Early City Motto "The Banner Inland City of the Midwest"
The Banner has been serving Whitewater, Wisconsin since August 1, 2006
Today is Wednesday, November 27, 2024
News & Events
To add an event, click here to go to the Community Calendar. Then, click on Submit Event.
Helpful Links
Search our Archives
To search our archives, enter a search term in the search box, then press enter to search.
The 2022 Whippet Girls Swim season started out with Conference Relays on 9/1!
Ashly Xochipa, Josie Treder, Charlotte Hajewski, and Karime Velazquez competed in the 200 Medley and the 200 Freestyle Relay where they swam some impressive splits. We are looking forward to them swimming even faster times this season!
We had some new Whippet swimmers compete in their first ever high school swim meet. We were excited to see Georgia Esch, Atreya Wilson, Sanibel Fox-Simes, and Lucy Davis compete in the 200 and 100 Freestyle Relay. It was awesome to see them swim best times since the start of our practices!
The Whippets took on the 1000 Freestyle Crescendo with a lineup of Emerson Dunham, Brooke Bazeley, Grace Foucault, and Makayla Bazeley. They took home some new hardware with a 2nd place finish! The same group placed 1st in the 100 Freestyle Relay with a time of 51.84. Now that’s some fast swimming!
In the 400 Breaststroke Relay, Grace Foucault as the lead off swimmer was able to get a best time in the 100 Breaststroke. That time landed her a spot on the Whitewater High School Top 10 list at #9!
We are so excited to see what the rest of the season holds for each of our Whippet swimmers!
Article and Photos Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org
It was tough going on Thursday night, September 1, for the Whitewater Whippets Boys’ Soccer Team, falling to Milton by a score of 7-1.
The boys started off incredibly strong by controlling possession, pressing high, and scoring a goal in the 3’ minute. Placing the ball in the lower left-hand corner of the net and giving Whitewater the lead was Victor Hernandez with a beautiful assist from Avery Janovec. Milton then proceeded to score 5 goals in the next 13 minutes. After the 5-0 run from Milton, the Whippets responded well and kept the score at 5-1 until the break.
The second half was much stronger, and the Whippets only allowed 2 goals.
The team has a week break until our next game and we are hoping for some more hard-fought competition.
Article Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Boys’ Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
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
Obituaries
Richard Allen Splitter, age 80, of Blue Eye, Missouri, passed away November 12, 2024. He entered this life on June 16, 1944, the son of Edward and Berniece (Craig) Splitter in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Richard proudly served our country in the United States Navy for two terms. During his time in the service, he was able to get his master’s degree in engineering from California State University of Long Beach. During his working years, Richard was an engineer for different aerospace companies. He retired to Blue Eye, Missouri, and thoroughly enjoyed lake life. Richard appreciated the outdoors and loved hiking, fishing, … Read more
Read More
Edward W. HamiltonApril 3,1941 – October 26, 2024 Edward “Edjo” Wickman Hamilton, 83, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at home. Ed was born in Evanston, Illinois and moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin with his family when he was eight years old. He attended Whitewater High School and then graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater with a bachelor of science degree. He also served two years in the army. He moved to Davenport, Iowa in 1971 and worked at John Deere Davenport Works until he retired in 2001. Then he followed a dream, moved back to Whitewater and … Read more
Read More
Verne Paul Schrank was born on March 9, 1930 at home on the family farm in Lima Township, Rock County, to Arthur and Marie (Witte) Schrank. He attended the Sturtevant one room school which closed when he graduated in 1944. He attended Whitewater High School and graduated in 1948. Verne farmed with his parents until 1967 when he moved to Whitewater and worked for the Whitewater Unified School District as a custodian – courier for 27 years. Verne served on various boards at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, as well as playing on the dartball team for many years. Verne … Read more
Read More
After a long full life, Janine Marie (Dickerson) Weiss was called home to the Lord. Janine was born on April Fool’s Day, 1930 in Milwaukee. She grew up enjoying Trolleys, dancing and school with her sisters, Donna Domagalski, Marcyl Howel, Karen Moczynski and her parents, Glenn and Lucille Dickerson. In 1950, she married Frederic Weiss in a little church in Three Lakes WI. Shortly after, the first of 5 kids was born with the next 2 shortly after. Denice Lucille (Edward DeGroot), David Arthur, and Dana Lynn (Stephen Lind). After a breather Debra Beth (Alyn Jones) and Donna Raye (Dale … Read more
Read More
Raymond Miles, 96, Whitewater, passed away on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at Our House Senior Living in Whitewater. Raymond was born on February 10, 1928, in Elkhorn, WI to Rueben and Norma Miles. He served in the US Army. On June 18, 1955, Raymond married Waverly Sutherland in Whitewater, WI. He enjoyed a long and successful career as a Livestock Dealer. In retirement, he cherished time spent with his family and remained informed on the farming community. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Waverly of Whitewater, sons Eddie of Madison and Todd (Barbara) Miles of Sarasota FL, … Read more
Read More
Connie Jean Sukowski embarked on her next big adventure on the evening of Friday, November 8, 2024. Connie enjoyed decades of adventures with friends and family. She spent 36 years teaching 2nd and 3rd grade students in the Palmyra Eagle School District, working alongside many cherished colleagues and friends. Connie and her husband, Patrick Theodore Sukowski, shared 55 and a half years of marriage. Together they raised four children: Peter, Allan, Ann and Kevin Sukowski. She took great joy in watching her five grandchildren grow into amazing adults: Sonora Sukowski, Brianne Hebbe, Jared Gundrum-Sukowski, Nolan Causey, and Lore Lai Schimmel. … Read more
Read More
Nancy Lou Hallock Cooper passed away November 8, 2024 due to complications of lungcancer. Nancy was born on April 20, 1936 in Springfield, MA to Howard and Barbara (Corliss) Hallock. As a child, Nancy spent every summer in her beloved Piermont, NH where she and her brothers “helped” the local farmer with his chores, including riding in the truck with the milk cans every morning. She enjoyed swimming in the local brooks, picking berries, going to the nearby library, visiting with cousins, and playing croquet every evening. As she grew older, she spent time as a camper and then a camp … Read more
Read More
James Robert Trier (Jimbo), passed away on November 10, 2024, at the age of 89. Born on December 22, 1934, in New Holstein, WI, to George and Frances Trier. He spent his later years residing in Whitewater, WI. Jim began his teaching career as a high school mathematics teacher and then dedicated 55 years of his life to education as a mathematics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He was the chairman of the faculty senate as well. He had a passion for math and an engaging teaching style, which made him a student favorite. He was known for telling … Read more
Read More
Juan Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez, 56, of Whitewater, WI, passed away on Oct 31, 2024. He was born in Fort Atkinson, WI, on November 14, 1967 to Ponciano and Blanca Rodriguez. He graduated from Whitewater High School and continued his education at Gateway, earning a degree in marketing. He had a love for helping people and worked in healthcare for over 30 years as a CNA. He enjoyed shooting darts with his lifelong friends: Robert Bramley, Brian Quass, and Todd Piper. To know Manny, you knew he had a love for his Washington Redskins, now known as the Commanders. He loved to play … Read more
Read MoreOther Recent Posts
Click on the title to view the post. To open the post in a new tab, press Ctrl (Cmd on a Mac) while clicking on the title.
