MADISON – Sometimes the biggest victories a team scores during the transfer portal period are the players it retains.

Wisconsin scored one of those wins Wednesday. Trech Kekahuna, a redshirt freshman receiver, announced on social media that he will return next season.

Last week the 5-foot-10, 187-pound receiver from Hawaii announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. Monday, the portal officially opened and in just two days Kekahuna announced 15 offers on X. The list included Minnesota, Michigan State, Iowa State, Utah and Hawaii.

Kekahuna ranked third on the team in catches (25) and yards (339). He caught two touchdowns.

He is considered an potentially explosive playmaker who provided glimpses of that ability this season. The highlight was a six-catch, 134-yard performance against Purdue that was marked by touchdowns of 69 and 25 yards.

That performance came with starting slot receiver Will Pauling out for the entire second half due to injury. The staff’s inability to figure out how to use Pauling and Kekahuna together limited Kekahuna’s opportunities for much of the season, though later in the campaign the two players were on the field together more.

New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes started his role this week and it makes sense that he probably had a conversation with Kekahuna about the role he would potentially have in the offense.

More: Quarterback Braedyn Locke enters transfer portal. What his departure means for Wisconsin.

More: The 2025 Wisconsin football schedule is revealed. Here is how it unfolds for the Badgers

Kekahuna announced his decision to return on Instagram.

Kekahuna is the fourth Badger player to announce that he’ll return in 2025. Offensive linemen Riley Mahlman and Jake Renfo and outside linebacker Darryl Peterson also declared that they will return.

More: Wisconsin football Twitter reacts to Braedyn Locke entering the transfer portal, leaving Badgers program

More: A look at Wisconsin’s quarterback depth chart in wake of Braedyn Locke’s departure

DETROIT (FOX 2) – Areas around Detroit could see up to an inch of snow accumulation on the sidewalks. Snow squalls will be at their most likely Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

This can lead to slick conditions for drivers who are traveling on Wednesday night. 

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, major slowdowns can be seen in the northwestern part of metro Detroit going up into Flint, with US-23, I-94 and I-96 showing impact. 

MDOT says there are crashes already being reported on I-94, with WB I-94 at Jackson Ave Exit being closed due to a crash near Ann Arbor. 

Live traffic map: 

The National Weather Service is anticipating arctic air to move in later tonight. The wind chill will make things feel below zero degrees in most of the region, including as far north as Lapeer and Flint, as well as out west in Washtenaw County.

Detroit will feel like 4 degrees. 

There will also be wind gusts later Wednesday afternoon. 

The next weather system is expected to arrive this weekend. 

Crash updates:

Those historically left out of the world of improv comedy have a new opportunity to get involved in Milwaukee’s growing scene.  

The Interchange Theater Co-op, a community-run improvisation theater and school, has established a scholarship for classes, specifically encouraging people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people to apply.  

“Milwaukee is unfortunately very segregated, and there is a large white population at our theater and other theaters in the area,” said Vince Figueroa, education director at the Interchange, located at 628 N. 10th St. “So the challenge is: How do we reach out to those other communities to get them to come perform with us and see and learn and embrace the thing that we love?” 

The scholarship aims to address this challenge. 

‘A really valuable art form’

Figueroa gives all the credit for the scholarship, called the New Voices Improv Comedy Scholarship, to his colleague, Mia Serafina, the Interchange’s community and culture director. 

Serafina grew up in Milwaukee but performed on improv teams in less-diverse parts of the state. After returning to Milwaukee after college in 2021, she reconnected with Latinx performers and was reminded of how isolating a lack of diversity can be for an improv performer of color

“I think accessibility to improv helps with people recognizing that it’s not just for one group of people. It’s a really valuable art form, but without points of accessibility, it’s hard to find your way there,” said Serafina. 

“We just want a fuller presence at our theater,” she added. 

The scholarship covers the $200 cost of a class, removing a financial barrier to entry.

“I know people who want to take classes in the scene at various theaters but unfortunately can’t,  just because of the cost,” said Michael Kittelson, an LGBTQ+ comedian who performs at the Interchange. 

A more diverse group of performers also reduces other barriers, Kittelson added.  

“As a gay man, going into maybe a group elsewhere that might mostly be straight, that could be intimidating for me – not just talking about an improv group but just like a group that I’m not used to,” he said. 

All about improv

The Interchange offers five core courses to help individuals learn different aspects of long-form improv.

Improv, short for “improvisation,” is where performers create characters and dialogue on the spot. 

People may be familiar with improv from popular television shows like “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” which debuted in the U.S. in 1998 and ended its most recent run in February. 

But there are different types of improv. 

While “Whose Line” features short-form improv – quick, one-off scenes often based on audience suggestions – many improv classes, including those at the Interchange, provide training in long-form improv. 

Long-form improv involves performers creating a series of interconnected scenes, which allow for richer characters and more sustained narratives.

“There’s just something so freeing and exciting about walking onto the stage and discovering what the scene is going to be, discovering who your character is going to be, helping your scene partner discover who they are,” said Figueroa. “So it’s its own unique art form.”  

A more diverse group of performers creates stronger comedy in general, he added.   

“You say ‘improv’ and some people have this standard image of four middle-aged white guys in flannel doing improv,” Figueroa said. “So when you get other people who don’t look like that … there might be some other references that you wouldn’t think of or connections you wouldn’t necessarily make.”  

For more information

People interested in the scholarship can apply online. 

The next deadline to apply is Dec. 20, with classes beginning on Jan. 13. 

Those with questions can email education@interchangetheater.com.