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In recognition of the outstanding support that the community of Whitewater provides to the school, each year the WHS Student Council selects two community members to serve as Grandma & Grandpa Whippet. Grandma and Grandpa Whippet exhibit the kind of support for academics, athletics, and arts that Whitewater High School is known for. This year’s Grandma and Grandpa Whippet are Eileen Jaskolski (also known as Grandma J) and Mike Stutzman.
Grandma J spent so much time in Whitewater that she decided to move here three years ago. In that short amount of time, she has already made such an impact on the Whitewater community! Grandma J worked as a registered nurse and went on to become the Vice President of mission services for Columbia St. Mary’s in Milwaukee. Grandma J has volunteered many hours at Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Hospital, at her church in Milwaukee, and, now, at St. Patrick’s in Whitewater. She also volunteers her time for all of the Play for Trey events. Grandma J is also known for her yummy, sweet treats that she makes for the students in Whitewater. And, she is Triple A proud. You can find her at athletic, arts, and academic events. Grandma J is appreciated throughout the Whitewater Community. She exemplifies the #TheWhippetWay.
Mike Stutzman could be considered a Lifelong Whippet. He was a Whitewater Unified School District employee for over 35 years, spending all of his years at Whitewater High School and Whitewater Middle School as a Computer Science teacher and then moving on to teach 7th grade science. He was the driving force that started the 8th grade trip to Disney World and was a big part of the 7th grade Washington DC trips. Mike has over 30 years of coaching experience in volleyball and was also the Athletic Director at the middle school. Mike’s colleagues said he is a team player, has a huge heart, and gives out great advice. He is also a huge supporter of the Academics, Arts, and Athletics of the Whitewater Community. He, too, is Triple A Proud and is 1Family. Congratulations Grandma J and Mike!
Article and Photo Submitted by Amy Houwers
Whitewater High School Student Council Advisor
ahouwers@wwusd.org
Emilia Houwers advanced to the WIAA State Tournament next week with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Rachel Winters of Lodi High School in the opening match of the Edgewood Sectional on Thursday, October 6.
Information Submitted by Greg Stewart
The Whitewater volleyball program traveled to East Troy for their last conference game on Thursday, October 6. The JV1 and JV2 teams continued their solid efforts as they fought hard against the Trojans. The teams will finish their seasons this Thursday against Johnson Creek at our Dig Pink home finish.
The Whippet Varsity squad (8-1 conference, and 19-6 overall) continued their win streak against East Troy, beating them in four sets, 25-16, 25-15, 20-25, 25-17. And with a little help from Brodhead beating McFarland tonight, we are tied for 1st overall in the conference!
This team is so well deserving of the honor. They have worked so hard, stayed consistent and have a true desire to get better every single day. To finish on the top of the RVC is an accomplishment, and a goal we had, but we are not done yet. We now set our sights on Johnson Creek to end regular season play on Thursday for Dig Pink, and then we will be laser-focused on playoff time!
“I think we are starting to really believe. We can battle with great teams, and we are finding success. Success comes in the grind. When we face adversity, when we have setbacks, we keep grinding and believing; that is success! That is exactly what I love about this team this year. They believe in each other and even in the face of adversity, they still believe. We hope to use this mentality and momentum to take us deep in the playoff battle.”
Statistical leaders on the night included a big blocking night from Junior Aidyn Amundson with 3 blocks, Caleigh Yang with 23 digs and 3 aces, Calli Grosinske with 38 assists and 3 aces, Cali Kopecky with 13 digs, and Kindyl Kilar with 26 kills and 10 digs.
Statistical leaders for East Troy included Jillian Pergande with 16 kills, Julia Aleckson with 32 assists, Olivia Grayse with 2 aces, and Amaya Pluess with 26 digs.
Next up, the Whippets are at home on Thursday (10/13) to host Johnson Creek for our annual Dig Pink event. We will honor our Manager Cristal Verduzco’s late mother who lost her battle to breast cancer this past September. We also hope to honor all those who have fought, who have won, and who are currently fighting cancer. Let’s pack the gym to dig for a cure!
Article Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
A cold night brought another rough loss for the Whippet soccer team on Thursday night, October 6. A Whitewater squad that was missing five starters due to many different factors faced a well-disciplined Delavan-Darien squad.
The Comets were able to move the ball with ease and dominated much of the first half. In resilient fashion, the Whippets put on a much better second half display. With tireless defending from Emerson Ellenwood and Emmanuel Mbifi and great midfield pressure from Ethan Dougan and Chris Cortez, Whitewater only allowed two second half goals.
The Whippets can now look forward to the “RVC Tournament” next week against Big Foot.
Article Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org
The Whitewater Varsity Volleyball Squad (7-1 conference, and 18-6 overall) hosted Clinton for Play for Trey Night on Tuesday, October 4, and swept them 25-9, 25-22, 25-17.
The Whippet Varsity squad continued their win streak and swept Clinton in three straight sets. However, this was an event that had the athletes playing for something bigger than themselves. With images on the big screen of Varsity players CC Alexander, Cali Kopecky, and Kindyl Kilar with their young friend and brother Treyton, Kindyl spoke about what this event means, while surrounded by her entire Volleyball Program.
“At approximately 8:00 p.m., our world was shattered, and my brother’s life was ended, at the hands of a drunk driver. Not a day goes by that we don’t miss him so much. We are all charged with taking an active role in making better decisions that impact our days in a positive way. There will never be a time when doing the right thing and making the right choice will ever be the wrong one.
Today is no different, the Whitewater HS volleyball team has been determined since his death in 2010, to play for something bigger than ourselves- to play for my brother Trey- in an effort to continue to spread awareness of destructive decisions and the call to be better. Treyton Kilar continues to be a vivid reminder of the importance of good decision making in all aspects of our lives.
As we Play for Trey tonight, may we all remember a young boy full of life, taken far too soon by a destructive decision in an instant. And, we rededicate ourselves to making good decisions every day, to be the example for all, about what positive decisions can do.”
The Whippets went on to sweep Clinton for their 18th win on the season. Coach Kilar commented, “This team is just simply something special. You walk in our gym and you can sense what a true team they are. They are having fun, they are working hard and disciplined, and they are simply committed to getting better every day. They are all selfless leaders. This team is just simply special.”
And if the moment couldn’t have gotten any better, on this Play for Trey night and her brother’s birthday, Kindyl Kilar’s first swing of the night landed her 1000th career kill. Kindyl leads the Whippet record book in the top 5 in kills, aces, and digs. I think her brother may have been smiling down on her.
Statistical leaders on the night included Calli Grosinske with a double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs, Kilar with 17 kills, Cali Kopecky with 6 aces, and Jenna Pope with 2 blocks. For Clinton, Wellnitz led with 2 aces, Allie Bell with 8 digs, Jenna Gunnink with 5 assists, Jayden Nortier with 4 kills, and Lindsey Koch with 4 blocks.
Next up, the Whippets travel to East Troy on Thursday (10/6) and then host Johnson Creek on 10/13 for their annual Dig Pink event.
Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Action Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whitewater Whippets put up a good battle by nearly taking down the Edgerton/Evansville Bluetide swim team on Tuesday night, October 4!
Out of the 11 races, the Whippet swimmers placed 1st in 7 of those races. These 1st place finishes include:
🏆Makayla Bazeley in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 2:05.83.
🏆Emerson Dunham in the 200 IM with a time of 2:38.77.
🏆Brooke Bazeley in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 28.14.
🏆Grace Foucault in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 1:04.79.
🏆Makayla Bazeley in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 57.16.
🏆Brooke Bazeley in the 500 Freestyle with a time of 6:01.55.
🏆Grace Foucault in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:01.99.
We had a handful of exciting races during tonight’s competition. Those races include:
✔200 Freestyle where lane mates Georgia Esch and Lucy Davis battled it out against one another. They both competed well and had their best time of the season so far!
✔In the 200 IM Josie Treder had an awesome comeback swim which landed her in a 2nd place finish. She swam an impressive life time best of 2:49.12.
✔In the 50 Freestyle, Atreya Wilson and Andrea Alcala both swam a season best!
✔In the 500 Freestyle, Charlotte Hajewski swam a 6:42.22 with a 3rd place finish.
✔In the 100 Backstroke Angela (Ace) Hudec continues to improve her skills in competition settings. She had a season best time!
✔Grace Foucault had a thrilling 100 Backstroke race with a time of 1:01.99.
✔In the 100 Breaststroke, all three swimmers, Emerson Dunham, Josie Treder, and Atreya Wilson, went season best times.
The Whippets are at home against Delavan-Darien on Tuesday (10/11) 5:30 p.m. Since this is our last home meet, we will be celebrating our seniors. We hope to see you there!
Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org
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.
Obituaries
Donald Walter Triebold passed on to his eternal home on May 21, 2026. Don was born on April 23, 1935, in Evanston, IL, to the late Frederick W. and Mildred (nee Stecher) Triebold. Through his teen years, Don lived and worked on the family’s dairy farm, where he developed a life-long work ethic. His first eight years of education were in a one-room country schoolhouse, in which all eight grades were taught by one teacher. He graduated from Whitewater City High School in 1953 and then graduated from UW Whitewater in 1958 with a degree in Business Education. He continued his education, and earned a Master’s … Read more
William Kincaid Davis, age 84, passed away on Tuesday, May 19 at Agrace Hospice Center in Fitchburg. He was born on November 1, 1941, in Madison, Indiana, the second son of Salvation Army Officers Agnes (Dixon) and William C. Davis. He attended several schools in Indiana and Illinois, including University of Illinois Experimental High School (Champaign), and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1958. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire in 1964 and his master’s degree from UW-Whitewater in 1972. He had an expansive career in education, beginning as an English teacher in Whitehall, Thornton Township (IL) and … Read more
Magdalene “Maggie” Stetter (nee Fritz), 79, of Whitewater, Wisconsin passed from this life onto the next on Monday, May 4, 2026. She was born on January 16, 1947, to the late John and Mary (Presser) Fritz in St. Stefan, Austria. Maggie immigrated from Austria with her parents and brother, became a US citizen, and grew up and attended school in West Allis, WI and then graduated with a teaching degree from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. Maggie served as a substitute, English, and German language teacher in the Whitewater, Elkhorn, Delavan, and Palmyra schools and at Divine Word Seminary. Maggie … Read more
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
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