The Whippet Swimmers traveled to Milton on Saturday, December 2nd to compete in the Tom Lieder Invitational. The Whippets placed 7th overall as a team.
The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team had an AMAZING night of racing at the Southern Lakes Conference Relay Championship Meet on Thursday, November 30th. The boys placed 5th overall as a team, two relay teams took home medals, and there were many impressive swims on the night!
Boys’ Swim Team
The night started off with the Medley Relay team of Onyx Thompson, David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, and Wyatt Esch. The boys each had impressive splits in their respective strokes, but most notable was Sam Nickelsburg’s 50 Fly with a time of 33.45 and Wyatt Esch’s 50 Freestyle of 32.63.
Miles Nickelsburg and Caleb Kluck joined David Enns and Sam Nickelsburg in the 200 Freestyle Relay. The boys had a fantastic race and out touched Burlington by 2 seconds to secure a 3rd place finish and were the first to take home some hardware for the Whippets!
Langdon Coburn, Jack Hefty, Myles Morse, and Cruz Aranda all teamed up to take on the 1000 Free Crescendo Relay and the 200 Butterfly Relay. They all had fantastic performances, placing 4th in the 1000 Free Relay with a time of 11:06.15 and 5th in the 200 Fly with a time of 1:56.98. Langdon Coburn had some impressive splits with 1:01.02 in his 100 FR and 27.15 in his 50 Fly.
The Whippets had two relays in the splash and dash of the evening. Each swimmer sprints one length of the pool for a total of 100 yards. Miles Nickelsburg, Onyx Thompson, Sam Nickelsburg, and David Enns won their heat and finished 7th overall with a time of 56.62. And Caleb Kluck, Angel Kilar, Wyatt Esch, and Isaac Straight all racing in their first meet ever, all swam a great race and placed 11th overall with a time of 1:08.77.
200 Freestyle Relay500 Freestyle Crescendo
Miles Nickelsburg, Jack Hefty, Cruz Aranda, and Myles Morse put on a stellar performance in the 500 Freestyle Crescendo, 50 -100-150-200, a very fun race to watch where they battled back and forth with Badger with only 4 seconds separating them. They were able to clinch a second-place finish and take home a medal!
The 400 Backstroke relay of Langdon Coburn, Sam Nickelsburg, Onyx Thompson, and Miles Nickelsburg secured a 7th place finish.
We finished out the night with our 400 Freestyle Relay of Caleb Kluck, Wyatt Esch, David Enns, and Angel Kilar. All had some great times and have made some serious improvements from their first timed 100 Freestyles at practice during the first week.
Now that the first meet jitters are out of the way, the boys are ready for their next races on Saturday, December 2nd at the Milton Invite. Racing starts at 10 a.m.; we hope to see you there!
Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach sreynolds@wwusd.org
By Angela Kelm Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Three members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team have earned All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association this season. Middle hitter Kirsten Anderson and outside hitter Jenna Weinfurt were Second Team honorees while libero Morgan Jensen added Honorable Mention recognition.
Anderson, now a two-time All-American (2022 Honorable Mention), led the nation in blocking nearly the entire season. The senior broke the UW-Whitewater single season record in total blocks with 163. She finished the 2023 campaign with the most blocks per set (1.42) of any player in Division III as the Warhawks led the nation in the statistic as a team averaging 2.75 blocks per set. In addition, Anderson was one of the most efficient hitters in the country ranking among the top 30 with an attack percentage of 35.9. Anderson was selected First Team All-Region and First Team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season. She held top ten marks in the conference in kills per set, aces per set, blocks per set and points per set. Anderson holds 361 career blocks in three seasons of play – a mark ranked 12th in the program record book.
Weinfurt claims her first All-America honor after securing First Team All-Region recognition and WIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The powerful outside is ranked 26th in Division III in kills per set (4.03) and 10th in total kills (463) this season. Weinfurt reached the 1,000 career kill milestone during the 2023 campaign and currently holds 1,150 kills in three seasons – 14th in the program record book. She also set the program record for attack attempts in a match (73) and is second in both kills (463) and attacks in a season (1,293) in UWW history.
Jensen, a two-time WIAC Defensive Player of the Year (2023, 2021), was selected as Honorable Mention All-America this season. The conference’s top libero ranked 26th in Division III in total digs (589). Jensen averaged over five digs per set this season, the most for a libero in the WIAC. She reached the 2,000 career dig milestone this season and ended her career with 2,287 – fifth-most for a Warhawk in program history. Jensen was the second-best server in the league this season with 56 aces. Her 197 service aces in four seasons is seventh-most in program history.
The 2023 Warhawk volleyball team posted the most wins in a season, 28, since 2016. UWW made the program’s 34th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament where they advanced to the regional final.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team heads to Waverly, Iowa to take on the Wartburg College Knights in NCAA Quarterfinal action this Saturday (December 2). Kickoff at Walston-Hoover Stadium is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Tickets will be sold on site on Saturday. Prices are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students and youth. There is no charge for parking at Wartburg. A designated area in Lot D will be for UW-Whitewater fans to tailgate.
UWW’S PLAYOFF PATH
The Warhawks claimed one of four at-large bids into the 2023 NCAA Division III Playoffs – a 16th appearance in the postseason since 2005. With one of the toughest strengths of schedule in Division III, UWW will face a ranked (includes a team receiving votes) opponent for the eighth time this season on Saturday. UW-Whitewater, a six-time Stagg Bowl winner, is 60-12 in the playoffs in program history.
In last week’s second round matchup against Wheaton, the Warhawks came back from a 14-point deficit to defeat the Thunder 49-42. The Warhawks scored 21 consecutive points to reclaim the lead 35-28 before adding two scores just 21 seconds apart in the fourth to widen the gap to 49-35. In that burst of scores, Tamir Thomas (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) hauled in a six-yard touchdown. Egon Hein (St. Charles, Ill./North) intercepted a pass on Wheaton’s first play and Thomas followed with a 20-yard run on the very next snap for the quick 14-point swing.
Alec Ogden (Marshall, Wis./Monona Grove) was 15-25 for 239 yards and four touchdown passes. He added 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Tommy Coates (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) had a phenomenal outing with 169 yards on eight receptions including a pair of scores while Thomas registered 224 yards on 28 carries with two rushing TDs.
Defensively, Joey Antonietti (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) posted 11 tackles while Ethan Gallagher (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township) added nine with three passes broken up and a QB hurry.
HOW WARTBURG GOT HERE
The Knights rolled through the American Rivers Conference (8-0) to claim the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Playoffs. Wartburg is making its 16th, and second consecutive, appearance in the postseason.
Last week, Wartburg scored 35 consecutive points to build a 42-6 lead over Whitworth heading into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Nile McLaughlin was 25-31 for 352 yards and four passing touchdowns in the win. Drake George was his favorite target with 124 yards on nine catches including a pair of TDs. On the ground, Hunter Clasen posted 82 yards on 18 carries.
Defensively, Owen Grover had eight tackles and two quarterback hurries while Preston Rochford hauled in an interception and added a pass break up.
This is the third meeting between the Warhawks and Knights and the first host by Wartburg College. UWW is 3-0 in the series that features only postseason matchups.
By Angela Kelm Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
The No. 6 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team cruised to a 79-33 win over Concordia Wisconsin Wednesday night in Kachel Gym. The Warhawks remain undefeated on the season, 7-0.
Following a rough first quarter for both offenses – UWW shot just 15.8 percent and CUW hit 23.1-percent from the field – the Warhawks turned it on for the rest of the game shooting above 45-percent from the floor and a blistering 70.6-percent (12-17) from three-point range in each quarter.
Bri McCurdy sparked the offense with a three-pointer 15 seconds into the period. After a Falcon layin, Aleah Grundahl got it done on the offensive glass with a put back that started a 10-point Warhawk run. Grundahl hit another layup while Katie Hildebrandt nailed a triple and McCurdy dropped in another from long range in the scoring burst.
Concordia Wisconsin narrowed the gap to seven, 23-16, with just under two minutes to go before the break. The Warhawks closed the half with a Kacie Carollo layup and a Maggie Trautsch three-pointer to take a 28-16 lead into the locker room.
UW-Whitewater’s offense continued to surge outscoring the Falcons 25-10 in the third quarter to open up a 53-26 lead heading into the final quarter. The margin was extended further as UWW outpaced CUW 26-7 in the fourth.
The Warhawks were phenomenal from the floor in the final three quarters shooting 57.1, 46.7 and 64.3-percent from the field in the last 30 minutes of action. In that span, UWW hit 12-17 from three-point range.
UWW shot 43.5-percent from the floor and 48-percent from downtown in the game while hitting 13-14 from the free throw line. The Warhawk defense held the Falcons to 29.5-percent from the floor, 18.2-percent from deep and just 5-10 from the charity stripe.
Hildebrandt led all players with 18 points bolstered by 4-7 from three-point range. She added four assists and two blocks. Grundahl added 14 points and hauled in seven boards adding a game-high four steals. Trautsch hit 3-5 from beyond the arc for 11 points adding seven rebounds and three steals. Carollo wrapped up the double-digit scorers with 10 while notching a game-high seven assists.
Whitewater beat Burlington 39-34 in non-conference girls’ basketball action at Whitewater High School on Tuesday, November 28.
Calli Grosinske was the leading Whippet scorer with 14 points.
Whitewater jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, but Burlington went on a 16-7 run to tie it up at halftime. Whitewater led most of the second half until Burlington took a 33-32 lead with 1:40 to play in the game. Whitewater scored on the next possession to go up 34-33 but Burlington had a shot to tie it with about 5 seconds remaining.
Whitewater hosts Monroe in a Rock Valley Conference game on Thursday night, November 30, and then goes on the road at Parker on December 5 and East Troy on December 8.
Article Submitted by Mike Dowden Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach dowmi01@wwusd.org File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Jameer Barker Driving to the Hoop | Credit Dane Sheehan
By Broderick P. Frye Asst. Sports Information Director
The (#1) University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Men’s basketball team (5-1) battled from behind against (RV) Carthage (5-1) on Tuesday night, but the Firebirds had the final say, closing out the game with perfect free throws to pick up a 77-73 win.
The first half was back and forth, with neither team grabbing a strong hold on the game. The Warhawks had their largest lead of 8 with 6 minutes left to go in the half (20-12). But Carthage closed the gap, making it a 2-point game at halftime, 29-27.
After the break, the Firebirds torched the scoreboard, making three-ball after three-ball. With their shooting, Carthage put together a 32-10 run on the back of 4-for-5 from deep to go up by 17 with only 8 minutes remaining.
But the Warhawks kept fighting for the win, slowly chipping away at the lead. With just under 5 minutes left, UW-Whitewater exploded on offense, with Miles Barnstable (Sheboygan, Wis./Howards Grove) connecting with Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) for three to close the Firebird lead to just nine points.
The Warhawks forced four turnovers over the next two minutes and capitalized on each opportunity. Barnstable took his steal coast-to-coast for a lay-up, Jameer Barker (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine’s) came up with a huge steal that led to a Chislom fast-break dunk, and Elijah Lambert (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine’s) got his own lay-up off his steal. On the back of a 17-4 run, the lead was cut to just 4 points in a matter of minutes.
With 2:30 left on the clock, Chislom connected on an and-1 play, bringing the game within one point at 65-66.
On the next offensive possession, Lambert made a great selfless play. Lambert caught the ball at the top of the key, wide open. Lambert lined up his shot, but as soon as the Carthage defense collapsed on him, Lambert kicked it over to Miles Barnstable (Sheboygan, Wis./Howards Grove) who hit the open three to put the Warhawks up by one at 68-67.
In the last minute, Carthage closed out the win from the free throw line. Making all 10 of their free throw attempts to hold on to their lead.
UW-Whitewater was led by Jameer Barker (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine’s) and Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland), each with 21 points. Barker added three assists, four rebounds, and two steals to his stat line and Chislom pulled down 4 rebounds.
Miles Barnstable (Sheboygan, Wis./Howards Grove) had a double-double, scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds. Barnstable also was strong defensively, recording two steals and a block.
The Warhawks return to action against Hope next week. The men’s team will travel to Holland, Michigan on December 6th for the 7 PM (ET) contest.
By Chris Lindeke Marketing and Communications Manager University Marketing and Communications
The Team USA men pose with their QUALIFIED invitations to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games following their win in the 2023 Parapan Games final against Columbia.
Behind strong performances from current and former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student-athletes, the Team USA wheelchair basketball men’s and women’s teams each captured a gold medal and punched their ticket to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris over the weekend at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The men secured first place with a convincing 81-45 victory against Colombia in the championship game to finish an impressive 5-0 showing at the tournament. Team USA raced out to a 26-7 lead in the first quarter and didn’t look back. Jake Williams, a former player and the current head coach for the UW-Whitewater men’s team, led the team with 24 points.
Current Warhawks AJ Fitzpatrick and Talen Jourdan, former Warhawk and current staff member John Boie, and former Warhawk and current graduate student Jeromie Meyer were also part of the gold medal-winning performance.
The Team USA women pose with their QUALIFIED invitations to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games following their win in the 2023 Parapan Games final against Canada. (International Wheelchair Basketball Federation photo)
Former Warhawks Lindsay Zurbrugg and Rebecca Murray were among four Team USA players in double figures in scoring, together accounting for 27 points in the team’s 62-56 victory. Former Warhawk Josie DeHart was also a part of the gold medal run.
The 2024 Paralympic Games are scheduled from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. Williams and Boie won gold as members of Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Williams was a part of the gold medal-winning Team USA at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Murray’s dominating performance led the women’s Team USA to gold, also at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
The Warhawk men’s and women’swheelchair basketball teams begin the 2023-24 season this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2, with a home tournament at the Williams Center.
UW-Whitewater is recognized consistently for exceptional programming and outcomes for students with disabilities. The Warhawk men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams are club sports that compete nationally.
The Warhawk men’s team has won 13 national championships since 1982, while the women have claimed three national titles. Several of each program’s alums are Paralympic medalists.
