By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
Kelly O’Hara has dominated multiple events throughout this gymnastics season and that didn’t stop on Feb. 26 at Sectionals. O’Hara qualified for the state meet in every single event, and didn’t just qualify, but ended as the meet’s vault, beam and all-around champion.
On the floor, she finished in third and on the bars, tied for fifth. The Whitewater High School senior is the first gymnast in school history to qualify for each event. As a team, the Whippets finished the meet with a sixth place finish, scoring a 120.55.
“The Whippets ended the night on beam and pulled out five-for-five no fall routines,” Whippets head coach Jennifer Galbrecht said. “This has not happened once during the season, so it definitely was a memorable way to end this fantastic season. For a team comprised of three freshmen (Autumn Lesar, Nicole Tomomitsu and Sydney Treder) and two upperclassmen (O’Hara and Amanda Kraayvanger), they are pretty amazing and will see their success grow even more as the years continue.”
As a team, the Whippets season is over, but for O’Hara, the state meet will take place on March 5 in Wisconsin Rapids to conclude her high school career.
UW-Whitewater women to play Bluffton March 4
Since starting the season with a 12-0 overall record, the Warhawks’ women’s basketball team has gone 7-7 in its last 14 games entering the NCAA Tournament. The team lost in the first round of the WIAC Tournament on Feb. 23 to UW-Eau Claire, 69-59.
With the 19-7 overall record, the ’Hawks dropped out of the top-25 poll and received votes. The NCAA Tournament bracket was announced on Feb. 29 and the team received an at-large bid after not winning the WIAC Tournament.
The ’Hawks have to travel to Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. to take on Bluffton (Ohio) at 5:30 p.m. on March 4. UW-Whitewater is one of four WIAC teams to make the NCAA Tournament, alongside UW-River Falls, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point. The aforementioned three are all hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Bluffton, the Warhawks’ first round opponent, has a 25-2 record on the season and is ranked No. 21 in the last top-25 poll. Bluffton’s two losses this year came against teams that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament field.
Bluffton recorded 18 straight victories this season which broke the school’s previous record of six. The 25-2 record this season is also a school record for Bluffton, breaking last year’s mark of 18-9. This year’s senior class is the winningest in school history as well, and this year marks the first year in program history in which Bluffton has made the NCAA Tournament.
If UW-Whitewater wins, they will play the winner of Washington University-Greenville. Wash-U is the hosting team and will have its home crowd behind them, sporting a 20-5 record. Conversely, Greenville amassed a 20-7 record this season.
The second round game will take place the next day, on March 5, also at Washington-University.
Season over for Warhawk men
Much like the Warhawks’ women’s team, the men’s team started out the season hot, going 11-2 in its first 13 games. Since then, the team went 5-8, including a first round exit in the WIAC Tournament, which sealed its fate for making the NCAA Tournament.
The ’Hawks lost to UW-River Falls, 80-66, in that first round game and was not selected as an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, concluding the team’s season. UW-River Falls won both halves of the game and would eventually end their season with a 16-10 record, matching the ’Hawks.
Warhawk senior Trinson White led all scorers with 23 and was followed by senior teammate Haki Stampley, with 21. Outside of White and Stampley though, the ’Hawks had no other player score more than nine points in the game.
Only one other Warhawk outside of White and Stampley was a senior that played more than one minute of the game. Despite the team’s season being over prematurely, the 16-10 record marks the program’s 16th straight season concluding with a winning record.
