The Whippets continued their steady improvement Saturday, September 26, at the 88th Annual Midwest Invitational in Janesville, putting together another strong performance against the deepest field they will see all season.

Racing in near-perfect conditions, Whitewater lined up against a field of 50 teams, with the overwhelming majority competing at the Division 1 level. The Midwest Invitational provides a level of competition that is arguably even more challenging than the WIAA State Meet, giving the Whippets an opportunity to race alongside some of the best teams and athletes in the state. The Whippets took full advantage of the opportunity, recording numerous lifetime and season-best performances.

Girls

• Virginia Nelson continued to lead the way, running a lifetime personal record of 21:32.
• Melody Smith clocked 23:18, her second-fastest time of the season.
• Ema Aranda finished in 23:44, her third-fastest time of the year.
• Peyton Comfort ran 25:36, her fastest time of the season.
• Madelyn Taylor also posted her fastest time of the year, finishing in 26:59.

The girls finished 36th.

Boys

• Tyler Carollo continued his strong season with a lifetime personal record of 18:12.
• Marcus Roe continued his impressive improvement, running a lifetime PR of 19:24.
• Marcus Roselle finished in 20:03, his second-fastest time of the season.
• Wyatt Esch ran 20:33, his second PR of the season.
• Angel Kilar posted a lifetime PR of 21:29.
• Jameson Rothwell ran a lifetime PR of 21:53.
• Hunter Runnoe continued his progress with a lifetime PR of 23:19.
• Horatio Nelson also recorded a lifetime PR of 23:31.
• Ian Agen finished in 28:01, his second-fastest time of the season.  

With the regular season winding down, the Whippets have one final opportunity to put their progress on display before championship racing begins.

Next up: the Whippets travel to Green Lake on Friday, October 2, for their final regular-season race. The unique night race will be contested entirely under the lights, illuminating the course as athletes complete two laps of the 2,500-meter loop.

The championship season is almost here—and the Whippets are continuing to build momentum at exactly the right time.

Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Photos courtesy of Coach McKenzie and Mike Kilar.

The Whippet Girls’ Tennis Team had its last match of the conference season. The team celebrated its last game with its Senior Night. Jordyn Weeden and Mady Joseph were the seniors the team honored in the match.

Photo and Article Submitted by Greg Stewart
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Tennis Coach
gstewart@wwusd.org

Your Whitewater High School Boys’ Soccer Team returned to their winning ways with a dominant 5-1 victory over conference rivals Jefferson. The first half was a very even contest with both teams pushing for a win. Elijah Gutierrez opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a great strike on a beautifully played ball from Wesley Baker. 3 minutes later Jefferson equalized when a ball split the Whippet defense and a communication error led to the ball in the back of the net. Wesley Baker reestablished the lead in the 24th minute with yet another set piece goal for him, and after that, Whitewater never looked back. 

The remainder of the first half and the entire 40 minutes of the second were one way traffic. Dahlton Vogel scored in the 44th minute with an assist from Elijah Gutierrez, and then 7 minutes later, Elijah scored a brace with a beautifully placed penalty. Ben Crone scored his first goal of the season and ended Whitewater’s scoring at 5. Anjay Manana played a perfect ball through the center that Ben converted with ease. 

Defensively, WHS picked up 3 yellow cards, which is never ideal, but the defending itself was sound. A back 4 led by Frank Mbifi helped to keep Jefferson scoreless; Jefferson only registered 2 shots in the entire second half. 

Your Whippets travel to Monroe on Tuesday (9/29) and Big Foot on Thursday (10/1) where they look to turn this conference win into a winning streak.

Article and Graphic Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Head Boys’ Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org 

Whitewater 6 Catholic Central 1

1 Singles Taryn Rothwell (WW) def Brett Proctor (BCC) 6-0, 6-1

2 Singles Maddie Joseph (WW) def Nikki Neu (BCC) 6-1,6-0

3 Singles Jordyn Weeden (WW) def Emma Pechous (BCC) 6-1,6-0

4 Singles Ruth Lopez Lopez (WW)  def Jenny Pechous (BCC) 6-2,6-0

1 Doubles Claire Bergsma/Cerice Dempsey (BCC) def Abby Treder/Izzy Lawton 6-4,6-3

2 Doubles Isabel Serna/Sophia Walenton (WW) def Sophie Pastiu/Emily P (BCC) 6-0,6-0

3 Doubles Serina Soto/Emma Schultz (WW) def Tatum Beio/Johana Benitez (BCC) 6-0,6-0

Scores Submitted by Greg Stewart
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Tennis Coach
gstewart@wwusd.org