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Congratulations to WHS Class of 2022 graduate Reese Brantmeier and her doubles partner Clervie Ngounoue for their first-round straight-set win (6-3,6-4) at the 2022 U.S. Open over Allison Van Uytvanck and Rosalie Van Der Hoek on August 31.
The doubles team of Brantmeier/Ngounoue will now move on to the second round to play Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Ellen Perez (AUS). For more information about the second-round match go to the 2022 US Open official website.
Article Submitted by Greg Stewart
Photo Courtesy of Becky Brantmeier
The Whitewater volleyball program traveled to Wilmot for a contest on Tuesday night, August 30.
The JV2 team played a hard-fought battle but fell to Wilmot. Despite the loss, the team is doing some great things. We are seeing athletes begin to understand the game of volleyball, working hard on both offense and defense.
The JV1 team came out and played hard, putting some nice things together, and won the first set, lost the second set, and came back and won the third set to win the match. The JV team is finding their balance, and we’re seeing some great plays defensively and offensively. They’re learning new plays every day, and we’re proud of the growth they have made so far this season!
Capping off the night, our varsity team swept Wilmot in three straight sets. It was definitely a team effort; everyone saw playing time, and I was proud of the way we came together and finished the match. Stat leaders included Kindyl Kilar with 12 kills, Caleigh Yang and Ella Spear each with nine digs, Cali Grosinske with 15 assists and Jenna Pope with four aces and two blocks.
We will now kick off our conference play with our first home match on Thursday, September 8. This is our special event night, with our youth night and educator appreciation night. We invite everyone out to the Whitewater High School gym to help us kick off our conference season! We will face Big Foot- let’s pack the gym! JV teams start at 5 p.m. and Varsity follows at 6:30 p.m. Hope to see you all there as we honor our youth and educators who have impacted our lives!
Article Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team played a competitive back and forth game against Fort Atkinson that ended in a 3-3 draw on August 29.
The Whippets started out strong with an early goal from Victor Hernandez giving us a 1-0 lead until the half time interval. Shortly after the half, our midfield collapsed allowing Fort Atkinson a clear-cut path to goal, and they tied the game. Heavy contact in the box led to a Fort Atkinson penalty that was converted. Minutes later, following some great build up play from the Whippets, Zoheb Rakhangi played an amazing through ball to Sebastian Cuellar that was beautifully converted. Following a questionable call, Fort Atkinson was awarded another penalty that beat keeper Henry Mortimer, who had 11 saves on the day, bottom left corner. Whitewater fought back aggressively and through a defensive mistake, and high soccer IQ play from Sebastian Cuellar, the game was all tied at 3-3.
Chris Cortez played the full 80 minutes at center back and was the driving force defensively for the Whippets. Leading the midfield was Ethan Dugan who, with his teammates, was able to help dictate the pace of the game.
We look forward to more great performances at our game on Thursday vs Milton.
Article Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Boys’ Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
Reese Brantmeier, WHS class of 2022, punched her ticket to the 2022 U.S. Open with her doubles partner Clervie Ngounoue of Washington with a 6-3,4-6,6-2 win over Natalie Block of Florida and Charney Piper of South Carolina to win the Girls 18 2022 the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Championship.
Brantmeier (second from left) is also making USTA tennis history in Wisconsin. The last players from Wisconsin to win the USTA doubles title were Tami and Teri Whitlinger of Neenah, Wisconsin, in 1986.
Brantmeier, a native of Whitewater, Wisconsin, was the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2022, according to tennisrecruiting.net. She will be playing tennis at the University of North Carolina this fall.
This USTA tournament appearance will not be Brantmeier’s first appearance at a major. Brantmeier competed at the U.S. Open Women’s Singles in 2019 and 2021 and mixed doubles in 2021 with Nick Monroe.
You can follow the U.S. Open Women’s double tournament using ESPN plus- and this U.S. Open website. While the draw is currently found on the website, the date and time of the match have not been released. Venus and Serena Williams are also in the U.S. Open doubles as a wild card entry.
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
Editor’s note: Revised on 8/29 @ noon to add that Brantmeier is a WHS 2022 graduate.
The Whippet Volleyball Team battled in the two-day UWW Warhawk tournament this past weekend, which included 25 teams from around Wisconsin. The first night the Whippets faced a tough schedule with playing three matches right in a row in an extremely hot field house. That being said, they beat Lodi in the first match of the night and fell to Shorewood Lutheran and Heritage Christian in a tight three-set match, finally losing to Bloomer who finished third overall.
After a tough Friday night schedule, the Whippets bounced back to be undefeated on Saturday, winning the top silver division to place 11th.
Coach Kilar commented, “I was so proud of our determination and perseverance to come back from a tough schedule and matchups on Friday night, battling in two hard-fought three-set matches. But this team would not quit! They came back Saturday and did not drop a set, beating Bradford, Merrill, Monona Grove, and Evansville to take the silver bracket.” Kilar further commented, “I cannot say this enough, I am incredibly proud of how this team is coming together, battling for each other, committing to running a faster offense and willing to dig in on defense. They are a true team, working together and battling! To say I am proud of them is an understatement.”
The Whippet stat leaders from the tournament included a well-rounded attack and defensive line. Kindyl Kilar dominated offensively and defensively, ending the tournament with 90 kills, 18 aces, and 64 digs. However, she was not alone. Senior Jenna Pope put up huge blocking numbers and led with 14 total blocks. Sophomore Calli Grosinske dished out 118 assists, and senior Cali Kopecky tallied 7 aces on the tournament. Finally, the Whippet libero, Caleigh Yang was a force defensively, recording 60 digs on the weekend.
“Everything we do this season is about our team. We have far more weapons this year, and the athletes are embracing their potential to contribute to this team. It has been so fun to be part of their growth, and I count myself blessed to be called their coach.”
Kindyl Kilar, a Florida International University commit was also named to the 9-player All-Tournament Team. “I am so proud of the way Kindyl is leading this season, and she always gives 110%. What is so incredible though, is that I can say that about every one of our 13-person roster. They are all in this season, and I look forward to what our future holds!”
Article and Group Photo Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Action Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whippet Cross Country Teams kicked their race schedule off Saturday, August 27, on the campus of UW-Whitewater. It was the 20th edition of the Dirk Seibold Alumni Meet. The weather was terrific for August and the course is challenging – a great combination! It’s the first rust buster of the year for the kids as they embark on their 2022 season.
The boys kicked things off first with many runners already showing nice improvement over last season. Jack Hefty led the race wire to wire and cruised to a comfortable win in 18:29. Nate Holden came in third behind Assistant Coach Quinn McKenzie with a time of 20:19. Miles Nickelsburg, CJ Tomomitsu, and Xavier Zei ran as a nice trio for much of the race with only 19 seconds separating them running in the mid 21’s. Onyx Thompson and Ben McCulloch rounded out the top 7 boys, finishing in 8th and 9th with times of 24:48 and 24:56. Jack, Nate, Miles, and Xavier all ran faster today than they did last year at the conference meet which is held on the exact same course. Xavier cut over six minutes off last year’s conference meet time! Alumni Adam Triebold, Ben Holden, Kris Kirkland, and Mark Schroeder all competed hard in the event and repped the team very well!
The girls’ race was next and featured a much different look as the team lost many seniors from last year’s group. Freshman Mady Hefty ran a nice first effort to lead the team with a third place finish overall with a time of 24:00. Athena Soto came in fourth in 24:49. Nola Coburn was the team’s third runner and placed 5th with a time of 26:02. Running together for nearly all of the race were Emma Weigel and Lauren Buehler. They finished with times of 27:17 and 27:32. Isabella Aranda ran faster than she did last year at the conference meet by placing 8th with a time of 28:04. Rounding out the top seven varsity scorers was Danielle DePorter who placed 10th in 28:34. Alumni Kristin Anderson and Teresa Stanley showed their veteran dominance by placing first and second with times of 23:17 and 23:59.
Many other athletes wore the Whippet name on their chest for the first time and did well! Many other alumni were in attendance but did not race. Coach Carstens would like to thank all those that came out for attending the 20th edition of the Alumni Meet, regardless of whether you competed or not. Mark your calendars for 2023 as we will conduct the meet on August 26th. See you then!
Article and Group Photos Courtesy of Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Individual Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whitewater Varsity Volleyball Squad had an outstanding quadrangular with Stoughton, Sun Prairie, and Catholic Central on Tuesday night. The Whippets dominated offensively and defensively, not dropping a single set, while sweeping all three teams 2 sets to 0.
“The Whippet squad saw everyone on our 13-person roster contribute to the victories! It was a definite team win and one the entire program can be proud of. The fans were outstanding, and the gym was loud and energetic to bring home the wins,” Coach Kilar commented.
Kilar continued, “We are doing some really nice things so far this season, committing to each other, working on developing a faster offense, and putting in 110% each time we have an opportunity to be on the floor together in practice or competitions. I couldn’t be more proud of our work so far.”
The Whippets are led by seven seniors: Cali Kopecky, Kindyl Kilar, Grace Villarreal, Caroline Skindingsrude, CC Alexander, Jenna Pope, and Caleigh Yang.
Stat leaders from the quadrangular Tuesday night included Kilar with 35 kills and 21 digs, Yang with 19 digs, Calli Grosinske with 33 assists, Kopecky with 7 aces, Alexander hitting .429 on the night with no errors, and Pope hitting .625 with a no error night. Finally, our blocking was on fire with Pope and Alexander leading the way with 6 and 5 blocks respectively.
The Whippets will travel to UWW on August 26 and 27 beginning at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Saturday play times depend on how we finish on Friday.
Special thanks to Bob Mischka for the awesome action shots!
Article Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Action Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whitewater Volleyball Program kicked off the 2022 season with a scrimmage at Union Grove (Varsity) and Elkhorn (JV1 and JV2)! The energy the Whippets brought was felt by all who attended, with both JV teams showing great improvement from start to finish! The coaches were proud of the way the athletes worked hard on the court and the positivity they brought to their teammates.
The Varsity squad showed huge improvement from last year in their ability to run a faster offense and defense. The coaching staff is excited for what the season holds! Next up is a Varsity Quadrangular at home on Tuesday, August 23rd beginning at 5:00 p.m. The JV1 team will head to East Troy for an afternoon tournament on August 24th. Rounding out the week of competition, the Varsity squad will head over to UWW for a Friday/Saturday tournament August 26 and 27.
To end a great first week of practice and competition, the entire volleyball family celebrated with a program lock-in at the High School. This included dancing, movie watching, snacks, games, and team bonding. What a great way to celebrate our first week of building our team culture for the season! Special thanks to Athletic Director, Mr. Crandall, and WHS Principal Mr. Mansky for affording us this opportunity.
Our theme this year is “All or Nothing…Contribute to the Culture.” We have many special events planned and hope to see you at our matches this season!
Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Obituaries
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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Lowell V. Youngs, 87, of Whitewater passed away on Monday, June 24, 2024 in Madison. Lowell was born on September 4, 1936 in Wyoming to Isaac and Violet (Doble) Youngs. He grew up in the very small town of Veteran, Wyoming, where he was one of nine students in his graduating class. After graduating, Lowell attended the University of Colorado, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 1958. Lowell was drafted into the US Army in 1960 and selected to be in the Army Band, where he gladly carried a clarinet instead of a gun. He was … Read more
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