UW-Whitewater athletics are always among some of the most competitive in the country, no matter the sport. In the 2022-23 collegiate season the Warhawks garnered conference, regional and national championships across their nine men’s programs. 

As the year closes out, the Warhawks deserve some recognition for their top moments, whether that moment be a national title or an incredible play. Here are the top 10 moments from 2022-23 Warhawks men’s sports. 

#10: Football fans break attendance record

Warhawk Football had an interesting season, they finished 8-3 with a first round exit from the playoffs but had some remarkable wins. Their first moment on this list though comes at the hands of the fans. Now retired head coach Kevin Bullis had been quoted saying he wanted 20,000 people in Perkins Stadium for a game this year, the Warhawks didn’t quite hit that mark but they did blast the previous record for highest attended on campus Division III football game out of the park. For a Friday night lights game 18,951 fans packed the Perk on Family Fest as the Warhawks defeated WIAC rival UW-Oshkosh.

#9: Soccer wins Shaymus Guinn Cup in comeback Senior Night victory

Winning is always great but winning with something meaningful on the line is special. Head coach Tony Guinn got a special win on Senior Night. His Warhawks tied the game with around 10 minutes to play, then scored just minutes later to take the lead and eventually the 3-2 win, both goals came from seniors. But that’s not exactly why the win was special. The team’s win meant winning the Shaymus Guinn Cup, a trophy named in honor of coach Guinn’s son who died of cancer at age 11 in 2012.

#8: Football skips it in for the win

Warhawk football had been in command against UW-River Falls in the homecoming game the Falcons made a late push and tied the game. With little time to play the Warhawk offense took the field and got the ball to the edge of field goal range, setting up Jeffery Isotala-McGuire for a buzzer beater to win. He made it, but he made it by the skin of his teeth as the ball hit the crossbar and skipped in for the win.

#7: Tennis duo wins regional title in thrilling comeback

Luke VanDonslear and John Zakowski pulled off what some might call a miracle to win an ITA Regional title in October. They fought off four match points that would have handed them defeat but they held their ground and hit a winner on a serve return to earn the title.

#6: Basketball makes improbable run to win the WIAC

In a year where a handful of key players were new faces, Warhawk basketball was facing a year that would prove to be more challenging than a typical year. With the death of the beloved player Derek Gray in the summer, the team was handling much more than on court hardships. In the WIAC tournament the team held on to beat River Falls, a team they were expected to defeat, but then they went on to do something incredible and beat two of the nation’s toughest, UW-La Crosse and Oshkosh to come up with a bid to the NCAA Tournament where they went on to stun the country.

#5: Wrestler Jarrit Shinhoster flexes on D-I opponents

At this point, he was coming off of a national title in the 184 weight class. The senior had already proved himself by handling top ten opponents with ease. There was no question Shinhoster was a champion, but he displayed that to four Division I wrestlers at the Ken Kraft Midlands Tournament in December.

#4: Christian Patzka: Fastest in the nation

He already had medals hanging around his neck from previous finishes in the upper echelon of racing, then he won the national title in the 5000 meter at the NCAA Indoor meet. He didn’t just win the championship, he also crushed a nearly 30 year old record by six seconds. 

#3: Football knocks off the defending champ

Coming off a loss in the first game of the season, the Warhawks were faced by the team who knocked them out of the playoffs the season before. With skeptical eyes on them after a sloppy performance the week before they put on a show. The thrilling victory came thanks to a goal line stance, preventing a touchdown that may have iced the game. Then Evan Lewandowski and the Warhawk offense marched 99 yards and Tommie Coates came down with the ball on a perfect pass from Lewandowski with 19 seconds to go, securing the 24-20 victory over the defending national champions.

#2: Shinhoster beats the nation again

The senior’s mindset is one that keeps him hungry for wins, in March he cemented his name as one of the greatest to ever win in D-III when he earned his second consecutive national championship. His defense of his national title earned him the honor of “Most Outstanding Wrestler” too, as if there was a doubt about Shinhoster’s dominance. 

#1 Basketball dances to the Final Four

The odds were stacked against them, but when they won the WIAC tournament the team showed a determination that looked special. That determination stuck with them and the Warhawks upset three top 11 opponents in the tournament in the run to the Final Four. Unfortunately they did not make it to the championship game but what the team did was special. The adversity they lived through, not just played through, was an inspiring spectacle as they dedicated every win to Derek Gray. Their March Madness run took them from unranked to a top four team in the nation, now they return the mass majority of their production which sets them up for a potentially spectacular 2023-24 campaign.

There they are, the top 10 highlights of the 2022-23 Warhawk men’s sports. It seems like there is always something special happening in Whitewater. These 10 moments are just a sample of the greatness that stems from Warhawk athletics.