Warhawk Football Coach Jace Rindahl writes, “I would like to invite you to a meet and greet opportunity that we will be hosting this week. You’ll get a chance to meet our staff, learn about our 2023 recruiting class, spring ball plans, and a look ahead to the fall. Hope to see you there!”

By Angela Kelm
Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

Fort Wayne, Ind. — Warhawks’ Phenomenal Run Ends in NCAA Semifinal

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team’s phenomenal postseason run came to a close in the NCAA Division III semifinals Thursday night. The Warhawks fell to No. 3 Mount Union 83-79 in the Final Four at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  

UW-Whitewater’s growth this season culminated in a fantastic run through the postseason. Heading into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament as the number three seed, the Warhawks hosted UW-River Falls in their opening game picking up a win in Kachel Gymnasium. UWW has been on the road ever since. From February 24 at La Crosse to March 16 in Fort Wayne, the Warhawks traversed over 1,800 miles defeating four ranked teams along the way to set up the semifinal game against the Purple Raiders.  

The Warhawks won the first half in the battle of the purple powers. UW-Whitewater was shooting lights out building a lead that eventually hit 15 by the 10:48 mark after a turnaround jumper by Trevon Chislom made it 23-8. Just over two minutes later, Jameer Barker hit from deep to extend the lead to 18, 32-12, as UWW had the Purple Raider faithful in a stunned silence.  

As it rained from downtown, Carter Capstran added to the three-point tally with a triple at the 3:41 mark to give the Warhawks their largest lead of the game, 37-17. From that point Mount Union closed the half on an 11-4 run to cut the margin to 13, 41-28 at the break.  

The Warhawks shot over 57-percent from the floor in the first half hitting 46-percent from downtown. Atypical of UWW’s play all season, the Warhawks struggled from the free throw line making just 4-12. Meanwhile, Mount Union shot just 29-percent from the floor and, contrary to their resume this season, were 0-11 from deep.  

Three Warhawks had already hit double figures in the scoring column as Miles Barnstable led all players with 12, Capstran had 11 and Chislom dropped in 10.  

On the other side of the break, the Purple Raiders continued to build their momentum opening the half on an 11-3 spurt to cut the gap to five, 44-39 at the 15:56 mark.  

A three-pointer from Delvin Barnstable followed by a jumper from Barker quickly pushed the lead back into double figures with 14:43 on the clock. The gap hovered between 8 and 11 for three minutes.  

Mount Union continued to chip away claiming their first lead of the game with less than eight minutes left. Capstran knocked down his signature hook shot to give UWW the lead once again but the Purple Raiders hit in their next possession and would never trail the rest of the way.  

The Warhawks stayed within striking distance, never allowing the gap to grow to more than five points, but free throws and second chance points late kept UWW from coming back.  

With less than 10 seconds remaining, in a three-point game, a controversial call had the officials meeting at the scorer’s table to review. The Warhawk faithful were hopeful they were reviewing possession as the ball was tipped out of bounds. However, they were only reviewing for time purposes putting mere tenths-of-a-second back on the clock. Mount Union was able to seal the game at the line.  

The Warhawks shot 45-percent from the floor (27-60) and from beyond the three-point arc (9-20) but hit just 57-percent from the charity stripe (16-28). Mount Union shot 36-percent from the floor (29-81), made just one triple in 18 tries and knocked down 77-percent (24-31) from the line.  

Capstran, Chislom and Barnstable all had 17 points and six rebounds to lead UWW. Barker added 15 and four assists. Chislom posted a game-high four blocks in the contest.  

The Warhawks 2022-23 campaign ends with a 25-8 mark with the program’s 22^nd appearance in the national tournament and sixth trip to the Final Four.  

By Angela Kelm
Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater senior forward Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) and sophomore guard Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) have earned All-America honors from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. 

Grundahl, the 2023 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and D3hoops.com Region 9 Player of the Year, was named First Team WBCA All-America Thursday. Grundahl is now a three-time All-America honoree after being selected to the D3hoops.com Second Team and WBCA Honorable Mention squads a season ago. The senior forward ranked among the top ten in the league in seven categories including points per game, field goal percentage, steals and blocks. The four-time all-league player was injured in the semifinal of the WIAC Tournament but supported her team throughout the squad’s run to the Sweet 16 this season. 

Carollo becomes a first-time All-American as an Honorable Mention pick in 2023. The First Team All-Region 9 selection from D3hoops.com was also a First Team All-WIAC pick and received recognition on the All-Defensive Team this season. The sophomore guard wrapped up the season with four consecutive 20-plus point games including a career-high 29-point performance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16, she dropped in 28 to close the season averaging 17.0 points per outing. 

The pair led the Warhawks to the program’s 11th regular season WIAC title this season. UWW also claimed the league tournament title to secure the WIAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Making their 21st appearance in the postseason, the Warhawks rolled through first and second round games on their home court before falling in the Sweet 16 to Trinity College (CT). 

By Jeff Angileri
Executive Director, University Marketing & Communications
UW-Whitewater

Update 3/18/23 @ 10:50 a.m. – UW-W Men’s Wheelchair Basketball fell to Auburn by 68-64 on Saturday morning, ending their chance to place third in the championship.

Update 3/17/23 @ 9:20 p.m. – UW-W beat the Missouri Tigers 71-52 in a consolation bracket game on Friday. Next up is a game vs. on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. vs. the Auburn Tigers. If UW-W wins that game they’ll play for third place at noon on Saturday.

Update: 3/16/23 @ 10:15 p.m. – After winning their first game by 105-21 vs. Eastern Washington University, the Warhawks (#6) fell to Illinois (#3) by 57-45. UW-W will next play in a consolation game vs. Edinboro on Friday at 4:00 p.m.

The finest wheelchair basketball athletes from around the nation will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on March 16-18 for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association men’s intercollegiate championships.

Eleven universities will participate: UW-Whitewater: University of Alabama, University of Arizona, Auburn University, City University of New York, Eastern Washington University, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, University of Illinois, University of Missouri, Southwest Minnesota State University, and University of Texas-Arlington.

“UW-Whitewater is proud to partner with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association to host the men’s collegiate championships,” said Corey King, chancellor. “Hosting such a prestigious event builds upon our legacy as an institution of excellence in adaptive learning, engagement and athletics. On behalf of everyone at the university and in the Whitewater community, the Warhawk family sincerely welcomes you and we hope you enjoy the games!”

All games will take place in Kachel Gym in the Williams Center. Admission is free and complimentary parking is available in lots 11 and 24. Donations to support UW-Whitewater’s wheelchair athletics program are greatly appreciated.

For those unable to cheer on the teams in person, games will be livestreamed by UWW-TV.

“There is a tremendous amount of pride in hosting the national tournament on our home court,” said Jake Williams, men’s head coach and two-time Paralympic gold medalist. “Our athletes work extremely hard to be at the top of their game and this competition is sure to be exciting. We’ve always had incredible fan support from Warhawks across the region and we look forward to having a good crowd to cheer on the teams as they compete for the national title.”

The UW-Whitewater men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams have won 13 national championships and 3 national championships, respectively, and produced numerous Paralympic athletes and medalists.