WHS Gymnasts Host Elkhorn

By Kelly O’Hara
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
OHaraKL17@uww.edu

The Whitewater High School Gymnastics team competed against the Elkhorn Elks on Tuesday, January 19th, at Whitewater High School. The Whippets had a team score of 112.65.

WHS gymnasts had many highlights during this meet. Starting on the JV side, Isabelle Dieter scored a 6.8 on Vault. Lauren Buehler scored a 7.1 on Vault, a 6.0 on Beam, and a 5.15 on Floor. Alexis Kuhnke scored a 5.0 on Beam, and Brooke Bazeley scored a 4.5 on Floor.

On the Varsity side, Halee Peters placed 3rd on Vault, scoring an 8.1. Halee also scored a 7.5 on bars and a 7.8 on Beam. Jenna Caldwell scored a 7.4 on bars and a 7.475 on Floor. Maddy Buehler scored a 7.75 on Vault. Caleigh Yang scored a 7.25 on Vault, and Anna Ejnik scored an 8.0 on Vault.

The next competition for these Whippet athletes will be at the Southwestern Invitational this Saturday, January 23rd. Let’s cheer on these WHS gymnasts! Gooooo, Whippets!!

Whippet Girls Split with Big Foot, Edgerton

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

The Whippet Girls’ Basketball Team defeated Big Foot on Friday night, January 15, 46-36.

Kacie Carollo led the team with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.

Danielle DePorter scored 12 points.

Kindyl Kilar scored 11 points and had 9 rebounds. 

Cora Linos had a career high of 7 blocks and pulled down 10 rebounds.

On Monday, January 18, the Whippets played against Edgerton. We had difficulty scoring early on, trailing 3-20 halfway through the first half.

We found our groove and closed the gap, out-scoring Edgerton 16-15 the second part of the first half. We were only trailing by 10 going into the second half. Inching closer, we came within 7 points early in the second half, but we ended up losing 47-66.

Kacie Carollo led the Whippets with 16 points, followed by Kindyl Kilar with 11, Danielle DePorter with 7, and Catherine Skindingsrude with 6. 

Boys’ Basketball Down Jefferson 72-36

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

The Whippet Boys’ Basketball Team beat Jefferson 72-36, on Thursday night, January 14. 

Jake Martin led all scorers with 23 points in the win. 

The Whippets will take on Milton at noon on Saturday at WHS.

Former Warhawk Coach, Administrator Willie Myers Passes Away

(UW-W press release) Dr. Willie Myers, a wrestling coach, instructor and athletics administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 36 years, passed away Tuesday, January 12 at the age of 81.

Myers served as Head Wrestling Coach from 1968-2004 and as Men’s Athletic Director from 1983-98, and was a tenured professor in UW-Whitewater’s Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Coaching (HPERC).

A visitation will be held Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 11:30 a.m. at Faith Community Church, located at W5949 Hackbarth Rd. in Fort Atkinson. A funeral service will be held at the church at 1 p.m., with a burial to follow at Cold Spring Cemetery in Fort Atkinson.

Following services, a get-together will take place at The Real MacCoys, located at N1431 County Rd. N in Whitewater.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Willie Myers, an icon in the Warhawk Family,” Interim Director of Athletics Ryan Callahan said. “Willie’s enthusiasm, commitment and leadership as both a coach and administrator were integral to the success of UW-Whitewater wrestling and the entire athletic department. He was a caring mentor to our student-athletes and his coaching peers. Our alumni always speak with deep affection for the role he played in their lives.

“Willie was a man of honesty and integrity, and was so well respected in his profession. He was a wonderful representative of the wrestling community, of intercollegiate athletics and of this university. Our thoughts are with Willie’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

As wrestling coach, Myers led the Warhawks to 12 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, including seven straight titles from 1974-80, and 17 top-20 finishes at national championship tournaments (combined NCAA and NAIA), including nine among the nation’s top 10. He coached 64 individual conference champions, and his student-athletes earned 53 All-America honors, including four national championships, and 30 Scholar All-America accolades during his tenure.

The 1969 NAIA Rookie Coach of the Year and a five-time conference Mertz Mortorelli Coach of the Year, Myers ranks as the WIAC’s all-time leader in dual wins with a 301-136-7 career record (.686 winning percentage). He was selected as the coach of the WIAC’s All-Time Wrestling Team, which was announced in conjunction with the league’s Centennial Celebration in 2011-12.

In the 1970s, Myers coached the United States freestyle team at the 1977 World University Games, and served as the wrestling team administrator for the U.S. at the 1979 World University Games. He led an NAIA exchange team on a tour of Japan and Korea.

Highly respected in the wrestling community and among his peers, Myers served as President of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches Association from 1978-80 and as President of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Coaches Association from 1985-87 and 1989-91, and held numerous other committee positions. He was part of a multi-division committee that studied weight management among college wrestlers.

Myers received the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and was granted Emeritus status for the Departments of Intercollegiate Athletics and HPERC upon his retirement in 2004. In 2005, the Williams Center’s wrestling room was dedicated in Myers’ honor, and now bears the name Willie Myers Family Wrestling Gymnasium.

As men’s athletic director, Myers oversaw the first men’s national team championship in school history (men’s basketball, 1984 and 1989) and planning for the remodeling of the Williams Center and the addition of Kachel Fieldhouse. He also helped plan and administer the men’s programs to meet gender equity mandates.

Myers was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. He is a member of the George Martin (State of Wisconsin Wrestling) Hall of Fame, the NAIA Wrestling Hall of Fame, the NAIA District 14 Hall of Fame and the Eastern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Myers also served as chair of the Department of Coaching prior to its merger with HPERC and was an assistant football coach (1974-76, 1978).

Myers earned his bachelor’s in industrial arts and master’s in guidance and counseling from Eastern Illinois in 1964 and 1966, respectively, and was a four-time NAIA national qualifier at EIU during his wrestling career. He completed his doctorate in education administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977.

To give to Warhawk Wrestling as a memorial for Myers, click here, select Wrestling from the dropdown menu, check the box for Tribute Gift and write in Willie Myers.

Gymnasts Top Janesville Craig

By Kelly O’Hara
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
OHaraKL17@uww.edu

Whitewater High School Gymnastics competed against Janesville Craig on Tuesday, January 12th, at Janesville Craig High School. The Whippets had a victory, scoring a team score of 110.15. The WHS gymnasts had many successes during this meet.

Halee Peters placed 2nd on Bars scoring a 6.92, 2nd on Vault scoring an 8.25, 2nd in the All-Around scoring a 29.2, and 4th on Beam scoring a 7.1.

Jenna Caldwell placed 3rd on Bars scoring 6.575, 3rd on Beam scoring a 7.3, 3rd in the All- Around scoring a 28.925, and 5th on Floor scoring a 7.15.

Anna Ejnik placed 3rd on Floor scoring a 7.375 and 4th on Vault scoring an 8.1.

Maddy Buehler placed 4th on Bars scoring a 5.35 and 6th on Vault scoring a 7.8.

Caleigh Yang placed 6th on Beam scoring a 6.3.

Brenda Aguilar placed 5th on Beam scoring a 6.55.

On the JV side Isabelle Dieter placed 1st on Beam scoring a 5.5, Lauren Buehler placed 2nd on Vault scoring a 6.85, Alexis Kuhnke placed 4th on Beam scoring a 4.0, and Brooke Bazeley placed 2nd on Floor scoring a 4.2.

The next gymnastics meet will be held Tuesday, January 19th, in a Home Dual against Elkhorn. Goooo, Whippet Gymnastics!!

Whippet Boys Defeat Big Foot on Last Second Shot

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

The Whippet Boys’ Basketball Team won their 1st game of the season over Big Foot 53-52, on Monday night, January 11. 

Carter Brown made the game-winning shot as time expired. 

Jake Martin led the scoring with 21 points. 

The Whippets will take on Jefferson on Thursday evening at WHS. 

Watch the recording of the Big Foot game at https://youtu.be/QXdigioMUHE. You can subscribe to this YouTube channel to see all home Whippet athletic events in the main gym live.

Girls Fall to Jefferson in Defensive Battle

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

The Whippet Girls’ Basketball Team played Jefferson Thursday night, January 7. It was a defensive battle. The Whippets had difficulty finding rhythm in the offense, ending the first half of the game with only 9 points to Jefferson’s 21.

Fighting back on defense, and with a 16 point run, we edged ahead of Jefferson 25-24 with about 11 minutes left of the second half. The game remained close, with never more than 5 point deficit until the last 4 minutes when Jefferson pulled ahead by 7 and began to stall. We ended up losing a tough one 36-47.

Kacie Carollo led the Whippets with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Kindyl Kilar contributed 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal. Danielle DePorter added 7 points.

Whippet Gymnasts Top Jefferson

By Kelly O’Hara
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
OHaraKL17@uww.edu

Whitewater High School Gymnastics competed against Jefferson on Tuesday, January 5th, at Jefferson High School. The Whippets had a victory, with a team score of 113. The WHS gymnasts had many successes during this meet.

Halee Peters scored a 7.55 on bars and an 8.3 on Vault. Jenna Caldwell scored a 7.25 on bars, an 8.1 on Vault, and 28.9 in the All- Around. Anna Ejnik scored an 8.2 on Vault and an 8.05 on Floor. Maddy Buehler scored an 8.1 on Vault. Caleigh Yang scored a 7.55 on Vault and a 7.05 on Floor. Brenda Aguilar scored a 7.1 on Floor.

On the JV side Lauren Buehler scored a personal best on the Vault scoring a 7.15. Alexis Kuhnke scored a 4.4 on Beam and Brooke Bazeley scored a 4.9 on Floor.

The next gymnastics meet will be held Saturday, January 9th, at Platteville High School. Goooo, Whippets!!

Photo Courtesy of Coach O’Hara

Swimmers Split Triple-Dual

Article By Gina Foucault
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
gfoucault@wwusd.org

The Whippets’ triple dual meet on Tuesday, January 5th, resulted in one win and one loss. The Whippets were able to defeat Prairie School/St. Cats, but ended up losing to Jefferson/Cambridge. Two first year swimmers really had some impressive swims. Carter Schepp dropped 15 seconds in the 100 Breaststroke, while teammate Jake Kuhlow dropped an impressive 22 seconds in the 100 Backstroke. Those are huge time drops!

Devin Bazeley earned wins in both the 200 IM and 100 Butterfly against both teams, while Tyler Arnett finished 1st in the 500 Freestyle against both teams and beat all of the Jefferson swimmers in the 200 Freestyle.

Tony Aranda finished in 1st place in the 50 Freestyle against the Prairie School/St. Cat’s swimmers.

Carter Schepp finished in 1st place in both the 100 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke against the Prairie School/St. Cat’s team.

Jake Kuhlow also finished in 1st place in the 100 Backstroke against the Prairie School/St. Cat’s team.

The Medley Relay of Jake Kuhlow, Carter Schepp, Zach Tomomitsu, and Cole Schlicher earned the win against the Prairie School/St. Cat’s team, while the team of Devin Bazeley, Keith Cameron, Tony Aranda, and Tyler Arnett finished in 1st place in the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays.

The following swimmers posted best times Jake Kuhlow (2), Cole Schlicher, Tony Aranda (2), Carter Schepp (2), and Keith Cameron (2).

The season is starting to wind down with only one dual meet left before the Championship season. It is great to see each of the swimmers getting stronger.