Today is Saturday, July 27, 2024
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
University of Kansas (KU) announced today that it has hired Lance Leipold as the head football coach for the Jayhawks, with a six year contract. Leipold, age 56, has served as the head football coach at the University of Buffalo since 2015, and at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater from 2007 to 2014. Per Wikipedia, “during his tenure at UW-W, the Warhawks won the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. During his time at Whitewater, Leipold led the Warhawks to five undefeated seasons. Leipold reached 100 victories faster than any coach in NCAA history, doing so in his 106th game on October 18, 2014.”
Leipold, a Jefferson native and former UW-W Hall of Fame quarterback, finished his eight seasons with the Warhawks with a 109-6 record, and with his hiring at Buffalo jumped from Division III to Division I, a rare accomplishment. He was 37-33 at Buffalo with two division championships and three consecutive bowl appearances, going 24-10 since 2018. In recent times he had been speculated to be under consideration for a number of other college programs.
“I can’t thank Lance enough for everything he has done for our football program,” Buffalo Athletic Director Mark Alnutt said. “His vision and leadership helped elevate the UB football brand. We are grateful for what Lance has done here and we wish him and his family all the best as they embark on this new journey.
“Since entering the FBS ranks in 1999, the UB football program continues to rise to unprecedented heights. From bowl victories to top NFL Draft picks, UB has established itself as one of the top programs in not only the Mid-American Conference, but the entire Group of Five. With our success on the field as well as facilities rivaling some of the best in the country, we know we are an attractive coaching destination and look forward to selecting the next leader of our football program,” concluded Alnutt.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Coach Leipold, Kelly, Lindsey and Landon to the Jayhawk Family,” KU Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. “He is a man of integrity, a developer of young men, a program builder and a winner. His track record of sustained excellence is exactly what we were looking for in our next leader, and is what the University of Kansas and our fans deserve.”
“It is an exciting and humbling opportunity, and this is a day I will never forget,” Leipold said in a release. “We are going to build this program through developing players, discipline and determination. The philosophies ingrained in our programs along the way will be key as we turn this around. This is a program that has a lot of young talent on the roster and has the infrastructure in place to succeed. The best days for this program are ahead, and my family and I are ecstatic to be a part of it.”
Some media stories are linked below:
Kansas hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as football coach – espn.com – “Kansas is 18-90 since 2011 and last had a winning season under Mark Mangino in 2008. Leipold will be the team’s sixth head coach since that last winning campaign.”
Kansas Football can make considerable growth under Lance Leipold – throughthephog.com
Kansas Hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as Football Coach – usnews.com
Information Provided by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
UPDATE: Since we posted the meet information on Monday, April 26th, we have had three teams opt-out from our sectional on Tuesday, April 27th. In addition, several teams are bringing incomplete teams which has dropped us below the 76 runner threshold that has been approved for the WIAA State Meet. Lastly, the weather forecast has indicated that it is going to be near 80 degrees in Whitewater on Saturday. This new race schedule is also an attempt to reduce the chances of medical emergencies and avoid the hottest point of the day. For these reasons, we have been given clearance to run one race per gender. We will not move the beginning part of the schedule as we need to accommodate teams traveling a far distance. Box assignments will be changing and Coach Carstens will update the Meet Information when those become available.
Whitewater High School is hosting one of four Sectional Cross Country meets taking place around the state on Saturday, May 1st. There will be a $6 per person charge to enter the meet.
10:30 am: Spectators/Buses can arrive and begin unloading
11:00 am: Course Opens for Preview
12:00 pm: Girls’ Race
12:45 pm: Boys’ Race
Please check out this meet information for race times and other pertinent information.
Check out the digital course map that will highlight how the traffic will flow, spectator routes, etc.
You can also preview the course faster than the world record pace by watching this video of the course.
The top two teams and top 5 individuals not on those qualifying teams will earn a trip to the WIAA State Meet on Saturday, May 8th.
Article submitted by Laura Masbruch, Banner Volunteer
Photos submitted by Leif Knudsen, WHS Head Golf Coach
Whippet Golf is off to a busy start to the season with three meets just this past week.
On Saturday, April 24, the Whippets competed in the twelve-team Comet Invitational at Delbrook Golf Course in Delavan. Jaden Condon led the Whippets with the 11th best score overall, an 84 on the 18-hole course, followed by Camden Frye with a 91. Dane Hillmer, Carson Bueschel, and Connor Moreno rounded out the group for the Whippets. The total score for the Whippets was 383, placing them 9th, just behind Clinton which had a 382. Beloit Memorial won the event with a score of 317.
On April 26, the golfers were back in action at the Big Foot Mini at the Big Foot Country Club. Ten teams competed on this 9-hole course. Camden Frye led the Whippets with a 51, followed by Jaden Condon with a 53. The final team score for the Whippets was 221, placing them 5th overall. Edgerton won this event, scoring 177 as a team.
The Whippets next competed in the Brodhead RVC Mini on April 27 at the Monroe Golf Club. Ten teams competed in this 9-hole event, and the Whippets tied for 6th overall with a 197. Jaden Condon was the top Whippet with a score of 45, followed by Dan Hillmer who came in with a 49.
Article by Ron Sdano
Whitewater High School Head Softball Coach
rsdano@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
The Whippet Softball Team opened their season with a loss to Clinton 11-5 on Tuesday, April 27. The Lady Whippets fought hard, but came up just short, as Clinton built an early lead and Whitewater couldn’t catch up.
The Whippets were led in hitting as Shyan Lesperance (freshman), Cheyenne Bohmann (freshman) and Kiyla Kopecky (senior) each contributed 2 hits.
Cheyenne Bohmann pitched the first 5 innings, and Ashlynne Bohnann pitched the last 2 innings for Whitewater. The girls did a good job of throwing strikes and making Clinton put the ball in play.
The Whippets did some very nice things as they had good base running from Alayna Alvarado, Kiyla Kopecky, and Shyan Lesperance.
The Whippets also had a good hitting day as they had 10 hits as a team.
The Lady Whippets next travel to East Troy for a game against the Trojans.
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