UW-Whitewater Captures Sixth Consecutive Women’s Tennis Title
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MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater collected its sixth straight title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Tennis Championship that was held Oct. 20-21 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
The Warhawks captured the 13th WIAC championship in program history with 21 overall points by winning five individual titles and all three doubles crowns. UW-Eau Claire took second with 18 points, UW-La Crosse third with 15, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 12, UW-Stevens Point fifth with eight, UW-River Falls sixth with seven and UW-Stout seventh with three.
The team crown was determined by using a combination of the regular-season dual meet standings and the WIAC championship results. The finish in the regular-season standings accounted for one-third of the criteria, while the conference championship accounted for the remaining two-thirds.
Point distribution following the dual meet rotation included: UW-Whitewater (6-0) (7 points), UW-Eau Claire (5-1) (6 points), UW-La Crosse (4-2) (5 points), UW-Oshkosh (3-3) (4 points), UW-River Falls (2-4) (3 points), UW-Stevens Point (1-5) (2 points) and UW-Stout (0-6) (1 point).
UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater advance to the team tournament in the spring to determine the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Championship. The Warhawks will host the four-team event.
At No. 1 singles, UW-Whitewater’s Sydney Divelbiss earned the title with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-0 win over UW-Eau Claire’s Taylor Heltne. Divelbiss won No. 3 singles in 2011 and No. 4 singles in 2010.
The Warhawks’ Alexandra Bayliss defeated UW-Eau Claire’s Gretchen Bachmeier 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 singles to win the third individual title of her career. She earned the No. 4 crown a year ago after securing the No. 5 flight in 2010.
UW-Whitewater’s Megan Kasten won the third individual first-place plaque of her career with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over UW-Eau Claire’s Maddie Johnson at No. 4 singles. Kasten was victorious at No. 5 singles a year ago and No. 3 singles in 2010.
At No. 5 singles, UW-Whitewater’s Lauren Aguilar beat UW-La Crosse’s Kimmy Mrozek 6-3, 6-4 to secure a first-place finish. Aguilar was the two-time defending champion at No. 6 singles.
Erika Williams claimed the final individual title for the Warhawks, posting a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles over UW-La Crosse’s Andrea Vivian.
UW-Eau Claire’s Katie Gillman was victorious at No. 3 singles with a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-4 decision over UW-Whitewater’s Jackie Vitale.
In doubles competition, Divelbiss and Bayliss teamed to win the No. 1 flight with an 8-4 triumph over UW-Eau Claire’s Heltne and Gillman. Bayliss also won the No. 1 flight a year ago, while Divelbiss was a member of the winning No. 2 duo.
At No. 2 doubles, UW-Whitewater’s Kasten and Jackie Vitale beat UW-Eau Claire’s Gretchen Bachmeier and Maddie Johnson 8-2. The duo won No. 3 doubles a season ago, while Kasten was also a No. 3 champion in 2010.
The Warhawks’ Aguilar and Kelly Foster were victorious at No. 3 doubles with an 8-2 decision over UW-Oshkosh’s Valerie Langkau and Karlie Laveau. Aguilar also won the flight in 2010.
UW-La Crosse’s Bill Hehli secured Coach of the Year honors, while UW-Eau Claire’s Taylor Heltne received the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school. Named to the squad were: UW-Eau Claire’s Maddie Johnson; UW-La Crosse’s Andrea Vivian; UW-Oshkosh’s Erica Van Riper; UW-River Falls’ Courtney Swanson; UW-Stevens Point’s Allison Fortier; UW-Stout’s Elizabeth Lehnertz; and UW-Whitewater’s Sydney Divelbiss.
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