The Whippet Boys Swim Team traveled to Sauk Prairie to compete in the WIAA Division 2 Sectional on Saturday, February 11th. They placed 8th overall as a team, and had many best times on the day!
Top 16 finishes:
200 Medley Relay: 2:01.19 (9th) – Tyler Arnett, Jack Hefty, Cruz Aranda, Andrew O’Toole
200 Freestyle: 1:59.90 (7th) – Tyler Arnett *Lifetime best time, puts him 6th overall on the Whippet Top 10 List!
200 Freestyle: 2:18.77 (13th) – Miles Nickelsburg
200 Freestyle: 2:21.22 (14th) – Myles Morse *This was an 18 second drop for Myles!
200 IM: 2:25.46 (10th) – Jack Hefty
500 Freestyle: 5:28.20 (7th) – Tyler Arnett *Best Time
500 Freestyle: 6:30.45 (10th) – Andrew O’Toole
200 Freestyle Relay: 1:59.87 (10th) – Myles Morse, David Enns, Xavier Zei, Miles Nickelsburg
100 Backstroke: 1:11.58 (12th) – Miles Nickelsburg *Best Time
100 Backstroke: 1:23.66 (13th) – Onyx Thompson *Best Time
400 Freestyle Relay: 3:54.77 (7th) – Cruz Aranda, Andrew O’Toole, Jack Hefty, Tyler Arnett
Additional Best Times:
-50 Freestyle crew all went best times: David Enns (30.02), Andrew O’Toole (27.67), Cruz Aranda (25.54)
-100 Freestylers: David Enns (1:09.26) dropped over 3 seconds, Onyx Thompson (1:14.72), Cruz Aranda (57.68).
-100 Breaststroke: Xavier Zei (1:26.98)
-Jack Hefty had a sensational split in the 400 Freestyle Relay going a 55.00!
Congratulations to the boys swim team on an amazing season. We can’t wait to see what they can accomplish next year!
Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds Whitewater High School Co-Head Boys’ Swim Coach sreynolds@wwusd.org
On Saturday, February 11, the Whitewater Wrestling Team competed in the Regional Wrestling Tournament held in Jefferson. The tournament consisted of 13 teams, each attempting to achieve top two status to advance to the team sectional with the top four individuals to qualify for individual sectionals. After a grueling day of competition, the Whitewater team defended their title from a year ago, clinching the team title, outdistancing Martin Luther who took second place. As a team, Whitewater will travel to Evansville to compete in the team sectional against Belmont/Platteville, a team that came out of a very strong region.
Whitewater Whippets
Individually, Whitewater wrestled very well throughout the day. Traysen Thomason and Aaron Porras led the way for the Whippets, each of them winning their first individual Regional championships at 138 and 160 pounds. Traysen wrestled very well throughout the day winning a very exciting semi-final match 9-8 and then a championship match 8-4. Aaron Porras started his day with two pins and then a very tough match in the championship winning 6-5.
Coming in second for Whitewater were CJ Tomomitsu, Connor Friend, and Odair Porras. CJ and Connor each lost in the championship match against very tough competitors, putting up a good match but coming up short. Odair lost in the semi-finals, won his third-place match, and then had the opportunity to wrestle for true second. He wrestled very well in the 2nd place match to move up the podium.
Individual Sectional Qualifiers
Taking third place and also qualifying for sectionals were Jasen Porras, Victor Hernandez, and Payton Lyon. Jasen and Victor won their third-place match. Victor did not get a wrestle back as he had already wrestled the 2nd place person, and Jasen lost in the wrestle back so he held onto 3rd place. Payton had a very tough loss in the championship. He nearly pinned his opponent in the championship but ended up losing. It was tough to come back from the loss, and he ended in third place, yet still qualified for the sectional.
Aaron PorrasTraysen Thomason
The individual qualifiers will compete on Saturday, also in Evansville.
Article and Photos Courtesy of John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org Action Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whitewater Whippets Girls’ Basketball Team played a conference game against Brodhead Friday night, February 10. We knew Brodhead’s ability to score inside and around the perimeter was going to make it a tough game defensively.
Danielle DePorter
In the first half, we played aggressive defense inside which gave Brodhead more looks from the 3-point range. This gave them the scoring edge 14-30 going into the half. We adjusted our defense and worked our outside game in the second half, hitting seven of our eight 3-pointers the second half, matching them in points with 26 apiece. But, that deficit from the first half gave them the win, 40-56.
Danielle DePorter led the Whippets with 17 points, followed by Mayte Navejas with 8 points. Calli Grosinske added 7 points and 6 steals.
The girls travel to Evansville Monday night, February 13.
Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach klippens@wwusd.org File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Students at UW-Whitewater at Rock County will soon be able to participate in competitive athletics as they move along their educational journey. The National Junior College Athletic Association has accepted the campus as its newest member. Rock County intends to field teams starting in the 2024-25 academic year, and its student-athletes will be eligible for postseason play starting in 2025-26.
“We are thrilled to be bringing intercollegiate athletics back to UW-Whitewater at Rock County,” said Tricia Clasen, dean and assistant vice chancellor. “Participation in athletics is a valuable college experience for so many students and offers the whole community opportunities to get involved in college sports. We can’t wait to cheer on our student-athletes!”
Founded in 1938, the NJCAA is the governing body for two-year collegiate athletics, providing student-athletes opportunities to prepare, compete, succeed and achieve in their academic and athletic disciplines. It is the second-largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States with more than 500 member schools in 44 states. UW-Whitewater at Rock county is assigned to Region 4, which includes schools in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
“We are excited to welcome UW-Whitewater at Rock County to the NJCAA family,” said Christopher J. Parker, NJCAA president and CEO. “NJCAA believes that college athletics are an important part of college experience, and we couldn’t be more pleased that URock students will now be able to take part in our competitions.”
Initially, the Rock County campus plans to join NJCAA in the following sports: men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s bowling. The campus is in the process of identifying coaches to lead the teams, and more information will be shared with students once the teams are ready to welcome players.
Head Coach Jace Rindahl addressing the media for the first time [Lynn Binnie photos]
With the whole family attired in purple, Rindahl is joined after the conference by his children Dane, 2, being held, and Camille, 4, and his wife Caroline
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
At a press conference on February 9 in the Student Athletic Complex, Athletic Director Ryan Callahan officially introduced Jace Rindahl as the new head coach of the Warhawks football team, succeeding Kevin Bullis, who retired after eight years in the role.
Rindahl indicated that he is humbled and honored by the “great responsibility — I know that, I understand that, I’m excited about that. As an alum and a coach and a student athlete I feel what makes Whitewater special is the people.” He thanked Callahan for his faith and trust, and his wife Caroline and their children for their support, while also acknowledging the presence and influence of his parents and his sisters. He claimed he got his competitiveness from his sisters.
Rindahl said he has worked under three great coaches at Whitewater in his 16 years with the program, and he wants to take something from each of their approaches. Bob Berezowitz was the coach in his freshman and sophomore years. Lance Leipold, whom he described as a visionary, gave him his first opportunity to coach in 2009. “My first eight years out of high school were spent here as a student athlete and a coach, earning two degrees — for a young man who didn’t like school, it wasn’t easy for me. The people here and the coaches helped shape me and it’s my responsibility to give back.”
A player for UW-W from 2005-08, Rindahl was a three-year starter at linebacker and competed in four DIII championship games, winning in 2007. He was named 2008 Defensive Player of the Year by D3football.com, and finished his playing career with several All-America honors. Rindahl coached linebackers for UW-W during its run of three straight national championships from 2009-2011.
Jace left for the University of South Dakota for two years, where he served as running backs coach. His coach there had a motto, “It’s better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity without being prepared.” It was there, Jace said, that he began thinking as a head coach. “I’m very fortunate,” he said, “there never was a plan B. Plan A was being a college coach.” The time away helped Rindahl to appreciate what we have here.
Rindahl described Kevin Bullis, who hired him back in 2015, as a great teacher. He was prepared when Bullis called him on the Sunday before Thanksgiving to say that he’d be announced as interim coach the next day.
“I’m 36 years young. I love challenges; I love being doubted, having my back against the wall. I love to compete — competing against the best is when you find out how good you are,” Jace continued.
“The program is in a great spot,” Rindahl claimed, as he said he didn’t foresee any major changes. He’ll be keeping the “Pound the Rock” mantra, though he also likes “Change your best; look in the mirror and realize you aren’t good enough.”
“The 2023 recruiting class is special because of our coaching staff….To the players, I’m excited – let’s go — let’s attack this thing one day at a time — it’s not about talking or tweeting — it’s about action, caring for others. We’ve got the right people here. I love you guys — go Hawks,” Rindahl concluded.
The storied Warhawk record as displayed in the Student Athletic Complex
The Junior Varsity Wrestling Team finished up their season Wednesday night, February 8, after two nights in a row of tournaments.
JV Conference Team
On Tuesday they traveled to Badger High School for a large tournament. Whitewater had one champion, Rylan Oldenburg, and 8 runner-ups on the night.
Wednesday night they traveled to East Troy for the JV Conference tournament. They had 4 champions on the night: Kevin Gonzalez, Christian Minett, JJ Gonzalez, and Marcus Seaver. Rylan Oldenburg and Richi Kalra took 2nd. Rylan defeated a young man he had lost to in early January.
JV Conference ChampionsJV Conference Runner-Ups
Great job to the JV on such improvement over the course of the season.
Article and Photos Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team traveled to Edgerton for a conference game, Tuesday night, February 7.
We came out with some jitters early in the game. We turned the ball over the first few possessions, but once we settled in, we played solid defense and played with patience on offense. That helped us connect on shots both inside and around the perimeter. We went into half down 21-30.
Calli Grosinske
In the second half, we struggled with Edgerton’s press, giving them a comfortable lead. We lost 44-66.
Calli Grosinske led the Whippets with 13 followed by Danielle DePorter with 12.
We take on Brodhead at home on Friday, February 10.
Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach klippens@wwusd.org File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Front row (left to right): Ty Bucholtz, Connor Brummeyer, Anakin Knudsen, Jacek Egnoski, Paige Kollwelter Back row (left to right): Matt Amundson, Evan Amundson, Caleb Jagodzinski, Anjay Magana, Aaron Garcia Missing from photo: Marcus Roselle — Photo credit: Sara Jagodzinski
The Whitewater 8th grade boys concluded their Badger Development League (BDL) season on Sunday, February 5th by winning the silver bracket championship of the 8th Grade White division. The team played Oregon in the first game of the tournament, having lost to Oregon 19-34 in the first game of the season. The rematch saw Whitewater win the game 38-36 led by Ty Bucholtz scoring 15 points with Aaron Garcia adding 8 and Caleb Jagodzinski scoring 6. Caleb and Jacek Egnoski both added 5 rebounds while Evan Amundson played a strong defensive game limiting Oregon’s leading scorer while also leading the team with 3 assists. In the championship game Whitewater faced Middleton and struggled against the 2-3 zone defense. The second half saw Whitewater close the game on an 18-8 run and secure the win, 35-31. Ty Bucholtz led the team in scoring with 10 points, followed by Paige Kollwelter with 7, Caleb Jagodzinski with 6 and Connor Brummeyer with 5 points. Ty & Caleb each secured 9 rebounds while Aaron Garcia led the way with 6 assists.
“This group has worked hard to improve over the past four years and has improved our skill level, decision making, and effort each season as we have worked to prepare them for high school basketball,” according to Matt Amundson. The team will conclude its season participating in two tournaments later this month and is coached by Cory Brummeyer, Leif Knudsen, & Matt Amundson.
Editor’s note: This story was submitted by Matt Amundson.
In conjunction with the RVC Tournament at Clinton the Whitewater Lady Wrestlers had the opportunity to compete in a tournament of their own. The Whitewater girls did very well during the day. Adalynn Frye and Athena Soto both continued to show progress. This is a challenge for them as they are brand new to wrestling, so each time on the mat is a great learning opportunity for them. The coaching staff sees improvement, although the result the ladies may want is not there.
Leading the way for the Whippets was Lauren Buehler who had two pins on the day on her way to her first championship in her young career.
Lauren Buehler
Ashly Xochipa followed with a second-place finish, going 3-1 on the day with three pins and a tough loss to a strong lady from Badger. Also taking 2nd place was Khloe Meyer who was able to secure a pin for her second-place finish. This is exciting for Khloe as she has shown growth, and it was nice to see the victory come her way.
Odeling Gonzalez started the day off with a loss but then came back and was able to win her last two matches. The exciting part of her day was that both of her victories came against young ladies that she had lost to earlier in the season.
Great job to the lady wrestlers. As always, they represented their team very well.
Article and Photos Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org
On Saturday, February 4, the Whippet Wrestling Team traveled to Clinton to participate in the Rock Valley Conference Wrestling Tournament. It was a very good day for the team as everyone wrestled very well with some having their best matches of the season to this point of the year. When the day ended, the Whippets found themselves in 2nd place in the Conference tournament behind Evansville.
Leading the way for the Whippets was Aaron Porras who claimed his first RVC Championship. He wrestled very well all day recording two pins and a convincing win against a very strong opponent in the championship match. With the championship Saturday, Aaron checked off the first of his goals for the post season.
Aaron Porras
Finding their way into the finals were Victor Hernandez, Connor Friend, and Payton Lyon. Each of these wrestlers had very nice wins on their way to the championship match. Friend and Lyon both had a steep hill to climb in the finals as they had defending state champions and unfortunately were unable to knock them off, even though they gave it their all. Hernandez had two very nice matches leading up to the championship before a strong opponent from Big Foot.
Coming in 3rd place for the Whippets included Jasen Porras and CJ Tomomitsu. Each of these wrestlers lost tough semi-final matches but came back strong in the wrestlebacks to bring home the bronze.
Taking 4th place and just missing a medal was Nate Black. Finishing the day strong and winning their last match of the day to take 5th included Jason Villegas, Trayson Thomason, Odair Porras, Jesus Barajas, Avi Kalra, and Ethan Barels. It is tough to battle back and wrestle for placement.
The Whippets are next in action on Saturday, February 11, when they travel to Jefferson to participate in the WIAA Regional Tournament.
Article and Group Photos Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org Photo of Aaron Porras Courtesy of Bob Mischka
200 Medley Relay: 2:01.19 (9th) – Tyler Arnett, Jack Hefty, Cruz Aranda, Andrew O’Toole
