Wisconsin
Former Wisconsin Badgers volleyball stars Dana Rettke, Lauren Carlini make Olympic team
MADISON – When the U.S. women’s volleyball team takes the court at the Olympics this summer, the University of Wisconsin will be well represented.
Dana Rettke, the 2021 national college player of the year, and Lauren Carlini, a four-time All-American, were named to the 12-player roster Wednesday. They are two of the four first-time Olympians on the team.
The United States is the defending champion. Play runs from July 28-Aug. 11 in Paris.
“To make the Olympic team and be one of the 12 players selected to represent your sport and country is what you dream of,” Badger head coach Kelly Sheffield said in a press release. “Lauren and Dana, as well as everyone else who’s been in that gym, have worked their butts off. They’ve evolved their game and been willing to do whatever it takes to help their team. I couldn’t be more excited for both of them and the great opportunity that is in front of it.”
While this will be the first Olympic appearance for Rettke and Carlini, both players have extensive experience with the national team.
Rettke, a 6-foot-8 middle blocker, made her senior team debut in 2019 during the Volleyball Nations League. Sunday she recorded 10 kills and three blocks in a five-set loss to Turkey in a Volleyball Nations League preliminary match in Arlington, Texas. That performance followed seven kills and one block in a four-set loss to Poland on Saturday.
Carlini has been a member of the national team since 2016. The 6-2 setter played in an earlier round of the Volleyball Nations League this year.
Their selection to the national team continues a run of success that started at Wisconsin.
Carlini helped Wisconsin reached the national final as a freshman in 2013 and win a Big Ten title in 2014. She was a four-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American, including a three-time first-team selection. Since UW she has played professionally in Italy, Russia and Turkey.
Rettke was a five-time first-team All-American who helped the Badgers win three Big Ten titles, reach three Final Fours and win the 2021 national title. She was also the national player of the year in 2021. She has played professionally in Italy since college.
When Olympic play begins team UW fans will notice a large Big Ten presence on the team. Six other U.S. players competed in the conference: setter Jordyn Poulter (Illinois), libero Justine Wong-Orantes (Nebraska), outside hitter Jordan Larson (Nebraska), opposite hitter Annie Drews (Purdue), middle blocker Haleigh Washington (Penn State) and outside hitter Kelsey Robinson Cook (Nebraska).
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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