Sports

Aleah Grundahl and Kacie Carollo celebrate after the win (Olivia Zinanni)

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

 The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament with an 89-65 win over Millikin Saturday night in Kachel Gym. Junior guard Kacie Carollo led the way with the first triple-double in UWW history — 27 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists. 

The Warhawks will make a third straight appearance in the round of 16 starting next week. UWW will face Hope on March 8 with both the time and location of the game to be announced by the NCAA in the coming days. Information on the next round of play will be released when available.

UW-Whitewater was dialed in for the second straight game shooting over 60-percent from the floor. The Warhawks set the tone early as Katie Hildebrandt tallied the first bucket of the game. Carollo made it 5-0 UWW after drilling a three-pointer. She added an old-fashioned three-point play 40 seconds later, powering in a layup and hitting the ensuing free throw to push the lead to 8-2. The Warhawks continued to build throughout the quarter with Carollo finding Aleah Grundahl under the basket for a last second layin to give UWW a 24-15 lead after the first. 

Grundahl and Carollo combined for 18 points on 7-10 from the floor in the first 10 minutes of action. The pair continued their phenomenal play with 11 points on 5-8 from the floor while Carollo posted six boards and four assists in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the whole offense was clicking in the quarter as UW-Whitewater hit 9-13 as a team. By the intermission, the Warhawk advantage grew to 21-points, 46-25. 

Defensively, Renee Rittmeyer drew the tough task of guarding the 2023 Division III Player of the Year in Elyce Knudsen for the majority of the half. Rittmeyer and the UWW defense allowed just 10 points from the second-best scorer in the nation in the first 20 minutes of action. 

Although the teams were even in the third period – each scoring 24 – Millikin made a run to narrow the gap to 15 at one point. The Big Blue’s potent offense seemed to be getting going, but the Warhawk offense could not be slowed. UWW shot 73-percent from the floor in the period hitting 8-11 to all but seal the game. 

In addition to Carollo’s team-leading triple-double, Grundahl dropped in 26 bolstered by 10-15 from the floor. She added five boards, four steals and a pair of assists. Hildebrandt posted double figures in the scoring column with 13 while Mallory Oloffson hit 4-5 from the field for 10 points. Hildebrandt led all players with three blocks in the game

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Kacie Carollo hits a three-pointer in the first half against Minnesota Morris (Olivia Zinanni)

Updated 3/2/24 @ 4:30 p.m. to add ticket prices. (See end of article.)

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team opened the 2024 NCAA Division III Tournament with an 86-47 win over Minnesota Morris Friday night in Kachel Gym in the Williams Center.

The Warhawks came out on fire hitting 9-11 to open up a 19-8 advantage by the first media timeout. By the end of the quarter, UWW led 26-14 bolstered by 10 points from Aleah Grundahl. UWW continued to cruise through the first half building a 36-point lead by halftime, 58-22. UW-Whitewater shot well nearly 70-percent (13-19) in the first 20 minutes while forcing 16 turnovers on the defensive end. 

UWW played all 15 active players* with 10 entering the scoring column in the game. Grundahl led the way with 20 points on 9-16 from the floor. She added four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Kacie Carollo posted 11 points and led the Warhawks with six boards and six assists. Katie Hildebrandt hit 5-7 from the floor for 10 points in the game. 

The pace and ball movement favored the Warhawk offense as UWW held a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint. 

UW-Whitewater advances to face Millikin in the second round. The game against the Big Blue is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Kachel Gym in the Williams Center. Millikin topped Willamette 91-83 in their first round matchup Friday. 

The Warhawks are 4-2 against Millikin all-time and most recently defeated the Big Blue 79-69 in a game played in Kachel Gym last season. The winner punches their ticket to the Round of 16. 

Tickets – available at the door 60 minutes prior to tip-off:

• $15 for adults
• $10 for students with a valid college ID, seniors and youth
• Free for children 3 years old and under

*NCAA rules only allow for 15 active players in postseason games

On Monday, February 19^th, the Whitewater Boys’ Swim Team celebrated their season accomplishments. Each swimmer was recognized for all their hard work throughout the season and Team & All Conference Awards were given out!

Team Awards:

MVP – Jack Hefty & Cruz Aranda
Most Dedicated – Cruz Aranda & Wyatt Esch
Most Improved – Wyatt Esch
Morning Warrior – Angel Kilar

All Conference Awards:

Miles Nickelsburg (Honorable Mention)
Langdon Coburn (Honorable Mention)
Myles Morse (2nd Team)
Cruz Aranda (2nd Team)
Jack Hefty (2nd Team)

Whippet Top 10 Recognition:

Cruz Aranda
6th – 200 Freestyle
7th – 200 Individual Medley
9th –  100 Butterfly

Langdon Coburn
9th – 100 Backstroke

Jack Hefty
8th – 50 Freestyle
8th – 100 Freestyle
10th – 100 Breaststroke

Congratulations on an amazing season!

Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org

Jr Whippets Football registration for the Spring 7-on-7 Passing League ends March 4th, 2024. Register here: https://sportswwusd.sportngin.com/register/form/965297832 or go to the School District Website/Athletics/Middle School Registration and look for the 7-on-7 tab to register. Registration is free and there is no cost to participate.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host the first and second rounds of the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. 

Location: Kachel Gymnasium, Williams Center

Dates: Friday-Saturday, March 1-2, 2024

Regional Webpage: Includes team information, links to live streams and live stats, and additional information

Schedule:

Game 1: Friday, March 1 – 5:15 pm – Millikin vs. Willamette

Game 2: Friday, March 1 – 7:45 pm – UWW vs. Minnesota Morris

Game 3: Saturday, March 2 – 7:30 pm – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Parking: Parking is free of charge. Fans should park in Lots 11 (Williams Center) or 24 (Perkins Stadium)

Tickets: This event is cash only! $15 for adults, $10 for students. There is an ATM available near the entrance for convenience. (Doors open 60 minutes prior to tipoff)

Kacie Carollo, a native of Whitewater, studying Integrated Science and Business at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was one of three members of the Warhawk women’s basketball team who garnered All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference accolades for the 2023-24 season.

Senior forward Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) has been selected as the WIAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive season to headline a contingent of three Warhawks named All-WIAC this season. Junior guard Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) added First Team and All-Defensive Team honors while junior forward Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) received honorable mention recognition.

Grundahl is the first women’s basketball player in conference history to be named the league’s top player three times. The feat has been accomplished just one other time in WIAC basketball history with Mike Ratliff (UWEC) earning the honor on the men’s side from 1969-72. This season, Grundahl has paced the Warhawks breaking numerous records along the way. She became the UWW all-time leading scorer in the second game of the season. On February 14, she became the all-time leading scorer in the WIAC, surpassing a mark that had stood since 1995. Her 39 points against UW-La Crosse broke the UW-Whitewater single game scoring record and is the most by a player in the league this season. Grundahl leads the WIAC in scoring this season averaging 20.2 points per game while adding 2.1 steals per outing, ranked second in the league. She adds top 12 marks in total points (525), rebounds per game (6.2), field goal percentage (.520), free throw percentage (.781) and assists per game (1.9).

Carollo is now a three-time All-WIAC honoree and two-time All-Defensive Team selection with the pair of honors in 2024. She ranks second in the WIAC in rebounding, averaging 8.1 per game. Carollo adds 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals per outing ranked third and fourth in the league respectively. Also, one of the conference’s top scorers, Carollo’s 14.4 points per game is a top-10 mark in the league. The junior hauled in the second-most rebounds by a player in the league this season with 16 at UW-Oshkosh and tops the list for steals in a single game with six against UW-Stout.

Hildebrandt received honorable mention recognition in her first season as a Warhawk. The junior is one of the league’s top three-point shooters, hitting over 35-percent of her shots from long range. Her 1.4 blocks per game is ranked third in the WIAC this season. Hildebrandt adds top 20 marks in points per game (9.2), rebounds per game (4.7) and field goal percentage (.417).

Grundahl was also named the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete of the Year this season. She is the fourth Warhawk to earn the honor and second under Head Coach Keri Carollo.

UW-Whitewater will host a NCAA regional for the fourth consecutive season this weekend. UWW (22-4) will open their 22nd appearance in the postseason against Minnesota Morris Friday at 7:45 p.m. in Kachel Gym.

The Whitewater Boys’ and Girls’ Wrestling Teams wrapped up their season in the place all wrestlers in Wisconsin want to end up as a high school student, and that is the floor of the Kohl Center participating in the WIAA individual Wrestling Tournament. This is a spectacular event that is a wonderful event to be a part of.  The team had some very tough draws as of the 7 participating wrestlers, 5 of them competed against a state champion, state runner up, two 3rd place finishers, and a 5th place finisher (who was a two-time runner up in years past) in their first round matches. The Whippets came up short in these matches, but based on the credentials of their opponents they have nothing to be ashamed of and can look in the mirror and be proud of themselves.

As the season comes to a close the coaching staff is very pleased to have been a part of a team that won the Rock Valley Conference Valley Division, won their regional, and had the opportunity to both host and participate in the Team Sectional Tournament. The team broke a school record for most team pins in a season as well as finished in top four for takedowns in a season. We should not look at our last competition but rather the culmination of the great things that happened for each of our students over the last four months. Congratulations to our 7 state qualifiers and to the entire team as well. 

Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org