Athletics Hall of Fame
Austin Bautista was one of the most prolific wrestlers in UW-Whitewater history. Wrestling for the Warhawks from 2006-10, Bautista still holds the program record in wins (136) - a mark that ranks sixth in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history. Bautista claimed WIAC titles at 141 pounds in 2008, 2009 and 2010. As a freshman in 2007, Bautista was the conference runner-up. He went on to earn All-America honors three times after finishing seventh in 2008, third in 2009 and eighth in 2010 at the NCAA Division III Championships. Bautista's 40 wins in 2009 is ranked fourth in the program record book and is among the top 15 in league history. That season, he won over 95-percent of his bouts (40-2), the seventh-best win percentage for a Warhawk in a single season. Bautista registered 110 takedowns during his first collegiate season – a mark that ranks sixth in UWW history, and he holds one of the fastest pins in Warhawk wrestling history – 18 seconds. A native of Des Plaines, Illinois and graduate of Maine East High School, Bautista earned a bachelor's degree in special education in 2011.
