Sports

UW-W Picked To Win WIAC Football Title

Editor’s note: The following information is from an article on wiacsports.com.

“University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the defending conference champion and winner of 13 of the last 16 titles, has been picked to capture the 2022 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) football championship, according to a preseason poll conducted by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
 
The Warhawks, ranked fourth nationally in NCAA Division III preseason polls conducted by D3football.com, Lindy’s Sports and College Football America, have won 38 conference titles.
 
UW-La Crosse is slotted for second in the WIAC predictions and enters the season ranked No. 10 by Lindy’s Sports, No. 12 by D3football.com and No. 14 by College Football America. The Eagles own 33 first-place conference trophies.

2022 Preseason Predictions–Voted on by WIAC Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors

2021 Record
1. UW-Whitewater13-1 overall, 7-0 WIAC
2. UW-La Crosse9-3, 6-1
3. UW-River Falls9-2, 5-2
4. UW-Oshkosh6-3, 4-3
5. UW-Platteville4-6, 3-4
6. UW-Stout5-5, 2-5
7. UW-Eau Claire3-7, 1-6
8. UW-Stevens Point2-8, 0-7

Head Coach:  Kevin Bullis; 7th season at UWW; 69-10

Whippet Volleyball Kicks Off 2022 Season

The Whitewater Volleyball Program kicked off the 2022 season with a scrimmage at Union Grove (Varsity) and Elkhorn (JV1 and JV2)! The energy the Whippets brought was felt by all who attended, with both JV teams showing great improvement from start to finish! The coaches were proud of the way the athletes worked hard on the court and the positivity they brought to their teammates.

The Varsity squad showed huge improvement from last year in their ability to run a faster offense and defense. The coaching staff is excited for what the season holds! Next up is a Varsity Quadrangular at home on Tuesday, August 23rd beginning at 5:00 p.m. The JV1 team will head to East Troy for an afternoon tournament on August 24th. Rounding out the week of competition, the Varsity squad will head over to UWW for a Friday/Saturday tournament August 26 and 27.

To end a great first week of practice and competition, the entire volleyball family celebrated with a program lock-in at the High School. This included dancing, movie watching, snacks, games, and team bonding. What a great way to celebrate our first week of building our team culture for the season! Special thanks to Athletic Director, Mr. Crandall, and WHS Principal Mr. Mansky for affording us this opportunity.

Our theme this year is “All or Nothing…Contribute to the Culture.” We have many special events planned and hope to see you at our matches this season!

Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org

Whippet Cross Country Teams Holding Annual Water Softener Salt Fundraiser

The Whippet Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country Teams are once again selling water softener salt as the program’s fundraiser! This is a wildly popular event that you are missing out on if you haven’t tried it yet. Last year we delivered over 1,000 bags of salt in just over 2 hours!

It’s super simple and we do all the work! Purchase a minimum of 2 bags of your choice and we will deliver them to your house on the morning of September 10th. We can place them outside, in your garage, or even in your basement at your request. We will deliver even if you aren’t home on that date. A special thanks to Steve Johnson from Winchester True Value for partnering with us to make this possible!

Check out the flyer below and email Coach Carstens (ccarstens@wwusd.org) if you have any questions or would like to make a purchase. You can also purchase from a member of the CC team or pick up a flyer from Winchester True Value. We look forward to hearing from you!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RNE1_bdszMsmXri7aZB69flYgOB7PvX_9oLNju6_A0E/edit?usp=sharing

Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org

JV Tennis Hosts Annual Invitational

For the Whitewater High School JV Girls’ Tennis Team, pink shirts and tennis balls were the color of choice in hosting the Whitewater JV Invitational Tournament.

Tournament Participants

The event was held at the tennis courts of Whitewater High School and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on August 19. Participating in the tournament this year were teams from East Troy, Hartford Union, Beloit Memorial, Jefferson, Lodi, Union Grove, and Westosha Central High School.


WHS Head Coach Baron West along with JV Coach Stacey Hamman would like to thank all of the coaches and players for making this event possible.

Article and Photos Submitted by Greg Stewart
Whitewater High School
gstewart@wwusd.org

First Annual Tim Nelson Doubles Tournament a Success

Over the weekend of July 30, the Whitewater High School Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis Program sponsored the first annual Tim Nelson Doubles Tournament. It was a blast! Over 24 alumni participated in the inaugural event. The proceeds from the alumni tournament will go to the WHS Tennis Program.

The Whitewater community had the opportunity to watch some outstanding tennis. Congratulations to John Chenoweth and Tim Nelson, who won the event. A solid 2nd place finish went to the doubles team of Jim and Gina Foucault. Medalists include Elijah Grall, Colin Chenoweth, Sydney Treder, Hannah Delaney, Emilia Houwers, and Mariana Cano.

Jim and Gina Foucault
Tim Nelson and John Chenoweth

WHS Tennis Coach Baron West would like to thank all who attended and participated. He would also like everyone to know a date for next year’s alumni tournament. It will take place on July 22, 2023. All alumni and members of the WHS tennis community are welcome.

Article and Photos Submitted by Greg Stewart
WHS Staff Member and Former WHS Tennis Coach
gstewart@wwusd.org

UW-W Student Athlete Dies “Playing the game he loved” (Updated with comments by Coach Miller)

Source: UW-W Athletics

UW-Whitewater Athletics on July 25 announced via Twitter that they are mourning the loss of student-athlete Derek Gray, indicating he passed away “playing the game he loved.”

Gray played two seasons with the Warhawks and was named a first team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree this past season. He was also a standout player during his high school career at Madison La Follette.

Gray, a psychology major, passed away unexpectedly on July 24, 2022. 

The UW-Whitewater flag will fly at half-staff on Friday, July 29, 2022, in Derek’s memory. 

Update 7/27/22: Comments from Coach Pat Miller may be found in this article on Fox47 here.

United Hoops Tryouts for 2023 AAU Girls Basketball Season

United Hoops is holding tryouts for the 2023 AAU Girls Basketball season in late July; see photo for details.  The program was founded in 2020 and this past season offered teams for the graduating classes of 2024, 2027, and 2029. We intend to add teams at the 2028 & 2030 age levels in 2023.  Our teams are composed of athletes from Cambridge, Deerfield, East Troy, Elkhorn, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, McFarland, Milton, Stoughton, and Whitewater and we hope to add athletes from more communities to our program in the future. The 2029 team finished 2nd at the Blizzard Battle in Appleton, the 2027 team were tournament champions at the JAG Select Spring Showcase, the United Showdown, and the July Jamboree, while the 2024 team finished 2nd at the United Showdown and Cheesehead Challenge and 3rd at the WI Xtreme Summer Challenge. Teams practice in Cambridge and/or Whitewater while participating in 7-8 tournaments as the season runs from mid-March thru the end of July. Our focus as a program is skill development while preparing girls for high school basketball and providing our high school age athletes opportunities to compete in NCAA certified events during the live recruiting periods. For more information, please visit our website at www.unitedhoops.net. Tryout information is posted at www.unitedhoops.net/tryouts.

Eli Crogan, UW-W Men’s Basketball Coach 1970-74, Passes Away

Eli Crogan (Source: pn-fn.com)

Per an article in the July 18 Watertown Daily Times, Eli Crogan, [who coached men’s basketball at UW-W from 1970-74], and whose Hall of Fame coaching career for boys basketball included 22 seasons at Watertown High School, passed away at the age of 87 on Saturday.

Crogan suffered a stroke on Tuesday and died from complications according to his son, Craig.

His coaching career spanned 42 seasons and included several schools: Soldiers Grove (now North Crawford), Fennimore, Watertown, the men’s team at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Wayland Academy. His teams won 562 games and lost 320. This included 15 conference championships, 13 regional championships, two sectional championships and three trips to the state tournaments.

He was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1996. 

Warhawks Football Moving to 105.9 FM “The Hog”

Editor’s note: The following press release was provided by Big Radio.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Intercollegiate Athletics signed a two-year agreement with Big Radio to air Warhawks football games on 105.9 FM The Hog in Janesville beginning with the 2022 season.

“We are thrilled to partner with Big Radio and 105.9 The Hog to bring Warhawk fans audio coverage of all football games for the next two years,” UW-W Director of Athletics Ryan Callahan said. “UW-Whitewater football is a staple of our campus community, and we believe this collaboration will enhance the profile of the university and bring fans high-quality coverage of this nationally-renowned program.”

All home and away games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons will air live on 105.9 The Hog, which airs in Southern Wisconsin with coverage as far north as Madison and as far south as Rockford, Ill.

Game broadcasts will also be available online at 1059thehog.com and on the Big Radio App, which is available for download on Apple and Google Play devices.

“At Big Radio our commitment to local sports in our communities is unmatched,” Big Radio CEO Ben Thompson said. “We are thrilled to be the new home of UW-Whitewater football and further expand our commitment to sports.”

Josh Golberg (Source: WCLO.com)

Big Radio Sports Director Josh Golberg, a UW-Whitewater graduate, will handle play-by-play duties and will be joined on the broadcast by color analyst Bill O’Leary, a linebacker for the Warhawks from 1970-71. O’Leary served as head football coach at both Janesville Craig and Milton.

“Getting the opportunity to broadcast games for one of the top Division III programs in the country as an alumnus is thrilling on both a professional and personal level,” Golberg said. “Bill and I will try to bring as much energy, knowledge and entertainment as we can in support of the Warhawks.”

UW-Whitewater, a six-time NCAA Division III national champion, begins the 2022 season Sept. 3 at St. John’s (Minn.). The team’s home opener is scheduled for Sept. 10 against Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) for a rematch of last season’s national semifinal.

Longtime UW-Whitewater Supporter Tom Lange Passes Away

Tom Lange graphic July 2022

Editor’s note: The following announcement was received on July 19 from the UW-W Athletic Department.

Tom Lange, a longtime volunteer, contributor and fan for teams at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, passed away last week of natural causes at the age of 85.

Funeral arrangements are currently pending.

Lange, a 1997 Warhawk Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, contributed significantly to the success of UW-W athletics programs for nearly half a century as a public address announcer, booster club officer and volunteer.

“Tom Lange is a Warhawk,” UW-Whitewater Director of Athletics Ryan Callahan said. “He touched countless lives over his 40-plus years working with our athletic staff and teams, pouring his time and resources into our programs while asking for nothing in return.

“I am grateful to have personally known him for the last 20 years and will remember our numerous interactions and the laughs we shared the most. I know countless alumni and friends feel the pain of this loss, but I know that Tom lived a full and happy life in this community. We are lucky to have had him on our team for the last four decades and will miss him dearly.”

Most recently, Lange served as public address announcer for the UW-W wrestling and baseball teams. He also previously volunteered for men’s and women’s basketball games and for freshman football games and was an active member of the Quarterback Club and Tip-Off Club as a longtime Whitewater resident.

Lange attended countless athletics events over the last 45 years and was one of the Warhawks’ biggest supporters.

———-

“Tom’s legacy lives in all of us that were truly blessed to call him our friend. His passion for the Warhawks was second to none. That passion is why we are ‘Powered By Tradition.’” – Head Football Coach Kevin Bullis

“Tommy ‘The Kid’ Lange was a unique figure in Warhawk Athletics who enhanced the student-athlete experience through his daily endeavors and his announcing. Tommy built many long-lasting and meaningful relationships with athletes and coaches. His presence, laughter and one-liners will be missed by Warhawk Wrestling and the athletics department.” – Head Wrestling Coach Matt Zwaschka