UW-Whitewater mourns the loss of two Warhawk athletes

WHITEWATER, Wis. (WMTV) – Whitewater University experienced a tragic start to the new school year when it lost a former basketball legend and a current student-athlete in the same weekend.

“It’s been a tough 24 hours for all of us,” said UWW Athletic Director Ryan Callahan.

Late Friday night, 21-year-old Kara Welsh was shot and killed in her apartment in the 100 block of West Whitewater Street.

Officers took the suspect, who police have not yet released his name, into custody. Whitewater police said the suspect is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while under arms.

In a press release sent to UW-Whitewater students on Saturday, the university stated that the woman killed was a UW-Whitewater student. In a later update, police identified the student as Kara Welsh of Plainfield, Illinois. After Welsh was identified and the university announced the loss of the student-athlete, the news quickly spread throughout campus.

On Saturday, the community was rocked by more news. Chris Davis Sr., a former UW-Whitewater basketball star and Madison native, died suddenly, according to the university's athletic department.

After losing two of its members, the UWW athletic department found itself wondering the same things as the students.

“What's next? What's next? What's next?” Callahan said. “We're still working on that, grief is not linear.”

“As a coach, I know it's devastating when you lose someone because it's almost as bad as losing a family member because of the relationship you have with those student-athletes,” said former UWW basketball coach Pat Miller.

Unfortunately, this is not a new situation for Miller. He himself lost one of his players two years ago. When Welsh was killed, he knew what he had to do, he said.

“I spoke to Jen Regan, our gymnastics coach, yesterday as we try to navigate this situation because unfortunately I have been through a situation before where you lose a student-athlete,” Miller said.

He spoke about grief, saying the grieving process will vary from athlete to athlete. He said he told Regan on the phone that “it's just not going to be a typical year and it may never be normal again after we go through this.”

Yet in endless hours on the phone, both Callahan and Miller said the same thing. The answer to the question “what's next?” is clear. The plan is to focus on who the athletes were and the legacy they left behind.

“These are two tragic events and both are a legacy of the Warhawks and we will celebrate them,” Callahan said.

Callahan described Welsh as “one of the best student-athletes we've ever had.” Aside from her accomplishments at UWW, he said, her legacy lives on in her character.

“An extremely gifted student, an extremely gifted athlete … just overall a beautiful soul, you know, her legacy is cemented and will never be forgotten,” Callahan said.

Davis was the first Whitewater athlete to be named national player of the year, and he led his team to win the WIAC regular season championship. The win secured the team a spot in the NCAA tournament. He is also remembered as the basketball coach for Sun Prairie West.

Miller commented on Davis' legacy, but mentioned something that goes beyond the basketball court. He said Davis' legacy lives on in his son, Chris Davis Jr.

“He loved his son as much as one person can love another person,” Miller said.

Callahan said the university is working on a plan to honor the two deceased Warhawks, whose memory is captured in a Warhawks jersey and leotard.

The university said that at the start of the first classes on Tuesday, flags on campus will fly at half-mast to honor the two legendary athletes who lost their lives over the weekend.

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