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Both cross country teams rose to an early alarm clock and headed west to compete in Platteville against 34 teams on Saturday, October 1. This invite is broken down into two equal divisions of 17 teams split down the middle and defined as “small school” and “large school” based on school enrollment. All teams compete against one another in the same race, but the results are split based on the divisions.
Whitewater competed in the large school division and did well! The girls’ varsity was first and was once again led by freshman Mady Hefty. She continues to just simply be rock solid, steadily improving or racing near her previous best, setting the pace for the Whippets. Her time of 21:42 was good enough for 35th. Athena Soto ran her lifetime best of 22:40 to take 62nd and commented that this was her favorite course we’ve competed on yet. Jackie Franco put together another really nice race packing it up with her teammates and crossing the line in 24:14 taking 81st. The girls’ team took 13th in the large school division. In the JV race, Silvia Harris and Danielle DePorter paced the Whippets placing 56th and 57th, respectively, with times of 26:06 and 26:08. Paula Wilms wasn’t far behind in 60th with a time of 26:10. Elisa Albertini had a nice race really pushing herself and flourished at the finish to take home a new PR of 27:49 and take 83rd. The girls’ JV squad did well and placed 11th overall out of all 34 teams.
The boys’ varsity has consistently seen Jack Hefty up front for the Whippets. After getting bogged down slightly by a large field and tight turn on the bridge, Jack eventually found himself with the lead pack by 2K. Jack fought hard and ran his second sub-17 effort to stop the clock in 6th overall, but 3rd in the large school division. His time was 16:49. Nate Holden really is pouring it on in the middle to latter portions of his races and moved from the mid 30’s in the race to 17th overall, and 9th in our division. Nate’s time was 17:30. Both boys earned a medal for their terrific races. Miles Nickelsburg is steady in his low 19’s efforts and did so again by running 19:11 to take 64th. Overall, the boys’ team placed 8th. The JV team had some great packing running by a number of guys with Onyx Thompson coming out on top to place 54th in 21:19. Andrew O’Toole was a very motivated man on this day to make the cut for the varsity team at the conference meet in two weeks by dropping nearly a minute and a half from his previous personal best and took the 63rd in 21:35! Ben McCulloch and Yovanni Rojas-Reyes also ran strong races in the JV field to place 67th and 69th overall, just behind their teammates. Quinton O’Toole also had a significant improvement by dropping 59 seconds from his previous personal best to stop the clock in 23:59, good enough for 104th. Gavin LaFlash also improved by running with Quinton and placed 105th with a new PR of 24:00. Keith Cameron PR’d with a time of 24:43 to place 123rd. The boys’ JV team finished 10th overall out of 34 teams.
Next up is the Rock Valley Conference Meet hosted by Whitewater High School, on the campus of UW-Whitewater on Thursday, October 13th. The first race is set to begin at 4:10 with the Varsity Girls followed at 4:50 for Varsity Boys and finally at 5:25 for combined JV Boys and Girls. Come out and watch some intense racing in the championship phase of our season. Both varsity races will have athletes that are of state caliber and there are currently two boys’ teams that are ranked in the top 12 in the state. Don’t miss out!
Boys’ Results: http://www.accuracetiming.com/results/2022/plattcc_22b.pdf
Girls’ Results: http://www.accuracetiming.com/results/2022/plattcc_22g.pdf
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Pictures courtesy of Tiffany Buehler
Three engaging fall programs are coming to the Arboretum at Starin Park.
A rough evening against a well-disciplined team led to a 4-0 defeat for our Whitewater Whippets Soccer Team on Thursday, September 29. McFarland came out strong with some beautiful 1-2 touch passing, and it proved too much to handle defensively. McFarland also managed to dominate the midfield and allowed your Whippets very few opportunities going forward. Considering all of that, Whitewater did show massive improvements in the winning of 50-50s as well as our overall possession percentage. Secondly, despite a rough first half, the Whitewater defense allowed far fewer opportunities in the second half. Henry Mortimer played a huge role in this with a few crucial saves. The highlight of the evening came at the end of the game with the honoring of our senior class. The evening ended with players, families, coaches, and community members joining together in honoring the 4 years of soccer we had with this wonderful group of athletes.
Article Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Varsity Squad (6-1 conference, and 17-6 overall) hosted Jefferson for Senior Night on Tuesday, September 27, and swept the Eagles 25-12, 25-19, 25-20. The Whippets continued their win streak, and swept the Evansville Blue Devils in 3 straight sets on Thursday, September 29. The entire squad shared playing time in the victory.
“I cannot be prouder of the way this team is playing as one unit, selflessly putting it all out on the floor for each other, and working hard day in and day out. This is a group of athletes that emulate what it means to be a team. They support one another, they lean in to whatever the team needs, and they simply are finding success because of their mindset. They are a fun team to coach!”
Statistical leaders on the night included Kindyl Kilar hitting a .405 with 31 kills, 18 digs, and 2 aces in the three sets, Caleigh Yang with 5 aces, and Calli Grosinske with 34 assists.
The Whippets will be in action at home on Tuesday, October 4th, for the Annual Play for Trey, in honor of Treyton Kilar who was killed in 2010 by a drunk driver on his way home from watching his sister play volleyball. Treyton is the brother of Whippet athlete Kindyl Kilar and JV1 coach Rosie Jaskolski, and son to head coach, Mary Kilar.
“This event is truly special. For the high school athletes to continue to honor Trey by bringing awareness of destructive decisions touches our hearts. The message of making good choices will never get old. Treyton was killed by one destructive decision in 2010. We hope this event continues to keep at the forefront that making a good choice will never be the wrong choice. I thank our whole community for their support. We hope to see you in the gym!”
Statistical leaders for Evansville included Rachel Klitzman with 8 kills, Taija Louis with 5 aces, and Skye McDermott with 16 assists.
Article Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
It’s time once again for #flashbackfriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.
Today’s photo is an aerial view of primarily downtown Whitewater taken around 1960.
At the center is the old City Hall and just northeast is the Old Stone Mill, both demolished about 10 years later. Also, along Whitewater Street is the old Winchester and Partridge Manufacturing Company. Around this time, part of it housed the Coburn Company and it burned in the 1960s.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
(3729P, Whitewater Historical Society)
Tuesday night, September 27, the Whippet Swim Team took on Badger Co-Op at home. Despite going against tough competition, the Whippets still showed up to compete as many went best times!
These best times include:
In the 200 Freestyle:
✔Atreya Wilson went a 3:29.23 with a drop in time of 18 seconds.
✔Georgia Esch went a time of 3:21.53.
✔Karime Velazquez went a time of 2:46.75.
In the 200 IM:
✔Makayla Bazeley went a time of 2:17.30. She also earned herself a new spot on the Top 10 list at #5!
✔Charlotte Hajewski went a time of 2:54.14
In the 50 Freestyle:
✔Lucy Davis went a time of 38.41.
✔Brooke Bazeley went a time of 27.97.
In the 100 Butterfly:
✔Karime Velazquez went a time of 1:25.50 with a drop in time of 5 seconds!
✔Makayla Bazeley went a time of 1:01.44.
In the 100 Freestyle:
✔Sanibel Fox-Simes had an impressive race where she dropped 5 seconds.
✔Michelle Abarca went a time of 1:26.06.
✔Grace Foucault went a time of 57.25.
In the 500 Freestyle:
✔Brooke Bazeley went a time of 6:00.52 with a 7 second drop in time from last week!
In the 100 Backstroke:
✔Lucy Davis had an impressive race where she dropped 3 seconds!
✔Grace Foucault had an impressive 1st place finish with a time of 1:01.74.
We are incredibly proud of all our Whippet swimmers! We will be competing at Edgerton/Evansville next Tuesday (10/4) at 5:30 p.m. We hope to see you there!
Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Varsity Volleyball Squad (5-1 conference, and 16-6 overall) hosted Jefferson for Senior Night and swept the Eagles 25-17, 25-9, 25-4.
The Whippets highlighted seniors Sierrah Allen, Cristal Verduzco (Manager), Caroline Skindingsrude, Jenna Pope, CC Alexander, Cali Kopecky, Caleigh Yang, and Kindyl Kilar.
Coach Kilar kicked off the night by honoring the Jefferson seniors and presenting them with a small gift saying, “Please accept this small token of our appreciation to the dedication of the seniors on the Jefferson team, and know that the Whippets wish you the best of luck in your future!”
Turning attention to the Whippet seniors, Kilar continued, “I wanted to share how much this group has meant to me. Taking over as head coach came as a bit of surprise. But as I reflect on how the season has gone so far, that surprise has quickly turned into such a blessing.
I’ve gotten to experience growing with this crew, helping them develop into awesome volleyball players, but most importantly, I have been able to watch in awe of what great humans they are. This senior class has led by example in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. They have shared their love of the game with each one of us in the gym.
It’s been great being able to watch them grow as an assistant coach over the years, and it has been a true honor to become their head coach in their final season. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that each one of these young women will go on and do great things after they graduate from Whitewater High School. Seniors, we wish you the absolute best as you complete your final high school year, and we thank you for leaving this volleyball program better, because you have been part of it!”
The Whippets then took to the court and ran off three straight set wins against the Eagles. All the seniors led the way with their play on the court, and statistical leaders included Kindyl Kilar with a double-double of 14 kills and 10 aces, Calli Grosinske with 12 assists, and Caleigh Yang with 8 digs.
This is simply a great TEAM. They are all in for each other and it shows every night as they leave it all on the court!
Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Join First Citizens State Bank for our annual community shred event hosted at three of our four locations.
Obituaries
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
Carol Ann Seebruch, 88 of Whitewater passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, April 3, 2026. Carol was born July 12, 1937 in Chicago IL to William and Ann Borovec. She married Marvin Seebruch on June 9, 1984. Carol and Marvin enjoyed traveling the United States making it to 48 of the 50 states. She also enjoyed her time with the Red Hat Ladies. She loved taking pictures of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Carol is survived by her three children; Bill Anderson of Fort Atkinson, WI, Terri Laban of Whitewater, WI, and Donna (Mike) Jones of Crivitz, WI. She … Read more
Entered God’s Kingdom on Friday, April 3, 2026, age 65. Donna is survived by her cousins, other family and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents James and Lois (Michels) Lyons. Donna was raised in the Church of Nazarene, with her father being the assistant pastor. Religion was very important to Donna. Donna enjoyed working with the students of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, where she resided. Donna also loved to travel, visiting France, Italy, and all around the United States. She also loved to paint, cross-stitch, knit, and crochet. She also loved collecting recipes and trying … Read more
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