This past weekend, I had the privilege of being a part of history at UW-Whitewater when the men’s basketball team made a remarkable run to a national championship.

The idea of riding around for 30 hours in a bus packed with people to watch a game in Salem, Va., seemed like it could be a huge waste of a weekend.
However, it was just the opposite.

I witnessed what it meant to be a student at UW-Whitewater both on and off the floor.
As many of you might know, seniors Pat Lockington and Donovan Gregoire were the obvious leaders of the Warhawk fans throughout the playoffs. If the game was at home, they were there pumping the crowd up. If the game was in Salem, they were there in throwback jerseys, body paint and even old school short-shorts.

Head coach Pat Miller, along with several players, complimented the efforts of Lockington and Gregoire several times throughout the playoffs and said the team was able to feed off the crowd’s energy to win games.

Although I might not have been part of the student section or with the fans at games, I was able to see how much Lockington, Gregoire and every other fan wanted the basketball team to succeed.
Hearing hundreds or thousands of “U-Dub-Dub” chants would usually get annoying, but it definitely kept me pumped up throughout the tournament.

The team’s play on the court  was motivating, especially the comeback that I admittedly thought might be insurmountable in the championship game. The fans that were off the court also inspired me, and made me want every Warhawk to be successful, just like the fans wanted the basketball team to be successful.

UW-Whitewater prides itself on bringing diverse groups of people together on one campus. This past month of Warhawk basketball is representative of this goal on campus by showing how the fans and team worked together to bring home UW-Whitewater’s third men’s basketball national title.

I want to thank the efforts of everyone involved in the men’s basketball team’s inspirational run to a championship as you all have motivated me to want the best out of everyone.