Today is Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Article by Chad Carstens, Photos by Peter Mischka
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Thursday was a history making day as the Whitewater Cross Country Teams raced on a true home course arranged on the campus of the high school for the first time in program history.
The boys’ program was the first to race in this head-to-head competition against the Jefferson Eagles. Trenten Zahn harnessed the moment and brought the Whippet jersey across the finish line in first with a time of 18:30.9, just ahead of Mason Marin of Jefferson. Trenten looked smooth and under control, showing his maturity as a senior and racing disciplined to take the win. Cooper Hammond was the team’s second runner and placed 6th overall. CJ Tomomitsu placed in 7th, and senior WIll Hofmann ran his first race of the year good enough for 9th. Rounding out the top five finishers and placing 10th overall was Nate Holden with a time of 23:21.9. Jefferson won the meet with 22 points to Whitewater’s 33.
The girls’ race featured junior Sophie Walton leading the squad with a 6th place overall finish in her first event of the season. She finished the new racecourse in a time of 26:08.6. Gwen Truesdale also raced for the first time this season and was the team’s second runner finishing with a time of 26:21.1, good enough for 7th. A nice pack of Whippets followed with Trinity Nickels in 9th, Lauren Buehler in 10th, and Danielle DePorter in 12th to round out the top five Whippets. The girls seemed to find each other a little easier today compared to their first race, and that was great to see. Racing with a teammate is a powerful aid. Caelyn Caputo dropped a nice 51 second chunk of time from her previous race to place 15th. Jefferson won the meet with a score of 15 versus Whitewater’s 43.
Sophie Walton 
Trenten Zahn
Next up for the Whippets is another home meet on Tuesday, April 6th, at Whitewater High School. The teams competing will be Clinton, Columbus, Edgerton, Evansville, McFarland, and Whitewater. Race times are 4:30 for boys and 5:15 for girls. The starting line is just outside the Auditorium, and the finish is on the hill along Walworth Avenue. Come out, and cheer for your Whippets!
Comments and Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka:
Whitewater High School opened their Alternative Fall Boys’ Soccer Season on a windy day at one of the Mercy Health Sportscore fields in Loves Park, Illinois. It was a non-conference game on artificial turf against Beloit Memorial on March 30 — and the Whippets ended up on the short end of a 9-1 score. Beloit Memorial is, of course, a much bigger school than Whitewater.
This outing was a good opportunity for Rene Menager, our new coach, to learn more about the boys before conference play begins. Next up is another non-conference game at Racine Case on April 1. Conference play begins at home against McFarland on April 5.
Jacob DeMeyer’s Highlight-Reel Catch (second inning of Game 1)
The No. 16 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team extended its win streak to eight games Wednesday with back-to-back victories over UW-La Crosse in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.
The Warhawks (8-1 overall, 2-0 WIAC) claimed the opener by a 9-2 score before posting an 8-3 triumph in Game 2.
In Game 1, UW-Whitewater totaled 13 hits offensively and crossed the plate five times in the bottom of the first inning, and pitchers Westin Muir and Connor Spear combined to strand nine Eagle runners. Muir (3-0) scattered eight hits over seven innings, striking out six, and Spear tossed two scoreless innings in relief.
Right fielder Jacob DeMeyer finished 3-for-4 at the plate with one run scored and one run batted in and made a spectacular catch in foul territory to end the top of the second inning. He chased down a pop up near the Warhawk bullpen and, running full speed, crashed into and tumbled over the fence, hanging on for a highlight-reel play and the final out of the frame.
Left fielder Matt Korman tallied two hits and two RBIs, and third baseman Tucker Criswell reached base four times with two hits and two walks while scoring a pair of runs. Centerfielder Zach Campbell and first baseman Donovan Brandl collected two hits apiece.
Brandl, designated hitter Connor Moroder, shortstop Nick Santoro and catcher Ryan Norton also plated runs for UW-Whitewater.
In the nightcap, the UW-La Crosse (5-3, 0-2) took a 2-0 advantage through 2 1/2 innings before the Warhawks plated four runs in the bottom of the third, including a two-run home run by Korman, an RBI groundout by designated hitter Ian Drays and a run-scoring single by second baseman Sam Vomhof.
Vomhof drove home Santoro with another base hit in the bottom of the fifth, and Korman added two more insurance runs with another two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. In the eighth, third baseman Ben Wilkins plated Vomhof, who tripled to lead off the frame, on a sacrifice fly.
Korman and Vomhof combined for five of UW-Whitewater’s seven hits in the contest.
Matt O’Sullivan didn’t allow a run on the mound after the third, finishing with seven strikeouts in his seven innings pitched to improve to 3-0 on the year. Connor Moroder tossed the eighth and the ninth in relief.
The Warhawks visit UW-La Crosse for two more conference games this Friday starting at 1 p.m.
WHITEWATER, WI (03/31/2021)– Olivia Kraft, a native of Whitewater, WI, and student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was one of seven Warhawks who were named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week for their performances from March 22-28, 2021.
Matt O’Sullivan (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) of the baseball team is now a three-time WIAC Pitcher of the Week for his career. Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson) and Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) are each two-time winners of the WIAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week in doubles. Nierman is a first-time honoree in singles.
First-time selections include Dwayne Ford (Racine, Wis./Case), the WIAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, Kaleigh O’Brien (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), the WIAC Softball Position Player of the Week, Kate Cleveland (DePere, Wis./Ashwaubenon), the WIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week, and Morgan McEntire (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), the WIAC Gymnastics Specialist of the Week.
Baseball – Pitcher
Matt O’Sullivan (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland), Senior
O’Sullivan tallied 17 strikeouts, tied for the second-most in one game in program history, and retired the first 13 hitters of the game via strikeout during the Warhawks’ 10-0 victory over Finlandia (Mich.) in seven innings on Friday at Prucha Field at Miller Stadium. He allowed only one hit in the contest, was perfect through 6 1/3 innings and faced the minimum number of batters (21) after UW-Whitewater turned a double play to end the seventh. He induced three groundouts and no flyouts, and did not allow a ball in play until there was one out in the top of the sixth inning. O’Sullivan’s performance helped the 18th-ranked Warhawks complete a 4-0 week.
Gymnastics – Specialist
Morgan McEntire (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), Sophomore
McEntire tied for first on vault with a personal-record score of 9.550 to help UW-Whitewater to a 188.675-187.075 win at UW-La Crosse last Tuesday. Her new vault included a Yurchenko full, which she taught herself over the summer in the middle of the pandemic. Determined to learn the new vault and perform it this year, McEntire worked on the vault with only 20 days of team practice in the fall and over Thanksgiving and Christmas break in a new gym with no coaching due to capacity restrictions at her facility. She won the event Tuesday performing that vault for the first time this year.
Softball – Pitcher
Kate Cleveland (DePere, Wis./Ashwaubenon), Freshman
In three appearances last week, Cleveland posted a 2-0 record with a 0.93 earned run average and five strikeouts to help the Warhawks finish the week with a 6-0 record. She started the week Monday with a complete-game, 3-1 victory over nationally-ranked Carroll, allowing only one run on five hits without a walk. On Sunday, Cleveland allowed only one earned run on five hits and one walk in a complete-game, 8-2 triumph over Wisconsin Lutheran. She added a scoreless inning of relief in UW-Whitewater’s first game of a doubleheader on Saturday against Chicago.
Softball – Position Player
Kaleigh O’Brien (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), Senior, First Base
O’Brien batted .867 (13-of-15) with four doubles, two home runs, an on-base percentage of .889 and a slugging percentage of 1.533 last week to help the Warhawks to a 6-0 record. She also didn’t commit an error in the field and tallied 55 putouts. In the team’s first game of the week, a 3-1 win over nationally-ranked Carroll on Monday, O’Brien finished 3-for-3 with one double and two runs scored. She finished the doubleheader with two more hits and one run scored in the nightcap. In UW-Whitewater’s doubleheader sweep over Chicago on Saturday, O’Brien finished 6-for-6 at the plate with three doubles, two homers, one walk, two runs scored and four runs batted in. One day later, she registered two more hits in UW-W’s 8-2 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran, and drew two walks and scored a run in the second game of the twin bill, a 17-0 Warhawk win in five innings.
Women’s Tennis – Singles
Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson), Senior, and Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community), Junior
Nierman and Kraft paired for an 8-2 triumph over Mackenzie Novak and Sydney Rott at No. 2 doubles to help the Warhawks to a 5-4 win over Bethel (Minn.) in a dual on Sunday in Eau Claire. The duo’s win was especially timely as UW-Whitewater dropped its other two doubles matches. Nierman and Kraft have combined for a 2-2 record so far this spring.
Women’s Tennis – Doubles
Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson), Senior, and Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community), Junior
Nierman and Kraft paired for an 8-2 triumph over Mackenzie Novak and Sydney Rott at No. 2 doubles to help the Warhawks to a 5-4 win over Bethel (Minn.) in a dual on Sunday in Eau Claire. The duo’s win was especially timely as UW-Whitewater dropped its other two doubles matches. Nierman and Kraft have combined for a 2-2 record so far this spring.
Men’s Track
Dwayne Ford (Racine, Wis./Case), Junior
In the team’s first outdoor meet of the season, Ford posted a personal-record 10.63 seconds in the 100-meter dash to win the event Saturday at the Warhawks’ Spring Opener at Rex Foster Track. His time currently leads NCAA Division III by seven-hundredths of a second and topped his previous career best of 10.67 set at the 2019 WIAC Outdoor Championships. Ford also helped UW-Whitewater’s 4×100-meter relay team tally the nation’s No. 3 time of 42.12 seconds. He is a two-time All-American in the relay event.
For more than 150 years, UW-Whitewater has provided students with the education and training to begin their careers with a solid foundation behind them. The UW-Whitewater is committed to the development of the individual, the growth of personal and professional integrity and respect for diversity and global perspectives. These are met by providing academic and co-curricular programs that emphasize the pursuit of knowledge and understanding and a commitment to service within a safe and secure environment.
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