The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has implemented a mandatory, “In- Conference - Non-Conference” game vs. one other team in the conference this season.
It won’t take long for UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse to test the “water” of the new conference mandate. The two longtime rivals will square-off in the season opener, Saturday September 3 in La Crosse.
Eagles’ first year head coach Joel Dettwiler has stressed making his team tough – both physically and mentally – something that will be necessary to again challenge for the WIAC championship on a yearly basis.
"Are you tough? That's what I want to know," Dettwiler told the La Crosse Tribune earlier this month. "Are you a guy who's mentally tough and going to fight? Can you grind it out and can you be a guy I can count on?"
Dettwiler was hired this past February to replace Larry Terry, who retired after 11 seasons. Dettwiler, who played at UW-Platteville, had been the defensive coordinator at Wartburg (Iowa) the past three seasons.
Terry put together a 65-48 record in his 11 seasons at UWL. He was named WIAC Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2004 following conference titles. The Eagles also went to the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2006. La Crosse is just 11 & 17 in the WIAC over the past four seasons and has not defeated UW-Whitewater since 2004.
Coach Dettwiler tells WKBT TV-8 in La Crosse that he looks forward to the challenge of playing the two-time defending Division III national champions twice this season.
To view the WKBT TV-8 video CLICK HERE
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