:47 on this difficult course. Onyx Thompson mowed down at least five guys in the final 200m finish straight and placed 31st with a time of 19:06. Isaac Straight was the final Whippet to finish today in 54th with a time of 19:56, twenty-four seconds faster than he ran on this course a week earlier.
The girls’ race proved to be a good day overall for the team as they finished in sixth place. Nearly every girl ran faster than they did a week earlier on the same course at the conference championship. Today the team was led by senior Carley Boudreau who stopped the clock at 22:37 for a final placing of 21st. Fellow senior Athena Soto was a few steps behind her in 22:39 and placed 22nd. Virginia Nelson completed her first high school season as the team’s third runner and placed 23rd in 22:42. Mady Hefty moved up little by little throughout the race and was the team’s fourth runner in 28th with a time of 22:58. Senior Nola Coburn placed 41st with a time of 24:25. Ema Aranda placed 44th in 24:35, and senior Sami Van Daele placed 47th in 24:57. The team wraps up their season having finished second in the Valley division, third overall in the RVC, and with numerous seniors that have dedicated themselves to the sport of cross country for four years. The coaching staff is very thankful for the seniors and the leadership they have provided over the years. They are Isabella Aranda, Carley Boudreau, Nola Coburn, Athena Soto, Lucy Troxel and Sami Van Daele.
The WIAA State Meet will be held on the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, November 2nd. The boys will be competing in the Division 2 race which is slated to begin at 2:35.
Full results: https://wi.milesplit.com/meets/628524-wiaa-d2-sectional-whitewater-2024
Article and Photo Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
On Tuesday, October 22, the Whippet Swim Team finished out their regular season schedule against Beloit Memorial. The night was spent celebrating our seniors and all their success in the pool as a Whippet! The girls swam fast on senior night and put up many new best times!
Senior Makayla Bazeley swam a lifetime best in the 200 IM beating the rest of the field by nearly 13 seconds with at time of 2:14.43. With that time, she moved her up to third all-time on the Whippet Top 10 List. Makayla also swam the 100 Fly in dominating fashion as she went just on her season best time of 1:00.75.
Senior Emerson Dunham won the 500 Freestyle by over 1 minute. In her win she went a season best time of 6:03.45. Emerson also put on a fun performance battling back and forth with the competition in the 100 Breaststroke to go a time of 1:24.08!
A special shout out goes to Senior Adalynn Frye as she has been everyone’s biggest supporter and loudest cheerleader this season!
The Whippets went 22 of 27 best times on the night! Charlotte Hajewski went 2/2 on best time dropping 6 seconds in the 200 IM and 4 seconds in her 100 Freestyle with a time of 1:05.92! Zoe Zei also went 2/2 dropping 23 seconds in the 200 Freestyle and 7 seconds in the 100 Freestyle. Atreya Wilson continues with the 2/2 best times, dropping 3 seconds in the 200 Freestyle and improving her 100 Breaststroke time to a 1:35.18. Maria Pena and Caitlin Alford both posted new best times in the 50 & 100 Freestyles!
We are looking forward to seeing them drop even more time as we head into our Championship Season. First up we have JV Conference on Tuesday, October 29, in Elkhorn starting at 6 pm. We hope to see you there! Go Whippets!
Article and Photos Courtesy of Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu
By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Platteville, Wis. — The No. 19 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team fell to No. 8 UW-Platteville 17-10 in the annual George Chryst Memorial Bowl in Platteville Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to claim the lead and secure the win. The Warhawks are now 25-4 in the George Chryst Memorial Bowl. Per tradition, offensive and defensive Players of the Game are selected from both teams after the game. UW-Whitewater was represented by running back Noah Battle and linebacker Ethan Gallagher. The Pioneers claimed possession of the Miner’s Axe for the fourth time in the 29-game bowl series.
After a scoreless first, UW-Whitewater got on the board early in the second quarter. The drive started with 6:18 left in the first from UWW’s own seven. The Warhawks marched 99-yards with Jackson Fox splitting the uprights from 25-yards out for the 3-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
UW-Platteville responded on the next drive. Following a 16-yard kick return, the Pioneers started their drive at the 20. Two 40-yard pass plays bolstered the four-play drive to give the host school the 7-3 advantage.
Late in the second, the Warhawks would reclaim the lead – this time on an 89-yard scoring drive. Tamir Thomas burst through the line for a 16-yard gain early in the drive. Jackson Chryst found Nick Wind for 19-yards down to the UWP 43 later in the series. After a nine-yard gain, Chryst found Brian Wilterdink in the end zone from 34-yards out for the touchdown strike. Fox hit the point after for a 10-7 UWW lead.
That score held until midway through the fourth quarter. The Warhawks had an opportunity on their second drive of the quarter, marching down to the UWP eight but the drive stalled and UWW turned the ball over on downs.
The Pioneers capitalized on the ensuing drive. Faced with third-and-ten from their own eight, Michael Priami found Brandt Stare on a pass hauled in at the Warhawks’ 45. He sprinted up the sideline for the 92-yard score. The point after gave the Pioneers a 14-10 lead.
On UW-Whitewater’s next drive, Chryst was hit as he threw causing an underthrown ball that was picked off by UWP. The turnover led to a field goal and the final score, 17-10.
Still, UWW had a chance … a late Hail Mary on the final play of the game. Chryst eluded one tackler and heaved the ball downfield, but the jump ball fell incomplete.
Chryst was 18-39 for 254 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Battle paced the Warhawk ground game with 80 yards on 11 carries. Wilterdink was the top target through the air with 75 yards on five receptions. Tyler Vasey also hauled in five catches for 71 yards.
Defensively, Gallagher led the Warhawks with 11 tackles including five solo.
With three games left in the regular season, UW-Platteville, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout are all tied for the league-lead with a 3-1 mark in conference play. UW-Whitewater, UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse are all 2-2 while UW-Eau Claire holds a 1-3 record and UW-Stevens Point is 0-4.