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Men’s Basketball 1984
The first national championship trophy was earned by the 1983-84 men’s basketball team. Highly regarded after a trip to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III final four the previous year, Dave Vander Meulen’s squad lived up to the expectations. Behind senior guard Andre McKoy, still Whitewater’s career scoring leader and the only player to reach 2,000 points, UW-W shared the Wisconsin State University Conference title. McKoy was named the WSUC Player of the Year, and Vander Meulen was the league’s Coach of the Year. Junior center Mark Linde, who went on to earn All-America honors the next season, and junior forward James Wilson, among UW-W’s best defenders and a certainty as the school’s all-time shot blocker if it had been an official statistic at the time, gave UW-W the complimentary inside game to defeat Clark University 103-86 in the championship game in Grand Rapids, Michigan, giving UW-W a 27-4 record and the WSUC its first national basketball champion. |
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Women’s Golf 1985
The first women’s national championship in school history came courtesy of the golf team. Whitewater, coached by Chris Voeller, won the Division III section of the National Golf Coaches Association Division II-III Championship in Tallahassee, Florida April 15-17, 1985. The top ten Division II and III teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s computer formula qualified for the tournament, sponsored by the National Golf Coaches Association. UW-W’s win at the NGCA capped a three-year streak of defeating every Division III team it faced. Beth St. Thomas, a junior, was the Division III medalist with rounds of 77-77-86. UW-W’s Mary Benkert, as the top rated Division III player in the NCAA’s formula, was named an alternate for the NCAA championship, an open meet dominated by Division I teams. |
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Men’s Basketball 1989
Not predicted to win the Wisconsin State University Conference or mentioned in any national preseason poll, UW-W opened the season, and some eyes, with a school record twenty-one game win streak. The Warhawks shared the WSUC title, sweeping the top honors with junior forward Elbert Gordon named Most Valuable Player, senior guard Pat Miller the Sparger Scholar Athlete, and Dave Vander Meulen Coach of the Year. With Gordon, Miller and senior guard Jeff Seifriz all recording seasons in the top ten in individual scoring in the school record book, and junior guard Ricky Spicer setting school records for assists and steals, the Warhawks set school records for scoring (94.3 points per game), wins (29) and winning percentage (.935). Gordon earned All-America honors as UW-W finished a 29-2 season with a 94-86 win over Trenton State College in the championship game in Springfield, Ohio. |
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Volleyball 2002
Kris Russell led the 2002 squad to UW-Whitewater’s first women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. The Warhawks went 36-4, winning their third straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, and their sixth in seven years. Senior Kristin Dettman was named the WIAC’s Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete for Volleyball, and senior Angie Wildish was named WIAC Player of the Year. Dettman, who set the school record for career assists, also combined First Team College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America honors with American Volleyball Coaches Association Second Team recognition. Wildish, an outside hitter, was a First Team AVCA All-American, senior outside hitter Katie Monhart was named to the third team, and Russell was named Division III Coach of the Year. Playing before standing room only crowds in the new volleyball arena in Williams Center, UW-W swept Washington University 3-0 in the title match. |
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Volleyball 2005
First year coach Stacy Boudreau guided the Warhawks to their eighth Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in ten years. Whitewater’s 40-4 record included a twenty-four match win streak, and twenty-nine of the UW-W’s forty wins were 3-0 shutouts. The ’05 team set school records for kills and assists, and senior hitter Kim Fruit closed her career with the best hitting percentage in school history. The Warhawks edged Juniata College 3-2 in the championship match, played in Salem, Virginia. WIAC Player of the Year, Abbie Mueller, was named first team All-American as a senior setter, senior middle hitter, Alison Miller, was an honorable mention All-American, and Boudreau joined them on the American Volleyball Coaches Association team as the Division III Coach of the Year. |
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Baseball 2005
UW-W got out fast, starting 19-0, and never slowed down. The Warhawks won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the third straight year and fifth time in six seasons. Outfielder Eric Baldwin was named the WIAC’s Co-Max Sparger Scholar Athlete. Greg Reinhard, the WIAC and American Baseball Coaches Association Division III Pitcher of the Year, combined with Kevin Tomasiewicz to go 27-1 with six shutouts. The duo was joined in earning All-America honors by outfielder Eddie Adamson and shortstop Ross Klawitter. Adamson set school records for runs batted in, hits and doubles; and Klawitter established new marks for runs and walks. After leading the team to school records for wins, runs, hits, total bases, strikeouts and shutouts by UW-W pitchers, John Vodenlich was named Division III Coach of the Year by the ABCA. The Warhawks capped the season with an 11-4 win over New York-Cortland in the Division III World Series in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. |
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Football 2007
The Warhawks won their third consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, running their league unbeaten streak to twenty-one games and the string of consecutive wins at Perkins Stadium to twenty-five. An experienced squad with twenty-four seniors, under first year mentor Lance Leipold, UW-W went 14-1 and defeated Mount Union College 31-21 in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia. In addition to National Division III Coach of the Year honors for Leipold, running back Justin Beaver earned the Gagliardi Trophy as the top player in Division III and center Brent Allen captured the Division III Rimington Trophy. Placekicker Jeff Schebler, defensive end Ryan Ogrizovich, cornerback Ben Farley and linebacker A.J. Raebel joined Beaver and Allen in earning All-America honors. |
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Football 2009
The Warhawks went undefeated with fifteen wins. On their way, they captured the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, going 7-0. Head coach Lance Leipold in only his third year, brought home the program’s second national championship as UW-Whitewater defeated Mount Union College 38-28. Leipold was named the American Football Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year, and placekicker Jeff Schebler was the recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award for the best placekicker in Divisions II and III. All-America honors went to Levell Coppage, Matt Weber, Kyle Supianoski, Troney Shumpert, Garth Coats, Jeff Donovan and Schebler. |
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Football 2010
UW-W defeated Mount Union 31-21 in Whitewater’s sixth consecutive appearance in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA III championship game. The Warhawk win streak, which included the school’s sixth straight WIAC title, reached thirty games -- longest in NCAA football (any Division). The win gave UW-W back-to-back titles, and three in four years. Head coach Lance Leipold gathered all the NCAA III football coach of the year honors. Wide receiver Aaron Rusch earned Academic All-America honors and was a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. Running back Levell Coppage was named D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive back Jared Kiesow received the NCAA Elite 88 Award for the top academic record in a NCAA championship event. Offensive linemen Matt Weber, Robbie Ustruck and Matt Gawronski were joined by defensive end Wesley Hicks and Coppage as All-Americans. |
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Football 2011
Although a consensus number one in every preseason prognostication, UW-W approached the season without many of the familiar names from past triumphs, and the team philosophy of one play, one day, one game at a time was put to the test. UW-W was tied with Platteville at the half, trailed Oshkosh at the half, and led Stevens Point and Eau Claire by a touchdown or less at the half -- but all provided plenty of opportunities for Leipold and the Warhawks to use as learning moments. The regular season yielded a 10-0 mark, including the team’s record-breaking seventh straight conference championship. UW-W rolled through Albion College, Franklin College and Salisbury University at home in successive rounds of the playoffs. The Warhawk defense shut out #3 Saint Thomas on 214 yards of offense in the semifinals, setting up yet another meeting with Mount Union. Whitewater’s defense limited Mount to 49 yards rushing and forced three turnovers, keying a 13-10 win for the Warhawk “three-peat”. Senior running back Levell Coppage ended his career as the number two rusher in NCAA III history, and number three when including all levels of NCAA football. Leipold collected more coach of the year honors, and offensive lineman Logan Allemand, linebacker Greg Arnold, defensive lineman Casey Casper, and quarterback Matt Blanchard joined Coppage in garnering All-America recognition. Coppage earned D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second time. The 2011 Warhawks built on previous editions to compile a 45 game win streak, the longest active streak in college football, at any level. That streak is also the fifth longest in the history of all NCAA football. |
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Men’s Basketball 2012
Improbable. That would have to be the description of any feelings that UW-Whitewater would be playing for a national championship in March. Coming off a 17-9 season and a first round loss in the WIAC Tournament in 2011, with largely the same cast, did not ignite early March madness. But what a difference a year makes. Players returning grew, and expanded, in their roles and dev eloped a fondness for defense. Wins in the first half of the season over CCIW power Illinois Wesleyan, northwest standout Whitworth, Lake Michigan Conference leader Edgewood, and UW-River Falls fed the Warhawks’ growing confidence. UW-W stayed in the hunt for the WIAC title all season, but a late season loss at Superior appeared to doom Warhawk title hopes. Losses by other teams at the top of the WIAC put Whitewater back on top, with the last game of the regular season at River Falls deciding the crown. Senior forward Chris Davis hit a jumper with :03 left for a 55-53 win and the championship trophy. Eight days later the Warhawks hit a speed bump, losing at home to the Falcons in a rematch in the WIAC Tournament finale, 64-58. Although certain of a berth in the NCAA III tournament, UW-W had to wait to see if the loss would cost them home court for the playoffs. When the bids were announced UW-W’s body of work held up, and the Warhawks hosted the regionals, defeating Northwestern 83-68 and defending NCAA III champion Saint Thomas 91-62. UW-W stayed at home for the sectionals, topping Wheaton 67-56, and then Virginia Wesleyan 76-62 for a trip to the final four in Salem, Virginia. UW-W held MIT scoreless for six minutes in the second half of the national semifinal on the way to a 71-56 win to earn a spot in the title game. Down 18 points in the second half, freshman guard Quardell Young sparked a comeback that ranks as the most memorable in school history. Davis hit a three to tie the game and senior forward Alex Edmunds provided the winning margin with reverse layin in Whitewater’s 63-60 win over Cabrini College. UW-W, 29-4, ended the season sixth in Division III scoring defense (58.2). Davis collected Division III Player of the Year honors, and Pat Miller was the consensus Division III Coach of the Year. |
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Gymnastics 2012
UW-W came in knocking on the door. After finishing second in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association championship in 2011, and third in 2009 and 2010, the 2012 edition of the Warhawks were locked in. UW-W opened the season with a quadrangular win in Saint Paul, then reeled off five consecutive dual meet wins. That was followed by another quad win in Minnesota, and UW-W wrapped up its regular season with another dual meet victory to enter the WIAC/NCGA West Regional Championship unbeaten. Allyse Dieringer won the balance beam title, Katie Thompson finished second on the uneven bars and third in the all-around, and Cici Talcott tied for third in the vault -- but UW-W, the two-time defending champions, finished second to defending national champion UW-La Crosse. Not to worry, the second place finish qualified the team for the NCGA championship in Brockport, New York and the focus was clearly on late March. UW-W led after three rounds of the meet, and in nail-biting fashion tied host The College at Brockport in the final standings, giving UW-Whitewater its first national gymnastics championship. Thompson placed second in the all-around competition, best finish ever for UW-W, and Mary Kate Young’s fourth place gave Whitewater two all-around All-Americans in the same meet for just the second time. One night later Dieringer captured the uneven bars title, the fifth individual title in school history. Thompson added first team All-America honors by finishing second to Dieringer, and again with a fifth place in the vault, giving her the distinction three times in the championship. Young and Siri Wischmann also earned first team All-America recognition by tying for second on the balance beam. |
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Gymnastics 2013
UW-W reached the summit, and didn’t have any company at the top. After progressing from third in 2010 to second in 2011 to sharing the title in 2012 -- Whitewater won the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championship outright in 2013, and they did it in their gym in front of their fans. Cici Talcott won the uneven bars crown, the sixth individual national champion in school history. Katie Thompson finished second in the all-around competition and concluded her career with twelve All-American honors, the most ever for a Warhawk gymnast. Thompson received the NCGA Outstanding Senior Award and the North Central Region Gymnast of the Year Award. Five Warhawks, Siri Wischmann, Morgan Hadley, Annie Mix, Mary Kate Young and Thompson added NCGA Scholar All-American recognition. The road to the NCGA championship led through the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet, where UW-W won its third league championship in four years, and Alysse Dieringer won the uneven bars title, Delina Phillips won the vault crown, and Wischmann was named the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete. Wischmann, Hadley and Mix also received the UW-W’s Chancellor Scholar Athlete Award. The 2012-13 edition of the Warhawks set school team records in five areas (team total, vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise), including three of the top four team scores in school history. |
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Football 2013
After a 2012 season that didn't live up to the expectations of what so many UW-Whitewater football fans have come to expect, the Warhawks set out to win another national championship in 2013, and that they did in a 52-14 rout of perpetual Stagg Bowl attendee Mount Union. The title was UW-W's fourth in the last five years and fifth in the last seven. The Warhawks were aided by an MVP performance from junior quarterback Matt Behrendt who went 20-for-28 for 249 yards and four touchdown tosses, two to Jake Kumerow and the other two to Tyler Huber. Behrendt threw three of the TD strikes in the first half to open up a 21-14 lead heading into halftime. Jordan Ratliffe scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to extend the Warhawk lead to 28-14 and shortly after Eric Kindler added a field goal to make it 31-14. The fourth quarter is when the Warhawks made their final statement, scoring three different ways and shutting out the Purple Raiders the rest of the way. The Warhawks scored on a TD toss, a TD rush, and a pick-six by Brady Grayvold as they went on to take the 2013 title. The Warhawk defense, the best in Division III, forced four turnovers in the game and kept the 2013 Gagliardi award winner, quarterback Kevin Burke of Mount Union, out of the end zone, via the air, for sixty minutes. |
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Basketball 2014
This one will go down in Warhawk athletic, not just men's basketball, lore. After Michael Mayer tipped in a rebound to give Williams College a 73-72 lead with four seconds left, UW-Whitewater inbounded the ball to junior guard Quardell Young (Kenosha/Bradford) about 25 feet from the baseline, and Young slithered three quarters court for a driving layin that went in with 0.9 seconds left to give UW-W the NCAA Division III basketball championship in Salem, Virginia. Young added a free throw for the final, 75-73. UW-Whitewater became the first Division III school to win national championships in basketball (women's or men's) and football in the same year with the Stagg Bowl trophy in December 2011 and the men's basketball title in March 2012. That feat has only been duplicated by the University of Florida in 2006 and by the University of Tennessee, with football and women's basketball in 1998. Now UW-W stands alone as the only NCAA school to win both football and basketball in the same year -- twice. Pat Miller was again named Division III coach of the year as the Warhawks finished the season 29-4. |
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Gymnastics 2014
The Warhawk women's gymnastics team won their third consecutive National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division III National Championship in record-breaking fashion in 2014. Freshman Katie Fiorilli (Solon, OH/Solon) totaled 38.750 to become the 2014 national champion in the all-around, the first national champion in the event in UW-Whitewater history and seventh individual champion, earning All-America honors and breaking the UW-W record with her score. UW-W totaled 193.025, a school record, to win the meet for the third year in a row. Along their journey to the title the Warhawks set five program records, and qualified 14 gymnasts for the individual event championships set for the next day. |
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Baseball 2014
UW-Whitewater won 19 of its last 20 games of the season to earn the program’s 15th WIAC title, the regional championship and second national title for baseball. The Warhawks’ 7-0 rout of Emory to win the NCAA Division III championship was all the more impressive given the added pressures of completing a historic trifecta. Along with baseball, Warhawk men’s basketball and football won titles in the same academic year. The unprecedented feat had a 38 million-to-1 chance of success. The baseball team was tasked with completing the final leg. Mikole Pierce, the 2014 WIAC Player of the Year, and Jared Fon were recognized on All-America teams. Along the way, the Warhawks secured head coach John Vodenlich’s 400th career win. Pitcher Scott Plaza was named the World Series Most Outstanding Player and was joined by Dylan Friend, Michael Gonzalez and Casey Power on the All-Tournament Team. |
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Football 2014
The No. 1 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team defeated third-ranked Mount Union (Ohio) by a score of 43-34 to win the 2014 Stagg Bowl XLII, the NCAA Division III national championship game, at Salem Stadium. The Warhawks (15-0 overall) won their sixth national title in eight seasons in their ninth trip to the Stagg Bowl in 10 years. UW-Whitewater also extended their winning streak to 32 games, the longest stretch in all of college football regardless of division. Senior quarterback Matt Behrendt (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy) finished 26-of-38 for a career-high 365 yards and four touchdowns, and was named the Stagg Bowl's Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive season. Head coach Lance Leipold finished his career at UW-Whitewater with a 109-6 record and the same number of national championships – six – as losses. Earlier that season, he became the fastest to reach 100 career wins in NCAA history.
The 2014 UW-Whitewater football team claimed its ninth Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in the last 10 years and the program’s sixth NCAA Division III national championship in the last eight seasons. Led by AFCA Division III National Coach of the Year Lance Leipold, the Warhawks overcame a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit in the national quarterfinals and broke a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter of the semifinals to reach their 10th consecutive Stagg Bowl, where they defeated Mount Union 43-34 in front of a national audience on ESPNU. With their second consecutive perfect season (15-0), the Warhawks extended their college football-leading win streak to 32 games. Senior wide receiver Jake Kumerow was selected D3football.com National Offensive Player of the Year, and senior quarterback Matt Behrendt was named WIAC Offensive Player of the Year and Stagg Bowl XLII Most Valuable Player.Senior defensive back Brady Grayvold earned first team All-America accolades from three different organizations, and four others garnered All-America honors. On October 25, prior to the team’s game against UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater was highlighted on ESPN College GameDay. Hours after the video feature aired, a conference-record crowd of 13,627 watched the Warhawks defeat the Titans 24-7. |
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Gymnastics 2017
Despite a rash of injuries to key contributors during the season, the 2017 Warhawks peaked at the right time of the season to claim both the WIAC/NCGA West Regional title and NCGA national championship for the first time since 2013. UW-Whitewater scored above a 190 at each of its last six meets, including a 191.850 to run away with the conference championship, besting runner-up UW-La Crosse by more than two full points. The performance, which included two individual titles from sophomore Lisa O’Donnell and one from senior Courtney Pickett, set the stage for the NCGA Championships, which took place two weeks later at UW-Stout. The Warhawks posted another impressive showing at the national event, winning the meet by nearly three points with a total of 191.000. O’Donnell claimed the all-around national championship to lead the team to its fourth title in the last six years. UW-Whitewater added 13 more All-America honors at the NCGA Individual Event Finals the next day, including a second national championship for O’Donnell on vault. Senior Katie Fiorilli capped her standout career with two more All-America honors to bring her career total to 12, tied for the most in program history. She was named NCGA Senior Athlete of the Year and was joined on the national award podium by head coach Jennifer Regan, who was selected NCGA National Coach of the Year for the third time. Assistant coach Ryan Bendixen was tabbed NACGC/W West Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career, and O’Donnell garnered NACGC/W West Region Gymnast of the Year accolades. |
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Gymnastics 2018
With a "24-for-24" performance that added up to a program record team score of 193.700 - the highest in National Collegiate Gymnastics Association history - the Warhawks collected their second straight national championship to bring their total to five in the last seven seasons. Junior Lisa O'Donnell highlighted the performance, scoring a rare 9.900 on the parallel uneven bars, another NCGA record, on her way to a second straight all-around title. No individual scored lower than a 9.400 in any event at the meet, where UW-Whitewater tied a school record on the parallel uneven bars (48.675) and established a new program best on the balance beam (48.450). The Warhawks combined for seven All-America accolades for the weekend, including O'Donnell in the all-around and on bars and junior Franchesca Hutton on beam and floor. |
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Baseball 2025
Dominant. In one of the most dominant performances in NCAA Division III Championship history, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team secured the national title with a 21-5 win over Messiah University. The Warhawks scored 74 runs over the course of their five games at the World Series, a Division III record, to hoist the championship trophy for the third time in program history (2005, 2014). After finishing as the runner-up in 2024, the Warhawks were on a mission to return to the title. Sweeping both the WIAC regular season and tournament titles, UWW cruised through Regional-play and reached the World Series after defeating WIAC-rival UW-Oshkosh in the Super Regional. From there, UW-Whitewater dominated the finals, winning their games by an average of 11.0 runs. Head Coach John Vodenlich led the team to a school-best 49-6 record, earning his third title. All-Americans Adam Cootway, Matt Scolan, Andy Thies, and Aaron Holland helped the Warhawks set a new School Records in Hits (734), Home Runs (111), Runs Batted In (524), Team Batting Average (.365), and Team Slugging Percentage (.615).
All-Tournament Team: Adam Cootway (Most Outstanding Player), Eli Frank, Andy Thies, Danny Hopper, Sam Paden, Matt Scolan, Cade Hansen, and Ben Lee |
