Sports

UW-W Football Shuts Out Blugolds 59-0

Tamir Thomas scores on an 85-yard run on the second play of the game (Olivia Zinanni)

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team shut out UW-Eau Claire 59-0 in the team’s regular season finale at Perkins Stadium Saturday. The Warhawks honored 13 seniors prior to the game as part of UWW’s annual Senior Day sponsored by Educators Credit Union. In addition to the seniors, UW-Whitewater recognized current and former military members and a special captain presented by Shriners Hospitals for Children. 

Box Score

UW-Whitewater wrapped up the regular season with a 9-1 record. As the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runner-up, the Warhawks will await word on postseason play. The NCAA Division III football selection show will be aired live on ncaa.com Sunday (Nov. 12) at 4 p.m.

The Warhawks put up over 660 yards of offense while the defense held the Blugolds to just 175 in the game. In a phenomenal regular season finale, well over half of UWW’s 107-player roster saw the field in the game. 

UW-Whitewater won the toss and elected to receive, a choice that allowed them to set the tone early. On the second play from scrimmage, Tamir Thomas (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) took the handoff and burst through the middle of the line untouched. He ran away from the defense for the 85-yard touchdown run — his career long. The drive took less than 20 seconds – and it wasn’t the shortest for UWW. 

After UWEC turned the ball over on downs at the UWW32, the Warhawks ran the same scoring play with the exact same result. Thomas burst through the line and pulled away from defenders for a 68-yard scoring run. Just over five minutes into the game, UW-Whitewater held a 14-0 lead and the Warhawks never looked back. 

UWW added two more scores in the first quarter with Brian Stanton (Plainfield, Ill./South) hauling in a 32-yard pass from Jason Ceniti (Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial) for his first career receiving touchdown and Thomas registering his third rushing TD of the game, this time on a 17-yard carry. 

In the second, Jeff Isotalo-McGuire split the uprights on a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-0. Alec Ogden (Marshall, Wis./Monona Grove) added an 11-yard rushing touchdown and Stanton capped the first half with a career-long 70-yard touchdown run to give the Warhawks a 45-0 lead at the intermission. 

Ceniti found Patrick Lippe (Port Washington, Wis./Port Washington) wide open in the end zone from 22-yards out for the lone score of the third and Darrick Hill (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) rounded out the scoring with a 14-yard run late in the fourth for the final. 

The Warhawks held true to their tradition of pounding the rock – accumulating 472 rushing yards in the contest. Thomas posted 191 on seven carries while Stanton added 99 on six rushes. Nine Warhawks tallied carries in the game. 

Ceniti and Ogden combined to go 15-24 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Lippe was the top target with 60 yards on four catches. Eight Warhawks registered at least one catch in the game. 

Defensively, Joey Antonietti (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) led UWW with seven tackles while 28 Warhawks wrote their name in the defensive stats with at least one tackle. 

No. 2 UW-W Men’s Basketball Opens Season with Win

Warhawk bench celebrates a three-pointer (Dane Sheehan)

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

The No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a big win at home, defeating Gustavus Adolphus College 88-59. The win marked the first at the helm for head coach Jarod Wichser. The Warhawks will wrap up the Tip-Off Classic sponsored by Holiday Inn – Fort Atkinson against Saint Mary’s (MN) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Kachel Gym. 

Box Score

Attached Photo: Warhawk bench celebrates a three-pointer (Dane Sheehan)

The first half was a battle. The Warhawks opened up a 10-point lead early as Miles Barnstable dropped in nine to lead UWW to a 15-5 lead six minutes into play.

The Gusties worked their way back into the game with a 14-4 run that knotted the contest 31-31 with three minutes remaining. Gustavus Adolphus ended up taking the lead 36-33. 

Trevon Chislom knocked down a floater for the final score of the half to cut the deficit to one, 36-35, at the intermission. 

The Warhawks regained the lead and widened their advantage in the first few minutes of the second half. By the 11:29 mark, UWW had reclaimed a double-digit advantage, 55-44. The gap never dipped below seven the rest of the way.

The UWW faithful were loud throughout but especially late in the second half as the Warhawks held the Gusties scoreless for nearly three minutes while the offense went on an 11-0 run. The burst gave UW-Whitewater an 82-56 lead with just over three minutes remaining. 

Barnstable led all scorers with 24 points on 8-10 from the field including 3-4 from beyond the arc and 5-7 from the free throw line. He added a pair of assists and three blocks. Kelley posted 21 points, also hitting 8-10 from the floor with 2-3 from three-point range. He added a team-high nine rebounds. 

Chislom and Delvin Barnstable rounded out the Warhawks who registered double figures in the scoring column with 16 and 11 respectively. Jameer Barker ran the offense dishing out eight assists with a block and three steals. 

UW-W Women’s Basketball Opens Season with Win

Archived photo of Aleah Grundahl from an exhibition game against the Badgers this season (Tapan Shah)

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

Stevens Point, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team opened the 2023-24 campaign with a gritty 65-62 win over Concordia-Moorhead in their first game of the Tip-Off Classic hosted by UW-Stevens Point Friday. The No. 9 Warhawks return to action Saturday in Stevens Point against St. Norbert College at 1 p.m. 

Box Score

Senior forward Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) got UW-Whitewater off to a great start hitting seven of her first eight shots to post 14 points in the first quarter. The Cobbers narrowed the gap by outscoring the Warhawks each of the next two quarters to bring the score to 44-43 in favor of UWW heading into the fourth. 

By the fourth, fouls became a big issue for both teams. In the final period of play, the squads sent a player to the line a total of 20 times with 17 of the 40 points in the quarter coming from the charity stripe. 

The teams traded buckets through the first half of the final quarter until UWW went on an 8-0 run to take a 60-55 lead with 3:17 remaining. Concordia whittled the lead away by way of the free throw line and tied the game at 62 with 25 seconds left. The Warhawks ran 18 seconds off the clock until the Cobbers fouled. Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) knocked down both from the charity stripe with seven seconds left. 

Concordia called timeout and advanced the ball to center court. Their final possession ended in a charge call with two seconds left. One final trip to the line for Grundahl gave the Warhawks the final, 65-62. 

Fouls were a big part of the game with 25 whistles on UWW and 20 on Concordia. The Warhawks hit 14-17 from the line while the Cobbers were 19-23. UW-Whitewater held a hefty advantage in points in the paint, 36-26. 

Grundahl led all players with 21 points on 9-13 from the floor. She added three rebounds and four steals. Carollo ended with 15, bolstered by a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe adding seven assists and four steals in the contest. Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) wrapped up the double-digit scorers with 14 on 4-7 from the field, 2-3 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the free throw line. Mallory Oloffson (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) led UWW under the rim with six boards. 

Whitewater High School Football Banquet

All Conference Award Winners Pictured left to right, Mi’shaun Harris, Ivan Gonzalez, Jesus Barajas, Nate Black, Ethan Barels, Ty Hagedorn, Casey Lyon.

Sunday, November 5 the Whitewater High School Football Team held its end of season banquet and awards presentation.

The following student athletes received All Conference Honors…
Nate Black 1st Team Wide Receiver
Casey Lyon 2nd Team Linebacker
Mi’shaun Harris 2nd Team Cornerback
Ethan Barels 2nd Team Offensive line
Ty Hagedorn Honorable Mention
Ivan Gonzales Honorable Mention
Jesus Barajas Honorable Mention.

Head Coach Samuel Bartlett also presented the following players with team awards…
MVP Offense – Nate Black
MVP Defense – Nate Black
JV Whippet Award – Edrick Camacho
Varsity Whippet Award – David Rubio
ACE Award – Jesus Barajas

Coach Bartlett would like to thank his assistant coaches, Shawn Hagedorn, Dan Lindsey, John Schimming, Garret Junemann, Michael Maas and the equipment manager Dan Comfort for all of their hard work this season.

Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by Shelly Black.

Bazeley Breaks Four School Records on Way to State

Wow…all we can say is wow! The Whitewater Girls’ Swim Team showed up to compete at Sectionals on Saturday, November 4 at Sauk Prairie with a majority of best times and an individual ticket to STATE! 

✨The 200 Medley Relay consisting of Georgia Esch, Atreya Wilson, Lucy Davis, and Payton Peacock started off the meet with a major time drop of 8 seconds. They paved the way for a very successful day of competition! 

200 Freestyle – 

✨Lucy Davis and Atreya Wilson went head to head in their heat and both kept an impressive pace. 

✨STATE QUALIFIER and NEW SCHOOL RECORD HOLDER, Makayla Bazeley with a time of 1:56.41. 

200 IM – 

✨ Emerson Dunham dropped 2 seconds to go a time of 2:34.06 which placed her 15th overall 

50 Freestyle – 

✨Maggie Maas joins the Under 30 club with a time of 29.08

✨ Charlotte Hajewski dropped 1 second to go a time of 30.03. She is milliseconds away from joining the Under 30 Club with her lane mate! 

✨ Adalynn Frye drops nearly 2 seconds going a season best time of 31.98

✨ Payton Peacock went a 32.98 by dropping nearly 3 seconds 

✨ Georgia Esch finishes up the 50 Freestyle best times with a time of 34.88

100 Butterfly – 

✨NEW SCHOOL RECORD HOLDER and STATE QUALIFIER, Makayla Bazeley with a 3rd place finish and a time of 58.86

100 Freestyle –

✨Adalynn Frye dropped 4 seconds with a time of 1:15.11

✨ Payton Peacock dropped 5 seconds with a time of 1:15.43

✨ Georgia Esch dropped 3 seconds with a time of 1:17.12

500 Freestyle –

✨ Emerson Dunham had an 8th place finish by breaking a 6-minute hurdle. She dropped 9 seconds and earned herself a time of 5:56.42

✨Charlotte Hajewski finished 1st in heat with a time of 6:25.31. She dropped 6 seconds overall! 

✨Lucy Davis dropped 7 seconds and earned herself a season best time of 6:50.94

✨200 Freestyle Relay of Makayla Bazeley, Maggie Maas, Charlotte Hajewski, and Emerson Dunham vested their seed time by 4 seconds. Makayla Bazeley continues the record-breaking streak by breaking the SCHOOL RECORD in the 50 Freestyle by going a time of 24.91 in lead off leg of the relay!

100 Backstroke – 

✨Maggie Maas finishes 16th overall with a 1 second drop going a time of 1:15.08

100 Breaststroke – 

✨Atreya Wilson pushed passed the 1:30 mark with a time of 1:29.66. This is an impressive time drop with a 6 second difference. 

✨400 Freestyle Relay team of Makayla Bazeley, Emerson Dunham, Charlotte Hajewski, and Maggie Maas went a time of 4:06.39 which is a 10 second time drop from their seeded time! And yet again, Makayla Bazeley in the lead off breaks another SCHOOL RECORD in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.74! 

Overall the team dropped over 1 minute and 28 seconds. Wow…just wow, what a way to finish out the season! 

Makayla Bazeley will be competing at the Girls Swim State Championship on Friday (11/10) at 5:30 p.m. at Waukesha South High School. Come cheer her on as she swims the 200 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly!

Makayla Bazeley

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

UW-W Football Shuts Down Point 48-0

By Angela Kelm
Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

Stevens Point, Wis. — Warhawk Football Recap Sponsored by Premier Bank – Game 9: The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team rolled to a 48-0 win over UW-Stevens Point on the road Saturday. The shutout is the Warhawks’ 14th in the series against the Pointers that dates back to 1895. 

Box Score

The UW-Whitewater defense limited UWSP to just six first downs and 115 total yards of offense in the entire contest. Offensively, UWW put up over 500 yards of offense with 354 on the ground and 173 through the air. 

The Warhawks scored at least twice in each of the first three quarters with quarterback Alec Ogden getting UWW on the board in the team’s first possession of the game. Ogden punched it it from four yards out to cap a five-play, 40-yard drive. 

A second straight three-and-out for the Warhawk defense quickly brought the offense back on to the field. Once again, it was Ogden hitting paydirt with a three-yard run to end an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive. Jeff Isotalo-McGuire’s kick made it 14-0. 

Isotalo-McGuire added to the team’s total with a 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Ogden found Tommy Coates from nine yards out for the first passing touchdown of the game. Following a quick three-and-out, the Warhawks had 2:23 left to try and add to their total before the intermission, starting the drive from the UWSP 41 – and that’s exactly what they did. Ogden hit Tyler Vasey for a 14-yard gain. The senior quarterback got another first down with his feet on a 25-yard scamper up to the UWSP two-yard line. Tamir Thomas punched it in from there to make it 31-0 at the break.

On the other side of the half, Brian Stanton tallied his first collegiate touchdown run on a 30-yard burst. Isotalo-McGuire split the uprights on a 32-yard field goal and Mike Ryan hauled in his first touchdown reception for the Warhawks on a one-yard pass from Jason Ceniti for a 48-0 lead. 

Ogden was 10-15 for 97 yards and a touchdown while Ceniti was 9-12 for 76 yards in the game. Patrick Lippe and Drake Martin each caught three passes to lead a contingent of 10 Warhawks that registered at least one reception in the game. 

On the ground, Ammiel Jackson and Stanton took on the brunt of the workload with 12 and 10 carries respectively. The pair combined for 179 rushing yards. 

Defensively, Mason Stepanski paced the Warhawks with eight tackles while Joey Antonietti had seven. Each posted a tackle for a loss in the game. 

UW-Whitewater will wrap up the 2023 regular season campaign next Saturday at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks will host UW-Eau Claire for the team’s annual Military Appreciation and Shriner’s game, as well as Senior Day sponsored by Educators Credit Union. 

UW-W Tabbed Women’s Basketball Preseason Favorite

Editor’s note: The following announcement was made by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).

MADISON, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the two-time defending champion, has been picked to secure the 2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women’s basketball title.

The Warhawks, ranked No. 9 nationally in the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll, have secured 11 regular season titles in program history and captured their third WIAC tournament championship a year ago. UW-Whitewater brings back three starters from last year’s squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship. Among the returners is two-time WIAC Player of the Year Aleah Grundahl. She received the honor in 2022 and 2023, after claiming Newcomer of the Year distinction in 2020.

UW-Whitewater is followed in the conference predictions by: UW-Stout; UW-Oshkosh; UW-Eau Claire; UW-La Crosse; UW-River Falls; UW-Platteville; and UW-Stevens Point.

Moran Lonning takes over the head coaching role at UW-La Crosse. She was the head coach at Central College (Iowa) a season ago. 

The 14-game conference schedule will begin on Jan. 4. The top-six teams in the league standings will qualify for the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver’s). The event will be held Feb. 19, 21, and 23, with all contests hosted by the higher-seeded team. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic NCAA bid.

2023-24 Preseason Predictions – Voted on by WIAC Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors

2022-23 Record
1. UW-Whitewater(23-7 overall, 10-4 WIAC)
2. UW-Stout(18-8, 10-4)
3. UW-Oshkosh(20-9, 8-6)
4. UW-Eau Claire(20-9, 9-5)
5. UW-La Crosse(19-7, 8-6)
6. UW-River Falls(14-11, 4-10)
7. UW-Platteville(11-15, 4-10)
8. UW-Stevens Point(11-14, 3-11)

UW-Whitewater Capsule
Head Coach:  Keri Carollo; 22nd season at UWW; 414-167
Letter winners Returning/Lost:  9/11
Starters Returning/Lost:  3/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Kacie Carollo, Jr., G (2022-Honorable, 2023-First, 2023-Defensive); Aleah Grundahl, Grad., F (2020-Honorable/Newcomer of the Year, 2021-First, 2022-First/Co-Player of the Year, 2022-Defensive, 2023-First/Player of the Year); Maggie Trautsch, Sr., G (2023-Honorable)
 
Notable Returning Players:  Mallory Oloffson, Jr., F

Volleyball Hosts End of Season Banquet

The volleyball program held its end of season banquet on Tuesday, October 30th at Whitewater High School.

The program thanked several people who helped make the season so successful!

The families who support athletes and coaches, and for the car rides, the snacks, the dinners, bus food, and love! There has never been a time when this program has not felt the love and support of all of our families and we are thankful!

To team parents- Nikki Amundson and Nicole Grosinske who have been so supportive of anything we have needed this season, from scheduling concessions, hosting pasta and taco parties, and helping wherever we needed! We thank them for all their support this season!!

Bob Mischka, Pictures

Bob is ever present supporting Whippet Athletics. We are so fortunate to have him capture these moments for our student athletes and thank him for his support of Whippet Athletics and our Volleyball program!

Justin Crandall, Athletic Director, Kendra Riddle, Assistant

A huge thank you to our AD who works behind the scenes to ensure we are scheduled correctly, have the right bus times, have the gym set up, announcers, etc. The program would like to thank our Athletic Director, Justin Crandall, for his support of our program all year long, and Kendra for her support of athletics!

Our Coaching Staff and Managers:

Coach Tori Miller-JV2, Coach Amarion Isbell, JV1, Coach Ariel Feiertag, Varsity Assistant, Coach Rosie Jaskolski, Varsity Assistant

Managers: Jasmine Kilar and Chloe Crandall were thanked for their work as junior managers this year!

The Athletes:

The JV1 and JV2 athletes were honored by their coaches for their commitment to the team. Many great attributes were shared about each individual athlete, and we are so proud of the growth each one has shown within the season!

The varsity squad and seniors were honored! The Varsity squad ended up 3rd in conference behind East Troy and Delavan and in front of Jefferson and Monroe. The athletes were each honored for their commitment to the program. In addition, several awards were received.

The members of the varsity volleyball program were:

  • Grace Coleman, Sophomore, Setter/Right side
  • Kaia Jones, Sophomore, Outside Hitter
  • Savannah O’Neil, Junior, Defensive Specialist
  • Sydney Schilt- Junior, Right Side
  • Ava Alvarado, Junior, Defensive Specialist
  • Zoe Kohl, Junior, Defensive Specialist, Pin Hitter
  • Cali Grosinske, Junior, Setter/Outside Hitter
  • Falyn Krahn, Junior, Outside Hitter
  • Ella Spear, Junior, Libero
  • Marina Linos, Senior, Setter and RS
  • Aidyn Amundson, Senior, Middle Blocker
  • Meg Roselle, Senior, Middle Blocker
  • Manny Mbifi, Senior, Middle Blocker

Several Post Season awards were also handed out:

Whippet Growth goes to a player who soaked up any information coaches could give and always strived to get better every chance she could. Whippet growth and Captain award went to Manny Mbifi.

Whippet Spirit goes to an athlete who selflessly gave to her teammates, and was a positive supporter of her teammates. The Whippet Spirit Award and Captain award went to Meg Roselle.

Whippet Heart goes to an athlete who gave their entire self to this program. They showed heart to their teammates in word and action. This Whippet Heart and Captain award went to Marina Linos.

Whippet Perseverance goes to an athlete who never quit no matter how hard things got. Never complaining, always keeping a positive mindset even when the injury took her senior season away. This Whippet Perseverance and Captain award went to Aidyn Amundson.

Seniors Meg Roselle, Aidyn Amundson, Manny Mbifi, and Marina Linos
Offensive Player of the Year Calli Grosinske and Defensive Player of the Year Ella Spear

Defensive player of the year goes to an athlete who refused to let balls hit the ground. We would often hope to direct the hits toward this defender. She led us in digs (127) and attitude! Defensive Player of the Year goes to Ella Spear. Ella also made her mark in the record books- she entered into the TOP TEN list for single season digs at 9th with 127, and career digs at 9th!

Offensive Player of the Year goes to someone whose stats speak for themselves. Leading us in kills with 114 (3.86 per set), Offensive Player of the year goes to Calli Grosinske. Calli Grosinske also garnered her 1000th assist this season and ended with 1021 assists, launching her to 4th in our TOP TEN record books!

All Conference selections were also made by the coaches within the Rock Valley Conference.  

The Whippets had two athletes receiving All Conference Honorable Mention and they were: Falyn Krahn and Marina Linos.

Falyn Krahn
Marina Linos

The Whippets had two athletes receive All Conference FIRST TEAM Honors and they were Calli Grosinske and Ella Spear!

It was a pleasure coaching these athletes and they are all set to do great things in the future! After roughly 20 years coaching in some capacity at Whitewater High School, this was head coach Mary Kilar’s last year. It has been an absolute pleasure working with the athletes, coaches, staff and families! I will now become a super fan! Thank you for all the wonderful memories! Go, WHIPPETS!

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

Swimmers Compete in Conference Championships

The Whippets Girls’ Swim Team competed in the Southern Lakes Conference Championship Meet on Saturday, October 28th.

Placing in the Top 16 included:

🥈 200 Freestyle: 1:59.57 (2nd) – Makayla Bazeley

⭐ 200 Freestyle: 2:25.50 (16th) – Charlotte Hajewski *Best time

⭐ 200 IM: 2:36.39 (8th) – Emerson Dunham
🥈 100 Butterfly: 1:00.11 (2nd) – Makayla Bazeley *Best time

⭐ 500 Freestyle: 6:05.75 (9th) – Emerson Dunham

⭐ 200 Freestyle Relay: 1:57.00 (11th) – Makayla Bazeley, Maggie Maas, Charlotte Hajewski, Emerson Dunham

⭐ 400 Freestyle Relay: 4:16.16 (5th) – Markayla Bazeley, Maggie Maas, Charlotte Hajewski, Emerson Dunham

⭐ 400 Freestyle Relay: 5:13.25 (15th) – Atreya Wilson, Georgia Esch, Payton Peacock, Lucy Davis

Best Times include:

🌟 Atreya Wilson dropped over 5 seconds in the 200 Freestyle going a time of 2:45.49

✨ Payton Peacock (34.57) and Adalynn Frye (33.28) both had great swims in the 50 Freestyle.

🎇 Our 100 Freestylers of Maggie Maas (1:07.12), Adalynn Frye (1:19.24) and Georgia Esch (1:20.56) all dropped a significant amount of time.

🌟 Lucy Davis continues to swim strong in the 500 Freestyle going a time of 6:57.52.

Makayla Bazeley

With an impressive meet like this, we are so excited to watch them compete at Sectionals this Saturday, November 4th in Sauk Prairie! Go, Whippets!

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

Whippets Race at State CC Meet

The Whitewater Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country Teams competed well against the state’s best athletes on Saturday, October 28th at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. The conditions were the coolest they were all season hovering in the mid 30’s with overcast skies and the course in great shape despite all the heavy rainfall leading up to the event.

Jack Hefty
Miles Nickelsburg
Nate Holden
Photos courtesy of Bob Mischka

The boys’ team raced first, and all seven runners were doing their jobs and establishing position early to begin preparing to endure the discomfort that eventually would set in. Jack Hefty ran a really great tactical race and put himself in a medal position for much of the race (top 10) but lost one of his spikes just over halfway into the race. This caused him to lose a few places by the finish; he ran an incredible race overall to place 13th in 16:28. This was his best place and time of all the three years he has competed at the state meet. Miles Nickelsburg moved up nicely in the back half of the course and eventually caught his teammate Nate Holden. He continued to motor to the finish line in 91st with a time of 17:47, the second-best time of his career. Nate was out strong and in the top 40 at the mile mark. Battling through a cold, he mustered everything he could for the team and placed 95th overall with a big improvement over his previous year’s state meet performance. Nate’s time was 17:48. Xavier Zei had a solid day in his first state meet race placing 126th with a time of 18:32. A year ago Xavier wasn’t even running under 20:00 minutes. Onyx Thompson ran a strong race only 14 seconds off his lifetime best and placed 143rd with a time of 19:30. Quincy Boudreau and Andrew O’Toole had nice efforts to place 142nd and 151st overall with times of 20:14 and 20:29. The boys’ team placed 14th overall with 311 points out of 16 in the event.

Athena Soto
Mady Hefty
Nola Coburn
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

The girls were up next and did not disappoint. They came to race, and it showed from the get-go. From the early indicators, we were in a battle with Clinton with only a few points separating the two teams at each mile checkpoint. Clinton was the sectional champion in our sectional one week earlier by a fairly large margin. Mady Hefty once again led the team and placed 93rd with an overall time of 21:37. She completed a really nice comeback after an injury that derailed her season for a few weeks as we approached the championship phase of the season. Athena Soto wasn’t far behind and placed 101st in 21:52 in her third-best time of the season. Her improvement overall from last year to this year was huge in the team’s growth. Nola was moving up well in the later stages of the race and at the finish placed 116th in 22:16. Carley Boudreau rebounded well from a tougher sectional race a week earlier. Given the course conditions and terrain, this was far and away her best race of the season. Her previous PR was 22:10 on a flatter and faster course, and today she ran 22:17 and was 126th overall. Ema Aranda ran her lifetime best on the biggest stage and placed 144th in 24:10. Her previous best was last weekend when she helped the team qualify for state. Silvia Harris ran her second-best time of the season to stop the clock in 25:02, good enough for 147th. Isabella Aranda ran her second-best time of the season and placed 150th in 25:27. However, relative to the PR she set earlier in the season, this was the best effort she put together on race day. When the dust settled, Whitewater beat sectional champion Clinton from a week earlier and placed 15th with 393 points.

Photos Courtesy of Jeff Hefty

Coach Carstens added, “Overall both teams performed very well! There is so much to be proud of and incredible memories were made that will stick with these athletes as long as they live. They served the Whitewater community very well and should be proud of all they have accomplished. These two teams were able to rewrite history and qualify for state in the same year, a feat that has not been done in this town since 1996! Great job, Whippets!”

Full Results: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=5912

Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Photos courtesy of Bob Mischka and Jeff Hefty