The Warhawk women's tennis team won all nine flights of competition, six singles and three in doubles play, in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin to capture its fifth consecutive WIAC title. Whitewater coach Frank Barnes was honored as Co-Coach of the Year and Kalla Schaefer (Madison/Madison Memorial) was named the league's Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete for women's tennis.  For additional information on the Scholar Ahlete award.

WIAC Championship Website

A complete flight sweep of the conference championships is rare, this being just the third time in WIAC history, with Whitewater the only division III team to record the feat previously in 2008 (Marquette University in 1982).

Head coach Frank Barnes was named Co-Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career coaching UW-Whitewater's women's tennis. Barnes earned WIAC Coach of the Year honors in 2004-05 and in back-to-back seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09. He shared the 2011-12 award with Tom Gillman of UW-Eau Claire. Schaefer becomes the seventh Warhawk to be honored as the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete since the award was established in 1981.

The Whitewater women's tennis program joins just two other UW-W programs in school history to record five or more consecutive league championships. The football team has won six straight WIAC titles (2005-10) and the wrestling program produced seven league championships in a row from 1974-80. UW-W women's tennis now has 12 total WIAC titles in program history, the second highest total in the conference. UW-La Crosse leads the league with 15 total championships.

The WIAC team title is determined by a combination of regular season dual meet standings that count for one-third of the points given and the remaining two-thirds of the points awarded are reserved for the WIAC championship results.

Team Standings
1. UW-Whitewater-21 points
2. UW-Eau Claire-17 points
3. UW-Oshkosh-15 points
4. UW-La Crosse-13 points
5. UW-Stevens Point-8 points
6. UW-River Falls-7 points
7. UW-Stout-3 points

Kalla Schaefer (Madison/Madison Memorial), competing in No. 1 singles, defeated Rachel Brown (STP) 6-1, 6-2 in the second round after receiving a first round bye to move into the championship. Schaefer captured her second career singles title with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Emily Bostwick (OSH). She was also the No. 1 singles champion in 2008. Schaefer was awarded the league's academic award as the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete for women's tennis and was also UW-W's representative on the all-sportsmanship team.

Annie Smith (Algonquin, IL/H.D. Jacobs) secured her second straight No. 2 singles title after receiving a first round bye, making quick work of Oshkosh's Preslee Nolte 6-2, and topping Gretchen Bachmeier (EC) 6-3, 6-1 for the No. 2 singles crown. Smith won the No. 3 singles title in 2008 and brought home the No. 2 championship in 2010 to total three career league singles titles.

At No. 3 singles, Sydney Divelbiss (Middleton/Middleton) was also awarded a first round bye. In the second round Divelbiss defeated Morgan Counts (OSH) 6-0, 6-1 to advance to the championship. A 6-0, 6-1 win over Eau Claire's Katie Gillman gave Divelbiss her second straight WIAC singles title with 2010's crown in the fourth flight of singles competition.

Following suit, Alexandra Bayliss (Sheboygan/North) used a first round bye at No. 4 singles to move to the second round. A 6-0, 6-3 win over Maddie Johnson (EC) followed by a 6-3, 6-4 rout of Abby Tresedder (LC) in the championship notched Bayliss' second consecutive WIAC singles title. She won the No. 5 singles competition in 2010.

Megan Kasten (Verona/Verona) represented the Warhawks at No. 5 singles and moved directly into round two after a bye in the first round. Kasten defeated Andrea Vivian (LC) 6-2, 6-1 and followed up with another 6-2, 6-1 win in the championship over Renee Nelson (EC). Kasten adds the 2011 title to her 2010 No. 3 singles crown.

Lauren Aguilar (Gurnee, IL/Carmel Catholic ) captured her second consecutive No. 6 singles title after a first round bye led to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Valerie Langkau (OSH) in round two. Aguilar continued to roll with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Lexi DeMario (EC) in the championship.

In the doubles competition, Schaefer and Bayliss teamed up for first flight competition as the number two seed. The Warhawk team topped Abbie Werwie and Katie Sorensen (ST) 8-1 in round one and used an 8-2 routing of Bostwick and Lauren Piotrowski (OSH) to advance to the championship. Schaefer and Bayliss ground out a close match in the championship to defeat Taylor Heltne and Katie Gillman of Eau Claire 9-7. The WIAC title is Schaefer's third in doubles play (2008 and 2009) making her just the third individual in women's tennis league history to record three titles at No. 1 doubles joining former Warhawks Mary Sarbacker (1985-87) and Wendy Seymour (1989-91).

Smith and Divelbiss represented UW-W in the second flight of doubles competition and began with a first round sweep of Brittany Mohn and Courtney Swanson (RF) 8-0. An 8-1 win over Bachmeier and Maddie Johnson of Eau Claire put another Warhawk team in the championship. Smith/Divelbiss capped their competition with an 8-3 win over Jenny Maruyama and Tresedder (LC). Smith was also part of the 2009 No. 2 doubles title team with Ingrid Stensvaag.

In the last flight of doubles competition, Whitewater put the team of Kasten and Jackie Vitale (Roselle, IL/Lake Park) on the court to face the other WIAC competition. Moving into the second round after a first round bye, the UW-W teammates defeated Lindsay Seccombe and Katie Schultz of La Crosse 8-3 to advance into the championship match. Pinned against Counts and Brianna Theobald of Oshkosh, the Warhawks prevailed 8-4 to give UW-W the complete sweep of all flights in the WIAC championships.

The Warhawks were undefeated at 11-0 in the fall season. The next competition for Whitewater is set for the beginning of spring play March 3, 2012 on the road against UW-Milwaukee.

For additional information: UW-W tennis coordinator Frank Barnes