Sports

Whippet Girls Hold On to Defeat Burlington

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

Men’s BB Recap: UWW 73, CAR 77

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.

Warhawk Men, Women Earn Gold for Team USA at Parapan Games

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)
 

The Team USA women avenged two consecutive losses against Canada with a win in the final to claim their spot in Paris next summer, finishing off an unbeaten week in Santiago.

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’s wheelchair 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.

Girls Open Conference Basketball Season with Victory

The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team won their conference opener on Tuesday night, November 21, with a 50-42 win at Delavan-Darien High School.

Katie Gillette

The Whippets jumped out to an early lead, but the game was within single digits for most of the night.

Calli Grosinske and Mayte Navejas had a few key steals late in the second half to break the game open and secure the win. 

Article Submitted by Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka

UW-W Women’s Basketball Improves to 6-0

Grand Rapids, Mich. — The No. 9 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team topped Calvin University 64-55 on the road Saturday afternoon. 

Box Score
The Warhawks came back from an early deficit to take a narrow lead, 32-30 at halftime. The Knights registered the first bucket of the second half, but Aleah Grundahl responded with an old-fashioned three-point play to give UWW a 35-32 lead. A pair of Mallory Oloffson free throws extended the lead to five, but Calvin used a triple and a free throw to pull within one, 37-36, with under four to go in the quarter. 

The Knights knotted the game 41-41 with 1:59 on the scoreboard. Kacie Carollo reclaimed the advantage for UW-Whitewater with two more free throws and the Warhawks never trailed the rest of the way. Grundahl dropped in one more free throw before the teams went into the final quarter with UWW leading 44-41. 

UW-Whitewater tallied the first six points of the fourth. Grundahl hit a layup and Maggie Trautsch followed with a rare four-point play to widen the margin to 50-41. After a Calvin layin, Grundahl scored the next six points of the game to give UW-Whitewater the largest lead of the game, 56-43, with 6:25 remaining. The lead hovered near double figures the rest of the way.

The Warhawks outscored Calvin 20-14 in the final quarter bolstered by a 9-4 sway in free throws. For the game, UWW was 21-30 compared to 15-20 for the Knights. 

Grundahl led all players with 21 points on 7-17 from the field and 7-9 from the free throw line. She added nine rebounds, a block and a pair of steals. Carollo added 19 points on 6-16 from the floor and 6-8 from the charity stripe while adding eight boards and four assists. Oloffson rounded out the double-digit scorers for UWW with 10 points bolstered by a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. 

Men’s BB Final: UWW 77, Ripon 56

By Broderick P. Frye
Asst. Sports Information Director

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team picked up their first road win of the year, improving to 5-0. The Warhawks defeated Ripon 77-56 in the Saturday afternoon match-up.

Straight out of the gates, the Warhawks jumped up to a 7-0 lead before Ripon scored their first basket. The Warhawks led by 11, at 16-5 about halfway through the first, but a string of turnovers led to the Red Hawks tying the game up at 19 a piece at the under eight media.

Ripon used the momentum to put together a 12-0 run and went up by five (24-19), their largest lead of the game, but the Warhawks battled back, regaining the lead and going up by five before the end of the half, 34-29. 

After the break, UW-Whitewater outpaced the Red Hawks, putting together a string of runs to go ahead by double digits. The Red Hawks tried closing the gap hitting three-pointers, but the Warhawk lead never dropped below double-digits, cruising to the 77-56 victory. 

Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) led the way with scoring, putting up 20 points and also pulling down 8 rebounds. James Kelley (Milwaukee, WI/St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy) added 12 points of his own, with Miles Barnstable (Sheboygan, Wis./Howards Grove) chipping in 11. Carter Capstran (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) nearly had a double-double, with 10 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.

As a team, the Warhawks shot 50.9% (28-for-55) from the floor with an impressive second half (53.8% from the floor). Ripon only shot 32.7% from the floor (18-for-55). UW-Whitewater heavily outrebounded the Red Hawks, pulling down 40 rebounds to Ripon’s 24. 

Next for men’s basketball is another road game, heading to Kenosha to take on Carthage on November 28th at 7:00 p.m. The Firebirds are ranked 18th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, but a new poll comes out on November 27th, the day before the matchup. 

UW-W Football Defeats Wheaton to Advance to NCAA Quarterfinal

Tommy Coates runs away from a Wheaton defender for a touchdown while teammates celebrate on the sideline (Larry Radloff, d3photo)

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team defeated Wheaton College 49-42 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs Saturday at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks advance to face Wartburg in the quarterfinals Saturday, December 2 – location of the game has yet to be announced by the NCAA. 

Box Score

UW-Whitewater will compete in the quarterfinals for the 14th time since 2005 — the Warhawks are 13-1 in quarterfinal games in that span. Wartburg advanced with a 42-20 win over Whitworth Saturday. The other three quarterfinal matchups feature North Central and UW-La Crosse, Alma and Cortland and Johns Hopkins and Randolph-Macon. 

Wheaton won the shirtless “contest.” For much of the last quarter, 12 of their men cheered on their team while braving the chilly temperature. [Lynn Binnie photos]



Editor’s note: Virtually all of the crowd stayed through the entire cold game. At kickoff the temperature was 28 degrees with a cloudy sky and southwest winds at 6 mph.

Saturday’s game at Perkins Stadium was a back-and-forth affair that ended with a number of career highs for Warhawks in all facets of the game. Offensively, Tommy Coates had a phenomenal outing with a career-best 169 yards bolstered by a career long 56-yard reception. Quarterback Alec Ogden registered four passing touchdowns, matching his career high, for the second straight week. Tamir Thomas posted career highs in rushing attempts (28), rushing yards (224) and receiving touchdowns (2). 

Defensively, Ethan Gallagher improved his career high for tackles in a game to nine. In special teams play, Kamrin Hutt added a career-long 57-yard punt in the contest. 

It all started on the Warhawks’ first drive of the game. Similar to last week, UWW got on the board early. This time, Thomas capitalized on the good field position after a short Wheaton punt with a 56-yard run on the second play of the game for the Warhawk offense. Jeff Isotalo-McGuire split the uprights and the scoreboard read 7-0 in favor of UWW less than three minutes into the game. 

The Thunder responded with a 13-play, 73-yard touchdown drive as Wheaton punched it in from a yard out to knot the game 7-7. 

UW-Whitewater marched down the field on the next drive as Thomas had a pair of big plays to open the possession. He registered an 11-yard scamper on the first play and hauled in a 29-yard catch to set up UWW at the Wheaton 29. A couple of 13-yard gains on a Coates reception and Alijah Maher-Parr run had the Warhawks enjoying first and goal from the two. Ogden crossed the line with a big push from the offensive line for a 14-7 UWW lead. 

Wheaton continued the scoring flurry with a 55-yard touchdown pass to tie the game once again before the end of the quarter. The Thunder owned the second quarter adding two more scores while the Wheaton defense held the Warhawks off the board. WC scored on a 44-yard and 18-yard receptions to take a 28-14 lead at the intermission. 

UW-Whitewater came out of the locker room determined. The Warhawks needed just four plays to narrow the gap with Ogden hitting Coates for a 50-yard score on the first drive. 

The UWW defense held, and Mason Stepanski burst around the end of the line to block the punt on fourth-and-nine. The kick caromed out of bounds just four yards from the line of scrimmage after Stepanski got a piece of it to bring the Warhawk offense back out at the UWW 43. The Thunder defense held forcing a three-and-out, but the Warhawk coaching staff had a nifty play call on fourth. The punt team initially lined up but sprinted off the field as the offense came on forcing the Thunder to call a timeout early in the half. Hutt came on to punt after the brief break in play and his 29-yard punt hit the back of a Thunder special teams player. Karsten Libby jumped on the live ball and out came the Warhawk offense with fantastic field possession at the Wheaton 23. 

This time, UW-Whitewater capitalized as Ogden hit Tyler Vasey for 14 yards. Thomas took the handoff up the middle for five yards before hauling in a dart from Ogden from the four-yard line to tie the game 28-28. 

A pair of punts wrapped up the third quarter, but the Warhawks added on the first play of the fourth. Ogden dropped back and went deep down the middle hitting Coates in stride as two defenders upended each other leaving Coates with a wide-open view of the endzone. The 56-yard touchdown gave UWW a 35-28 lead. 

The Thunder responded with a huge 48-yard run off the right side of the line to open their next drive. A few plays later, Wheaton receiver Ben Bonga made a great diving catch in the endzone from 14-yards out to even the game, 35-35, with 12:27 to go. 

UWW went 65-yards in 10 plays to reclaim the lead as Thomas tallied his second receiving touchdown of the game, this one from six yards out. Egon Hein brought the offense right back onto the field with an interception on Wheaton’s next play. His 20-yard return set up UWW at the Wheaton 20. The handoff went to Thomas and he burst through the line and up the middle for a 20-yard score on the very next play to give UW-Whitewater a two-touchdown lead, 49-35. 

Wheaton did not fold – marching 67-yards on 10 plays to pull within seven with less than four minutes left. 

The Warhawks top hands crew went out for the probably onside kick. The call was right and Vasey reined in the bouncing kick at the Wheaton 47-yard line. A few plays later, facing third-and-four, a facemask penalty on Wheaton extended the Warhawk drive. UWW ended up turning the ball over on downs despite a personal foul call on the fourth down play giving Wheaton 21 seconds to drive 96 yards. 

On the first play, a short completion was followed by a series of laterals for a 41-yard gain leaving enough time for one last play. Gallagher broke up the deep ball to seal the win. 

Ogden was 15-25 for 239 yards and four passing touchdowns. He added 73 rushing yards and another touchdown. Coates led the receiving corps with 169 yards on eight catches including a pair of scores. Thomas averaged eight-yards a carry with 224 on 28 attempts. 

Joey Antonietti led the defense with 11 tackles. Cole Yocum had UWW’s lone sack of the day. Gallagher ended up with three passes broken up and a quarterback hurry to go along with nine tackles. 

Whitewater’s brave, shirtless men only numbered about eight

Five Warhawks representing Team USA at Parapan Games; Update: Women & Men Take Gold

Update 11/25 @ 6:45 p.m.: The men took the gold medal vs. Columbia, 81-45.

Editor’s note: The following press release was issued on Wednesday, November 22. The following is the status of the competition since that date:
Men’s: On Wednesday the team defeated Chile by a score of 88 to 14 in the quarterfinal. On Friday they defeated Argentina in the semifinal, 88 to 54. The team will compete versus Columbia at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the gold medal match.
Women’s: On Thursday in the semifinal the team defeated Brazil by a score of 60 to 30. In the gold medal match versus Canada on Friday, USA took home the gold by a score of 62 to 56.
By the way, the image on the homepage is from a competition in 2021.

By Chris Lindeke
University Marketing and Communications

Five members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater family continue competition on a world stage this week as they represent Team USA wheelchair basketball at the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

AJ Fitzpatrick and Talen Jourdan, current members of the Warhawk men’s wheelchair basketball team, and Jake Williams, a former Warhawk and current head coach of the men’s team, are members of the men’s team.

The Team USA men are 3-0 after group stage games and will play in a quarterfinal against Chile today [November 22] at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

Williams, who earned a BSE in physical education in 2015, was a member of the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2022 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championships and claimed gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and 2016 Rio Paralympics. He was a member of the 2019 team that won gold at the Parapan Games in Lima, Peru.

Jourdan is a senior studying general business, while Fitzpatrick is a sophomore majoring in human performance. Like Williams, Jourdan was a member of the 2022 IWBF World Championships gold medal team. Fitzpatrick is competing internationally for the first time after earning a spot on the Intercollegiate Division All-Rookie Team as a freshman at UW-Whitewater in 2022-23.

Josie DeHart and Rebecca Murray, who attended UW-Whitewater and competed for the Warhawk women’s wheelchair basketball team, will play for the women’s team. The U.S. women are also 3-0 after group play and will play in a semifinal against Brazil on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

DeHart, who is originally from Fruita, Colorado, attended the university from 2018 to 2022 and earned a BSE in physical education.

Murray graduated in 2014 with a BSE in special education and has enjoyed a successful career in wheelchair basketball, having previously won Parapan medals in 2007 and 2011. In 2021, the Germantown native earned an ESPY Award for Best Athlete with a Disability in Women’s Sports.

All five athletes were selected to their teams by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee following selection camps over the summer in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

View the entire competition schedule here.

Fans can follow the games live by visiting the Parapan American Games webpage.

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.

Football Preview: 2nd Round NCAA Playoff at Home vs. Wheaton – Saturday

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team will host the Wheaton College Thunder Saturday, November 25 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m.

GAMEDAY INFO
Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day of the game. $14 for Adults,  $10 Over 65 / Students and youth 5-18, Free kids under 5 (no ticket needed) Click here to buy tickets. 

Parking is cashless $10/$15 – it is recommended fans purchase parking in advance. Click here to purchase parking. 

IN THE POLLS
UWW: #5 D3football.com (Prev: 5) / #5 American Football Coaches Association (Prev: 6)
WC: #10 / #12

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 59-12 in the playoffs in program history.

The Warhawks set the tone early in last week’s 42-14 win over Bethel. UWW needed just three plays in its first drive to get on the scoreboard as Alec Ogden (Marshall, Wis./Monona Grove) hit Steven Hein (St. Charles, Ill./North) in stride for a 49-yard touchdown. Two drives later, Ogden found Nick Wind (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic) for a 32-yard scoring strike. Then, in the first play of the second quarter, Tommy Coates (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) hauled in a pass from Ogden for a 19-yard touchdown and a 21-0 UW-Whitewater lead. The Royals were able to get on the board twice, each time the Warhawks had the response scoring three much TDs in the second half.

Ogden was efficient completing 11-of-15 for 218 yards and four passing touchdowns without throwing an interception. He spread the ball around hitting six different receivers. Tamir Thomas (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) was the leading rusher with 168 yards on 13 carries including a pair of rushing touchdowns. Hawk Heffner (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) led the defense with nine tackles.

HOW WHEATON GOT HERE
The Thunder also received an at-large bid into the playoffs. Wheaton defeated Mount St. Joseph in their first round matchup 41-34 in Wheaton. The Thunder put up 564 yards of total offense – 302 on the ground and 262 over the air.

Giovanni Weeks led the Thunder with four touchdowns in the game. He took 38 of Wheaton’s 58 handoffs running for 256 yards. Defensively, linebackers Caleb McClung, Johnny Eller and Lawson Haigler each registered six tackles.

ON THE AIR
Saturday’s game will air live online on the WIAC Network. The contest can be heard on 105.9 FM The Hog in the Whitewater area, or online at www.1059thehog.com.

SERIES
This is the fifth meeting between the Warhawks and Thunder. UW-Whitewater holds a 4-0 record over Wheaton. The last matchup was also a second round playoff game as UWW won 31-17 on November 28, 2015 at McCully Stadium in Wheaton.

Local Student Named to UW-W Women’s Swimming & Diving Team

Brianna Zimdars from Whitewater, WI, who is studying Business at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has earned a roster spot on the Warhawk women’s swimming and diving team for the 2023-24 season.

The Warhawks finished fourth at last year’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships. UW-Whitewater is coached by Elise Knoche, who enters her sixth season at the helm of the program. The team garnered the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America Award for the 10th straight season in 2022-23.

For the full 2023-24 schedule, visit https://uwwsports.com/sports/womens-swimming-and-diving/schedule.