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WHITEWATER WEATHER

UW-W Men’s Cross Country Set for NCAA Championships

November 16, 2023

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s cross country team is headed to Newville, Pennsylvania for the NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Dickinson College this Saturday. 

Championship Information:
Date: Saturday, November 18
Host: Dickinson College
Location: Big Spring High School in Newville, PA
Time: 10 a.m. CST start (men’s race)
Live Coverage: Video available on ncaa.com (runs through awards ceremony)

The Warhawks will send eight runners to the national championship meet – seven will compete on Saturday. UW-Whitewater finished 10th in the 2022 national meet. The Warhawks have finished among the top 10 five times in program history including fifth place finishes in 2021 and 1999.  

“Our goal is to finish better than we ever have before in the national meet,” said Coach Jeff Miller. “We have seven runners that have competed in a national meet before,” continued Miller. “That’s a relatively rare feat, so we’re excited for Saturday’s championship.” 

UW-Whitewater enters the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship ranked sixth according to the latest USTFCCCA poll. The Warhawks have won all but three meets this season – each time finishing second to the No. 1 or No. 2 team in the Division III poll that week.

The Warhawks are led by Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) this season. The junior was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week three times this season – October 2, October 16 and October 30. 

UW-Whitewater will have five All-Region runners including two runners who are two-time All-Americans. Patzka was the 2022 runner-up registering the top finish for a UWW runner in program history. Both Patzka and Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./Brillion) have placed among the top 30 at the national meet each of the last two seasons. Seven Warhawks earned All-WIAC honors this season – the largest contingent in program history.

For more information on each of the Warhawks headed to the championship: https://uwwsports.com/news/2023/11/13/mens-cross-country-ncaa-cross-country-championship-preview.aspx

UWW Volleyball NCAA Regional Match – UWW 3, Coe 1

November 16, 2023

By Broderick P. Frye
Asst. Sports Information Director

Mount Vernon, Iowa -The No. 4 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team opened the NCAA Regional in Mount Vernon, Iowa with a 3-1 (25-15, 20-25, 25-12, 25-20) win over Coe College Thursday afternoon. 

Box Score

The Warhawks advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face No. 14 Washington University-St. Louis Friday. That regional semifinal match is slated to start at 4:30 with the winner securing a spot in the regional final. 

UWW won the battle of the Hawks for the second time this season. The Warhawks hit .204 in the match while holding the Kohawks to just .051. 

After a back-and-forth start to the set, a huge 6-0 run with Jenna Weinfurt (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) at the service line set up UWW with set point and Ally Warburton (St. Charles, Ill./North) registered the final point with a kill. 

Coe turned the tables in set two and used a late run of their own to even the match 1-1. 

UW-Whitewater cruised in set three with a 6-0 burst with Weinfurt at the service line once again. That run gave the Warhawks a 12-4 advantage and they cruised the rest of the way for a 25-12 win. 

Three consecutive UWW kills in set four extended the Warhawk lead to 15-10, but the Kohawks battled back. With a one-point advantage, 20-19, UW-Whitewater ran off three in a row to build a cushion. The final two points came on Coe miscues to send the Warhawks into the second round. 

Weinfurt led all players with 16 kills adding three aces and 15 digs. Warburton posted 13 kills and Kirsten Anderson (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) rounded out the double digit kills contingent with 11. Aurbrie Krzus dished out 45 assists in the four-setter. 

Defensively, Morgan Jensen (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) tallied 27 digs while Ally Longden (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee) added 18 and Krzus posted 14. Abbie Dix (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) led the UWW blocking effort with four assist blocks. 

WashU advanced to the second round with a 3-0 sweep of St. Olaf in their opening match. The Warhawks defeated the Bears earlier this season in a four-set match played in Whitewater. 

UW-W Football Preview: NCAA First Round

November 15, 2023

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team will open the 2023 NCAA Football Playoffs at home in Perkins Stadium as the Bethel University Royals come to Whitewater for round one. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 18.

The winner advances to play the winner between Wheaton (IL) and Mount St. Joseph Saturday, November 25. Location of the round two contest will be announced following the completion of all round one games. 

TICKETS/PARKING
Tickets are $14 for Adults,  $10 Over 65 / Students and youth 5-18 
Free kids under 5 (no ticket needed)
Advance Ticket Purchase: Click Here
Tickets will also be available for purchase on Saturday at Perkins Stadium.
Parking: All parking is cashless this season. To purchase in advance, click here. Fans can purchase on the day of but must go through the online purchasing portal to do so and will not be allowed into a lot until purchase is complete.

IN THE POLLS
UWW: #5 D3football.com (Prev: 5) / #5 American Football Coaches Association (Prev: 6)
BU: Receiving Votes / Receiving Votes

UWW’S PATH TO PLAYOFFS
The Warhawks wrapped up the regular season with a 9-1 record despite boasting one of the toughest schedules in Division III this season. UW-Whitewater’s lone loss came at the midway point of the season to then-No. 14 UW-La Crosse. UWW finished as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runner-up to the now-fourth ranked Eagles. That strength of schedule was a vital piece of the Warhawks receiving an at-large bid into the playoffs this season.

UW-Whitewater is making its 16th playoff appearance since 2005. UWW is 58-12 in postseason play with six national titles in program history.

UWW’s first six games of the 2023 campaign were against ranked opponents including contests against then-top five’s Saint Johns (week two) and UW-River Falls (week six). The Warhawks picked up back-to-back wins at home over UW-Stout and UW-Platteville before wrapping up the season with shutouts over UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire.

In the final two weeks of the regular season, UWW outscored their opponents 107-0 including a 59-0 route of the Blugolds last week.

HOW BETHEL GOT HERE
The Royals claimed their sixth MIAC Championship last week to secure the league’s automatic bid into the postseason. Bethel is making its third consecutive playoff appearance and 12th overall.

Bethel enters the postseason on a seven-game win streak – the longest for the Royals since 2013. BU made a run to the quarterfinals last season and is 13-11 in postseason play in program history.

ON THE AIR
Saturday’s game will air live online on the WIAC Network. The contest can be heard on 105.9 FM The Hog in the Whitewater area, or online at www.1059thehog.com.

SERIES
The Warhawks and Royals have met just one other time in the teams’ storied histories – and it was another postseason matchup. UW-Whitewater defeated Bethel 26-12 in the NCAA Quarterfinal at Perkins Stadium on December 1, 2018.

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UW-W Women’s Volleyball Heads to Iowa for NCAA Regional

November 15, 2023

By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s volleyball team will head to Mount Vernon, Iowa for NCAA Regional action this week. The eight-team regional hosted by Cornell College will run Thursday through Saturday.  

The Warhawks (26-4) will take on Coe College (21-11) to open their 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The first match of the day Thursday will feature Washington-St. Louis against St. Olaf at 11:30 followed by UWW and Coe at 2 p.m. At 4:30, Northwestern (MN) will face Edgewood with Cornell hosting Millikin in the final match of the evening at 7 p.m. 

REGIONAL INFORMATION
Location: Mount Vernon, Iowa
Facility: Small Athletic & Wellness Center

Click here and select UWW Match Notes (PDF) for further details.

More information will be posted on the online preview story as it becomes available

UWW’S PATH TO REGIONALS
The Warhawks finished as the runner-up in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings but rolled through the league tournament to claim the WIAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. UWW swept UW-River Falls in the semifinal, beating the Falcons for the second time in less than a week. In the WIAC Tournament Championship, UW-Whitewater was phenomenal in handing UW-Oshkosh its first loss of 2023 on the Titans’ home court. The Warhawks won in straight sets to take down the No. 2 team in the nation and punch their ticket to regionals. UWW has won 18 WIAC Tournament titles. 

HOW COE QUALIFIED
Coe, the number three seed in the American Rivers Conference Tournament, knocked off top-ranked Dubuque 3-1 in the title match to claim the ARC’s automatic bid into the postseason. The win is Coe’s second straight ARC tournament championship. 

ALL-LEAGUE LEADERS

The Warhawks swept all major player awards in the WIAC this season. Outside hitter Jenna Weinfurt (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year while libero Morgan Jensen (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) secured Defensive Player of the Years honors for the second time in her career. Setter Aubrie Krzus (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) was named the WIAC Newcomer of the Year. In addition, the nation’s top blocker, Kirsten Anderson (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie), garnered First Team All-WIAC recognition. 

The Kohawks were represented by middle hitters Grace Lueken and Gracie Urbatsch, setter Maddy Maahs and pin Madi Parson on the ARC’s All-Conference listing this season. 

BATTLE OF THE HAWKS

The Warhawks lead the all-time series against Coe 9-4 since 2006. UWW has won the last six and eight of the last 10. Five of the last six meetings have resulted in the Warhawk sweep. Coe has won the lone two five-setters since 2006. Thursday’s match will be the second meeting between the two squads this season – UWW won 3-0 on September 9 on the road. 

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