Editor’s Note: The following was provided by UW-Whitewater.
Three UW-Whitewater fall teams were in action Wednesday night and all three picked up big wins. See below for summaries and links to full recaps/box scores.
Women’s Volleyball — The No. 15 Warhawks won their sixth straight match with a five-set thriller over No. 12 UW-Stevens Point in Russell Arena. Erin McNeil (Crystal Lake, Ill.) had a career match with 23 kills hitting .353 for the contest. UW-W remains unbeaten on their home floor, 8-0, this season. Recap/Box Score
Men’s Soccer — The UW-Whitewater men’s soccer team maintained possession of the Hawk Cup for the fifth consecutive meeting with a 3-1 win over Loras College. Evan Donini (Waukesha, Wis.) opened the scoring with a header off of a corner kick. Jacob Mouille (Waunakee, Wis.) tallied the game-winner and Jalen Holley (Milwaukee, Wis.) put the finishing touches on the contest with the third Warhawk goal of the night.
Women’s Soccer — The Warhawk women’s soccer team extended its streak to seven matches with a 2-1 win at Carthage Wednesday. UW-W has not lost since the season opener. Nina Malak (Middleton, Wis.) and Megan Howard (Lakeland, Minn.) registered goals in the contest. Recap/Box Score
Editor’s Note: The following was submitted by Knight Public Affairs, LLC.
The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC)’s 10th anniversary celebration of the Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon, 5K, and W3 Fit Kid Shuffle was a wildly successful community event, raising money for local charities.
This year’s Discover Whitewater Series (DWS) brought in over 462 participants, 408 volunteers, and nearly 70 sponsors. With live music, friendly faces, and a scenic new course, race weekend could not have gone better. Dozens of runners were awarded for their accomplishments, including the following overall winners:
Men’s Half Marathon Winners: Matt Barrett (1st), Alexander Cushman (3rd)
Men’s Half Marathon: Martin Erl (2nd)
Participants of the DWS were enthused by the overwhelmingly organized and welcoming event. City Council President, Lisa Dawsey-Smith, gave the opening remarks as runners prepared to take on the race course. The sun was shining and the warm fall air made for a beautiful morning as both races began.
As runners ventured through the course, they got to experience some of Whitewater’s finest features. The DWS team was proud to welcome new and returning participants alike, exceeding their greatest expectations of the race. Thanks to all the hard work of volunteers and sponsors, this 10th anniversary DWS proved to achieve its mission of bringing people together in support of a good cause.
Women’s 5k Winners: Miranda Slaback (1st), Heidi Mane (2nd), Rachel Fielding (3rd)
Men’s 5k Winners: Devin Johnson (1st), Mark Elworthy (2nd), Paul Taylor (3rd)
All proceeds will be distributed to the DWS’s five charity partners: Whitewater LEADS, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), Whitewater Unified School District, Bethel House of Whitewater, and the J-Hawks Swim Club. Runners and volunteers joined together afterwards to celebrate the day’s accomplishments, enjoying a free beverage from bronze sponsor 841 Brewhouse.
“The 10th anniversary of the DWS proved to be a year of celebration, growth, and success,” said Race Director, Dawson Miller. “It was amazing to see runners and volunteers alike showcase their hard work.”
The DWS team would like to thank all who came out in support of the race. The whole community is blessed to have had 462 participants attend the DWS, making it a hugely successful charity event. We hope everyone will join us again for the next one! Stay tuned for more information on the 11th annual race.
The goal of the DWS is to promote the City of Whitewater and highlight its greatest features. The DWS partners with the city, business community, university, and the school district to make this a tremendous event that benefits all who participate. For more information about the race visit runwhitewater.com. For general race inquiries, email info@runwhitewater.com.
In spectacular fashion, East Troy managed to go 1 up against Whitewater Boys’ Soccer with just 55 seconds played in the game on Monday, September 19. The Whippets recovered well and managed to contain East Troy for the next 38 minutes. Although unable to mount an effective attack, the Whippets also denied East Troy any clear goal scoring opportunities. Chris Cortez and Henry Mortimer played pivotal roles in keeping the score at 1-0 for the Whitewater team.
With 10 seconds to play in the first half, East Troy mounted a lethal counterattack and managed to grab a second goal.
The second half continued in the same manner with both teams vying for possession in the neutral third and no team having the clear-cut advantage. Ten minutes from full time, East Troy scored a 3rd goal, and that is the score line that ended the match.
The Whitewater Boys’ Soccer Team travels to Jefferson this Thursday and then won’t play again until 9/29.
Article Submitted by Sam Burns Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach dburns@wwusd.org
Whitewater Swim had a triangular home meet against Platteville/Lancaster and PSC on Tuesday, September 20. The Whippets came out on top beating both teams!
Lucy Troxel competed in her first swim meet of the season! She had some impressive times in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke.
We had a handful of 1st and 2nd places finishes. These awesome finishes include:
In warm conditions with a soft course, the team laced their spikes up for the second time this week on Saturday, September 17. This meet has nearly forty teams in attendance with a good cross-section of each division represented. The day had an interesting twist as many athletes were getting stung by bees during the JV races so the meet management changed the course for the varsity athletes which provided a much safer competition venue for the athletes and allowed all races to be completed.
The varsity girls were led once again by freshmen Maddy Hefty who ran her best time of the season on a very difficult UW-Parkside course. Her time of 22:37 was good for 62nd overall. Maddy is beginning to see some major gains after a strong summer of training. Other varsity runners ran close to their best time on Tuesday which was raced on a much less difficult course. In particular, Lauren Buehler and Emma Weigel were closest to those times and finished near each other with times of 25:16 and 25:29. The varsity girls finished in 19th overall, but 5th out of the division 2 schools in attendance. The JV girls were led by freshman Silvia Harris in 79th place with a season-best time of 27:20. Sami Van Daele, Evie Troxel, Lucy Troxel, and Adalynn Frye all race their best times of the week. Italian exchange student Elisa Albertini ran in her first race as a Whippet and secured a time of 32:19 and said ‘it was hard but fun!’.
The boys’ varsity was led by the ever-steady Jack Hefty. He has strung together some consistently strong performances running near the front of all the races he competes in. Today he finished in 17th, two places from a medal, in the strongest field he has seen yet. His finish time was 17:25. Nate Holden is also enjoying the fruits of his labor and his summer running to place 45th with a time of 18:18. Also becoming a totally new runner this season is sophomore Xavier Zei. He is running lights out and PR’d today with a time of 20:40. He has so much pop in his stride and a strong thirst for improvement, it is a real joy to be a part of. The varsity boys placed 16th overall and 4th in the division 2 field. The JV boys were led by sophomore Andrew O’Toole who was only a few ticks off his personal best by stopping the clock in 23:33, good enough for 147th. His younger brother Quinton, a freshman, is also figuring out the sport quickly and ran his lifetime best in 24:58. Newcomer Gavin LaFlash ran his season best with a time of 25:46.
Next up for the team is the prestigious Janesville Midwest Invitational hosted by Janesville Craig at Blackhawk golf course. This event will take place on Saturday, September 24th. The first race begins at 9:00 a.m.
Whitewater (2-1 conference, and 13-6 overall) battled an equally talented McFarland team and won the first set 25-23. The Whippets then lost the next three sets 15-25, 14-25, 22-25.
Cali Kopecky
Head Coach Mary Kilar shared, “I think what tonight told us is we have what it takes to battle and beat good teams. We gave them too many points on mental mistakes of missed serves and miscommunication. We had 12 missed serves in the match. If we shore up those lapses in our mental game, the outcome may have been different.”
Kilar continued, “This team continues to play tough. I am proud of their efforts and determination game in and game out. This past week was a tough competition week; having Brodhead away and McFarland at home all in the same week is a tough schedule. But, that’s what makes good teams great. Next week we travel to Beloit Turner Tuesday and Edgerton on Thursday. Every match matters at this point in the season. We keep building and hope to peak at the right time.”
Statistical leaders for Whitewater included Kindyl Kilar with a double-double 20 kills and 11 digs, Calli Grosinske with 23 assists, Cali Kopecky with 5 aces, Campbell Alexander, Jenna Pope, Aidyn Amundson, and Calli Grosinske with a block apiece, and Caleigh Yang with 14 digs. McFarland statistical leaders include Gwen Crull with 21 kills, Ava Dean with 36 assists, Maggie Paulias with 26 digs, and Ainsley Pennekamp with 7 aces.
We hope to regroup for a strong week next week!
Article Submitted by Mary Kilar Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach mkilar@wwusd.org Photo courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whitewater Whippets traveled to Walworth to play against a top 10 state ranked Big Foot soccer program on Thursday, September 15.
Ethan Dugan
Big Foot’s leading goal scorer managed to put two early goals past Whitewater’s defense due to some formational confusion. A third goal was scored shortly after albeit through a nearly impossible angle.
However, the second half was a totally different story. Whitewater dominated possession, created chances, and had Big Foot pinned in their own defensive third for almost the entire 40 minutes. Ethan Dugan was first to react and after some sustained pressure, managed to put a beautiful ball past Big Foot’s keeper. The Whippets continued to create chances but were unable to convert throughout the remainder of the game. It was a huge improvement and a very confidence building evening for Whitewater.
The Whippets play at home vs East Troy on Monday (9/19) and away at Jefferson on Thursday (9/22).
Article submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach
The Whippets had a great day in Cottage Grove racing at the Marshall Invitational on Tuesday, September 13. Numerous runners ran personal bests for the season showing a lot of grit out on the race course. Having breakthrough races this season included Nola Coburn, Caelyn Caputo, Isabella Aranda, and Silvia Harris. These four had significant time drops with Isabella earning a medal in the JV race which catapulted her into the varsity lineup for the next race. The girls’ varsity finished 8th out of 12 teams, and the JV girls finished 3rd.
The boys also had some medalists as Jack Hefty took 3rd overall. Having breakthrough races on the guy’s side include Nate Holden, Xavier Zei, Yovanni Rojas-Reyes, Onyx Thompson, Andrew O’Toole, Sterling Truesdale, Keith Cameron, Quinton O’Toole, Sam NIckleburg, and Alex Clarksen. These runners had significant time drops. Nate Holden medaled in the varsity event with an 11th place finish, and Yovanni debuted in his first event ever wearing the Whippet jersey and absolutely slaughtered it. He earned a medal in the JV race and also catapulted himself onto the varsity team for his next race. The varsity tied for 2nd but lost out on the 6th runner tiebreaker to ultimately finish 3rd, one spot out from a meet trophy. The JV team also finished 3rd.
The next event is the Race St. Catherine’s Invitational hosted at UW-Parkside on Saturday morning, September 17.
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach ccarstens@wwusd.org Pictures Courtesy of Jeff Hefty and Tammy Tomomitsu
Whitewater (2-0 conference, and 13-5 overall) prepared heavily for a tough match up in Brodhead on Tuesday night, September 13. This preparation proved worthy of a 4-set victory, 25-21, 12-25, 25-12, 26-24. Whitewater came into the match with a shortened roster due to some illness, but persevered and came out firing on all cylinders!
Marina Linos and Cambell Alexander (CC) were asked to step up on the right side and middle respectively. Kilar stated, “They both responded with outstanding play. I was so impressed with Marina and CC. CC led us with 3 aces on the night and had 2 blocks. They responded to the game plan and led in their positions. In addition, every player contributed! Calli Grosinske set a great game, with another double-double on the night with 31 assists and 17 digs. Cali Kopecky played solidly, with 3 aces on the night. Ella Spear was a defensive force. Zoe Kohl came in to give us some passing relief in serve receive, and Aidyn Amundsen held her own in the middle, against a strong Brodhead offense!”
Kilar continued, “Caleigh Yang, our libero, led the back-row defense keying in on never letting a ball drop”. Kilar stated, “Caleigh is one of the top liberos in our conference. She is playing with intensity and owning the libero role.” Kilar added, “Kindyl Kilar took care of the game plan offensively. Kilar led all players with a double-double with 33 kills (8.25 kills per set), and 14 digs. The way she leads by example is so impressive. Our whole team is committed, and I am excited about what they are doing as a team!”
Statistical leaders for Brodhead included Abbie Dix with 13 kills and 2 blocks and Alexis Kammerer with 28 assists, 3 aces, and 13 digs.
Next up will be Parents’ Night on Thursday where we host McFarland at the Whitewater High School Gym.
Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach mkilar@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Whippet Boys’ Soccer Team struggled to find their footing in a tough 4-1 loss to Cambridge on Tuesday night, September 13. Cambridge was able to score 4 first half goals against a struggling Whitewater midfield and defense. The second half was an improvement that saw our Whippets fight back for a goal and keep a second half clean sheet.
The families of our athletes were honored before the game during the annual “Parent Night” celebration. The team has an away game this coming Thursday at Big Foot Union High before returning home to play East Troy on the 19th.
Article Submitted by Sam Burns Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach dburns@wwusd.org File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
