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Whitewater Soccer traveled to Evansville for the first round of the Rock Valley Conference tournament on Monday, May 22.
Both teams played hard in an exciting game that ended 3-0 to Evansville. The goals were scored by Jaden LeRoy (32’, 39’), and Hanna Johnson (49’).
Marina Linos played in goal for Whitewater; Kennedy Dobbs played in goal for Evansville.
Article Submitted by Maddy Blain
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Soccer Coach
mblain@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
What a year it has been for 2022 Whitewater High School graduate Reese Brantmeier at the University of North Carolina!
On Saturday, May 20, the North Carolina women’s tennis team won its first NCAA championship in program history, defeating N.C. State 4-1 in Orlando, Florida.
The UNC tennis player in her first year is part of the 2023 National Championship team at UNC. During the 2023 NCAA tournament, Reese won the #1 Singles position against Old Dominion, Florida, Texas, and Georgia before falling to N.C. State in a hard-fought match at #1 Singles. Reese lost that match to a player who advanced in the 2nd round of the Australian Open a year ago.
Reese and her doubles partner Reilly Tran won a pivotal doubles match against N.C. State in the team championship match that gave the team a win, leading to their first women’s tennis championship.
Reese will be playing in this year’s NCAA singles and doubles championships that will also take place in Orlando, beginning on Monday and running through Saturday.
Reese Brantmeier is the daughter of Scott and Becky Brantmeier and has two older brothers, Justin and Zach. All three attended Whitewater High School.
Article and Photos Submitted by Greg Stewart
gstewart@wwusd.org
Officer Ryan Dewing of UW-Whitewater Police Services took this stunning photo of the Starin Park water tower on April 24 at 6:20 a.m. Dewing indicates that he was using the department’s DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, and that the photo is unedited.
The water tower was constructed in 1889 and was decommissioned at the end of 2022 as the new water tower on the southwest side of town was placed into service. An engineering study was recently completed on the tower, with estimates provided for repairing and maintaining the landmark versus demolishing it. A decision has not yet been made on its fate.
Editor’s note: The Banner is grateful to UW-Whitewater Police Services for permission to use this photo.
This past week, before the Big Foot game, five seniors were honored for their contributions to the Whitewater Softball Program. These Whippets have had a positive impact this year as well as throughout their high school careers. The seniors will be missed, but we wish them well in their future endeavors.
Article and Photo Submitted by Ron Sdano
Whitewater High School Head Softball Coach
rsdano@wwusd.org
Saturday, May 13, was an incredible day at the track for the Whitewater High School Track and Field team. In the team competitions, both the boys’ and girls’ teams finished as team runners-up to strong teams from McFarland. Overall, the girls scored 104 points behind McFarland’s 133, and the boys put up 121 points to McFarland’s 129.5. This was the boys’ best team finish since they were RVC champions in 2019, and the girls’ best finish since the 2011 season.
Girls’ Recap:
The girls’ team scored a majority of their points in the sprints, as they placed seven individuals across the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes. In the 100, sophomore A’lani Ross was 5th, and seniors Kindyl Kilar and Maddie Buehler earned medals by crossing the finish line in 3rd and 1st, respectively. Buehler’s time of 12.54 in the preliminary round was a season’s best, and Kilar’s time of 12.60 in the prelim was a season’s and personal best, as well as a Top-10 time in Whitewater history. Buehler’s personal best of 12.41 from 2022 is #2 on the Top-10 list. The Whippets again were 1st-3rd-5th in the 200-meter dash, including freshman Sydney Schilt in 5th, Kilar in 3rd, and Buehler in 1st. Buehler’s time of 25.92 was a personal best, and also the second-best time in WHS Track and Field history. With her two first-place finishes, Maddie Buehler was also named the Rock Valley Conference Girls Track Athlete of the meet! Rounding up the sprint events, Kilar placed second in the 400-meter dash. Her time of 1:00.67 scored eight points for the team, and was an improvement to her #5 all-time mark from 2022.
In the distance events, Athena Soto used a strong kick in the second lap of the 800-meter run to finish in 5th place. Freshman Mady Hefty, returning to the track for the first time in several weeks due to injury, ran a personal best time in the 1600-meter run. She placed 7th, significantly outperforming her seed expectation. Nola Coburn ran a strategic race in the 3200-meter run, and was able to secure a point for the Whippets, as she crossed the finish line in 8th place.
The Whippets showed their depth across the relay events as well, earning medals in all four of those events. Kicking off the meet in the 4x800m relay, the team of Nola Coburn, Mady Hefty, Cara Yang, and Athena Soto outperformed their seed and placed 4th in their first time running the event this season. The 4x400m relay team of Calli Grosinske, Soto, Yang, and Sydney Schilt earned silver, which was a great ending to the meet. The 4x100m relay team of Grosinske, Maddie Buehler, Emma Weigel, and A’lani Ross also placed second. Their time of 50.75 was also good for 8th all-time in Whitewater history! The final first place of the day for the girls came from the 4x200m relay team of Grosinske, Ross, Weigel, and Schilt. Their time of 1:49.82 earned them both a gold medal and a season’s best time in the event.
In the field events, the Whippets posted several medal-winning and point-scoring performances. In the Pole Vault, Evie Troxel earned a silver medal with her vault of 10’-0”, and teammate Izzy Dieter placed 6th. Dieter also had a strong day in the Discus, as she earned a bronze medal with her toss of 104’-7”. Capping off her strong day in individual events, Kindyl Kilar placed 8th in the Long Jump with a jump over 15’. It was only her second time attempting the event.
Boys’ Recap:
The boys also had a strong showing in the sprint events. In the 100-meter dash, sophomore Traysen Thomason ran a personal best of 11.27 to place second. His time moves him into the WHS Top-10 list’s #10 spot. Thomason also placed in the 200-meter dash, earning a medal for his 4th place performance. In the 400-meter dash, junior Ethan Dugan earned the first Conference Championship of his career, cruising to a first-place finish in a time of 50.86. Dugan’s time is 7th all-time in Whitewater Track and Field history.
The boys also had a strong showing in the distance events on the track, which were kicked off by a 1st place performance from Jack Hefty in the 1600-meter run. Jack’s time of 4:23.25 is #5 all-time. Nate Holden also placed 8th in that same race, adding a point to the team’s total. In the 3200-meter run, Hefty returned to the track to earn a silver medal in the event. Teammate Xavier Zei also added a 7th place finish in the event.
Several of the boys’ relay teams outperformed their expected seed times and finishes. At the beginning of the meet, the 4x800m relay team of Miles Nickelsburg, Xavier Zei, Chad Hein, and Nate Holden placed 6th. The 4x100m relay team of Curtis Rossmiller, Ty Hagedorn, Nate Black, and Akamion McHenry placed 5th. The 4x200m relay of Rossmiller, Black, McHenry, and Quincy Boudreau outperformed their seed and earned a silver medal as they crossed the finish line in second place. And, in the final event of the day, the Whippets crossed the finish line first, securing a gold medal in the 4x400m relay. The team of Boudreau, Traysen Thomason, Rossmiller, and Ethan Dugan ran a strong time of 3:32.81.
The Whippets continued their balanced scoring as they performed well across the field events as well. In the throws, the Whippets earned 4th and 3rd place points in the Shot Put from Jake Kuhlow and Connor Raupp. Kuhlow and Raupp also teamed up to place 4th and 1st in the Discus. Raupp’s winning toss of 147’-0” secured his defense of the RVC Discus title, as he became a 2-time Conference champion in the event. In the Triple Jump, David Rubio bounded out to a 5th place finish with a personal record mark of 38’-5”. In the Pole Vault, senior CJ Tomomitsu placed 2nd with a personal best vault of 12’-6”. Finally, Jaylyn Ewing, a newcomer to the Whippet Track & Field squad this year, earned a gold medal and a Conference championship in the boys’ High Jump. Ewing’s jump of 6’-0” was a personal best, and better than any other jumper’s attempts on Saturday.
The Whippets will be back in action on Tuesday and Thursday this week, in their final Frosh/Soph competitions at Evansville. The following week, the team begins their journey to the State Meet, with the Regional Meet on Monday, May 22, at Big Foot, and the Sectional Meet on Thursday, May 25, at McFarland. At both meets that week, competitors placing in the Top 4 of their events move on to the next competition. Congratulations to all the Whippet athletes, and best of luck the rest of the season!
Full results from the RVC Meet are available at https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/511859/results
Article Submitted by Matt Green
Whitewater High School Head Track and Field Coach
mgreen@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Nate Parrish, President of First Citizens State Bank, is pleased to announce that Robert (Bob) Bastien has joined the Bank as Vice President – Business Banker with First Citizens State Bank’s Main Office, located at 207 W. Main St., Whitewater, Wisconsin.
Bob has over 15 years of experience in business banking including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. He is a graduate of UW-Whitewater receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting.
In making the announcement, Nate Parrish said, “We are excited to have Bob join our business lending staff; with his background and expertise in business banking we look forward to him helping serve the needs of our customers.”
Bob resides in Fort Atkinson with his wife and children. An avid outdoorsman, he also enjoys attending concerts and spending time with family. He serves on the Board for the Fort Atkinson Generals Baseball team.
First Citizens State Bank, locally-owned and operated since 1863, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in South Eastern Wisconsin. First Citizens State Bank has full service offices in Whitewater, East Troy, and Palmyra. Member FDIC.
After the completion of a national search, Chancellor Corey King is pleased to announce the selection of Katie Kuznacic as the vice chancellor for university relations and president of the UW-Whitewater Foundation. Kuznacic has worked at UW-Whitewater since 2010 in philanthropy and alumni engagement, most recently serving as the interim vice chancellor for university relations since October 2021.
“I am excited about Katie’s leadership for our university relations and foundation spaces,” said King. “She exudes a love and passion for the university. Her experience will serve as a strong framework for us as we launch a strategic plan focused on student success and advancing the university’s regional impact.”
An alumna of UW-Whitewater, Kuznacic worked in the Wisconsin state legislature and marketing management before joining the university in 2010 as a director of development. In 2020, she was elevated to the position of executive director of philanthropy and alumni engagement, leading the university’s efforts in major gifts, annual giving, and alumni relations.
“Katie is a dedicated, trusted and accomplished leader,” said Sandy Dunst, interim president and vice chair of the UW-Whitewater Foundation. “Katie is driven by seeing the power of transforming student lives through our collaborative work with alumni and university partners. The Foundation Board offers its full support to Katie as vice chancellor and president of the foundation in service to UW-Whitewater, her alma mater.”
Chancellor King would like to thank everyone who provided feedback during the interview process as well as the members of the search and screen committee for their work. John Chenoweth, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, chaired the 11-person search committee. King also extends his appreciation to Dunst for outstanding leadership as interim president of the UW-Whitewater Foundation.
Kuznacic will begin her new role immediately.
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Editor’s note: The above announcement was published at UW-W on May 10. The bio shown below is from the UW-W website.
It didn’t take Katie Kuznacic long to fall for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. When she was a high school student, she toured the university, met with a professor and immediately envisioned her future.
“I could see this was a place where I wouldn’t just be a number, or another student,” she said. “This was a place where I wanted to be.” Kuznacic, who grew up in Baldwin, a small town in St. Croix County, cherishes her time as a Warhawk. She obtained a speech and public relations degree and today she enjoys using her skills to help people who also have a strong connection with campus. “A really special part of this job is developing relationships with people who have that shared UW-Whitewater experience,” she said. “Whether they went to school here, taught here or have a friend or a family member who has a connection here, I think it’s just really special to be part of that, and to help these people achieve their philanthropic goals.”
Kuznacic loves hearing stories about campus from alumni. “Whether it’s someone who was here in the 1960s or someone who just graduated, there’s this common thread, of UW-Whitewater being this very special small-town university where people have close relationships with their professors and have these fond memories that I don’t think every university can replicate,” she said. “It’s special to me because I feel like I have those same memories too.” Kuznacic lives in Janesville with her husband Eric.
Whitewater Soccer played their final conference game against Evansville on Monday, May 8.
Evansville won 4-0, with goals by Jaden LeRoy (6’, 40’), Alli Horgen (25’), and Kendra Frinfrock.
Marina Linos had 8 saves in goal for the Whippets, and MacKenna Slater had 6 saves for Evansville.
Article Submitted by Maddy Blain
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Soccer Coach
mblain@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Obituaries
Harry Oliver Dempsey passed away peacefully and among family in Elkhorn, WI on July 24, 2024 at the age of 80. Born on May 21, 1944 to William and Norma (Shober) Dempsey, Harry grew up on the family farm in Whitewater. In his younger years, Harry enjoyed hunting and fishing, a passion that he later passed on to his own children. All his life he could often be found in his shop, building or fixing something – from a child’s toy to lawn mowers, cars, and tractors. His passion for self-sufficiency extended to his large garden whose abundance he happily … Read more
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SHIRLEY A. KNUTESON, age 85, of Whitewater, died Thursday, June 27, 2024 at Glenwood at Mulberry Campus in Whitewater. She was born to Hugo and Helen (Wilson) Ferge of Elkhorn, WI. She attended school in Walworth High School, graduating in 1956. Shirley worked at Sterlingworth in Elkhorn and then Fairhaven Nursing Home prior to retirement. As a young woman, she loved roller skating, had a love for animals, especially her dogs and horses on the farm. She was a loyal Brewer and Packer fan. Her diverse family was her pride and joy. Shirley is survived by her six children Jerry … Read more
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A celebration of life for Dave Triebold will be held July 27 at Triebold Farms, with festivities beginning around 11:30 am. A rememberance service will take place at 12:30 pm. A pig roast will follow, and the pool will be open. The family encourages you to stay through the evening for a bonfire as well. Contact Kris (262)949-5474 or Kath (414)412-4385 with questions.
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James Paul Fisher, 86, known by friends as JP or Jay, passed away on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at UW Hospital, Madison, with his immediate family by his side. His body finally surrendered to a heart attack after battling heart and kidney ailments for many years. Born in Fond du lac, Wisconsin, on October 25, 1937, to Lorraine and James Fisher, JP was a resident of Elkhorn and then Whitewater, Wisconsin. At age 2 JP was diagnosed with polio. Through daily therapy administered by his mother and grandmother, he overcame this life threatening virus, and with a prognosis of limited … Read more
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Shirley M. Messier, 86, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on July 8, 2024. Shirley was born to Erwin and Leona Reese on May 20, 1938, in Farmington, Wisconsin. Shirley (“Shirttail”) attended the local country school, then set out on her own, taking a job doing factory work. On August 24, 1957, she married Blaine Messier in Jefferson, Wisconsin. They had three daughters, Michele (Shelly), Terry, and Karen. Shirley spent many years being a working wife and mother, finally retiring from Polymer Technologies / MacLean Fogg in Whitewater. Shirley loved country music and spent her retirement years going to George Jones … Read more
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Patricia Ann ParrBorn 7/20/42Departed to Heaven 5/10/23 About herself, Patricia often said “I love life, I love God, He always has taken care of me, and He always will”. Patricia died peacefully at Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc, after a long and courageously fought season of declining health. Patricia was born in Beaver Dam, to a lovely family, which included her older brother Dennis and not too long after, her lifetime best friend and little sister Mary. They grew up on an idyllic “Gentlemen’s Farm” outside of Jefferson, with horses and many animals. Her parents, Floyd and Kathryn owned the … Read more
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Marjorie Alice “GG” Roloff, 89, passed away Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at Golden Years in Lake Geneva, WI. She was born July 31, 1934, to Fred and Martha (Arndt) Papcke, in Whitewater, WI, the fifth of eleven children. GG attended South Heart Prairie School, across the road from the family’s home farm. She is a Whitewater High School graduate. On April 19, 1953, she married her high school sweetheart, Eric. She worked a variety of jobs over the years. Her most memorable of those being the local canning factory and as a crossing guard. After retiring, she and Eric would … Read more
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Marilyn Mae Fuerstenberg, 81 of Whitewater, WI., passed away on June 27, 2024, at Agrace Hospice in Janesville, WI. Marilyn was born May 27, 1943, in Geneva Township, to Raymond and Doris Kilpin. Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, her two younger brothers, Mike and Donny Kilpin. Marilyn married William (Bill) Fuerstenberg on September 21, 1963. Bill and Marilyn lived in Whitewater. Together they raised three children, taking the family on yearly vacations and camping trips throughout the years. Marilyn worked for Walworth County Health and Social Services as a Child Protection Social Worker. She dedicated 25 years … Read more
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Jerome Francis Burke, age 76, of Whitewater, WI, passed away unexpectedly following a brief illness on June 27, 2024. Jerry was born in Evanston, IL on May 13, 1948 to Stephen and Catherine Burke. He grew up in Glenview, IL, where he graduated from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School and then Loyola Academy (Wilmette). Those early days spawned treasured, lifelong friendships. He went on to graduate from St. Joseph’s College (IN) with a BA in Economics, and it was there thathe met his beloved wife, Eileen. They married shortly after graduation and were blessed to share their lives … Read more
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Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz passed away Sunday, June 30th in home beside family and friends in Milford, Delaware from a long battle with cancer. Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz was born on February 24, 1965. She was the daughter of Doña Carmen Santa Cruz Valdez and Don Luis Vicente León, who allowed her to share a life of family union with her four brothers: Braulio, Carmen Rosa, Edgar and Juan. She was born in Lima-Peru and grew up in the Ventanilla district of the constitutional province of Callao of Peru. She completed her primary studies at the La Merced … Read more
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