Sports

The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team played their hearts out Thursday night, December 2, in an exciting game at East Troy. Every player that stepped on the floor contributed to the 42-41 overtime win.

We entered the second half down 16-21, but we tightened up our defense, took care of the ball, and played with composure in key moments. That gave us the edge, outscoring East Troy 20-16 in the second half.

We had players come through in the clutch, especially when Gwen Truesdale hit 2 free throws with 7.4 seconds left in the game. That clinched the win in overtime 42-41.

Gwen Truesdale led the Whippets with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Kindyl Kilar scored 14 and ripped down 7 rebounds, had 1 steal, and 2 assists. Danielle DePorter scored 5, pulled down 5 rebounds, and had 2 steals. Jenna Pope had 7 rebounds, 2 points, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Calli Grosinske led in assists with 3, scored 2, had 6 rebounds, and 1 block. Cali Kopecky added 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 rebounds. Josie Treder had 2 points and 2 rebounds. Aidyn Amundson had 1 block and 3 rebounds.

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

The Whitewater High School Boys’ Basketball Team lost their season opener on Tuesday evening, November 30, by a score of 51-72. 

The team took a one-point lead into halftime in a scrappy 1st half effort. After half, the team got off to a slow start offensively. Wyatt Nickels led the team with 23 points. 

The team will take on East Troy on the road on Friday evening, December 3.

Article Submitted by Dan Gnatzig
Whitewater High School Head Boys’ Basketball Coach
dgnatzig@wwusd.org

The Whippets Boys’ Swim Team traveled to Badger High School to compete in the Conference Relays on Tuesday, November 30. 

We started the night with the 200 Medley Relay with the squad of Zach Tomomitsu, Jack Hefty, Tyler Arnett, and Miles Nickelsburg. The boys took a 5th place finish. Most impressive was newcomer Miles Nickelsburg with only having a total of 3 practices, putting together a nice split in the 50 Freestyle, with a time of 33.65!

The 200 Freestyle Relay consisted of Tyler, Zach, Casey Schilling, and Jack. Casey Shilling competed in his first swim meet ever and had a nice first swim going 38.00 in the 50 Freestyle. 

The 1000 Freestyle Crescendo crew of Miles, Zach, Jack, and Tyler were able to take home some hardware with a 3rd place finish! Miles started off with swimming the 100 Freestyle going a 1:21.02. Next, Zach swam the 200 Freestyle, going an impressive 3:38.56. Jack then swam the 300 Freestyle going 3:51.47, and Tyler ended the relay with the 400 Freestyle, going 4:27.89!

The night ended with Casey, Miles, Jack, and Tyler swimming the 500 Freestyle Crescendo, where they finished 3rd in their heat and 5th overall.

What a fun night of swimming, and we can’t wait to see what they can do with the rest of the season!

The Whippet swimmers are back in action on Saturday, at Milton High School, starting at 10 a.m.! 

Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Co-Head Boys’ Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

At the Warhawks’ second round NCAA Division III playoff game on November 27, there was a round of applause in memory of Roger Johnson, a recently deceased standout athlete. Per Chris Lindeke UW-W Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, “Roger Johnson was a quarterback and the first All-American in UW-Whitewater football history (1960) and a three-time first team all-conference selection. He was also a shortstop for three Warhawk baseball seasons. Roger continued to follow UW-W football until his death as he was always proud of the winning tradition established by Coach Forrest Perkins and continued through the current playoff team.”

Roger Johnson’s obituary may be viewed here. It references Wisconsin State College. Our school was named Wisconsin State College-Whitewater from 1951 to 1964.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

NCAA has announced that UW-Whitewater’s Perkins Stadium will be the site of the Warhawks vs. Central (IA) contest in the quarterfinals for the D III championship. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. on Saturday, December 4.

Central College is a four-year liberal arts college located in Pella, Iowa and is affliated with the Reformed Church in America. Enrollment is approximately 1100 students.  Their nickname is “The Dutch.” Per Wikipedia, the football team has not had a losing season since 1960. The Dutch have won 14 straight games, 17 straight in the regular season.

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UPDATE:

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

Monday, November 29, 2021

UW-Whitewater Football to Host National Quarterfinal Saturday

The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team will host eighth-ranked Central (Iowa) this Saturday, Dec. 4, in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs starting at 12 p.m. at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater.

The Warhawks (12-0 overall), which qualified for the NCAA Playoffs after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship for the 38th time in program history, advanced to the national quarterfinal with a 45-0 victory against DePauw (Ind.) on Saturday.

UW-Whitewater will make its 14th appearance in the national quarterfinals in the last 16 seasons.

Central (12-0), winner of the American Rivers Conference, topped No. 9 Wheaton (Ill.) 30-28 on a 3-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Game Statistics: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/uwwsports.com/documents/2021/11/27/28456.pdf

The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored 38 first-half points and put forth a complete effort on both sides of the ball Saturday, November 27 on its way to a 45-0 victory against DePauw (Ind.) in a second round game of the NCAA Division III Playoffs at Perkins Stadium.

The Warhawks (12-0 overall) advance to the national quarterfinals, where they’ll face eighth-ranked Central (Iowa) next Saturday, Dec. 4, at a location and time to be determined.

UW-W totaled 600 yards of offense and limited the Tigers (9-3) to 171 yards, including minus-2 on the ground.

Alex Peete led the Warhawks with 14 carries for 209 yards and four touchdowns, tying the program record for the most scoring runs in one game in program history. Max Meylor completed 13-of-20 passes for 208 yards and one touchdown while adding a rushing touchdown.

Ryan Wisniewski led the receiving corps with six catches for 124 yards and one score.

Niko Lemke paced the UW-W defense with seven tackles, including 2.5 sacks and four tackles for a loss. Kyle Gallagher tallied three tackles for a loss, including two sacks, and Matt Burba finished with 1.5 sacks. The Warhawks’ nine sacks as a team matched a program record for sacks in one game, which was last accomplished in 2017.

The two teams exchanged empty possessions to start the game before UW-Whitewater got on the board with a nine-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown run on third and goal by Peete with 4:25 left in the first quarter.

The Warhawks added to the lead with 1:51 remaining in the period on a 27-yard field goal by Matt Maldonado.

Following another defensive stop, Peete recorded his second touchdown of the day, a 39-yard run with 10:57 on the clock in the second quarter.

Peete posted another long run for his third score, a 56-yarder just over three minutes later for a 24-0 UW-W lead.

Burba and Mackenzie Balanganayi combined for a sack on third down to force another punt, and UW-Whitewater drove 60 yards on seven plays, with Meylor’s 19-yard pass to Wisniewski on third down giving the team a 31-0 advantage with 2:35 to play in the half.

The Warhawks got the ball back one more time in DePauw territory thanks to a blocked punt by Kamrin Hutt, and Meylor scampered 14 yards with an assist from the offensive line near the goal line for a touchdown with two seconds to play in the half.

UW-Whitewater scored on its first drive of the second half as Peete weaved through the defense for a 40-yard touchdown, his fourth of the contest, for a 45-0 lead with 11:22 to play in the third quarter.

Neither team was able to put points on the board the rest of the way as the UW-W defense continued its strong pass rush and stout play at the line of scrimmage.

The Warhawks last played Central on Nov. 19, 2005, in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs, defeating the Dutch 34-14.

Central (12-0), the American Rivers Conference champion, defeated No. 6 Wheaton (Ill.) 30-28 on a last-second touchdown in Saturday’s second round.

The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team played a home game against Big Foot on Tuesday, November 23. It was a slow start for the Whippets, starting the game with a 12 point deficit. 

Slowly, the girls worked themselves back into the game going into the second half down by 9 points, and tying it up with 10 minutes left in the game. 

Unfortunately, they came up short 40-42. 

Calli Grosinske led the team in scoring with 12 points, followed by Danielle DePorter with 10, and Mayte Navejas with 8. 

The Whippets also honored retired Coach Judy Harms at halftime for her recent induction into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Harms was the coach of the 2015 State Championship Team, and many of her former players were in attendance.

Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
Photos Submitted by Kate McNulty

NCAA DIII Football Championship Tickets on Sale Now
Ohio Athletic Conference and Visit Canton host Stagg Bowl at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium

Canton, Ohio – The 2021 NCAA Division III Football Championship is in Canton, Ohio at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.  The national championship Stagg Bowl kicks off Friday, December 17th at 7:04 PM ET.  Tickets are on sale now at NCAA.com/tickets.

Game tickets are $20 for general admission stadium seating.  Student and youth general admission stadium seating is $10 per ticket, for children under 18 or with a valid student ID. 

Club Access seating is $35 per ticket.  Club Access tickets feature premium cushioned stadium seats, centrally located on the first level of the south stands.  Seating within the stadium’s Club Access section is general admission.  Only those with Club Access seating will be admitted into the Club Lounge at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.  The Club Lounge is temperature controlled with concessions available for purchase.  The Club lounge has alcohol for purchase for adults 21 years of age and older.  All alcohol must be consumed within the Club Lounge and cannot be taken outside into the stadium or stands.  Alcohol will not be sold anywhere else in the stadium for the event.  A limited quantity of Club Access seating is available.

All 2021 NCAA Division III Football Championship Stagg Bowl tickets are available for sale online only.  There are no onsite ticket sales at the stadium or entry gates.  All tickets are on sale now at NCAA.com/tickets.

The 2021 NCAA Division III Football Championship is co-hosted by Visit Canton and the Ohio Athletic Conference.  The game will be contested on Hall of Fame Field inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.  The 20,000 seat, world-class stadium is part of Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame museum. 

OAC Commissioner Sarah Otey says, “The Ohio Athletic Conference is excited to partner with Visit Canton to bring the 2021 Stagg Bowl to the great state of Ohio.  Canton and Stark County are unsung heroes in the Ohio tourism industry, with so much to offer in terms of culture and entertainment – and the Pro Football Hall of Fame campus will be the perfect venue to host the two finalists and their fans.”

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is extending a discount off admission over the weekend of Stagg Bowl.  Friday, December 17, through Sunday, December 19, present the NCAA DIII Football Championship ticket at the Pro Football Hall of Fame box office window to save $4 off purchase of museum admission.

Banner note: As is indicated above, online sales will be the ONLY way to purchase a ticket. There will be no paper tickets; it’s expected that fans will be able to show their mobile ticket on a smartphone. Anyone who does not have a smartphone is asked to contact the ticket office.

Canton, OH is 493 miles from Whitewater. It appears this is the closest the Stagg Bowl has been played to Whitewater except for 1983-84, when it was located in Kings Island, OH. In 2018-19 it was in Shenandoah, TX (1109 miles), and from 1993-2017, Salem, VA (771 miles). The location for 2022 is Annapolis, MD (830 miles). The game returns to Canton in 2025, with intervening games being played in VA and TX.

Hello Whippet fans! Are you interested in purchasing some Whitewater Wrestling Gear? If so the link below will provide you the opportunity to do so.

If you order, please be sure to include your email address and phone number so Coach Schimming can reach you and get it delivered. 

The store will be open this week and will close at 10:00 am on Friday, November 26th.

To place your order, visit https://sportsworld.chipply.com/whitewaterwr21/

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you very much for supporting Whippet Wrestling!

Coach Schimming
jschimming@wwusd.org

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

November 21, 2021

The NCAA announced today that UW-W will again be the host for the second round of the DIII Football Championship. The Warhawks (11-0) will play DePauw (9-2) at noon on Saturday, November 27 at Perkins Stadium, after having trounced Greenville (IL) by a score of 69-7 on November 20. DePauw is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, IN with an enrollment of approximately 2000 students. In the first round DePauw beat Rose-Hulman (IN), playing in Greencastle, by a score of 26-21.

The winner of the UW-W / DePauw game goes on to play the winner of the Wheaton (IL) (10-1) vs. Central (IA) (11-0) on December 4.