Article Submitted by Michael Hookstead
Whitewater High School Head Baseball Coach
mhookstead@wwusd.org
The Whippet Baseball Team took to the field on Friday, April 30th, against the Jefferson Eagles.
The Whippets started off with a rough 1st inning, giving up runs. The team battled the entire game, but fell short by a score of 10-2.
The coaching staff took a lot of positive things away from the game, though.
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Peter Mischka
On Saturday, May 1, the Whippet CC teams competed against some of the state’s best D1 teams in a WIAA Sectional hosted by Whitewater on the WHS campus. The weather was some of the wildest that we have experienced in recent memory with recorded gusts at 39 mph in the area. Teams traveled from as far away as Gibraltar, Fond du Lac, and the Oshkosh area to earn a trip to the WIAA State Meet to be held on Saturday, May 8th. The top two teams and the top five individuals not on those two teams would earn a trip to the State Meet.
Trenten Zahn was the highlight of the day as he executed perhaps his best race ever in a Whippet uniform. As he detailed the night before, he put himself in 11th place in the first mile, worked his way up to 7th in the second mile, and between 2.1 and 2.5 miles he throttled his way into 4th. Trenten knew finishing in the top 5 would automatically punch his ticket to state, but he wouldn’t settle. Whippet CC runners don’t settle; they strive for excellence and the pride that comes from within that giving your best is the only option. Furthermore, representing the Whitewater name is both a privilege and an honor. A runner from Kewaunee passed Trenten in the last 60 meters pushing him to fifth, but Trenten found another gear and took his 4th place spot back to finish in a time of 18:18.2. His racing strategy was simply flawless. Trenten certainly made the Whippet faithful proud with his efforts, and he will be rewarded with one more week of training and the joy that State week brings. Trenten will be competing at 11:00 am in Janesville at Blackhawk Golf Course which is a special place as that is the site of the famed Midwest Invitational that the team travels to annually, except this year, due to COVID. However, Trenten will get one last chance to race there along with many other D1 athletes. Trenten more than earned his spot on this extremely wild weather day. This will be Trenten’s second State CC meet as he competed there in 2018 as a sophomore.
Also racing for the boys was Junior Cooper Hammond who turned in a strong effort to finish in 30th. Sophomore CJ Tomomitsu fought off hip pain to take 35th. Freshman Nate Holden placed 46th, and Senior Will Hofmann placed 47th. Senior Evan Schepp placed 61st, and Sophomore Keith Cameron placed 62nd. The boys’ team placed 6th overall out of the 12 teams represented.
On the girls’ side, Junior Sophie Walton resumed the #1 runner position and redeemed herself after a tough race at conference the week prior. She finished in 39th place with a time of 25:23.8. Junior Gwen Truesdale placed 46th, followed by junior Olive Coburn in 52nd, junior Trinity Nickels in 55th, sophomore Caelyn Caputo in 56th, freshman Lauren Buehler in 57th, and rounding out the team at sectionals was Jennifer Villarreal in 61st. The team finished in 9th place out of 12 competing teams.
Full Results can be found at https://my.raceresult.com/169379/
Coach Carstens would like to thank Athletic Director Justin Crandall, Dr. Pate-Hefty, WUSD Administration, Russ Walton, maintenance workers, WUSD Staff, meet day workers, Jeff Miller, CC Parents, Mark Maas, Steve Johnson, Shannon Cushman, and countless others that helped to not only make this day a great day for the sport of cross country but to pull off four home events in a pandemic season at an untested site and passed with flying colors.
UW-Whitewater Golf Wins Fourth Straight WIAC Championship
By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team claimed its fourth straight conference title and sixth overall Sunday on the third and final day of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver’s at Reedsburg Country Club in Reedsburg, Wis.
The Warhawks carded a three-day total of 925 (303-312-310) to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which is scheduled for May 11-14 at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, Mich.
UW-Whitewater is the only program in WIAC history to win four consecutive conference championships.
Kristin Bowe led the Warhawks and the 55-player field to become the team’s sixth medalist in program history and third in the last five seasons. Bowe fired a 223 (71-73-79) for the weekend to win the tournament by four strokes and set a program record for lowest individual 54-hole score in program history. Her first-round 71 tied the school record for 18-hole score.
Bowe was also named the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete for women’s golf following play. Head coach Andrea Wieland joined her as an award winner, garnering WIAC Coach of the Year accolades for the first time in her career.
CheyAnn Knudsen, the 2017 medalist, placed third with a 228 (77-76-75). Ashton Sinak and Kelly Storti tied for fifth with matching scores of 238. Sinak posted her best round of the weekend on Sunday (79-84-75), and Storti tallied a sequence of 76-81-81 for the weekend.
Playing in her first conference tournament as part of the lineup, Lily Sheppard finished the weekend with a 253 (79-82-92), good for a tie for 15th.
Grace Westerman led all individuals by tying for 11th place with a 243 (82-76-85) for an impressive conference tournament debut. Madi LaPaz tied for 15th with her 253 (83-85-85), and Lauren Winter totaled a 254 (84-82-88) to tie for 17th.
Sydney O’Hearn finished 28th overall with a 266 (84-96-86) in her first WIAC Championship.
UW-Whitewater will make its third appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Warhawks finished 12th in 2018 and 13th in 2019.
UW-W also qualified for the national championship in 2020, but the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Warhawk Softball Takes Two on Senior Day
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team moved into sole possession of second place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings Saturday afternoon with back-to-back victories over UW-Eau Claire on Senior Day at van Steenderen Softball Complex.
The Warhawks (22-8 overall, 8-4 WIAC) bested the Blugolds 4-1 in the opener before posting a 3-0 shutout in the second game.
UW-Whitewater honored seniors Marissa Adams, Alexis Addante, Taylor Briehl, Meg Cohrs, Sam Lattner, Nikki Mikosz, Kaleigh O’Brien and Vera Pflugradt following the final home regular season games of the year. The team also recognized 2020 graduates Dani Biesiada, Mattie Klingenmeyer, Bella Matthias and Nicole Neitzel.
In Game 1, UW-Eau Claire (21-13, 7-5) took the early lead with a run in the top of the first, but the Warhawks responded with four unanswered runs over the next three frames.
Cohrs tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring groundout, and Krista Sbarra hit an RBI single to put UW-W ahead for good in the second.
UW-Whitewater added two in the third on a sacrifice fly by O’Brien and a wild pitch.
Pitcher Kate Cleveland scattered five hits and one walk over seven innings for the complete-game win. She improved to 8-3 on the year.
O’Brien and Sbarra led the offense with two hits apiece, and shortstop Meghan Dunning scored two runs and posted one hit.
In the nightcap, pitcher Mallory Hollatz tossed a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts to move to 3-0 on the season.
The Warhawks grabbed the lead with a run in the bottom of the first on a bases-loaded walk by designated player Sophia Kinjerski.
Pflugradt doubled the UW-W lead with one out in the fourth on an RBI single through the right side, and two batters later, Cohrs made it a three-run game with a two-out, RBI hit near the left field line.
Pflugradt finished 2-for-4 with one run scored, while Dunning reached base three times with one hit and two walks. Cohrs totaled two hits, and Mikosz collected one hit and one walk.
UW-Whitewater visits UW-Platteville for a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 1, 2021
The No. 8 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team maintained its first-place standing in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings Saturday with a pair of conference victories at UW-Stout.
The Warhawks (25-4 overall, 17-3 WIAC) defeated the Blue Devils 12-1 in seven innings in the first game before tallying 11 unanswered runs for an 11-5 triumph in the nightcap.
In Game 1, UW-Whitewater broke open a 0-0 game with eight runs in the top of the fourth inning, and Warhawk pitchers combined to strand nine UW-Stout runners.
Left fielder Matt Korman drove home three runs to lead the offense and socked a two-run homer in UW-W’s big fourth inning.
Right fielder Jacob DeMeyer, catcher Ryan Norton and shortstop Nick Santoro each tallied two runs batted in. DeMeyer reached base three times with two hits and one walk and scored two runs, while Norton posted two hits and one run scored. Santoro knocked a two-run double in the fourth and scored one run.
Second baseman Sam Vomhof totaled three hits, one run scored and one RBI, first baseman Ben Wilkins reached base three times with two walks and one hit while adding two runs scored, and designated hitter Taylor White registered one hit, one walk, one run scored and one RBI.
Pitcher Donovan Brandl recorded the win to improve to 4-1 on the year. He scattered five hits over six innings and struck out four in the outing. Trey Bretl pitched the seventh.
In Game 2, the Warhawks trailed 5-0 through three frames before plating two in the fourth, four in the fifth and five in the seventh. Santoro mashed a two-run homer to left to put UW-W ahead for good in the fifth. He finished with three RBIs.
Norton finished 2-for-4 with one walk, one run scored and three RBIs, and Vomhof collected two hits, one walk, one run scored and two RBIs.
White reached base four times with three walks and one hit while scoring two runs, and Wilkins and Korman each tallied two hits and one run scored.
Pitcher Connor Spear improved to 3-0 with the victory, allowing only one hit and one walk over 3 1/3 innings of relief. Kade Lancour and Connor Moroder tossed scoreless relief outings of two innings and one inning, respectively.
UW-Whitewater hosts Finlandia (Mich.) for a WIAC doubleheader Friday at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
Article submitted by Michael Hookstead
Whitewater High School Head Baseball Coach
mhookstead@wwusd.org
The Varsity Baseball Team was handed their second loss on the season on Thursday night, April 29. Beloit Turner defeated the Whippets 10-0 in 6 innings.
Marc Jones was the starting pitcher and threw a solid game.
The team is still growing and learning what the expectations are.
The Whippets will be in action again on Friday, April 30th, against the Jefferson Eagles at Whitewater High School.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Quinn Meinerz, a 2021 UW-W graduate whose senior year’s football season was canceled by COVID-19, didn’t let that slow him down, and his efforts were rewarded as he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the NFL draft on April 30, the 98th pick overall. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Meinerz became the first Whitewater player drafted since wide receiver Derek Stanley was taken by the Rams in the seventh round in 2007.
Meinerz, a graduate of Hartford High School, developed into an All-American guard as a junior at UW-W. Nicknamed “ The Gut ” for sticking out his belly on hot days, Meinerz put himself through a strenuous training regimen during the past year, losing weight and teaching himself the center position. That earned him an invitation to the Senior Bowl in Alabama in January, where he attracted a lot of media attention. Since then he had been rumored to be on draft radar by a number of teams.
“He did kill people,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said during the network’s broadcast. “And if you’re going to play in the NFL, you better dominate. And this kid did.
“He will be a center-guard option in the NFL. You look at the way he played. Heavy punch. The alertness to pick up stunts I love. Run blocker, he drives defenders off the ball.”
“This is a guy that went down to the Senior Bowl and made a name for himself,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said during the network’s broadcast. “He was the show.”
Broncos general manager George Paton, meeting with reporters, noted it was difficult to evaluate Meinerz because Whitewater’s 2020 season was canceled. “There were a lot of unknowns about him,” Paton said. “Then when you see him in one-on-one drills blocking these guys who are first- and second-round picks, it was pretty amazing.
“It’s been an amazing process,” Meinerz said. “To be Division III, have my season canceled. … To be able to climb up the boards like I did, it doesn’t happen very often.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz becomes the first UW-Whitewater player drafted in 14 years
The Denver Post: Broncos draft offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz at No. 98 overall
This rainbow accompanied the WHS Boys’ Soccer 7-2 victory over Cambridge-Deerfield Thursday night, April 29. Photo credit to Jenny Rule.
The boys are the #4 seed in their part of the WIAA Division II Sectional and will host #5 Edgerton on May 4. Check out the full bracket at https://halftime.wiaawi.org/CustomApps/Tournaments/Brackets/HTML/2021_Soccer_Boys_Div2_Sec3_4.html
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
University of Kansas (KU) announced today that it has hired Lance Leipold as the head football coach for the Jayhawks, with a six year contract. Leipold, age 56, has served as the head football coach at the University of Buffalo since 2015, and at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater from 2007 to 2014. Per Wikipedia, “during his tenure at UW-W, the Warhawks won the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. During his time at Whitewater, Leipold led the Warhawks to five undefeated seasons. Leipold reached 100 victories faster than any coach in NCAA history, doing so in his 106th game on October 18, 2014.”
Leipold, a Jefferson native and former UW-W Hall of Fame quarterback, finished his eight seasons with the Warhawks with a 109-6 record, and with his hiring at Buffalo jumped from Division III to Division I, a rare accomplishment. He was 37-33 at Buffalo with two division championships and three consecutive bowl appearances, going 24-10 since 2018. In recent times he had been speculated to be under consideration for a number of other college programs.
“I can’t thank Lance enough for everything he has done for our football program,” Buffalo Athletic Director Mark Alnutt said. “His vision and leadership helped elevate the UB football brand. We are grateful for what Lance has done here and we wish him and his family all the best as they embark on this new journey.
“Since entering the FBS ranks in 1999, the UB football program continues to rise to unprecedented heights. From bowl victories to top NFL Draft picks, UB has established itself as one of the top programs in not only the Mid-American Conference, but the entire Group of Five. With our success on the field as well as facilities rivaling some of the best in the country, we know we are an attractive coaching destination and look forward to selecting the next leader of our football program,” concluded Alnutt.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Coach Leipold, Kelly, Lindsey and Landon to the Jayhawk Family,” KU Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. “He is a man of integrity, a developer of young men, a program builder and a winner. His track record of sustained excellence is exactly what we were looking for in our next leader, and is what the University of Kansas and our fans deserve.”
“It is an exciting and humbling opportunity, and this is a day I will never forget,” Leipold said in a release. “We are going to build this program through developing players, discipline and determination. The philosophies ingrained in our programs along the way will be key as we turn this around. This is a program that has a lot of young talent on the roster and has the infrastructure in place to succeed. The best days for this program are ahead, and my family and I are ecstatic to be a part of it.”
Some media stories are linked below:
Kansas hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as football coach – espn.com – “Kansas is 18-90 since 2011 and last had a winning season under Mark Mangino in 2008. Leipold will be the team’s sixth head coach since that last winning campaign.”
Kansas Football can make considerable growth under Lance Leipold – throughthephog.com
Kansas Hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as Football Coach – usnews.com
Information Provided by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
UPDATE: Since we posted the meet information on Monday, April 26th, we have had three teams opt-out from our sectional on Tuesday, April 27th. In addition, several teams are bringing incomplete teams which has dropped us below the 76 runner threshold that has been approved for the WIAA State Meet. Lastly, the weather forecast has indicated that it is going to be near 80 degrees in Whitewater on Saturday. This new race schedule is also an attempt to reduce the chances of medical emergencies and avoid the hottest point of the day. For these reasons, we have been given clearance to run one race per gender. We will not move the beginning part of the schedule as we need to accommodate teams traveling a far distance. Box assignments will be changing and Coach Carstens will update the Meet Information when those become available.
Whitewater High School is hosting one of four Sectional Cross Country meets taking place around the state on Saturday, May 1st. There will be a $6 per person charge to enter the meet.
10:30 am: Spectators/Buses can arrive and begin unloading
11:00 am: Course Opens for Preview
12:00 pm: Girls’ Race
12:45 pm: Boys’ Race
Please check out this meet information for race times and other pertinent information.
Check out the digital course map that will highlight how the traffic will flow, spectator routes, etc.
You can also preview the course faster than the world record pace by watching this video of the course.
The top two teams and top 5 individuals not on those qualifying teams will earn a trip to the WIAA State Meet on Saturday, May 8th.