Today is Sunday, May 10, 2026
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team opened the season on February 28 with a double-header sweep of Asbury University in Kentucky. The Warhawks picked up right where they left off from last season, with a 26-4 mercy rule win in the first game. The Warhawks took the second game 12-2.
With the opening win, Head Coach John Vodenlich became the all-time Winningest Coach in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball history. Vodenlich has collected 730 wins, surpassing Tom Lechnir (728, UWO: 1989-2013) for most wins as a head coach in the WIAC.
In the opening game, the Warhawks blasted two home runs in the first two batters. Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) and Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) each went the distance to put the Warhawks up 2-0 after only two batters.
The Warhawks went on to score 15 runs over the first three innings. Holland added another homer in the fourth for the warhawks only run that inning.
Asbury held UWW off the board in the 5th, but the Warhawks answered back with 10 runs in the 6th. Scolan hit his second homer of the game, a 3-run go to start off the scoring. Holland hit his third homer of the game to cap off the inning & put the Warhawks up 26-0.
Asbury managed to avoid the shutout, scoring four runs in the 7th inning, but the run-rule ended the game after seven.
Jack Hagen (San Clemente, Cal./San Clemente) picked up the win in the first game, going 5.0 innings with 4 Ks.
The second game started with 6 first inning runs from UWW, quickly setting the tone once again. Asbury added one run in the bottom of the third, keeping the game closer than the opener. But Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) had a three-run homer in the top of the 9th to the Warhawks up 12-1.
An unearned run from the Eagles in the bottom of the ninth added another for Asbury, but Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) closed out the game with a swinging strikeout.
Cade Hansen (New Braunfels, Texas/Smithson Valley) got the win, with 5.0 innings & only 4 hits.
The UW-Whitewater gymnastics team added entries to the program record book in multiple categories Saturday. The Warhawks honored the seniors with a huge 193.750-189.575 win over UW-Eau Claire in the final home meet of the season.
The UWW overall team total – 193.750 – is the second-highest team score recorded in program history. The Warhawks also tied the team vault record that they set earlier this season with a 48.550 on the apparatus. The floor saw the second-best team total ever recorded posted Saturday – 48.925. UW-Whitewater added the seventh-best team total on the bars – 48.400 – to cap a phenomenal evening in Russell Arena.
The Warhawks set the tone right off the bat with the eight (including exhibition) highest scores recorded on the apparatus. Carleigh Moore (Oregon, Wis./Oregon) led the way with a 9.75 followed by Elaine Copeland’s (Arlington, Texas/University Prep) 9.725. Brianna Balian (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) and Chloe Hammond (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) each registered a score of 9.7 while Ava Pesch (Waterford, Wis./Waterford Union) and Alayna Fern (Gainesville, Fla./Gainesville) tallied matching 9.675s.
On the bars, it was Ariana Goodwin (Elgin, Ill./The Einstein Academy) with the top routine of the night. The freshman wrote her name in the program record book with a 9.8 – tied for the eighth-best in UWW history in the event. Kelsey Kollhoff (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg) was the runner-up with a 9.675. Copeland and Hayden Gough (Dallas, Texas/Dallas International School) shared third with scores of 9.65 and Paige Magel (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) rounded out the scoring five with a 9.625.
Kristen Swiebocki (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Hammond paced UW-Whitewater on the balance beam with 9.7s to tie for second. Ashnaya Gupta (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) was fifth with a 9.6 followed by Kollhoff’s 9.575 and Magel’s 9.3.
Capping the meet on the always exciting floor exercise, the Warhawks combined for the best score since 2014 in the event. Moore and Kollhoff shared gold with incredible routines scoring 9.85. Zoe Jenks-Recker (Cottage Grove, Wis./Monona Grove) secured bronze with a 9.825 and Hammond was fourth with a 9.775. Copeland wrapped up the scoring five with a 9.625.
The Warhawks will head to La Crosse for the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional next Saturday. UWW, the top seed heading into the regional, will compete in the second session that is set to begin at 6 PM.
The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team cruised into the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 75-53 win over Principia College in Kachel Gym in Whitewater on Friday night.
With the win, the Warhawks advance to host UW-La Crosse Saturday at 7 PM in Kachel Gym. UWW defeated the Eagles in both regular season meetings — 62-56 on the road and 74-62 at home — this season. The Eagles topped Colorado College 79-52 in the first round.
Editor’s note: Whitewater had a good-sized crowd on Friday evening, and hopefully Saturday will be even better. Parking is free in lots 11 and 24 and tickets are purchased onsite. Adults are $15, Senior Adults, Students, and Children ages 6-17 are $10. Children under 6 are free. Those unable to attend may find links for listening or viewing the game here and here together with other information about the contest.
UW-Whitewater got off to an incredible start in Friday’s game against the Panthers. Mallory Oloffson (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) opened the scoring with a three-pointer off of a Maggie Trautsch (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) assist. Less than 30 seconds later, Trautsch hit her first attempt of the night – also from long range – off a Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) pass for a 6-0 lead. Trautsch answered a Principia basket with another triple before draining her third three in the first six minutes of the contest to give UWW a 14-4 advantage.
By the end of the first quarter, the gap ballooned to 24-18. Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) hit the first basket of the second quarter to push the margin into the 20s. Another three-pointer, this one from Renee Rittmeyer (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) with less than a minute left in the half, extended the Warhawk lead to 30, 47-17. Hildebrandt capped the first 20 minutes with a jumper to send UWW into the intermission with a 32-point advantage.
The Warhawks were efficient in the first half shooting 47% and 67% in the first two quarters respectively. Meanwhile, the defense held Principia to 15% and 31% from the floor in the first and second quarters.
The Panthers won the third and fourth quarters outscoring UWW 18-13 in each period for the 75-53 final.
Hildebrandt led the Warhawks with a double-double hauling in 15 boards to go with 15 points. Trautsch and Oloffson each scored 16 while Rittmeyer added 11.
Scores for other Wisconsin teams on Friday:
UW-Superior lost to Whitman 54-77
UW-Oshkosh beat Calvin 61-52
UW- Stout beat Ripon 87-57
Gustavus Adolphus over Wisconsin Lutheran 61-49
The Whitewater Wrestling Team concluded their season this weekend with five competing on the Kohl Center floor in Madison. The format of the tournament was different this season with each competitor being guaranteed two matches over the weekend.
The team wrestled well throughout the weekend, but unfortunately three of them were unable to come off victorious even though they had given it their all on the mat. All of the losses the students took ended up being to opponents that placed in the top six and made podium on Saturday night.
Jasen Porras, Traysen Thomason, and Marianna Kubicz each competed on Thursday night and Friday morning but had some tough challenges in front of them, coming up short.
Connor Friend started off the tournament with a very strong opponent who was a great rider on top. This was a tough loss, as all are in the state tournament, and he had to regroup and come back on Friday morning to stay in the medal hunt. Connor saw an opponent from Belmont/Platteville, whom he had lost to 4 weeks ago. Connor wrestled a great match coming out on top 4–1. This placed him in the consolation semifinals on Saturday morning. Connor had an opponent that was very good at defense, which made it difficult to get to his offense, which he is very good at. In the end, Connor fell just short of reaching his goal of being on the podium.
Jarvis Porcaro had a very good tournament. He started the tournament on Thursday evening with a nice technical fall victory in the opening round setting him up for a quarter final match against a state runner up from Richland Center. Jarvis wrestled an outstanding match, coming out with 10-8 victory, putting him into the state semifinals on Friday night. In this match, Jarvis wrestled against the number 1 seed in the tournament and came out very strong with an early takedown. Entering the 3rd period, Jarvis was down 7-5, but that was as close as it got. Jarvis ended up dropping the match, which was very disappointing to him as he self-analyzed his match right away and knew his errors in the 3rd period. He stayed positive with himself, which has been a huge battle for him to overcome since last season. This season, Jarvis was able to stay in the mental mindset, even during tough times. On Saturday morning, Jarvis came back to compete in the 3rd place match but lost the match, thus finishing in 4th place in the state. Jarvis had set his goals after last season to be in the state finals, and although he came up short of that goal, he was upbeat with his weekend and knows this is just one chapter of his life of wrestling. He will move forward working toward collegiate goals.
The weekend saw the close of some stellar high school careers from Jarvis, Jasen, Connor, and Traysen. They will be missed by the program, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Article and Photo Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
Upcoming Events
