A Marquette track & field athlete has been charged with 12 felony counts of child sex crimes in Langlade County, Wisconsin.

Prosecutors on Jan. 13 charged 21-year-old William Waterstradt, a senior in the College of Communication from Green Bay, with:

• Three counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child
• Three counts of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime
• Three counts of exposing genitals to a child
• Two counts of child enticement
• One count of child sexual exploitation

Each of the three counts of sexual assault of a child alone hold a prison sentence of up to 40 years and/or a $100,000 fine.

Waterstradt, who identified himself as a 17-year-old “Connor O’Neill,” was communicating with the 13-year-old victim through Snapchat, according to the criminal complaint. He has been accused of going to Langlade on three occasions between July and October of 2025.

The victim told prosecutors that once she told “Connor” her age she “expected that he would limit or cut off contact, but that he continued with no issues,” the complaint said. Detectives reviewed messages between Waterstradt and the victim in which he acknowledged the victim was 13 years old and described having had sexual intercourse with them.

Officers also found that Waterstradt was using his fake identity on eight different Snapchat accounts where he claimed to be 16-17 years old.

As of Jan. 17, Waterstradt is not listed on the Marquette track & field team’s 2025-26 roster. His 2024-25 profile said he ran unattached at Northern Michigan prior to joining the Golden Eagles as a hurdler. He attended De Pere High School in Green Bay.

When asked to comment, Marquette athletics spokesperson Scott Kuykendall directed the Marquette Wire to the university’s office of marketing and communication. University spokesperson Kevin Conway wrote in a statement Marquette “does not comment on ongoing legal matters,” noting Waterstradt is no longer enrolled at the university.

Waterstradt attended his Jan. 14 initial hearing virtually from Langlade County Jail, according to online court records. The cash bond was set at $500,000 and a request for a bond reduction was submitted on Jan. 16. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 21.

Waterstradt is being represented by Jonathan LaVoy, who graduated from Marquette Law School in 1999. His profile says he has been a guest lecturer on the subject of trial advocacy at the university’s law school.

“William and his family are taking these allegations seriously and I am in the process of obtaining police reports and other evidence,” LaVoy said in a statement to the Wire. 

This story was updated to add new information. 

This story was written by Jack Albright and Sophia Tiedge. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].