Today is Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Frank Barnes is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and UW-Whitewater. Barnes grew the men’s and women’s teams into a model of consistency and competitiveness accumulating more than 800 career wins over the course of 23 seasons at the helm of the Warhawk Tennis program. From 2010 through the 2025 campaign, the UWW men’s program was unbeaten in league play. On the women’s side, Barnes led the Warhawks to a streak of 130 consecutive victories against WIAC opponents leading to a streak of 18 straight league titles.
On the national scene, Barnes guided the Warhawk women to qualification and participation in the NCAA Division III Team Championship 17 seasons while the men made the national tournament 16 times from 2007-25. The Warhawks went on to advance to the Sweet 16 eleven times in that span. Over the course of his career, Barnes coached more than 45 individual national qualifiers, 33 All-Americans, 11 Academic All-Americans, 12 WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar Athletes and 76 Chancellor Scholar Athletes. Barnes was named the ITA National Coach of the Year in 2023-24 and was the Professional Tennis Registry National College Coach of the Year, across all divisions, in 2010. He has earned regional and conference coaching accolades 17 times and was selected as the Women’s Tennis Coach on the WIAC’s All-Time Team in 2012.
Barnes’ legacy goes well beyond the court. He has been lauded for his commitment to the sport of tennis and engagement in the community. Barnes has received multiple honors for outreach and has served on numerous committees. Additionally, Barnes created and continues to help maintain one of the top tennis camps and clinics in the nation, welcoming more than 700 youth tennis players to campus each summer.
Barnes will be recognized for his accomplishments along with the entire UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026 during halftime of the Warhawk football game on October 24 followed by the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the University Center’s Hamilton Room. Further information about the day’s events may be found here.
Additional Information on Barnes’ Career:
Barnes’ Bio | Retirement Announcement
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by UW-Whitewater Athletics.
The Whippet Volleyball Program had a successful night in Monroe on Tuesday, September 29, with all three teams showing determination, teamwork, and continued growth throughout the evening.
The night started with an exciting three-set victory for the JV1 team over Monroe. After dropping the first set, the Whippets responded by winning the second and third sets to earn the match victory. Strong defense and serving helped the team build momentum down the stretch, while their energy and determination allowed them to come together and finish strong.
The JV2 team also put together an exciting finish. After losing the first two sets, the Whippets battled back in the third, eventually winning an extended set, 28-26. The team continued to work together, using strong defense and serving to keep the pressure on Monroe. Their refusal to give up as the set went into extra points was great to see.
The Varsity squad then took the court and battled through a competitive four-set match. The Whippets got off to a slow start in the first set, falling behind by five points before rallying to take the lead and ultimately win the set, 25-23.
The slow start continued in the second set as the Whippets found themselves down 0-6. Although the team battled back and closed the deficit, Monroe held on to take the set, 21-25.
Needing to regroup in the third set, the Whippets responded with strong defense and offense to take a 25-21 victory. In the deciding fourth set, the Whippets came out firing and never looked back, closing out the match with a convincing 25-15 win over the Cheesemakers.
Coach Caitlin Dowden commented, “This was a great night overall for our entire program. Gaining a set win and a match win at both the JV2 and JV1 levels shows the improvements our program is making. For Varsity, we have been working through lineups to determine the best combinations that play to our strengths, allow our athletes to compete, and ultimately produce wins. Our team put together some of the things we have been working on in practice, and it was great to see that work produce wins. Our athletes are working hard, and we continue to focus on building a competitive mindset. Tonight, we saw glimpses of that confidence developing!”
There were some standout performances with Sophomore Jasmine Kilar posting a “double double” and a nice complete match with 11 kills, 10 digs, 3 aces, and 2 assists. Senior Rowan Seaver dished out a “double double” with 17 assists and 11 digs on the night. Senior Maddie Morton contributed 4 aces and 1 block, while Junior Mary Mason contributed 3 aces and 2 blocks. Junior Emery Kachel added one block at the right time to end set four!
The Whippets move on to next Tuesday night where they will face Delavan at Delavan.
Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
LA PLUME, Pa. — UW-Whitewater shutout Keystone 69-0 on Saturday, September 26 to wrap up their non-conference slate with a 3-0 record. The Warhawks held the Giants to 69 total yards, including one rushing yard, and recovered four fumbles with one interception.
UW-Whitewater scored 69 unanswered points across 11 scoring drives, paired 242 passing yards with 237 rushing yards, and scored on all eight red-zone trips. The defense held the Giants to 69 total yards, five first downs, and one rushing yard, with the Warhawks recovering four of KC’s seven fumbles and intercepting one pass.
The Warhawks struck first defensively when AJ Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette) intercepted Frankie Leyshon for a touchdown at 14:02 of the first quarter. Noah Moris’ (Union Grove, Wis./Union Grove) sack led to a Walker Powers (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) fumble recovery at the Giants 1, setting up Tommy Novotny’s (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette) 1-yard touchdown run, and Powers later recovered another fumble at the Warhawks’ 26. Justin Klinkner (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) added touchdown passes to Collin Fritts (Woodville, Wis./Baldwin Woodville) and Tyler Vasey (Crystal Lake, Ill/Prairie Ridge), with Vasey’s 41-yard score capping a three-play drive as UW-Whitewater finished the quarter ahead 28-0.
The Warhawks turned the second quarter into a 28-point surge, bolstered by rushing touchdowns from Novotny and Darrick Hill (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) plus Novotny’s 45-yard punt-return touchdown. Carson Clausen’s (Freedom, Wis./Freedom) sack and Powers’ 22-yard fumble recovery return to the Giants’ 3 set up Hill’s 3-yard score, and Hill later finished a three-play, 34-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown run. UWW’s defense held Keystone to zero first downs in the quarter to head into the intermission with a 56-0 lead.
UW-Whitewater held the ball for 13:45 of the third quarter, highlighted by an 11-play, 84-yard drive that Grant Urban (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) capped with an 11-yard field goal to make it 59-0. After Wynn Hotchkiss (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) recovered a Giants fumble at the Giants’ 23, the Warhawks added another Urban field goal with five seconds left to take a 62-0 lead into the final quarter.
The Warhawks used a 14-play, 90-yard drive that took 10:39 off the fourth-quarter clock, finishing it with Tommy Lutz’s (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) 1-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left. Drew VanVleet (Richmond, Ind./Bishop Chatard) kept the drive going with a 15-yard completion to Lutz on 4th-and-5 from the Giants’ 16, setting up the score. Urban added the extra point, and the Warhawks closed out a 69-0 win.
Novotny scored three touchdowns, rushing nine times for 99 yards and two scores while adding a 45-yard punt return touchdown. Lutz carried 21 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and added a 15-yard reception. Justin Klinkner (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) completed 9 of 12 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Powers recorded five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a 22-yard fumble return.
UW-Whitewater returns to Perkins Stadium to kickoff Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on October 3. The Warhawks are set to welcome another large crowd to The Perk for Family Fest as UWW hosts UW-River Falls for a 1 PM kick.
WHIPPETS FLY AT THE EAGLEJAY INVITE! 
The Whippets traveled to Jefferson on Saturday, September 26th to compete at the EagleJay Invite! The girls put together some fantastic races with lots of Top 16 finishes, lifetime bests, and more big-time drops!
200 Medley Relay
4th — Emma Maas, Maya Davis, Maggie Maas & Grace Smith — 2:18.17
Emma got things started with a strong 35.93 Backstroke split, while Maya threw down a speedy 38.75 Breaststroke split!
10th — Caitlin Alford, Finley De Porter, Storm De Porter & Laken De Porter — 2:43.99
Caitlin improved her 50 Backstroke to 45.13, while Finley continued to chip away at her 50 Breaststroke split!
200 Freestyle 9th — Grace Smith — 2:37.58
Talk about a tough turnaround! After finishing the Medley Relay, Grace had to get right back on the blocks for the 200 Free. She responded by winning her heat AND swimming a season-best time!
10th — Storm De Porter — 2:37.89, dropping another 4 seconds! 12th — Laken De Porter — 2:56.11 13th — Caitlin Alford — 2:58.98, dropping 3 seconds from her previous time!
50 Freestyle 7th — Maggie Maas — 29.41 Finley De Porter continues to find more speed, dropping her time again to 32.85!
100 Butterfly 11th — Storm De Porter — 1:38.64
100 Freestyle 7th — Maggie Maas — 1:04.59
9th — Emma Maas — 1:05.95 — LIFETIME BEST!
500 Freestyle
10th — Maya Davis — 7:23.66, knocking another 8 seconds off her previous time!
200 Freestyle Relay 9th — Finley De Porter, Caitlin Alford, Laken De Porter & Maya Davis — 2:15.95
Maya brought the relay home with an impressive 31.42 anchor split!
100 Backstroke 14th — Grace Smith — 1:31.29, dropping 5 seconds! 15th — Caitlin Alford — 1:31.69, dropping 7 seconds for a LIFETIME BEST!
100 Breaststroke
This group was MOVING! 
6th — Emma Maas — 1:26.16 — LIFETIME BEST! 8th — Maya Davis — 1:26.23 — LIFETIME BEST! 14th — Finley De Porter — 1:45.84, dropping another 5 seconds!
400 Freestyle Relay 6th — Grace Smith, Storm De Porter, Maggie Maas & Emma Maas — 4:35.19
Another meet full of fast racing, Top 16 finishes, lifetime bests, and swimmers continuing to chip away at their times! This group keeps finding ways to get faster, and it’s been a lot of fun watching the progress show up in the pool. 
NEXT UP: BACK HOME!
The Whippets take on Delavan-Darien on Tuesday, September 29th!
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Come out, get loud, and cheer on your Whippet swimmers!
Article Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
Photos Courtesy of Tom Ganser
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