Today is Friday, June 19, 2026
Saint Peter, Minn. – The No. 10 UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team mounted a phenomenal fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Gustavus Adolphus 47-44 on the road Tuesday evening. With the win, the Warhawks will head into 2026 with a 10-1 record.
Gustavus Adolphus held a lead through most of the contest widening the margin to as much as 10. By the end of the third, UWW trailed by eight.
Renee Rittmeyer (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) sparked the Warhawks early in the fourth with an old fashioned three-point play to narrow the gap to five, 38-33. Caden Krohn (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) broke a scoring lull with a pair of free throws just under the seven-minute mark to pull UWW to within three.
The Gusties knocked down a three but Bri McCurdy (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) had the quick response nailing a triple to make it a three-point game once again. Rittmeyer drew another foul and hit one of two at the line before Brooke Stenklyft (Cambridge, Wis./Cambridge) hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game 41-41 with just over four minutes remaining.
The rest of the Warhawk points came from the charity stripe. Krohn drained a pair to give UWW the lead. Rittmeyer added another to push the lead to 44-41. McCurdy and Camryn Nies (Platteville, Wis./Platteville) also hit one each to extend the gap to five, 46-41, with 39 seconds left.
Gustavus Adolphus hauled in a defensive rebound and called timeout to advance the ball. They capitalized with a three-pointer to cut the margin to two with 29 seconds on the clock. The Gusties got the steal shortly after the inbound and called timeout. Their shot from deep caromed off the rim and into the hands of Rittmeyer. Coach Carollo signaled for timeout and advanced the ball into UWW’s offensive end. McCurdy was fouled and went to the line, hitting the second to push the advantage to three.
GAC was able to get two shots off in the final 10 seconds. Mia Gillis (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) blocked the first and the second was no good at the buzzer for the win.
UW-Whitewater shot 43% from the floor in the fourth while holding Gustavus Adolphus to just 13% from the field. The free throw line was UWW’s biggest advantage in the contest as the Warhawks hit 15-24. The Gusties had just eight attempts from the charity stripe making three of their chances.
McCurdy led UWW with 11 points while Stenklyft added 10. Rittmeyer paced the Warhawks on the glass with six rebounds.
Editor’s note: This report was posted to the UW-W Athletics site.
The Whitewater Boys’ Basketball Team had a rough ending to the 2025 part of the schedule, dropping two games last weekend.
On Friday night, December 19th, East Troy rolled into town with a 5-1 record. The Trojans started fast and never looked back, as they made the night difficult for the Whippets in an 87-44 win.
Matthew Carollo led the home team with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Casey Lyon chipped in 15 points, but Whitewater struggled offensively, only shooting 17 out of 69 from the field.
In a short turnaround, Whitewater played Heritage Christian, Saturday morning, December 20th, in the Win Parkinson Invitational, at Milwaukee Bradley Tech. The Whippets again started slowly, falling behind 34-17 at halftime. Whitewater was able to chip away and battled back to climb within seven points about halfway through the second period. But Heritage Christian rebuilt the lead and defeated the Whippets 80-57.
Whitewater was again led by Matthew Carollo with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Evan Amundson scored a season high 16 points, and Casey Lyon finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Whitewater is now 2-1 in the conference and 4-4 overall. Casey Lyon leads the team with a 27.5 points per game scoring average. Matthew Carollo is averaging 16 points per game and 9 rebounds per game.
The Whippets will next play on Saturday, January 3rd, at 12:30 pm in a non-conference home game against Johnson Creek. The next conference game will be Friday, January 9th, at Monroe.
Article Submitted by Dwayne Lange
Cara Yang, a senior at Whitewater High School, signs her contract with the University of Utah
In a world where Division I soccer often favors height and athletic prototypes, one young athlete is proving that heart, discipline, and determination can overcome any obstacle. At just 5 feet 2 inches tall, and hailing from a quiet small town with limited local opportunities, Cara Yang’s story is one of relentless pursuit and ultimate triumph.
For eight years, Cara committed everything to her dream of playing college soccer at the highest level. Living far from training facilities, she endured over an hour drive for weekday practices–close to three hours total on the road, multiple times a week. Weekends meant even longer journeys for games and tournaments, often turning family time into a blur of highways and hotel rooms.
The sacrifices were immense. She missed school activities, skipped social gatherings, and said no to hangouts with friends. “It wasn’t easy,” she reflects. “But every missed event was as step toward something bigger.” While her peers enjoyed typical high school experience, Cara balanced rigorous academics with exhaustive training, all fueled by an unwavering vision of competing on a big stage.
Then in her junior year of high school, heartbreak struck. During an early season conference game, Cara was tackled and felt the devastating pop–an ACL tear. The diagnosis crushed her: surgery, months off the field, the fear that her dream was slipping away. Recovery was brutal. Endless physical therapy sessions, grueling rehab exercises, pain that tested her limits. She rebuilt her strength from scratch–hip work, balance drills, slow jobs turning into sprints. Doubts tried to creep in, but she refused to quit. Her comeback was emotional. The injury may have slowed her down–it stole months, forced her to adapt–but it never stopped her.
Her perseverance paid off in the best way possible: a commitment to play for the University of Utah. Surrounded by family, coaches, and friends, she signed her official contract, marking the culmination of years of quiet dedication.
Cara’s journey reminds us that talent comes in all sizes, and dreams don’t measure height–they measure commitment and how we rise after the fall. As she prepares to step on the field in the Big 12, she’s not just representing her small town; she’s inspiring every undersized athlete who dares to dream big.
Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Joy Yang.
The Whitewater Whippet Boys’ Basketball Team defeated the Delavan-Darien Comets, 57-43, in a hard-fought Rock Valley Conference away game, Tuesday night, December 16.
After Delavan raced out to a 10-1 lead, the Whippets battled back to go ahead 14-12, with Casey Lyon scoring 8 points in that stretch. Tied 16-16 with 7 minutes left in the first half, Whitewater outscored the Comets by 9, to take a 37-28 halftime lead.
An aggressive defense and timely scoring kept the Whippets in the lead throughout the second half, as we claimed our second conference victory.
Whitewater was led by seniors Casey Lyon with 23 points and Matt Carollo with 16 points.
The Whippets record is now 2-0 in the conference and 4-2 overall. Our next games are Friday, December 19 at home against East Troy and Saturday against Heritage Christian at Milwaukee Bradley Tech.
Article Submitted by Dwayne Lange
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