Sports

Boys’ Swim Season Gets Underway with Conference Relays

The Boys’ Swim Season is officially underway!

The Whippets kicked things off on Thursday night, December 4th, hosting Conference Relays at their home pool. The night was full of energy with strong swims, standout splits, medals earned, and huge improvements across the board!

200 Medley Relay
Wyatt Esch, David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, and Caleb Kluck set the tone for the night with a 5th place finish in 2:06.66. Sam had a sharp 50 Fly split at 31.93, and Caleb crushed a lifetime best 50 Free split at 24.67!

200 Freestyle Relay
Two teams made up almost entirely of brand-new swimmers jumped in for their first official meet as Whippets!
• Eloy Rodriguez, Hunter Runnoe, Cooper Housel, and Angel Kilar raced to a 9th place finish in 2:17.92.
• ChaCha Binagi, Ian Agen, Joshua Nygren, and Carson Miller also secured a 14th place finish, going 2:45.75 — each with significant drops from last week’s mock meet!

4×100 IM Relay
Mateo Bazeley, Langdon Coburn, Wyatt Esch, and Cruz Aranda put together a strong swim, finishing 4th overall in 4:22.10.

1000 Crescendo Relay
Caleb Kluck joined Mateo, Langdon, and Cruz for this unique 100-200-300-400 event. The boys battled from the first stroke to the last and brought home the first medal of the night, taking 2nd place in 10:37.77 — just seconds off first!

200 Fly Relay
Langdon Coburn, Mateo Bazeley, Sam Nickelsburg, and Cruz Aranda powered to a 4th place finish with a time of 1:52.81.

Splash & Dash (25s Relay)
• ChaCha Binagi, Carson Miller, Ian Agen, and Josh Nygren finished 13th with a 1:13.25.
• Xavier Ortiz, Hunter Runnoe, David Enns, and Angel Kilar threw down a blazing 58.27, earning 3rd place and a medal!

500 Crescendo Relay (50-100-150-200)
Xavier Ortiz, David Enns, Sam Nickelsburg, and Wyatt Esch placed 6th overall in 5:53.56.

400 Backstroke Relay
Cooper Housel, Angel Kilar, Eloy Rodriguez, and Sam Nickelsburg all swam strong.
Cooper and Eloy made their debut in the 100 Back, and despite losing his goggles (which covered his mouth the entire race!), Sam posted a gritty 1:20.60 split!

400 Freestyle Relay
The crew of Cruz Aranda, Langdon Coburn, Caleb Kluck, and Mateo Bazeley dominated the field, bringing home GOLD with a time of 3:35.24.
• Cruz led off with a strong 52.13
• Langdon followed with a smooth 53.02
• Caleb blasted a lifetime best split of 58.39
• Mateo closed it out with a flying 51.70 to seal the win! 

The Whippets are back in action on Saturday, December 6th as they travel to Milton for the Tom Lieder Invitational! Swimming starts at 10:00 AM. Come cheer on the boys as they continue their strong start to the season!

Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

Wrestling Hosts Intersquad Scrimmage

Outstanding job by all of the wrestlers as they headed into their Thanksgiving by having an intersquad meet on Wednesday morning, November 19. This was a great opportunity to get the first matches under their belt under the light without worry about outcomes. 

The team kicks off their competitions on Saturday, December 6 with the Boys’ Varsity and Girls in Watertown and the Boys’ JV at Big Foot. Wrestling begins at 9:00 in Big Foot and 9:45 in Watertown.

Article and photo submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

NCAA Football: UW-W Falls to DePauw in NCAA Second Round

Blake Haggerty hauls in a touchdown catch (Olivia Zinanni)

In nearly whiteout conditions at Perkins Stadium Saturday, the UW-Whitewater football team fell to DePauw 26-23 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. 

The snow started early this morning and only got heavier as the game went on. UWW’s hard-working field crew had plows out before the game and a contingent of shovelers clearing lines at nearly every break in play. 

The Tigers, with the top rush defense in Division III, limited the Warhawks to just 20 yards on the ground, but UWW picked up 221 yards in the passing game. However, it was penalties that proved costly for UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks were flagged for eight penalties for over 100 yards in the contest. DePauw posted 357 yards of total offense including 175 on the ground. 

After a scoreless first, the Tigers broke the stalemate with a three-yard rush up the middle for the score. The kick sailed through the uprights for a 7-0 Tiger lead. The Warhawks responded on the next drive. After picking up a first down on three consecutive runs, UWW went to the air — Justin Klinkner dropped back and lofted a ball deep down the middle of the field. Blake Haggerty hauled in the over-the-shoulder catch in stride at the 11 and waltzed into the endzone. Seth Adams hit the point after to tie the game 7-7. 

DePauw put together a long drive to set up a Matthew Berry 21-yard field goal with just seconds before halftime. The Warhawks took a knee with just two seconds on the clock to head into the locker room trailing 7-10. 

The UW-Whitewater defense provided a spark on the other side of the break. On DePauw’s first drive of the second half, Karsten Libby jumped a passing lane on third down for the pick-six. Libby reined in the interception at the 29 and took it to the house with the extra point giving UW-Whitewater its first lead, 14-10. 

The Tigers reclaimed the advantage on the next drive. DePauw hit paydirt on a Ballentine to Ballentine connection from 12-yards out. The extra point made it 14-17 DePauw with less than eight to go in the third. 

Adams capitalized on a long drive for the Warhawks, splitting the uprights from 40 yards out to knot the game at 17 as the clocked ticked down to the end of the third quarter. 

The offenses kept rolling despite the deteriorating field conditions as the Tigers scored on their next drive. This time the DePauw quarterback lofted a ball to the back pylon. UWW’s defensive back had great coverage, but the receiver tipped the ball and ended up hauling in the catch as he fell to the ground near the sideline, his back clearly out-of-bounds. The side judge was moving toward the play, looking to the back judge to check for a foot down and inbounds. After a second, the back judge threw up his hands to signal a touchdown. Noah Moris got a mitt on the point after attempt, knocking it to the ground near the line of scrimmage. With the failed point after, DePauw led 17-23 with under 12 minutes to go. 

The Tigers capitalized on a three-and-out for UWW with another field goal, this time from 24-yards out for a 26-17 lead. 

UW-Whitewater responded once again. Klinkner hit Ethan Mitchell on a pass up the middle for 20 yards. Two plays later, Klinkner launched a deep ball to the far hash marks. Jacques Brooks showcased his prowess on the tip drill as the DePauw defender got a hand on the ball, tipping it up for Brooks to pull it down at the Tiger 18 and scamper in for the 45-yard score. The kick was no good as UWW narrowed the gap to three, 23-26 with less than five to play. 

The Warhawk defense came up with a huge stop on third down, standing up the Tiger running back at the line of scrimmage to force a punt and get the UWW offense back on the field. The DePauw punt sailed out-of-bounds at the Warhawk 35 as the offense came on with 2:15 left. 

A pass interference had the Warhawks at the 50 and another Klinkner to Brooks completion saw UWW into Tiger territory. DePauw stopped the UW-Whitewater drive in its tracks with an interception with less than two to play to seal the game. 

Klinkner completed 16 of 22 for 221 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. Haggerty and Vasey each hauled in five catches combining for over 100 yards. Defensively, Ethan Gallagher paced UWW with 11 tackles including a tackle for a loss. Efrein Ramirez joined Gallagher in double figures with 10 tackles. Libby had a phenomenal game with eight tackles, a sack for a loss of two, a pick-six and a pass breakup. 

DePauw Postgame Press Conference: https://vcloud.hudl.com/broadcast/embed/3168711

UW-Whitewater Postgame Press Conference: https://vcloud.hudl.com/broadcast/embed/3168712

Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by UW-W Athletics.

NCAA Football DIII 2nd Round Championship @ Perkins on Saturday

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host DePauw University [Indiana] for the second round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Football Championship on Saturday, November 29. Kickoff at Perkins Stadium is set for 12 PM. 

RANKINGS
The Warhawks are ranked 14th in the most recent American Football Coaches Association Division III poll. UW-Whitewater is listed at 11 in the D3football.com poll. The Tigers’ are ranked 10th and 15th in the pair of national polls respectively. 

SERIES
Saturday will be the just the second meeting between UW-Whitewater and DePauw. The lone other matchup was also a NCAA Second Round game back in 2021. The Warhawks won that contest 45-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

HOW WE GOT HERE
UW-Whitewater received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division Championship after tying for second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season.

DePauw finished as the runner-up in the North Coast Athletic Conference this season. The Tigers also claimed one of 13 at-large bids into the postseason. Both squads received a first round bye to set up Saturday’s second round matchup.

WATCH LIVE
All 2025 NCAA Football Championship preliminary round contests including Saturday’s game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ (subscription required). The game will not be available on local Charter channels [it appears not to be available on TDS either] or the WIAC Network. According to ESPN, coverage will begin promptly at noon. 

ON THE AIR
Fans can listen to Josh Golberg and Bill O’Leary with the call live on the radio on 105.9 FM The Hog in the Whitewater/Janesville area, or online at www.1059thehog.com.

PARKING
Fans are encouraged to purchase parking in advance for Saturday. Cash will not be accepted on gameday. Payment may be made with use of a QR code. Season parking pass holders will still have their designated space in Lot 24. 

You can purchase football parking online at Order Event Permit. Lot 24 is Sold Out, Lot 11 is $20 and all other general parking is $10.

TICKETS
Tickets [Adults $15, Age 65+ or Under 18, $10, Age 3 and under free] can be purchased online or at the ticket windows on gameday (cash will be accepted for ticket purchases on gameday). Season parking pass holders must purchase tickets for all NCAA contests. Students also must purchase tickets for NCAA contests. 

GAMEDAY INFO
Find all of the information you need for Gameday at The Perk in one place … Gameday Central..

As a reminder there was a change to the Bag Policy at Perkins Stadium last year and spectators are expected to follow this policy. Please review so that you are prepared on game day.  

If tailgating, or for other gameday questions, refer to Gameday Central.

Whippet Girls Fall to Jefferson 48-25

Jefferson used a late surge in the first half to take a double-digit lead and never looked back the rest of the night as Whitewater hosted girls’ basketball on Tuesday, November 25. Jefferson came out on top 48-25.

Grace Warborg led all scorers with 29 points as she scored in a variety of ways for the visiting Eagles. The Whippets were plagued by foul trouble but put forth a solid defensive effort against everyone else from Jefferson.

Whitewater is off for the rest of this short holiday break and then hosts Lake Mills on Tuesday night, December 2. That will be a varsity only game and will tip off at 6:00 pm. The Whippets then travel to Marshall on Thursday, December 4 for a 6:00 pm JV game and a 7:30 Varsity tip.

Article Submitted by Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org

UW-W Volleyball Falls in NCAA Regional Semifinal

Warhawks huddle after a point against Calvin Friday night (AJE Photography)

Bloomington, Ill. – The 2025 campaign for UW-Whitewater volleyball came to a close in the second round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Friday evening. The Warhawks fell to Calvin in four sets 27-29, 25-12, 23-25, 18-25. 

The Warhawks got on top early with a kill from Abbie Dix followed by back-to-back aces from Kyanne Wusterbarth. A Calvin miscue made it 4-0 UWW. The Knights responded eventually tying the set 8-8. The teams traded small runs with Calvin grabbing their first lead 14-15. Head Coach Stacy Boudreau called her first timeout of the set one point later. 

On the other side of the break, the Knights were able to build a three-point margin, 15-18, when the Warhawks put together a 5-1 run to reclaim the lead 20-19 and force a Knight timeout. Dix and Gaby DiMotto registered kills while Kylee Altendorf and Aubrie Krzus added aces in the run that was capped by an Amanda Hillmann and Emily Lego block. 

The squads traded points out of the timeout until Emma Bludgen hammered down a kill to give UWW a 23-22 advantage and force Calvin’s second timeout of the set. The Knights got the first two points out of the break to push set point as Coach Boudreau signaled for timeout. Bludgen tipped over the block for a kill to knot the set 24-24. After multiple set points, a deep Knight serve had the Warhawk bench calling out, but the line judge signaling in for the 27-29 final. 

UW-Whitewater responded in a big way, absolutely dominating set two for a 25-12 win. The Warhawks had their way offensively pounding down 14 kills with a team attack percentage of .387 in the set. Three blocks and three aces bolstered UWW in the set and swung all of the momentum to the Warhawks. 

Set three was much like the first – a back-and-forth battle with the teams trading leads, but the Knights coming out on top 23-25. 

UWW struggled to rebound offensively as the Knight defense picked up in the final set. Calvin tallied eight total blocks in set four, leading to the 25-18 final score. 

Dix paced the UWW offense and defense at the net with 13 kills and 6 blocks. Bludgen joined Dix in double digits with 10 kills adding 10 digs, 3 aces and a block. Krzus registered 35 assists and tallied 8 kills and 4 blocks. 

UWW caps their season with a 26-8 record after making the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 36th time in program history. 

NCAA Volleyball: UW-W Sweeps Coe to Advance to Regional Semifinal

Emma Bludgen advances UW-Whitewater on the Regional Bracket after the sweep of Coe (AJE Photography)

Bloomington, Ill. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team swept Coe 3-0(25-21, 25-11, 25-15) in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Championship Thursday morning. With the win, the Warhawks advance to face either Hanover or Calvin in the NCAA Regional Semifinal scheduled for Friday at 4:30 PM at the Shirk Center. 

UW-Whitewater led the majority of the first set using a four-point, mid-set run to take a 15-11 lead. Emma Bludgen assisted on a pair of blocks while Abbie Dix hammered down a kill to bolster the run. The Warhawks held at least a two-point advantage the rest of the way. 

Emily Lego and Dix had a phenomenal start to the match. The right side – middle duo each hit .417 to combine for 11 of UWW’s 14 kills in set one. Lego led the way with six while Dix added a pair of blocks. 

UWW ran away with set two 25-11 paced by an efficient offensive attack — UW-Whitewater hit .464 as a team in the set. This time it was the outsides, Bludgen and Gaby DiMotto, with half of the Warhawk kills in the set. Delaney Ward came in late in the set and pounded down a pair of kills for the Warhawks’ final points of the set. 

Five consecutive kills for UWW in set three opened up a 15-10 Warhawk lead and forced a Kohawk timeout. After another run of kills from Dix, Aubrie Krzus and Amanda Hillmann, UWW’s lead grew to 21-12 as Coe called their final timeout of the match. UW-Whitewater never looked back, closing out the set and the match to punch their ticket to the semifinal. 

UW-Whitewater’s offense was efficient hitting .371 bolstered by a .500 attack percentage in the third set. UWW tallied just eight attack errors in the entire match. Lego hit .417 in the match with 12 kills. Dix had her way at the net hammering down 11 kills without a single attack error (.524 attack percentage) while adding five blocks. 

Krzus ran the offense setting up Warhawk hitters for 33 assists, adding five kills and four blocks. Defensively, Kylee Altendorf and Natalie Lawton shared team-high dig honors with 11 each. 

Friday’s semifinal match marks the fifth consecutive NCAA Second Round appearance for the Warhawks. 

Girls’ Basketball Falls to Columbus in Non-Conference Action

Columbus beat Whitewater 63-24 in a non-conference girls’ basketball game on Thursday, November 20. Whitewater was led by Paige Kollwelter with seven points, while Emery Kachel and Alondra Verduzco had six each. Columbus was led by three girls in double digits. The Whippets will travel to Orfordville to play a varsity only game against the Parkview Vikings at 6:30 pm Friday night.

Information Submitted by Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org

MLB Athlete and WHS Alum Ben Heller Speaks with Students

Whitewater High School and youth athletes had the chance to listen to ’09 WHS Graduate Ben Heller after school on Wednesday, November 12. Ben came in to tell his story of growing up in Whitewater and his journey to Major League Baseball. The athletes and coaches would like to thank Ben for the message that he delivered.

Article and Photos Courtesy of Mike Hookstead
Whitewater High School Head Baseball Coach
mhookstead@wwusd.org