From the WIAA —
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved four conference realignment fast-track recommendations and spring cooperative teams at its May meeting today.
The four approved realignment fast-track recommendations impact four different sports. In football, the two divisions of the Midwest Classic Conference have been altered for 2026 with the addition of University School of Milwaukee and the formation of the Catholic Central/Kenosha Christian Life Co-op. The renamed Midwest Division of the Midwest Classic Conference for football will include St. Francis, Racine Lutheran, Milwaukee Academy of Science, Pius XI Catholic and Cudahy. The Classic Division includes Brookfield Academy, University School of Milwaukee, Living Word Lutheran, Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic, Kingdom Prep Lutheran and Catholic Central/Kenosha Christian Life Co-op.
The Board also approved Merrill’s move from independent status to the Great Northern Conference in boys hockey beginning in 2026-27, and the Midwest Classic will merge into the Metro Classic Conference to form one wrestling conference beginning in 2026-27.
Beginning in the spring of 2027, the Badger Conference will split into two conferences for boys lacrosse. DeForest, Edgewood Co-op, Oregon Co-op, Sauk Prairie Co-op, Watertown, Waunakee and Wayland Academy will remain in the Badger Conference. Janesville Co-op, La Crosse Central Co-op, Middleton, Sun Prairie East/West, Verona/Mount Horeb and Madison LaFollette Co-op will be affiliated with the Big 8 Conference.
The Board approved staff recommendations for miscellaneous changes to the 2026-27 budget, including increases for Tournament Series officials’ mileage, staff and committee meeting stipends, State Tournament officials’ gifts, State Tournament worker apparel, and licensed officials’ career milestone gifts.
Other action items approved by the Board included spring co-op team applications for 2026-27 and 2027-28, a letter of support for a UW-Milwaukee research study on “Neurocognitive Factors Associated with Noncontact ACL Injury Risk in Female Athletes,” and the April fund statements and payments.
Executive staff updates to the Board included a review of 2025-26 WIAA social media analytics, preparations for the 2026 Spring Tournament Series, progress to the next stage of development for the WIAA Foundation, a membership survey on the current competitive balance initiative, and ongoing efforts to recruit and retain licensed officials.
Rachel Biertzer and Janel Batten, co-chairs of the Calendar & Contact Ad Hoc Committee, presented the findings from a review of season lengths and maximum game limits, recommending no changes to these regulations. The Board also received a report on Student-Athlete Leadership Team activities and the selection of 14 juniors to replace graduating seniors on the team for the 2026-27 school year.
The Board received liaison reports from Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Paul Manriquez of the Department of Public Instruction and Kyle LeMieux of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
