On Saturday, December 21, the Whippet Wrestlers were up bright and early to travel to Mount Horeb to participate in the Mount Horeb Wrestling Invitational. Sixteen teams participated in this tournament incorporating all three divisions. After a competitive day of wrestling, the Whippets found themselves defending their title, outdistancing Oregon to win the team title.

This was truly a team effort by Whitewater as it was a close two team race all day between the Whippets and the Oregon Panthers. Out of the 13 weights the Whippets had 8 of them bring home a top three finish. This was a good tournament for the team to be in as it provided great competition. Oregon, coached by WHS alumni Brian Hookstead, is a much improved team with some very tough competitors.

Individually, Gehrig Monday brought home the championship at 195 pounds. Gehrig wrestled a great tournament, going 4-0 with 3 pins along the way. Gehrig commented before his match that last year he was happy to be in the finals and ended up taking second; this year he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he won it. This was a great mindset for the senior to have heading into the finals. He wrestled a great match against a strong kid from Madison Memorial on the way to the pin.

Coming in runner up for the Whippets included Jaden Salmieri, David Cushman, and Will Leibbrand. All three of these young men had two pins leading up to their championship matches.

Bringing home the bronze medal for Whitewater were Brian Porcaro, Cooper Hammond, and Marcus DePorter. Dylan DuClos wrestled his best of the year finishing 4-1. Due to losing a quarterfinal match the best Dylan could place was 5th. 

The Whippets are next in action on Friday and Saturday when they host the Mid-States Wrestling Tournament held at UW-Whitewater Kachel Gym. Wrestling begins at 10. 

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On Saturday, December 21, the Whippet JV Wrestlers traveled to Elkhorn High School to participate in a 30 team JV tournament. When the dust settled, the Whippets found themselves in 2nd place, only 8 points behind team champion New Berlin. 

This is a great accomplishment for the Whippets as there are some tough individuals at this tournament as it is the last tournament heading into the winter break, and there are some varsity wrestlers competing.

Bringing home individual championships after going 4-0 on the day were Victor Hernandez, Leo Gonzalez, and Josh Hacht.

Coming in runner-ups going 3-1 on the day were CJ Tomomitsu, Rye Fader, Aaron Porras, Shivam Kalra, Mason Nobs, and Scott Krebs.

Articles submitted by Coach John Schimming

It’s reported that after the game the Warhawks’ charter plane took off from Texas at 1 a.m. on Saturday and returned to the airport about 10 minutes later due to an engine problem. The scheduled return to Whitewater had been approximately 4 a.m., which would have make it possible for some of the team members and the Chancellor to participate in graduation at 10 a.m. Instead they spent the night at the airport awaiting a replacement plane, which arrived at about 8 a.m.

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by Chris Lindeke, Asst. Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, UW-W

Friday, December 20, 2019

UW-Whitewater Football Finishes as National Runner-Up

SHENANDOAH, Texas – The No. 7 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team fell behind early Friday night and was unable to overcome the early deficit in a 41-14 setback against No. 5 North Central (Ill.) in Stagg Bowl XLVII, the NCAA Division III national championship game, at Woodforest Bank Stadium.

Appearing in their first Stagg Bowl since 2014, the Warhawks (13-2 overall) surrendered 27 first-half points and were unable to gain any momentum during the contest.

Junior quarterback Max Meylor tallied 15 carries for 104 yards and threw for 183 yards and one touchdown. Junior running back Alex Peete posted 17 carries for 79 yards and one score, and sophomore wide receiver Tyler Holte caught six passes for 64 yards.

Senior defensive back Nate Tranel paced the defense with 11 tackles, and senior linebacker Matt Anderson collected 10 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Jordan Brand totaled nine stops, including one for a loss, and freshman linebacker Terrell Williams finished with six tackles, including one sack.

The Warhawks, who finished with 207 yards rushing in the contest, were unable to convert on two trips inside the Cardinals’ 30-yard line in the first half.

After a North Central touchdown midway through the third quarter, UW-Whitewater got on the board. Freshman wide receiver Sam DeLany returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards, Meylor hit junior tight end Jared Zausch for a 12-yard touchdown with 4:52 to play in the period.

The Warhawks made it a three-possession game after Peete plunged in from one yard out to complete a 15-play, 92-yard drive. Meylor keyed the drive with a 44-yard run and a 27-yard pass to Holte on fourth-and-19.

Senior linebacker Jacob Erbs recovered the ensuing onside kick at midfield, but UW-Whitewater was unable to take advantage, turning the ball back over to the Cardinals (14-1).

UW-Whitewater’s 2019 run included a share of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and playoff wins over Monmouth (Ill.), Wartburg (Iowa), defending national champion Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) and St. John’s (Minn.).