Sports

Gymnasts Wrap up Season at Sectionals

Well, that’s a wrap for the Whitewater Gymnastics team season. The girls competed in their last meet at Sectionals Friday night, February 25, at Elkhorn High School. Every one of these girls improved tremendously since the beginning of the season. Friday night they gave it their all, and we are so proud of their accomplishments. One of the coolest moments of the night was watching all five girls compete on Beam with 0 falls! We finished our season with a no fall Beam team. This was a huge milestone for the team and they should be “Beaming” with pride.  

Halee Peters was a shining star, bringing in the highest scores for our team and ending her night in 10th place for All-Around with a 32.2. She was part of the no fall Beam team and scored a career best score on Bars. She scored very close to her season best scores on the other 3 rotations. Her Floor routine was fast paced, high scoring, and so fun to watch. She has the biggest smile of the whole competition and has been a great leader and mentor for the team.

Makayla Bazeley had a strong performance and continues to improve her skills and has already set some high goals for next year. She, too, was part of the no fall Beam team and contributed to the team score in every event. She had a beautiful, fun Floor routine and a solid performance on the Beam. Although quiet, Makayla is a force and is a strong competitor with a drive that will take her far! We love that we have three more years to watch her gain momentum and watch her flourish in this sport. We look forward to seeing her break the 30 mark for her All-Around score as she is close with a 29.5.

Nola Coburn has continued to impress as she improves every week and pushes herself to keep learning. It was so awesome to see her work so hard on her Floor routine and add in a back tuck at the end of one of her tumbling passes, which she performed flawlessly. Even at the end of the season, she wanted to add new skills to her repertoire to increase her difficulty. Nola scored her highest of the season on Vault with a 7.6 and once again beat her own high All-Around score by increasing to 25.425. Nola is another girl we are excited to watch for the next three years!

Myia Cobbs is another hard worker in the gym. She started the season on JV with only a couple events and has turned it into competing all four events at Varsity Sectionals. Talk about success! Myia has been improving every week, and her scores show it. Not only was she a part of the no fall Beam team, she also had her highest score of the season on Floor and increased her difficulty in her routine by adding in two back handsprings. She also increased her All-Around score on the season to 24.05. We can’t wait to see what she learns and improves on in the next couple years. 

Brooklyn Griswold, another awesome freshman, has been working hard to increase her skills. She was very close to tying her score on Floor and on Bars. She has been a very consistent competitor. She’s another one that smiles through her fun Floor routine. Brooklyn also was part of the no fall Beam team, and the smile on her face after she landed her dismount showed she was pleased with her solid performance.

Miyu Takeda has really stepped up as one of our Vaulters. She is such a quick learner and picks up new skills with ease. She brings so much joy to our team and will miss her immensely next season. 

Thanks to all that have come out to watch and cheer on the girls. It has been a fun season and we know next year is going to be even better. 

Article and Photos Submitted by Shawnda Peters
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
speters@wwusd.org

Former UW-W offensive coordinator named new UW Oshkosh football coach

Jacob Link/Advance-Titan — Titans announce new football coach Peter Jennings

According to The Advance-Titan, UW Oshkosh Athletic Director Darryl Sims announced on March 1 that Peter Jennings would be the new head coach of the Titan football team during a press conference at the Culver Family Welcome Center.

“Peter has a real vision for Titan football,” Sims said. “He is a strong leader. He has an innovative football mind and has demonstrated the ability to work well with student athletes: to help them be successful in the classroom and on the football field.”

Jennings was the offensive coordinator for four seasons at UW-Whitewater, where he helped the Warhawks compile a 39-4 record and win three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships from 2018-21. The Warhawks advanced to the 2019 NCAA Division III championship game and reached the semi-finals in 2018 and 2021.

Further information is provided in the article at the above link.

UW-W Women’s Basketball Earns NCAA Tournament Bid

By Merit Pages News

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship and will host the first and second rounds in the NCAA Whitewater Regional this Friday and Saturday at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (23-4 overall) will face Ripon in the first round Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Red Hawks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Midwest Conference Tournament championship.

DePauw (Ind.) and Illinois Wesleyan complete the four-team pod and will square off in the first round Friday at 5 p.m. The Tigers earned a Pool C, or at-large, berth to the NCAA Tournament after reaching the semifinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Titans claimed a Pool A, or automatic, bid after winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament.

The winners of the first-round games will play in the second round Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.

UW-Whitewater earned an at-large bid to the national tournament, its sixth consecutive appearance and 13th in the last 14 seasons. The team claimed the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 league record and reached the WIAC Tournament championship game last week.

The Warhawks were second in the NCAA Region IX rankings last week.

See below for the complete weekend schedule.

Friday, March 4

Game 1: DePauw (home) vs. Illinois Wesleyan, 5 p.m.

Game 2: UW-Whitewater (home) vs. Ripon, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 5

Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.

*host will be the home team; if host does not advance, winner of Game 1 will be home team

The following local UW-Whitewater student-athletes are members of the 2021-22 Warhawk women’s basketball team:

Rebekah Schumacher of Whitewater, WI (Whitewater High School), a senior majoring in elementary education.

Kacie Carollo of Whitewater, WI (Whitewater High School), a freshman majoring in integrated science and business.

Carter Friend Moves Up Podium, Places 3rd At State Wrestling

Carter Friend entered his senior year with a goal of improving on his 2021 state placement finish by finishing in the top 3 at his weight class in the state of Wisconsin. Saturday afternoon, mission accomplished. Friend ended a stellar high school wrestling career by going 3-1 in the WIAA state wrestling tournament, putting him in 3rd place at the 160-pound weight class.

  • Carter Friend
  • Carter Friend

Carter wrestled an outstanding tournament having extremely tough matches as to be expected at that level. He started off Friday morning with a very well wrestled match, winning 5-2 to put him into the state semi-finals. On Friday evening, Carter had a tough hill to climb as he was competing against a young man who is the two-time defending champion and is ranked number 4 in the country. Carter did not back down, and although he lost, he gave the young man a full match, which has not happened often to him the last two years, and he scored a takedown on the young man, a feat that only one other wrestler can claim they did this year. It is disappointing to lose in the state semi-finals, but Carter came back strong against two more very strong opponents on Saturday morning. He won his first match in a very tight match in overtime 4-2 to put himself into the 3rd place match. Again, Carter had a tough, hard-fought match as it was knotted up the entire match. Carter was able to hit an outstanding counter shot with 15 seconds left to secure a takedown and the 5-2 win, thus reaching his goal coming into the season by placing 3rd in the tournament. Carter ended his season with a 42-6 record, with three of his losses coming against state champions! Carter ended his high school career with an impressive 124 wins, placing him second all-time in Whitewater History.

Mason DePorter also had the opportunity to compete at the state tournament this weekend. Mason came out very strong in his first match, securing a takedown to his Lodi opponent’s back. Unfortunately, things did not continue to go Mason’s way in that match, and he came up short. This opponent went on to win his next couple of matches to finish as a state runner-up.  Mason had a great senior campaign with 36 wins, 29 of which were by pin, breaking a school record that has held since 2010.

  • Mason DePorter

Congratulations to both of these young men on not only an outstanding season but an outstanding career.

Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
Action Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

No. 9 Women’s Basketball Falls in WIAC Title Game

By Chris Lindeke, Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Friday, February 25, 2022

Box Score

NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Web Page (Selection Show – Monday, 1:30 p.m. Central Time)

The No. 9 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team held a double-digit lead early in the second half but was unable to sustain the advantage Friday night in a 77-63 setback against UW-Eau Claire in the championship game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament (presented by Culver’s) at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (23-4 overall), who won the WIAC regular season championship and were making their eighth appearance in the tournament title game, hope to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 64-team field will be revealed Monday at 1:30 p.m. Central Time during a live selection show on NCAA.com.

UW-Whitewater outrebounded the Blugolds by a 47-39 margin, including 23-9 on the offensive glass that led to a 25-13 edge in second-chance points. UW-W was limited to 34.2 percent shooting from the floor, including a 20 percent clip in the fourth quarter.

UW-Eau Claire (21-7) turned 15 Warhawk turnovers into 20 points at the other end and shot 56.0 percent from the floor in the second half.

Kacie Carollo led UW-Whitewater with 14 points to go with five rebounds. Johanna Taylor registered a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds (11 offensive) to go along with seven assists and two blocks.

Yssa Sto. Domingo collected 13 points and Aleah Grundahl finished with nine.

The Blugolds started the contest with seven straight points, but the Warhawks recorded 10 of the next 13 points to tie the game at 10-10 following a jumper by Rebekah Schumacher with 3:45 left in the first quarter. UW-EC held a 17-13 advantage through the first 10 minutes.

UW-Whitewater held UW-Eau Claire to 25 percent shooting in the second quarter and finished with a 25-13 scoring advantage in the period. The Warhawks took their first lead of the period on a 3-pointer by Sto. Domingo with 6:27 left, and a 10-0 run capped on a 3-pointer by Maggie Trautsch gave UW-W a 36-24 lead with just over two minutes remaining.

A pair of free throws by Carollo in the final seconds of the quarter gave UW-Whitewater a 38-30 halftime lead.

Sto. Domingo knocked down a 3-pointer to begin the second half and Grundahl generated five points over a two-minute stretch to give the Warhawks their largest lead of the game at 48-35 with 7:37 to play in the third.

The Blugolds rallied with 13 straight points to tie the game at 48-48 just past the midway point of the quarter. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the period and UW-EC held a 57-55 edge heading to the fourth.

Grundahl brought UW-Whitewater within two points at the 8:28 mark before UW-Eau Claire scored eight straight points for a 67-57 advantage with 5:43 on the clock.

The Warhawks drew as close as eight points the rest of the way.

Girls’ Basketball Season Ends in WIAA Tourney

The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team traveled to Saint Thomas More for the first regional game of the WIAA Tournament on Wednesday, February 23. 

Danielle DePorter

It was a fast-paced and physical game. Saint Thomas More’s speed took the Whippets out of their game at the beginning of the first half. We were down 5-21 with six and half minutes left in the first half when Cali Kopecky hit a 3, giving us a spark to fight back to get within 10. 

To start the second half, senior Lexi Juoni hit a 3 to put us within 7. The Cavaliers tightened up their defense, making it difficult for us to connect offensively. The Whippets fell short and finished their season, losing 39-57. 

Danielle DePorter led the Whippets with 11 points and 2 rebounds. Junior, Cali Kopecky followed with 10 points (2 for 2 from the free throw line), and 8 rebounds. Senior Gwen Truesdale added 5 points and ripped down 9 rebounds. Josie Treder contributed 4 points and 4 rebounds. Senior Lexi Juoni scored 3 points and had 2 rebounds. Kindyl Kilar had 2 points and 5 rebounds. Mayte Navejas and Calli Grosinske both added 2 points. 

Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka

UW-W Women’s Basketball Advances to WIAC Title Game

By Chris Lindeke, Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Box Score

The No. 11 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team punched its ticket to the program’s eighth appearance in the championship game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament (presented by Culver’s) with a 67-59 win against UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday night at Kachel Gymnasium.

With the victory, the top-seeded Warhawks (23-3 overall) advance to host No. 3 seed UW-Eau Claire in the title game this Friday at 7 p.m. inside Kachel Gymnasium.

Aleah Grundahl posted 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead UW-Whitewater, which closed the game on a 12-4 run. Rebekah Schumacher hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with just under two minutes to play and tallied 12 points with two blocks.

Johanna Taylor registered 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Kacie Carollo collected 11 points and five rebounds.

UW-W held the fourth-seeded Titans (19-6) to 35.0 percent shooting, including 29.4 percent in the fourth quarter.

The Warhawks jumped out to an 8-0 advantage, holding the Titans scoreless until the 5:11 mark of the first quarter.

Carollo gave UW-Whitewater a 14-5 advantage with 3:06 left, but UW-Oshkosh finished the quarter on a 10-0 run for a 15-14 lead.

The Warhawks responded with a 9-0 run to start the second, including five points from Grundahl, for a 23-15 advantage with 7:14 on the clock. UW-W led throughout the final 9:16 of the quarter, but the Titans drew to within 32-29 by halftime.

UW-Oshkosh scored the first eight points of the third and led by as many as six points in the quarter. UW-Whitewater took the lead at 43-42 with 2:49 left on a 3-pointer by Carollo, and back-to-back jumpers by Veronica Kieres and Schumacher gave UW-W a 49-46 lead headed to the fourth.

The Warhawks started the fourth with six straight points for a 55-46 advantage with 6:54 on the clock, but the Titans responded with seven straight points to trim their deficit to 55-53 near the halfway mark of the period.

One minute after UW-Oshkosh tied the game with 3:12 on the clock, Schumacher put UW-W ahead for good with a 3-pointer, and Grundahl’s 3-point play made it a six-point game with 1:25 remaining.

After a basket by the Titans, Grundahl pushed the lead back to six with just under a minute to play. Carollo hit a pair of free throws with 29 seconds to go, and Maggie Trautsch hit two more with 20 seconds left.

UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire will match up for the third time this season. The two teams split a pair of games, with the Blugolds taking the most recent game 81-71 on Jan. 22 in Eau Claire.

The Warhawks seek their third WIAC Tournament championship in program history.

Gymnasts Score Many Personal Bests at SLC Meet

The Whitewater High School Gymnastics Team had their conference meet on Friday, February 18, in Elkhorn.  We had some amazing routines and a lot of personal best scores. The Varsity team had their highest team Beam score of the season with a combined 6 out of 8 no-fall Beam routines! Their hard work on Beam has really paid off. The Varsity team also had their highest overall team score of the season – upping last week’s team best score to 110.875.

  • Brooklyn Griswold (Courtesy Bob Mischka)

Nola Coburn had one of her best performances of the season with her highest Vault, Beam, and All-Around scores. Nola had a no-fall Beam routine and increased that score by almost ½ point. She increased her all time high All-Around score to 25.325.

Makayla Bazeley also had a great showing with an all-time best Beam score with a 7.75 and a no-fall Beam routine. She also tied her highest Vault score of the season and was close to her best All-Around score.

Halee Peters had a beautiful no-fall Beam routine where she almost tied her high score. She tied her personal best on Bars and tied her All-Around score of 32.4.

Brooke Bazeley had a no-fall Beam routine. Congrats to Brooke for a no-fall Beam season!

Miyu Takeda had a season best score on her Floor routine.

Myia Cobbs tied her season best score on the Vault and had no-falls on Beam.

Estefany Reyes-Saldana also had a no-fall Beam routine. 

The girls take on sectionals Friday, February 25th, in Elkhorn. We know they are going to rock their routines and improve their best scores!

Article Submitted by Shawnda Peters
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
speters@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka and Coach Peters

Warhawk Basketball Advances to WIAC Semifinals

By Chris Lindeke, Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, UW-W

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Box Score

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team used a suffocating defense and strong shooting on the offensive end Tuesday night on its way to a 72-49 win against UW-River Falls in the second round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament (presented by Culver’s) at Kachel Gymnasium.

With the victory, the fourth-seeded Warhawks (15-10 overall) advance to the tournament semifinals, where they’ll visit No. 1 seed UW-Oshkosh Thursday at 7 p.m.

Elijah Lambert tallied a career-high 25 points to go with six rebounds and four assists to lead UW-Whitewater, which shot 49.1 percent from the floor and held the Falcons (14-10) to 35.1 percent shooting. UW-W scored 22 points off UW-River Falls’ 18 turnovers.

Trevon Chislom registered 12 points and two steals, while Drew Fisher collected nine points and six rebounds off the bench.

The two teams exchanged baskets over the first six-plus minutes of the contest before the Warhawks embarked on a 9-0 run, including a 3-pointer by Lambert and two layups from Chislom, for a 19-10 lead with 10:51 remaining in the first half.

The Falcons recorded the next five points, but UW-Whitewater responded with another 9-0 run, including two buckets from Fisher, to make it 28-15 with 5:49 on the clock.

Gray gave UW-W its largest lead of the half at the 3:13 mark as his jumper made it 34-19. UW-River Falls scored four of the last five points in the period to narrow the Warhawk lead to 35-24.

Neither team scored in the second half until the 16:16 mark, when a 3-point play by Jack Brahm gave UW-Whitewater a 38-24 advantage. The play was part of UW-W’s 7-0 run to start the half.

The Warhawks’ lead never dipped below 11 in the second half.

UW-Whitewater will make its 13th appearance in the WIAC Tournament semifinals since the tournament’s inception in 1999. The winner of Thursday’s game advances to Saturday’s final at the highest remaining seed.

The Warhawks and UW-Oshkosh split a pair of meetings this season, including UW-W’s narrow 48-46 loss against the Titans on Feb. 16.

Two Wrestlers Advance to State

On Saturday, February 19, seven Whitewater Wrestlers traveled to Richland Center to participate in the WIAA Sectional Wrestling Tournament. This is a very competitive tournament with eight wrestlers per weight class, all with the plan to place in the top three to advance to the state tournament.

Carter Friend

Whitewater wrestled well on the day, with them all wrestling their hearts out and leaving it on the mat. In the end, the Whippets will have two young men participating at the Kohl Center on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Carter Friend wrestled very well all day, with three wins on his way to the Sectional Championship. He started the day with a 13-4 major decision, followed by a pin, and then a very competitive match in the finals, coming out on top 5-3. This will be Carter’s third trip to the state tournament.

Mason DePorter continued to have a great senior season by reaching the championship match by defeating his first two opponents by pin. Mason then had a tough match in the finals and then had to wrestle again 45 minutes later, and wrestled very well, coming out aggressive, but ended up on the short end, therefore taking 3rd place. This will be Mason’s first trip to the state tournament.

Jarvis Porcaro started the day off in a very positive way by pinning his first opponent. He then dropped his next two matches against two young men who will be in the state tournament. 

Traysen Thomason started his day against the number one ranked wrestler in the state and almost got the first takedown. He ended up losing both of his matches.

Leo Ortiz had tough draw as he dropped both of his matches against two guys that placed first and second in his weight class.

Rounding out the Whippet Wrestlers were Aaron Porras and Marcus DePorter who had tough first round losses and unfortunately did not get another match as their guy then lost their next match. 

The coaches are very happy with the performance of the seven guys on Saturday. There was disappointment in the results, as of course we wanted all seven to advance, but we are not disappointed in their effort. They wrestled hard, left it on the mat, and can look themselves in the mirror and be proud of their season’s accomplishments.

Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka