Today is Sunday, November 24, 2024
Congratulations to Abdi Calvillo and Emiliano Olivares for their recognition as Second Team All-Conference for the Rock Valley Athletic Conference for soccer. Congratulations also go out to Avi Kalra and Casey Schlicher who received Honorable Mention nods.
The 2024 State Cross Country Meet in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, November 2, was exactly what the team had envisioned months ago when this group of seniors laced up their shoes for their first summer runs. They were driven and would not waver from the vision of being the best version of themselves by wearing a Whitewater Cross Country uniform this fall. They followed through with that in spades, as the team finished ninth overall, capped off with an individual state title from Jack Hefty.
In near perfect race conditions for both the course and the weather, Jack Hefty asserted himself early on with the pack that he was a force to reckon with. Positioned nicely with the leaders at the first mile at 5:00.7, he was poised to have a great day. By the second mile, he was now in third with his sights set on when he would make a push for the title. In the third and final mile, the most difficult part of the course with several challenging hill sections, Jack took the lead with about 300m to go. Making his last turn onto the final straight to a roaring crowd that was several people deep, it was all gas and no brakes as Hefty looked as smooth as ever with a lead that grew with every stride. The Whippet jersey once again was on full display for the crowd to see as Jack became the third Whitewater athlete to win a state cross country title (Rick Bergholtz ’75, Ben Maas ’95). Jack ran 15:46.5, the ninth fastest time overall across all divisions, which earned Jack first team All-State honors. His time is also the ninth fastest in Division 2 state history, and the sixth fastest on this course at the Ridges which has hosted the state race for over 35 years. Jack simply ran a flawless race that was the most complete 5000 meter effort of his life. He won every race he entered this season except one invitational in Janesville.
Miles Nickelsburg also shined brightly on this day as he made it back-to-back state meets where he came up big and was the team’s second runner. He methodically sawed his way through the field moving from 69th up to 53rd and finished in 17:18. Miles ran 29 seconds faster than last year’s state meet performance. Xavier Zei was the team’s third runner and finished in 78th in 17:35. Xavier was able to put a more complete race together this season which afforded him an incredible 57 second improvement over 2023. One year ago, Luc Pomazak wasn’t even a scoring runner on our JV team. This year, he was the fourth man on a team that finished 9th at state with a time of 18:01 and placed 101st. A year ago, Andrew O’Toole was the team’s 7th runner and finished in 20:29. This year he was the team’s fifth man placing 128th with a time of 18:31! Nearly two full minutes were cut from his state race a year ago. Onyx Thompson placed 134th with a time of 18:55, a 35-second improvement from a year ago. Isaac Straight was the final Whippet to cross the line in 150th place with a time of 20:18.
As a team, they finished in 9th place overall, moving up five spots from one year ago. It was an incredible day with incredible results. This was not just any team, this was a team consisting of all seniors – boys that started as freshmen who simply found their way, pulling in friends, and sharing their love of the sport to create a beautiful masterpiece as seniors. They will cherish this for the rest of their lives and fondly remember what they were able to accomplish together as one team, one family.
Last time it happened:
- The last time the boys’ team finished this high at state was in 2007 when the team finished in 8th.
- The last time that a boys’ CC team had qualified for state in back-to-back seasons was in 1995 and 1996.
- The last time a Whippet boy won a state title was Ben Maas in 1995.
Full Results: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=7561
Article and Individual Photos Courtesy of Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored 13 second-quarter points and held UW-River Falls to 3-of-13 on third down and 2-of-6 on fourth down in a 13-7 victory in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game on Homecoming Saturday at Perkins Stadium.
The Warhawks (5-3 overall, 3-2 WIAC) also tallied four sacks and held the Falcons scoreless in the red zone on three of four trips.
UW-Whitewater took over on downs deep in its own territory with 6:56 to play after an incomplete pass on fourth down with Paul Kim applying pressure to the quarterback.
From there, the Warhawks marched into UW-River Falls territory. On fourth down at the Falcons’ 35-yard line, Jackson Fox drilled a 52-yard field goal, but UW-River Falls was flagged for being offsides, and UWW opted to take the ball back with a first down and just under three minutes to go.
On third and five from the 27, Jackson Chryst faked a handoff and ran a bootleg around left end for eight yards and a first down. From there, the Warhawks ran out the clock to stay one game out of first place in the league standings.
Ty Schultz carried 23 times for 137 yards to lead UW-Whitewater, which totaled 351 yards of offense with 23 first downs.
Drake Martin ran for 49 yards, and Chryst registered 126 yards passing and 28 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Brian Wilterdink caught five passes for 56 yards to lead the receiving corps.
Ethan Gallagher led the defense with nine tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and one interception. Kamron Hutt added eight stops.
After a scoreless first quarter, Fox put the Warhawks on the board with a 48-yard field goal just over a minute into the second period.
Following a fourth-down stop, Fox capped an 11-play drive with a 39-yard field goal at the 6:38 mark.
Gallagher’s interception on the next drive – deep in UWW territory – set up UW-Whitewater’s lone touchdown drive. The Warhawks converted three third downs on a 14-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown run by Chryst.
UW-River Falls (5-3, 2-3) cut the UWW lead to one possession with 5:16 to play in the third quarter.
The two teams exchanged several punts prior to the Falcons’ final offensive drive. A 45-yard pass put UWRF into Warhawk territory before UWW made its last defensive stand.
A total of 12,213 fans packed Perkins Stadium for UW-Whitewater’s 2024 home finale. Warhawk athletics also recognized its 2024 Hall of Fame inductees at the game, including head coach Jace Rindahl, who will be inducted as a player.
The Warhawks continue conference play next Saturday, Nov. 9, at UW-La Crosse. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s and women’s cross country teams each placed among the top half of the field Saturday at the 2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships (presented by Culver’s) at Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point, Wis.
The Warhawk men placed second for the fourth consecutive season, while the women finished fourth for their second straight finish in the top half of the conference.
Christian Patzka also reset the men’s school record for the second straight meet, and Gunner Schlender established the second-best time in program history.
Women
Four women earned all-conference honors – the most in one season in program history – by placing among the top 20 individually in the 6-kilometer race as the Warhawks totaled 94 points.
Ari De La Cerda garnered all-conference accolades for the third time in her career with a 10th-place showing. She crossed the finish line in 21:53.5, shattering her personal record by nearly 30 seconds and posting the second-best PR in program history.
Payton Scoggin, Renee Forystek and Ella Hansen claimed spots on the honorable mention All-WIAC team by placing 16th, 18th, and 20th, respectively. Scoggin, now a two-time all-conference honoree, established a new career best with a time of 22:10.8, good for third in the program record book. Forystek and Hansen also entered the top 10 in the school record book. Forystek finished the race in 22:18.2, and Hansen clocked a 22:19.0 – both personal records.
Katie Erb, Abbie Wedwick and Carleen Snow rounded out UW-Whitewater’s top seven. Erb tallied a 22:44.6, Wedwick collected a personal-best 23:01.2, and Snow completed the race in a PR of 23:07.9.
Other Warhawks who completed the race include (PR = personal record):
- Nicole Brown – 23:36.6, PR (56th)
- Marlee Nichols – 23:38.9, PR (57th)
- Jocelyn Ramirez – 23:40.1 (61st)
- Brinley Everson – 23:45.7, PR (64th)
- Emma Henningfeld – 23:59.6, PR (67th)
Men
The nationally-ranked Warhawk men continued their strong 2024 campaign with three runners among the top 10 of finishers.
Christian Patzka and Gunner Schlender placed second and third, respectively, to round out their careers with their fourth all-conference accolades. Patzka crossed the finish line in 23:48.7, besting his previous program record by four seconds, while Schlender was just behind, completing the 8K in a personal-best 23:49.5, the No. 2 PR in the program record book.
Patzka and Schlender are the second and third UW-Whitewater student-athletes to be four timeall-conference runners in the last 50 years, joining former teammate Justin Krause (2019-23).
Dan Anderson picked up his second all-conference medal, finishing ninth overall with a time of 24:19.0, good for a career record and No. 8 in the program record book.
Chris Allen finished just outside of All-WIAC status in 21st place with a 24:48.1, topping his previous PR by more than five seconds and entering the top 20 in the team record book.
Alex Metko, Tucker Johnson and Keegan Bratt finished out the team’s top seven. Metko ran a PR of 25:00.7 to place 29th overall and earn a spot among the top 25 in program history. Johnson moved into the program’s top 30 with a 25:05.1, good for 32nd, and Bratt crossed the finish line in a career-best 25:11.3, good for 37th.
Other men’s finishers included (PR = personal record):
- Conner Murphy – 25:11.7, PR (38th)
- Brandon Gang – 25:14.8, PR (42nd)
- Jonah Block – 25:31.6, PR (55th)
- Bryce Faith – 25:51.9, PR (67th)
- Tommy Conklin – 26:00.4 (73rd)
Following the conclusion of the race, Schlender was named the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete for men’s cross country. A formal announcement will be posted on uwwsports.com early next week.
Murphy (men) and Ramirez (women) are UW-Whitewater’s representatives on the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Teams.
The Warhawks travel to Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 16, for the NCAA Division III North Regional. The women’s 6K race begins at 11 a.m. at Bill Huyck Course, followed by the men’s 8K event at noon.
Editor’s note: The image on the homepage is from a previous meet.
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