Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from an article dated July 15, 2025 on WRAL.com, the website of a North Carolina television station. A video about the story may be viewed here. Reese Brantmeier is a Whitewater High School alum who recently celebrated the grand opening of the restored tennis courts on the Washington Elementary School property which was made possible by the over $160,000 in donations that she raised.

UNC tennis player is headed to US Open again. Her legal fight to keep prize money just got a boost

A federal judge in North Carolina said Tuesday that she is likely to certify a class in the lawsuit brought by North Carolina women’s tennis star Reese Brantmeier against the NCAA.

A federal lawsuit brought by a North Carolina women’s tennis player against the NCAA over prize money is expected to receive class-action status, meaning it could have wide-ranging implications for college athletics.

Reese Brantmeier first filed a federal lawsuit in North Carolina against the NCAA in March 2024 over the organization’s restrictions on individual athletes keeping prize money won in outside competitions. Brantmeier, the 2025 ACC player of the year, earned about $50,000 from competing in the 2021 U.S. Open as a high school junior, but NCAA rules made her give up most of those winnings. She was allowed to keep $10,000 plus some expenses.

The original suit was filed on behalf of Division I athletes in all sports, but an amended complaint, filed in November, limits the class to just tennis players who compete or competed at the Division I level. Tennis players are allowed to accept up to $10,000 per calendar year in prize money from outside competition before enrolling. After enrollment, they are limited to actual and necessary expenses under current NCAA rules.

The amended complaint also includes former Texas women’s tennis player Maya Joint as a named plaintiff.

The NCAA’s long-held amateurism rules have undergone massive changes in recent years, ushering in an era of professionalization at the college level. Athletes can now directly receive payments from schools with some players earning millions. Most of the money is being directed toward football and men’s basketball players.

Brantmeier’s lawsuit challenging the prize money rules now looks like it’ll be allowed to advance. And the timing is fortuitous: The UNC senior just earned a spot in the U.S. Open tournament next month [August 24 – September 7], competing in the doubles bracket for a shot at hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. Under current rules, she wouldn’t be able to collect winnings.

“We have always thought the prize money case was a straightforward violation of antitrust laws,” said Jason Miller, a Raleigh-based lawyer who is representing Brantmeier…….

In June, Brantmeier and teammate Alanis Hamilton earned a spot in next month’s U.S. Open.

Brantmeier earned All-America honors in singles and doubles in 2025. She went 18-2 in singles and earned first-team All-ACC for the third straight year. She went 24-5 in doubles and earned first-team All-ACC honors. Brantmeier led UNC to the ACC title in 2024, earning All-America honors before an injury ended her season. She was key to the Tar Heels’ national title team in 2023.

Brantmeier is 60-9 in singles across three seasons in Chapel Hill. She sat out her first season at UNC in 2022-23 because, according to her lawsuit, the NCAA refused to certify her as an “amateur.” It challenged some of the expenses submitted by Brantmeier during her 2021 U.S. Open participation.

UW-Whitewater student-athletes selected to WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll

More than 400 student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater earned a spot on the 2024-25 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [WIAC] Scholastic Honor Roll.

The following Warhawk student-athletes from the Whitewater area were recognized:

Wyatt Jensen of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater baseball team(s) whose major is General Business.

Brady Malkow of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater baseball team(s) whose major is Management.

Carter Capstran of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater men’s basketball team(s) whose major is Finance – BBA.

Gunner Schlender of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater men’s cross country/track and field team(s) whose major is Physical Education – BSE.

Lee Barnes of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater football team(s) whose major is Marketing.

Brock Grosinske of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater football team(s) whose major is Finance.

Blake Haggerty of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater football team(s) whose major is Finance.

Peyton Nichols of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater men’s soccer team(s) whose major is Finance – BBA.

Justin Krause of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater men’s track and field team(s) whose major is Business Administration – MBA.

Kacie Carollo of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team(s) whose major is Integrated Science – Business – BS.

Renee Rittmeyer of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team(s) whose major is Human Resource Management.

Olivia Zuege of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team(s) whose major is Human Performance – BS.

Kelly Whipple of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s bowling team(s) whose major is General Business – BBA.

Marlee Nichols of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s cross country/track and field team(s) whose major is Human Performance.

Morgan Hoffman of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s soccer team(s) whose major is Human Performance.

Taylor Koehler of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater softball team(s) whose major is Criminology.

Brianna Zimdars of Whitewater, WI (53190), a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s swimming and diving team(s) whose major is Business Admininistration.

The WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll represents students that achieved a 3.00 grade point average or better (on a 4.00 scale).

A total of 231 men and 197 women from UW-Whitewater were selected to the Scholastic Honor Roll.

UW-Whitewater joined the seven other WIAC schools in earning the All-Academic Award. In order to be eligible for the award, institutions must have a grade point average for its student-athletes that is equal to, or greater than, the grade point average of the overall student body.

At UW-Whitewater, all 22 varsity sports achieved a GPA above 3.00 for the first time in recorded history.

During the 2024-25 season, Warhawk Student-Athletes collected nine Academic All-American honors, two NCAA Elite 90 recognitions, and 6 WIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year awards.

Editor’s note: It is likely that some of the above students didn’t reside in the Whitewater area prior to enrollment in UW-W. The university includes in this list any students who have registered Whitewater as their home address.

Registration will be open until August 8^th, and any additional information/steps for registering can be found on our website: Whitewater United FC – Whitewater United FC Youth Soccer (whitewaterunitedfc.com).

UW-Whitewater Announces Byron Balkin as Head of Tennis Program

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is proud to announce the hiring of Byron Balkin as the new head coach of the Warhawk men’s and women’s tennis programs.

A 2014 UW-Whitewater graduate, Balkin returns to his alma mater with a strong record of leadership and competitive success. He most recently served as the head tennis coach at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia from 2018-25, where he led the program to the second-highest win total in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference over that span.

Prior to his time at HSC, Balkin spent eight years in Whitewater. From 2014-18, Balkin served as the assistant under longtime head coach Frank Barnes. Balkin was also a member of the Warhawk tennis team from 2010-14. 

“I am excited for Byron to become the next head coach at UW-Whitewater,” said Athletic Director Ryan Callahan. “As a former player and assistant coach here at UWW, Byron understands what it takes to continue the legacy that Ron Wangerin built and Frank Barnes continued to elevate for the past 23 years.”

As an assistant for the Warhawk tennis program, Balkin helped guide UW-Whitewater to eight NCAA Division III tournament appearances and four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. He was named the Wilson/ITA Women’s Tennis National Assistant Coach of the Year and the Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year (men’s and women’s) in 2016. That year, the UWW men’s and women’s teams advanced to the NCAA’s Round of 16 while three singles players and a women’s doubles team qualified for the NCAA Individual Championship. 

“The hiring of Byron Balkin will go down as a great move for Warhawk Tennis,” added former Coach Frank Barnes.  “Coach Balkin understands the culture here at UWW and knows what it takes to win here. He bleeds purple and it was only a matter of time before he returned back home to his roots. A phenomenal athlete and coach while here, he went on to elevate the program at HSC to its first national ranking when given the opportunity to run his own program. He has all the tools necessary to bring the athletes here to their full potential.”

Balkin was a standout on the court for the Warhawks. A three-time All-American, Balkin compiled over 170 singles and doubles victories during his phenomenal four-year career. He played a role in four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances including a Round of 16 finish in 2011. 

Balkin earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated business and science and a Master’s in higher education with an emphasis in athletic administration — both from UW-Whitewater. 

“I am honored and excited to accept the position as the next head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis programs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater,” said Balkin. “I would like to thank Chancellor Corey A. King, Athletic Director Ryan Callahan, and the entire search committee for this incredible opportunity and for their confidence in me. UW-Whitewater has a storied tradition of athletic and academic excellence, and I look forward to building on that foundation with our outstanding student-athletes.”

“I also want to extend my sincere congratulations to Coach Frank Barnes on an exceptional career,” Balkin continued. “His contributions to Warhawk Tennis have been remarkable and it’s a true privilege to follow in his footsteps. I’m eager to get started and proud to be a part of the Warhawk family. Go Warhawks!”

Editor’s note: The above press release was provided by UW-Whitewater.