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The Whippet Cross Country Team competed on September 5 in their largest invitational of the season to date at McCarty Park in West Allis. With another week of training, perfect weather, and a growing ability to embrace being uncomfortable, the team rose to the challenge against much larger programs.
Several athletes ran lifetime bests. Freshman Tyler Carollo led the way with his first sub-19 effort, running 18:55 for 58th place—over a minute faster than his debut race last week. Wyatt Esch stepped up as the team’s No. 2 finisher, earning a personal best of 20:09 for 85th. Marcus Roselle joined the PR party with a 20:37 (91st), followed closely by Isaiah Mendez in 21:01 (93rd). Quinton O’Toole finished 99th in 21:26, and Angel Kilar capped the varsity effort with a big breakthrough—running 22:08, over a minute better than his previous best. The team placed 15th out of 25 schools.
In the JV race, Sam Nickelsburg made a big jump from last week, clocking 24:23. Freshman Jameson Rothwell debuted with a 25:37, and Ian Agen nearly broke 30 minutes, crossing in 30:31.
On the girls’ side, Virginia Nelson led the varsity squad with a 22:48 for 56th. Delaney Hammack dropped 32 seconds for a PR of 23:46 (71st), while Ema Aranda finished 83rd in 24:34. Freshman Madelyn Taylor cut nearly three minutes from her season opener, setting a lifetime best of 27:08.
In JV action, Payton Brautigam looked outstanding, running faster than she had in the past three seasons with a 27:02 for 66th. Noelia Villegas-Korbel showed grit, cutting nearly a full minute from her opening race.
The Whippets will now take a week off from racing to focus on training (and water softener salt sales!) before returning to competition at the Dana Waddell Invite in Cottage Grove on Tuesday, September 16.
Full Results: https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/258799/info
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Heather Hammack
Editor’s note: The above announcement was submitted by Neil Hicks.
The Whitewater Public Library’s fall Storytime series begins! Families with young children are invited to join Miss Deana for stories, songs, and silliness weekly on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. starting on September 10. Storytimes are best for children ages 2-5, but older and younger siblings are always welcome.
Note that due to library construction, Storytime will be held at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center located at 341 S. Fremont Street. There is no cost or registration. Drop by if you can! Storytimes typically run about 30 minutes.
Contact Deana Rolfsmeyer with questions or accommodation requests at drolfsmeyer@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-458-2788. For a full listing of library events, visit whitewaterlibrary.org.
“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life”
Tuesday, September 9, 1 p.m.
(Comedy/Romance) Rated R (language)
1 hour, 38 minutes (2025).
An aspiring author, looking to get more out of life, takes up a writing residency and finds herself in the sort of romantic entanglements that could come from the pages of a Jane Austen novel. Filmed in England and France. Dialogue in English and French with subtitles.
Seniors in the Park is located in Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Road. Although there is no charge to attend, regular participants are encouraged to join Seniors in the Park. The annual fee for residents of the Whitewater Unified School District is $10 and non-residents is $15. The funds support about half of the cost of our front desk staff person for 15 hours per week. The rest comes out of our fundraising monies. If you cannot afford the fee, we have a fund that will cover it for you. Fees are accepted at the Starin Park Community Building or online at https://schedulesplus.com/wwtr/kiosk/
SI.com, the official website of Sports Illustrated, featured an article on September 5 titled Border Showdown: Is Missouri Game the Biggest of Lance Leipold’s Career?
Leipold is the head football coach at the University of Kansas, a position he has held since 2021. He was the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater from 2007 to 2014 and the University at Buffalo from 2015 to 2020.[2] During his tenure at Wisconsin–Whitewater, the team won six NCAA Division III Football Championships: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014 and were runners-up in 2008. During his time at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Leipold led the Warhawks to 5 undefeated seasons. [Wikipedia]
Per the article, it sounds like the national media has overhyped the September 6 game of Kansas vs. Missouri, but those who remember Leipold may enjoy reading an update on his career.
On Thursday, September 4, the Whippets traveled to Jefferson High School to compete in the Southern Lakes Conference Relay Championship. The team finished 5th overall and showed up with incredible swims, heat wins, and huge time drops throughout the night!
Meet Highlights:
200 Medley Relay (Maggie Maas, Atreya Wilson, Lucy Davis, Charlotte Hajewski) – 8th overall and won their heat by nearly 17 seconds!
4×100 IM Relay (Kendra Serrano, Grace Coleman, Charlotte Hajewski, Emma Maas) – pulled off a thrilling comeback win in the final leg to take their heat!
1000 Crescendo Relay (Grace Smith, Atreya Wilson, Maggie Maas, Lucy Davis) – 7th overall, winning their heat by nearly 40 seconds!
50 Freestyle “Splash & Dash” Two teams made their mark!
- Laken DePorter, Jalayne Hanson, Paige Kollwelter, Storm DePorter – 10th overall, dropping 11 seconds from their seed time!
- Emma Maas, Maya Davis, Grace Smith, Maggie Maas – 6th place with a time of 1:01.10.
400 Backstroke Relay (Grace Smith, Caitlin Alford, Paige Kollwelter, Georgia Esch) – dominated their heat with a win by over a minute, with all four swimmers crushing their times!
The Whippets brought the energy, teamwork, and grit—what an amazing night of racing! 
Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu
The Whitewater Whippet Soccer Team played to a 2-2 tie with Fort Atkinson on Thursday, September 4.
Whippet goals were scored by Abdi Calvillo with an assist from Langdon Coburn (65’) and Elijah Gutierrez with an assist from Kevin Gonzalez (70’). Fort Atkinson’s goals were scored by Connor Luebke (6’) and Tristan Dommershausen (50’).
Casey Schlicher had 7 saves for the Whippets and Ayden Schaller had 8 saves for the Blackhawks.
Comments from Coach Burns:
Your Whitewater Whippets fought hard to come back from a 2-0 deficit. After conceding a “one in a million” free kick and a slop goal from outside of the box, it appeared that your Whippets were in for a disappointing evening with only 19 minutes remaining. However, with strong second half performances from Kevin Gonzalez, Abdi Calvillo, Elijah Gunierrez, and the rest of the Whippet team, the comeback was on. The character this team displayed was really a sight to see. WHS created numerous chances to not only go even with Fort Atkinson but win it as well. In the end, the match finished 2-2, and Whippet Soccer remains undefeated.
Article and Photos Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Head Boys’ Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. During this first week of school, students are using their brand-new school supplies often acquired last week or the week before. In this image, probably from around the turn of the twentieth century, drug store H. O. Conner & Sons advertised the business as the “headquarters for school books and supplies.” The O’Connor Drug Store was a long-time business in downtown Whitewater.
Before the big box stores appeared in the mid-20th century, dime stores, drug stores, stationery stores, and office stores were the go-to places to get school supplies. You will note that school pennants were also available for purchase.
To all students, the historical society wishes you a successful year!
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
(2111PC, Whitewater Historical Society)
Obituaries
Patricia “Pat” Lynn Bailey, age 70, passed away peacefully on June 1, 2026 with her daughter by her side. Pat was born February 21, 1956 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to John and Ruth (Hudock) Prentice. After a brief time in Ann Arbor, the Prentice family moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, where Pat grew up as part of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater community, where her father served as University Registrar. Pat attended the University School and later graduated from UW Whitewater with a degree in Elementary Education. Although she did not pursue teaching, she built a meaningful career in Human … Read more
Gemelino Paris Esperante, 83, long time resident of Whitewater, passed away on Thursday, June 4th, 2026. He was born on January 10, 1943, to his late father and mother, Evaristo and Carmen in Spain. In 1973 he moved to the United States as a sheep herder. On August 21, 1981, he was united in marriage to Cyndie Esperante in Colorado. Gemelino also worked in Mining and construction for many years. He enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, raising sheep and growing things in his garden, and flowers. He will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife … Read more
Mary Ann Warner died peacefully on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Crestridge Assisted Living in Dodgeville. Her physical heart failed, but her actual, loving heart never did. Ann was born June 28, 1939 to Mary and Charles Kearns in Iowa. She moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin and graduated with many dear friends in the class of 1957. Ann married John Warner on September 19, 1959. They lived in Whitewater, Sturgis Michigan, and finally settled in Janesville where they built a beautiful life and raised their family. Together, they ran a business, traveled, played cards, and enjoyed their lives. When they became … Read more
Patricia Ann Jacobson (Bureau), age 81, of Whitewater, WI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Born on September 2, 1944, in Marquette, MI, to the late Donald and Margaret Bureau, Pat grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She graduated from Graveraet High School, attended Michigan State University, and later earned her bachelor’s degree from Northern Michigan University. Pat dedicated her professional life to shaping young minds, working as an elementary and junior high school teacher in both Flint, MI, and Whitewater, WI. At the heart of Pat’s life was a beautiful, … Read more
In loving memory of Lois Lauritzen, age 92, who passed away on June 1, 2026 at Lakewood Memory Care in Brookfield. Lois led an active life full of devotion to family and friends. Born July 14th, 1933 in Silvis, IL, daughter of Harry and Elsie Wilson, she grew up in the Quad Cities with older brother Harry Wilson Jr. Lois graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL with a degree in physical education. She met her husband Paul Lauritzen on the college tennis team. Their marriage on June 12th, 1955 lasted 59 years until Paul’s death on September 26th, … Read more
Donald Walter Triebold passed on to his eternal home on May 21, 2026. Don was born on April 23, 1935, in Evanston, IL, to the late Frederick W. and Mildred (nee Stecher) Triebold. Through his teen years, Don lived and worked on the family’s dairy farm, where he developed a life-long work ethic. His first eight years of education were in a one-room country schoolhouse, in which all eight grades were taught by one teacher. He graduated from Whitewater City High School in 1953 and then graduated from UW Whitewater in 1958 with a degree in Business Education. He continued his education, and earned a Master’s … Read more
William Kincaid Davis, age 84, passed away on Tuesday, May 19 at Agrace Hospice Center in Fitchburg. He was born on November 1, 1941, in Madison, Indiana, the second son of Salvation Army Officers Agnes (Dixon) and William C. Davis. He attended several schools in Indiana and Illinois, including University of Illinois Experimental High School (Champaign), and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1958. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire in 1964 and his master’s degree from UW-Whitewater in 1972. He had an expansive career in education, beginning as an English teacher in Whitehall, Thornton Township (IL) and … Read more
Magdalene “Maggie” Stetter (nee Fritz), 79, of Whitewater, Wisconsin passed from this life onto the next on Monday, May 4, 2026. She was born on January 16, 1947, to the late John and Mary (Presser) Fritz in St. Stefan, Austria. Maggie immigrated from Austria with her parents and brother, became a US citizen, and grew up and attended school in West Allis, WI and then graduated with a teaching degree from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. Maggie served as a substitute, English, and German language teacher in the Whitewater, Elkhorn, Delavan, and Palmyra schools and at Divine Word Seminary. Maggie … Read more
Lawrence “Larry” C. Hartung, a proud Marine Veteran of the Vietnam War, and longtime resident of Fort Atkinson, WI, passed away peacefully at his home on May 1, 2026. Larry was born June 7th, 1949, to Levon and Charles Hartung in Chicago, IL. Larry enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1968 and served 3 consecutive tours in the Vietnam War. During this time, he became pen pals with his future wife, Candy, via a connection through his father. In 1970, he came home on leave to marry Candy. They celebrated 55 years of marriage on October 31st, 2025. During … Read more
Leo E. Wurzer, 65, of Eagle, Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at his home. Leo was born on April 15, 1961 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Cyril and Shirley (McNeil) Wurzer. He grew up between Pleasant Prairie and Antigo, spending his childhood summers on his uncle’s farm where he discovered his love for all things tractors. Although he never had a farm of his own, he was able to partially fulfill his dream by working as a driver for Robin’s Trucking in Whitewater, WI in his last days and collecting miniature Tonka toys. He began his career … Read more
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