The 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter led the Cardinals to a 37-7-1 record and the Division 4 state championship this past season. Whalen amassed 682 kills, 315 digs, 97 service aces and 86 blocks while posting a kill percentage of .527 and a hitting percentage of .440. A MaxPreps First Team All-American and the MaxPreps Small Schools National Player of the Year, Whalen recorded 25 kills and nine digs in a 3-0 win over Clayton High in the state final. She concluded her prep volleyball career with 2,402 kills, 1,005 digs, 324 service aces and 283 blocks.
Whalen has maintained a 3.97 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on scholarship at the University of Wisconsin this fall.
Whalen has served as part of a mission trip to Chicago, where she helped feed the homeless. She has also volunteered locally on a fundraising campaign to benefit breast cancer research and as a youth volleyball coach. "What Mariah has done for her team, not just the year but over the past four years, has been remarkable," said Luke Herriges, head coach of Oshkosh North High. "She is always going 100 percent on court and has a very high volleyball IQ. She plays a very cerebral game."