La Crosse, Wis. – Viterbo University men's basketball coach Wayne Wagner announced today that Tyler Kastenschmidt (West Salem, Wis.) has signed a letter of intent to play for the V-Hawks in 2012.

"We are very excited to add Tyler to the mix here at Viterbo University," commented Coach Wagner. "He is not only a great athlete, but he is a tremendous individual with great character and leadership and comes from a great background and upbringing.He brings not only a physical presence from the guard spot, but Tyler also has great ball skills and toughness that makes him a solid player on both ends of the court."

"I chose Viterbo Men's basketball because Coach Wagner has built a strong, successful program and a winning attitude and I want to be a part of something like that," stated Kastenschmidt. "I also chose Viterbo academically because they had the major I wanted to go into and the small class sizes which will help with my learning environment, and what stood out to me was that everything is close and accessible to me."

Kastenschmidt will join the V-Hawks after having a great athletic career at West Salem High School.  Kastenschmidt, a 6'1 guard, made his presence known for the Panthers football team, basketball team and track team. So far this season on the hardwood, Kastenschmidt is averaging 12.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game. Through 12 games, the Panthers are 6-6 overall and 2-4 in the Coulee Conference. He was also selected as a senior to watch in the state of Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook. As a junior, Kastenschmidt was named to the Coulee Conference Honorable Mention team. He averaged 11.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg as a junior.

Panther's Head Coach Chad Hayes had this to say about Kastenschmidt when asked what he has meant to his team; "One of the hardest working and most coachable kids I have ever had. His work ethic and leadership are going to be hard to replace next year."

When asked what he was most looking forward to Kastenschmidt had this to say: "school-wise I am looking forward to doing well in my classes and being the best person I can possibly be for Viterbo. Basketball-wise I look forward to playing with guys that all want to win and win a conference championship."

Outside of basketball, Kastenschmidt had plenty of success on the football field where he was one of the top wide receivers in the Coulee Region. He finished his senior season with 22 receptions, 556 yards and 10 touchdowns to help his team finish 8-4 overall.

"Tyler has built himself up as a multi-sport athlete that really has the physical attributes to compete at the next level, stated Coach Wagner. "It is especially exciting having him as a local student-athlete that will be able to get involved early with our programming."

The National Honor Society student, Kastenschmidt will pursue a degree in Management Information Systems during his time at Viterbo University.