The University of Wisconsin Whitewater won the national DII championship, and did so in impressive style.

The Warhawks finished 13-0, with, fittingly, their closest game being the final, a 29-13 victory over Furman at Furman on Sunday. The game itself was notable because Whitewater scored early, but were stymied by Furman for much of the first half. Visibly frustrated, Whitewater was able to relax after two Alec Teuthardt tries made it 17-3 at halftime. Furman defended very well, and were very strong in the forwards, and kept it close until flanker Connor Bell intercepted a bobbled pass and took it in under the posts.

Here’s what some of the players had to say about the game, the opponent, and the experience.

Tough Game

“We were pretty equal early in the game,” said No. 8 John Grams, who partnered nicely with his brother, Tim, who plays scrumhalf. “Later in the game they started to overpower our scrums, but we held on. They defended really hard and it was a great game; I have nothing but appreciation for Furman’s fight.”

“Furman is very good, one of the best groups of forwards we’ve seen all year,” said fullback Garrett Shibiliski.

The Rain and Wind

“With the weather being the way it was, we knew the ball was going to be slick, but with the backs we have, we were able to get it done,” said center Levi Van Lanen. 

“Two weeks ago we adjusted to the conditions really well,” said Shibiliski. “We just played Warhawk rugby.”

Struggling to Score Early

“We knew we could be better and clean up our mistakes in open play,” said Grams. “Those two tries at the end of the first half were sweet.”

“It’s always a little frustrating when we can’t score, but we knew if we just stayed persistent the tries would flow,” said Shibiliski. “The last ten minutes probably the most nerve-wracking we’ve had so far, and then Conor got that pick, and we were like ‘yeah, that’s it.’”

Teammates

“Our 9-through-15 can step in any spot. Anyone can play #10. It’s super nice to have the flexibility we have. We work so well together. I am blessed to be a part of this backline,” said Van Lanen.

“Playing with Tim and being on this team is an incredible experience,” said Grams. “We give each other crap, but there’s nothing like playing with your brother in actual fact and your brothers on the field.”

"You look at some of the players we have, the unheralded players - like Zach Smith. He's one of our top tacklers and we're lucky to have him," said Shibiliski.

“Practicing four days a week helps us,” said Van Lanen. “And we get great numbers, and the reserves come in and give us good minutes. We’ve got things going now so we can retool for the next year.”

UW-Whitewater Fall 2016 season:

UWW 70 Marquette 10
UWW 74 UW-Milwaukee 17
UWW 100 UW-Platteville 0
UWW 80 UW-Stout 7
UWW 91 UW-LaCrosse 0
UWW 56 Northern Michigan 24
UWW 138 UIC 0
UWW 88 Northern Iowa 12
UWW 45 Illinois State 11
UWW 55 Middlebury 8
UWW 39 Coast Guard 0
UWW 58 Norwich 29
UWW 29 Furman 13

13-0
943 points for
131 points against
Ranked teams beaten - 8.