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After 23 remarkable seasons leading the Warhawk men’s and women’s tennis programs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Head Coach Frank Barnes has announced his retirement, marking the end of an era defined by excellence, mentorship and a profound impact on student-athletes both on and off the court.
“Frank is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and UW-Whitewater,” said Director of Athletics Ryan Callahan. “He has turned UW-Whitewater into the best public Division III tennis program in the country and has worked tirelessly to improve the tennis facilities and overall quality of the program during his tenure. I am forever grateful for Frank’s leadership and support in advancing Warhawk athletics.”
Coach Barnes has been at the helm of the Warhawk men’s tennis program since 2002 and the UWW women’s team since 2003. Throughout his tenure, Barnes has guided UW-Whitewater through one of the toughest Division III schedules in the Midwest – a slate that features Division I and II opponents, as well as some of the top Division III institutions in the region each year.
Still, the Warhawks have been dominant under Barnes. Under his leadership, the tennis program has become a model of consistency and competitiveness. The UWW men have not lost a conference match since 2010. Meanwhile, the women’s program had a win streak that eclipsed 130 matches against WIAC opponents. The Warhawk women have won 18 consecutive league titles. These feats are even more impressive considering UW-Whitewater had not won a conference championship in the 13 years prior to Barnes taking the helm.
UW-Whitewater has also increased its national presence – specifically since 2007. The Warhawk women have participated in the NCAA Team Championship the last 17 seasons while the men have made the tournament 16 times in that span. UW-Whitewater has advanced to the Sweet 16 eleven times since 2007. Multiple singles and doubles players – 47 in fact – have qualified for the NCAA Individual Championship and/or Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Championship in that timeframe. Both programs and additional Warhawk individuals have held national rankings in the ITA polls over the last 15 seasons. Barnes has coached Warhawk tennis players to 33 All-America honors during his tenure.
Beyond competitive achievements on the court, Barnes stresses academic success as a pillar of the tennis program. The men’s and women’s teams have been consistently recognized as an ITA All-Academic Team over the last decade. Individual Warhawks have continually been recognized as ITA Scholar Athletes – achieving a grade point average of at least 3.5. He has coached 11 Academic All-Americans, 12 WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar Athletes of the Year and 76 UW-Whitewater Chancellor Scholar Athletes.
Due to the success of the UW-Whitewater tennis program and Barnes’ engagement in the tennis community, he has been honored on numerous occasions from the conference to the national stage. Barnes was named the ITA National Coach of the Year in 2023-24. He earned Regional Coach of the Year honors from the ITA in both 2024 and 2016. In 2010, Barnes was named the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) National College Coach of the Year across all divisions. He was selected as the PTR Wisconsin Member of the Year in 2009. Barnes is a 10-time WIAC Women’s Coach of the Year, a four-time New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Coach of the Year and was the 2025 WIAC Men’s Coach of the Year this season. Barnes was named the WIAC All-Time Women’s Tennis Coach as part of the league’s centennial celebration in 2012. For his outreach and community presence, Barnes received the Midwest United States Tennis Association (USTA)/ITA Community and Campus Outreach Award twice, the USTA Midwest Rollie Mueller Presidents Award and was selected as the K-Swiss National Coach of the Year twice as a teaching professional.
Barnes has been an active member in the tennis community throughout his career. He speaks regularly at tennis conventions across the Midwest. Barnes is currently serving on the Wisconsin Tennis Association Collegiate Committee, he previously chaired the ITA Men’s Central Region Tennis Ranking Committee and had served on the men’s and women’s ITA and NCAA Regional Ranking Committees multiple times. In addition, he has served on the USTA/WTA Collegiate and Junior Development Committees and both the men’s and women’s Midwest ITA Regional Tournament Committees.
Through his fervent commitment to growing the sport, Barnes has created one of the top summer tennis camps in the nation as the Warhawk Tennis Camps Director. He has spent over 20 years hosting numerous camps that welcome over 700 campers to UW-Whitewater each summer.
Barnes’, a University of Wisconsin (Madison) alumnus, earned his Master’s Degree in Professional Development with an emphasis in Health, Human Performance, Recreation and Coaching from UW-Whitewater. After working in the professional sector for a number of years, Barnes returned to Whitewater in 1998 as a teaching professional before taking the head coaching position.
“I’ve felt so honored to have been part of the Warhawk Family and Athletic Department that has such an incredible tradition and reputation of success,” said Coach Barnes. “That success stems from great leadership and support from the Athletic Directors I’ve been lucky enough to work with, especially our current Director of Athletics Ryan Callahan and the entire administrative team leading this incredible institution. I’ve been lucky to have worked with hundreds of impressive student-athletes and incredible assistant coaches and support staff in 23 years as head coach. They have all helped to form the Warhawk Tennis Family for me and my family.”
“It’s not about the championships, it’s about the relationships … but the championships were pretty fun,” added Barnes.
Although Barnes’ last official day is in August, he will continue with the program in a volunteer capacity and continue to have a major role with Warhawk Tennis Camps in the future.
Editor’s note: The press release is from UW-W Athletics.
Whitewater Unified School District administrators Dr. Terilyn Robles, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Melania Argueta Borchert, Multilingual Services Coordinator, led a session for educators and school leaders from across the state at the recent 2025 Wisconsin Association for Bilingual Education (WIABE) Conference.
The session, titled “Empowering Families as Advocates in Education through Partnership and Cultural Awareness, examined how the district has redesigned its family intake process to improve communication, promote advocacy, and establish partnerships with local organizations and businesses. The session was well attended and drew interest from educators and leaders seeking to implement similar strategies in their respective districts. Attendees cited WUSD’s approach as a model for sustainable and inclusive family engagement.
“Our goal is to equip families not just to engage in their child’s education, but also to become strong advocates who feel respected and valued,” said WUSD Multilingual Services Coordinator Melania Argueta Borchert. “We are building systems that honor culture and promote independence and empowerment.”
Additionally, 10 students from Whitewater High School performed a series of traditional Nicaraguan dances under the direction of WHS teacher Silvana del Val. The performance served as a representation of student heritage and received positive recognition from the audience.
“Our students did an incredible job representing their culture and our district,” said WUSD Director of Teaching and Learning Dr. Terilyn Robles. “It was a beautiful reminder of the strength and joy that multiculturalism brings to our schools.”
WUSD’s involvement in the 2025 WIABE Conference reflects the district’s continued work in supporting multilingual learners, promoting cultural awareness, and fostering inclusive educational environments across the community. For more information on WIABE, visit www.wiabe.net.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.
This week we have an image from 1889 of the first waterworks building and water reservoir. Both are still extant at the corner of Fremont Street and Starin Road, although the keeper’s house shown in the photo is not extant. The Starin Park Water Tower, also from 1889, gets the most attention in the history of Whitewater’s water system, but these resources were also important components of the system, one of the earliest in the area.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
1944P, Whitewater Historical Society
Fort HealthCare is pleased to welcome Dr. Jay MacNeal, DO, as Emergency Services Medical Director and EMS Medical Director at Fort HealthCare. As EMS Medical Director, Dr. MacNeal provides guidance to our EMS direct affiliations and serves as a
liaison to all EMS in the region.
Educated at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. MacNeal completed his residency at Akron General Medical Center and a fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. Prior to accepting his roles with Fort HealthCare, Dr. MacNeal held a full-time position at Watertown Regional Medical Center. In May 2024, he was contracted by Fort HealthCare to work on a part-time basis and continued in that capacity when DEMI Healthcare Partners/Southern Wisconsin Emergency Associates (DEMI/SWEA) began staffing Fort HealthCare’s Emergency Department in October 2024.
“I am excited to join Fort HealthCare in a permanent role,” Dr. MacNeal shares. “The hospital leadership is passionate about caring for their local community, and I appreciate that vision. I look forward to working with the excellent team already in place and becoming more involved in the community.”
Sheryl Krause, Director and Clinical Nurse Specialist of Fort HealthCare Emergency Services, elaborates, “Since his first shift, Dr. MacNeal has demonstrated alignment with our mission and values. He engages with staff from other departments to ensure collaboration toward Fort HealthCare’s goal of providing the highest quality of care possible. Dr. MacNeal also strives for an environment of care that promotes staff wellness and allows staff members to be at their best. And, because of his past EMS training and experience, Dr. MacNeal recognizes the importance of working closely with his EMS colleagues as well.”
The Fort HealthCare Emergency Department is committed to serving our community and prepared to handle any situation. Our Emergency Department and Urgent Care is staffed by board certified emergency physicians and experienced advanced practice providers from DEMI Healthcare Partners/SWEA.
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by Fort HealthCare.
2025 Whitewater Storytelling Festival
Friday, May 30 / Saturday, May 31
Cultural Arts Center / Flat Iron Park
The Magical Music of May courtesy of 301 talented students and their gifted directors
Photos by Tom Ganser
WUSD Orchestras Spring Strings Festival directed by Patricia Nielsen – May 1
Beginning Orchestra = 20 students, Intermediate Orchestra = 10 students, Middle and High School Orchestra = 8 students
Middle School Bands directed by Justin Kamp – May 6
Justin Kamp writes, “The Whitewater Middle School Bands performed their Spring Band Concert on Tuesday, May 6. The students performed four pieces in each grade that were all extremely challenging, but the hard work and dedication of the students paid off with a wonderful performance that showcased the learning that occurred this semester!”
Whitewater Middle School Bands directed by Justin Kamp
6th Grade = 67 students
7th Grade = 29 students
8th Grade = 26 students
Sixth Grade Band – 67 students
Seventh Grade Band – 29 students
Eighth Grade Band – 26 students
WHS Bands directed by Sam Averill – May 7
Symphonic Band = 38 students, Wind Ensemble = 32 students
5th Grade Band directed by Nathan Roley – May 8
71 students
Updated on 5/29/25 @ 10:40 a.m. to add more information about the World Series format as well as historical information on the teams.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
UW-W Baseball is among eight teams that are playing in the DIII World Series in Eastlake, Ohio. The series begins on Friday, May 30 and concludes on Thursday, June 5. UW-W was the runner-up last year, losing the championship game 10-5 versus Misericordia. The Warhawks last won the series in 2014, when they beat Emory by 7-0.
Competing teams are:
No. 1 John Hopkins
No. 2 Denison
No. 3 UW-Whitewater
No. 4 Endicott
No. 5 Kean
No. 6 Trinity (TX)
No. 7 Rowan
No. 8 Messiah
The Warhawks (44-6 overall) play in the first round against Trinity (TX) this Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m. CDT. The game will be streaming on the NCAA website. If UW-W wins that game, they will play on Saturday, May 31 at 7 p.m. CDT versus the winner of the Denison/Rowan game.
The World Series consists of 2 four-team double-elimination brackets. The champions of the two brackets will play in a best of three championship series starting on Wednesday, June 4.
The Warhawks earned the 3-seed out of the eight advancing teams. UWW will play the Tigers, with Denison and Rowan being the other two teams in the pod. Johns Hopkins, Endicott, Kean, and Messiah, make up the other bracket.
The Warhawks last faced Trinity (TX) in 2024’s season opener. The two teams split the series 2-2. The Warhawks won the first two games, 14-4 and 21-2, before falling 8-7 and 9-1 in the back half of the series.
UW-Whitewater qualified for the championship after winning the NCAA Adrian (Michigan) Regional and the NCAA Whitewater Super Regional. The team swept the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships.
This link will provide you with rosters, stats, etc., and will also provide the link to the video streams for all of the games.
This link has a variety of information about the series, including the official bracket.
Finally, d3baseball.com is also worth visiting. Their fan survey, copied below, currently predicts that UW-W has a very slight edge to win bracket two and then would likely face Johns Hopkins.
Make a difference with Special Olympics Wisconsin this June
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Special Olympics Wisconsin continue preparations for the 2025 State Summer Games on June 5-7 in Whitewater.
More than 1,200 athletes, representing 100 programs around the state, are set to compete in athletics (track and field), cornhole, powerlifting, soccer, and tennis. Events will be held at UW-Whitewater’s athletic facilities – Perkins Stadium, Rex Foster Track, the Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex, the Williams Center, and the campus intramural fields.
With more than a dozen events and competitions scheduled over the course of the three days, approximately 300 more volunteers are needed for multiple roles throughout the weekend. All volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and the opportunity to engage with participants, fans, and event staff.
No prior experience is required to volunteer (unless otherwise designated). Volunteers aged 12 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone. Special Olympics Wisconsin will provide training before your shift start time.
The Parade of Athletes and Opening Ceremony kicks the event off on June 5 at 6:30 p.m. inside Perkins Stadium. Check out the full schedule of events here.
For more information or group volunteer reservations, contact Danny Kuklinski, Senior Director of Sports, at dkuklunski@specialolympics.org.
Obituaries
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
Lois Cummings, 99, of Fond du Lac, WI (formerly of Janesville, WI, Fort Atkinson, WI, Fountain Hills, AZ, and Green Valley, AZ) passed away peacefully on May 5, 2026 at the Meadows Senior Residence in Fond du Lac surrounded by family. Lois was born on February 17, 1927 in Fort Atkinson to Edward and Clarice (Roseth) Stevens. The middle child of 9 children, she attended Fort Atkinson schools and graduated in 1944. On September 11, 1948 Lois married Grant Cummings at Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Delavan, WI. Together they had 3 children, Gary, Colleen (Tom) Sabel, and Patty (Paul) … Read more
Come celebrate William Kincaid’s Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 30th at 1 pm at Trippe Lake Park Pavillion in Whitewater. He truly enjoyed gatherings where his favorite foods and music could be enjoyed with some of his closest friends and family. We will honor him by carrying on one of his favorite traditions. Please bring your own beverages and chairs. There is limited seating. See you all there!
Gladys Jean (Riley) Hildebrandt, age 89, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 23, 2026. Gladys was born on December 26, 1936, in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to Theresa Egnoski Riley. She was married to Walter Sobolik Sr., and later married James A. Hildebrandt in 1976. Gladys was a hardworking woman who spent her life caring for others. She worked in school kitchens, restaurants, factories, and cleaning services. She concluded her working career as a full-time nanny. In that role, she lovingly cared for Andrew, Daniel, and Kaitlyn Drzewiecki, who became part of her chosen family. Gladys is survived by her sons, Wally … Read more
WHITEWATER – Nan Rowley died on April 15, 2026, at the age of 90. She was born on September 4, 1935, in a little house on the prairie in the Town of Johnstown, Wisconsin, the daughter of Wayne L. Wilbur and Florence (McQuillen) Wilbur. Nan attended primary schools in the towns of Johnstown and Richmond and in the City of Whitewater. Nan graduated with honors from Whitewater City High School. On June 19, 1954, Nancy and Ken Rowley were united in marriage in Whitewater and went to live on the Rowley family farm in Richmond. Over the years, Nan served … Read more
Marion H. Gorniak (nee Pfeiffer), 74, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 11, 2026. She was born on October 24, 1951, to the late Harvey and Loraine (nee Drifke) Pfeiffer in Fort Atkinson, WI. On June 2, 1969, she was united in marriage to Alan Gorniak. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, and cooking, especially her rhubarb pies. She especially enjoyed spending time with family and friends and will be missed by all who knew her. Those Marion leaves behind to cherish her memory include her husband, Alan Gorniak; stepson, Alan Bauer; sister, Sue Ann Schultz, other relatives and friends. … Read more
Ruth Irene (Phelps) Justis, 88, of Appleton City, Missouri, passed away Friday morning, April 10, 2026, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg, MO, with her family by her side. Ruth was born June 3, 1937 in Janesville, Wisconsin, to Charles and Ada Mae (Maly) Phelps. She joined the Marine Corps in 1956. During her time there, she met and married her husband, Forest Wayne “Wayne” Justis in 1957. They shared 62 years of marriage and to this union, 2 children, Charles and Dorene, were born. Ruth grew up in Whitewater, WI., the oldest of three children. Ruth graduated from … Read more
Dorothy C. Kau, age 101, of Eagle, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at Fort Memorial Hospital. Dorothy was born on March 18, 1925 in Eagle on the family farm, the daughter of John and Katherine (Faestel) VonRueden. Dorothy was a 1942 graduate of Palmyra High School. On May 21, 1949, Dorothy was united in marriage to Alvin E. Kau at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Eagle and the Lord blessed their union with 8 children. Alvin and Dorothy enjoyed 50 years of marriage together until Alvin’s death in the year 2000. Dorothy enjoyed being a farm … Read more
Dorothy E. McCracken, 95, passed away peacefully on August 30, 2025, in Sarasota, Florida. Born on April 14, 1930, in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to Carl and Joyce Meyer, Dorothy grew up in Whitewater and graduated from Whitewater High School. She then worked for a photographer and hand painted his first colored portraits, until she got married. She and her first husband, Bernard Wafle, owned and operated a 179-acre dairy farm in Helenville, Wisconsin, for 25 years before relocating to Ocala, Florida, in 1979. Dorothy later married Earl McCracken, in Ocala, Fl. She also shared a special companionship later in life with … Read more
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