UW-Platteville re-opens for school year after tornado

UW-Platteville campus ready for students return

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Just two months after a tornado ripped through UW-Platteville, students returned to a campus that looks virtually untouched.

Back in June, an EF-2 tornado tore through the college’s stadium and the rest of the community, leaving behind an almost unrecognizable campus.

“It was devastating,” said athletic director Mark Molesworth. “To come into this facility to see light towers down, and fences blown in and trees down and all the devastation, it was kind of heart-wrenching.”

“It was pretty earth-shaking,” said Ryan Munz, an offensive coordinator for UW-P’s football team. “It’s one of those things you see on TV but you don’t think you’ll ever experience.” 

Against all odds, UW-Platteville celebrated a grand re-opening just two months after that tornado, and just in time for the upcoming school year.

Munz said that’s thanks to the supportive community in Platteville.

“The community comes together and it help you grow stronger, and you realize there’s more support here than what you realize,” Munz said.

Construction still litters the football stadium, with repairs ongoing for at least another week.

But coaches say the wait will only make their homecoming more meaningful.

“It’s going to be pretty exciting to have that first home game, because it should be a pretty electrifying experience for us to see that support,” Munz said.

The Pioneers’ first home game falls on Sept. 13, and construction is expected to be finished by then.