Wisconsin

Wisconsin National Guard unit nears end of Baltic deployment

Published

2 years ago

January 25, 2024

This past May, eight 112th MPAD Soldiers mobilized to various locations across the Baltics, dividing the unit into three teams to provide public affairs coverage of U.S. Forces and Allies throughout Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

The mission of the 112th is to effectively communicate and showcase the multinational partnerships between U.S. Forces and NATO Allies and security partners. This is achieved through the creation of compelling imagery, interviews, informative products about various training and exercises, and community events.

“This is a tight-knit group made up of special Soldiers, and I couldn’t be prouder of what the 112th MPAD has already accomplished during this deployment,” said Maj. Joseph Trovato, 112th MPAD commander. “The unit has earned accolades at every level, and the Soldiers are making a major impact at the strategic level in the European theater. We’ve entrusted our junior leaders to go out and execute their mission on their own, and they’ve really stepped up and continued to display their professionalism at every turn while churning out fantastic products that tell the story of both task forces that we’ve supported since we arrived.”

The 112th initially provided public affairs support to Task Force Ivy, led by the 4th Infantry Division, and now supports the 3rd Infantry Division-led Task Force Marne.

Responsibilities span mission planning and coordination, creating video productions, photographing events, facilitating media engagements, managing social media, and training unit public affairs representatives to augment the teams. The 112th has published approximately 900 photographs and 200 video products during more than 150 missions.

The division of the 112th into geographically separate teams has allowed junior noncommissioned officers to branch out from their normal content collection duties and assume roles that are not commonly available at home.

“[A] great positive that I have come across since being here is understanding my boundaries and what I’m capable of,” said Sgt. Alex Soliday, a public affairs mass communication noncommissioned officer. “I’ve learned I can take on leadership roles and maintain them at a high-functioning level.”

Soliday said that an example of this was when he set up a Christmas event from beginning to end for the USO using his spare time.

Additionally, with teams spread throughout the region, team leads had a unique opportunity to develop and use their content collection skills alongside their noncommissioned officer counterparts as well as perform in their regular officer role.

“As a captain, I felt the obligation to network with every key leader in the battle group and establish a [point of contact] with the public affairs representative of every participating country,” said Capt. Daniel Yarnall, a public affairs officer. “Additionally, I felt as though I had to establish contact with higher NATO command, which I did. Then I felt I had to lead by example when it came to content collecting.”

Outside of their public affairs mission, 112th Soldiers have also been able to take advantage of personal and professional development opportunities, and experience different cultures in the region.

Soliday has enjoyed getting to know new people, eating the local food, and exploring different countries.

“My favorite experience in Poland has been being able to find my footing in something I enjoy and that is working with the USO,” said Soliday. “I have volunteered over 125 hours within the last three months and will continue until the end of my tour. Once we get back from deployment, I will hopefully pursue a career with the USO.”

Yarnall also spent part of his time supporting the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force – Africa in Italy. While a few things stood out as great experiences, according to Yarnall, the best part was getting to spend time with a group of public affairs soldiers.

“I feel like they grew to like having me around.” said Yarnall. “Additionally, I seem to have inspired their creative side with my Photoshop work.”

The unit’s commander took pride in the development of the Soldiers during the deployment.

“The most rewarding part of this deployment has been seeing these junior Soldiers develop their skills and knowledge while growing into bonafide leaders and subject-matter experts,” Trovato said. “Their confidence in themselves has grown exponentially, and it will set them up as public affairs leaders in our force for years to come. This theater is dynamic and critical to our nation’s security, and our Soldiers can return home knowing they’ve made a big impact here.”

The 112th is set to return to Wisconsin in the spring.

Date Taken:	01.09.2024
Date Posted:	01.25.2024 05:44
Story ID:	462393
Location:	BOLESLAWIEC, PL

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

Published

5 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin Badgers starting center Jake Renfro is using a medical hardship year and entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.

Renfro, a sixth-year senior in 2024, battled numerous injuries this season, limiting him to only four games after having season-ending surgery. He was a full-time starter for Wisconsin in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season except for the team’s bowl game due to injury.

Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Renfro had played for head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati for three seasons. He played in seven games as a freshman in 2020, making six starts at center. He then was the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2021, earning All-AAC honors before missing the entire 2022 season due to injury.

Now, he’s set to come back to college football for a seventh year, rather than turn pro, and will look to do so at another school.

“I want to thank Coach Fickell, the entire coaching and training staff, my teammates, and the University of Wisconsin for everything over the past three seasons,” Renfro wrote. “I am grateful for the support, development, friendships, and memories I have made during my time in Madison. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal and use a medical hardship year to continue my college football journey. I will always appreciate my time as a Badger.”

Renfro was one of the biggest supporters of Fickell publicly, being a vocal leader on the team as the starting center.

With his departure, Wisconsin could need a new starting left tackle, left guard, and center next season, depending on whether Joe Brunner heads to the NFL or returns for another season.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Published

17 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Sisters Alicia and Lizzy Andrew will face each other in the NCAA volleyball tournament regional semifinals.
Alicia is a redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin, while Lizzy is a sophomore middle blocker for Stanford.
Alicia and Lizzy Andrew have similarities on and off the court as they each contribute to college volleyball powerhouses.

MADISON — It did not take long for Alicia Andrew to text her younger sister after watching the NCAA volleyball selection show with her Wisconsin teammates in a lounge area in the south end zone of Camp Randall Stadium.

“I was like, ‘Girl!’” Andrew said. “She’s like, ‘I know! I’ll see you in Texas! And I was like, ‘I’m so excited!’”

Andrew will not see her younger sister in the Gregory Gym stands like any other family members, but rather on the court as an opposing player in the Badgers’ NCAA tournament regional semifinal match against Stanford.

Alicia Andrew is a 6-foot-3 redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin. Lizzy Andrew is a 6-foot-5 sophomore middle blocker for Stanford. The sisters will play against each other for the first time with a spot in the NCAA regional finals on the line.

“Certainly when you’re having two high-level Division I starters on teams that are top five, top 10 in the country playing the same position, that’s pretty unique,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “They’re both talented and competitive. But I also know that the players aren’t going to make it about themselves or the person that’s on the other side of the net. They’re parts of teams that are trying to move on and move forward and play great volley.”

Alicia has naturally fielded questions about the sibling rivalry, but she is “not reading too much into rivalry stuff and just playing this sport.”

“It’s another game,” she said after a recent UW practice. “Yes, it’s her across the net. But it’s a business. We both want to move on to the next round.”

Both players have played key parts in their respective teams’ path to this stage.

Alicia, after transferring from Baylor, is the only UW player to appear in all 98 sets this season and one of five to appear in all 30 matches. She is second on the team with 111 blocks, barely trailing fellow middle blocker Carter Booth’s 119.

“Really wants to be good for the people around her,” Sheffield said of Alicia. “Wants to do her job. Takes pride in her job. There’s a maturity, but yet there’s a playfulness that is a really good balance for her. Love coaching her. She’s wired the right way. She really is.”

Lizzy, meanwhile, ranks seventh in the country with a .441 hitting percentage in 2025 after earning a spot on the all-ACC freshman team in 2024. She also has experience playing with the U.S. U21 national team.

“I’m so proud of how hard she worked and her journey to Stanford,” Alicia said. “She puts in so much work, and she just loves the sport of volleyball. And I have loved watching her grow. It’s been fun to see her get better and better every year. And this past season, she’s been playing lights out.”

That pride has turned Alicia into a frequent viewer of ACC volleyball, of course whenever it has not conflicted with the Badgers’ own matches.

“We try to watch as many of each other’s games as we can, and I always just love watching her play,” she said. “I’m so proud of her. She’s just worked her tail off at Stanford, so to see her excel has been so fun.”

The Andrew sisters — Alicia, Lizzy and Natalie, who is on the rowing team at the U.S. Naval Academy — competed together in high school. (They also have a younger brother, William.) Competing against each other is a new concept for them, though.

“We’re not huge trash talkers, neither one of us,” Alicia said. “So I think that she’s going to play her game. I’m going to play my game. We’re going to have our heads down. There might be some looking across and smiling because we make the exact same expressions and quirky faces and reactions.”

The sisters don’t look the same – Lizzy has blonde hair and Alicia has brown hair. But Alicia quickly sees the resemblance with those on-court mannerisms.

“If there’s a silly play or if there is like a really unexpected dump or something, she’ll turn around and make the exact same face that I will,” Alicia said. “And it’s funny watching her on TV because I’m like, ‘Wow, that looks scary familiar.’”

They have some similarities off the court, too.

“We’re just goobers,” Alicia said. “We just like to have a good time together. Obviously she’s my little sister, but we have always been a close family — like all the siblings — so I feel like we’ve done all the things together growing up in all the sports.”

The Andrew parents are perhaps the biggest winners of the NCAA tournament bracket.

“My parents were super excited,” Alicia said. “They don’t have to split the travel plan, so they can save some frequent flyer miles there and both be in Texas. … They’re always trying to coordinate all the schedules.”

The Andrew family made T-shirts for the unique sisterly matchup. (Alicia thinks she is getting one considering they asked her and Lizzy for their shirt sizes in the family group chat.) The shirts are black, too, so there is no favoritism between Wisconsin and Stanford’s variations of cardinal red.

“They have a Stanford ‘S’ and a tree on it and then a Wisconsin ‘W’ and a little Badger on it, too,” Andrew said. “They’re really excited about these shirts. They’re being non-biased; they’re repping both daughters.”

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Wisconsin

8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

Published

1 day ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

RICHMOND TOWNSHIP, Wis. (FOX 9) – A crash in western Wisconsin killed an 8-year-old boy and seriously injured a 27-year-old Wednesday morning.

Fatal crash in Richmond Township, Wisconsin

What we know:

According to St. Croix County, just before 10 a.m., deputies responded to a crash on the 1500 block of County Road A.

Authorities say that a 27-year-old woman was driving a van southbound, and lost control on an icy curve and collided with another vehicle.

The woman suffered serious injuries from the crash and was taken to the hospital to be treated, law enforcement said. The boy was critically injured, and was also taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Both were wearing seat belts during the crash.

The driver of the other vehicle was treated for minor injuries at the scene and was released.

This is the 10th traffic fatality in St. Croix County.

What we don’t know:

The current condition of the woman is unknown.

The Source: A press release from St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office.

Road incidentsWisconsin

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