Olympian Conference

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The Olympian Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its members concentrated in east central Wisconsin. Formed in 1970 and dissolved in 2015, all conference members belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Contents

History

1970-1999

Olympian Conference
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Location of Original Olympian Conference Members

The Olympian Conference was formed in 1970 by eight small- to medium-sized high schools in proximity to the Fox River Valley and Lake Winnebago in east central Wisconsin. [1] Six of the original conference members previously competed in the Little Nine Conference (Brillion, Denmark, Freedom, Hilbert, Reedsville and Wrightstown), while one each came from the Eastern Wisconsin (Valders) and Peninsula (Mishicot) Conferences. The name of the conference was credited to a student at Mishicot High School [2] after each school in the new conference suggested a name. Other finalists considered were the Inter-Lake Conference, Mid-Valley Conference and Packerland Conference (which would itself be used for a new conference that was inaugurated the same year as the Olympian). It was named so because the Olympics are considered the pinnacle of athletic competition. [3] The Olympian Conference's first change in membership occurred in 1979, as Valders left to join a reconstituted Eastern Wisconsin Conference after a successful appeal against joining the Packerland Conference. [4] [5] Their stay in the newly-formed EWC was short-lived as they returned to the Olympian [6] in 1980 to bring the circuit back to eight member schools. For football, Denmark and Mishicot swapped affiliations with Packerland members Gibraltar and Sevastopol, [7] an arrangement that would last until the 1984 football season. [8]

1999-2015

Olympian Conference
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19miles
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Location of Final Olympian Conference Members

The Olympian Conference's membership roster was remarkably stable for the first three decades of its existence, but major changes came in 1999 during a wave of realignment in east central Wisconsin. Denmark and Freedom, the two largest schools in the conference, left to join the Packerland Conference and Valley 8 Conference, respectively. [9] They were replaced by three schools: Chilton (previously of the Eastern Wisconsin Conference), Manitowoc Lutheran (formerly a member of the Fox Valley Christian Conference) and St. Mary Catholic in Neenah (from the Midwest Classic Conference). [10] Both Manitowoc Lutheran and St. Mary Catholic were new to the WIAA having recently joined as part of the merger with the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (WISAA). The Olympian Conference would continue in this alignment for eight years before Roncalli in Manitowoc joined from the Eastern Wisconsin Conference in 2007. [11] That same year, the Olympian entered into a football partnership with the Packerland Conference, creating the new seventeen-member Olympian-Packerland Conference. [12] The Olympian Conference would be dissolved in 2015 as its five of its smallest members (Hilbert, Manitowoc Lutheran, Mishicot, Reedsville and St. Mary Catholic) would leave to join nine former Central Lakeshore Conference schools in forming the new Big East Conference. The Eastern Wisconsin Conference took four former Olympian schools into the fold (Brillion, Chilton, Roncalli and Valders), and Wrightstown would join the North Eastern Conference. [13]

Conference membership history

Full members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent Conference
Brillion Brillion, WI Public342Lions  1970 [1] 2015 [13] Eastern Wisconsin
Denmark Denmark, WI Public488Vikings  1970 [1] 1999 [9] [10] Packerland North Eastern
Freedom Freedom, WI Public504Irish  1970 [1] 1999 [9] [10] Valley Eight North Eastern
Hilbert Hilbert, WI Public141Wolves  1970 [1] 2015 [13] Big East
Mishicot Mishicot, WI Public280Indians  1970 [1] 2015 [13] Big East
Reedsville Reedsville, WI Public192Panthers  1970 [1] 2015 [13] Big East
Valders Valders, WI Public298Vikings  1970, [1] 1980 [5] 1979, [5] 2015 [13] Eastern Wisconsin Eastern Wisconsin
Wrightstown Wrightstown, WI Public402Tigers  1970 [1] 2015 [13] North Eastern
Chilton Chilton, WI Public401Tigers  1999 [9] [10] 2015 [13] Eastern Wisconsin
Manitowoc Lutheran Manitowoc, WI Private (Lutheran, WELS)227Lancers  1999 [9] [10] 2015 [13] Big East
St. Mary Catholic Neenah, WI Private (Catholic)277Zephyrs  1999 [9] [10] 2015 [13] Big East
Roncalli Manitowoc, WI Private (Catholic)223Jets  2007 [11] 2015 [13] Eastern Wisconsin

Football-only members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsSeasonsPrimary Conference
Gibraltar Fish Creek, WI Public182Vikings  1979-1982 [7] [8] Packerland
Sevastopol Sturgeon Bay, WI Public180Pioneers  1979-1983 [7] [8] Packerland

Membership timeline

Full members

Olympian Conference

Football members

Olympian Conference

List of state champions

Fall sports

Boys Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Valders1988Class B
Valders1989Class B
Wrightstown1992Division 3
Football
SchoolYearDivision
Brillion1984Division 4
Hilbert1989Division 5
Hilbert1994Division 6
Hilbert1996Division 6
Wrightstown1998Division 5
Brillion2003Division 5
Brillion2004Division 5
Wrightstown2006Division 4

Winter sports

Boys Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
Denmark1985Class B
Freedom1990Class B
Brillion2012Division 3
Girls Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
St. Mary Catholic2009Division 4
Boys Wrestling
SchoolYearDivision
Freedom1997Division 2
Wrightstown1999Division 3
Wrightstown2005Division 3
Wrightstown2006Division 3

Spring sports

Boys Golf
SchoolYearDivision
Wrightstown2002Division 3
Roncalli2009Division 3
Girls Soccer
SchoolYearDivision
St. Mary Catholic2007Division 3
Softball
SchoolYearDivision
Denmark1982Class B
Denmark1983Class B
Denmark1991Division 2
Denmark1997Division 2
Girls Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Brillion1993Division 3
Hilbert1995Division 3
Wrightstown2011Division 2

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball

SchoolQuantityYears
Valders131971, 1973, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 2006, 2010, 2015
Brillion101972, 1980, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013
Freedom71971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1989, 1990, 1998
Manitowoc Lutheran52000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007
Roncalli52008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015
Wrightstown51979, 1986, 1991, 1992, 2012
Denmark41980, 1981, 1985, 1997
Reedsville41976, 1977, 1978, 1995
Hilbert12004
St. Mary Catholic12005
Chilton0
Mishicot0

Girls Basketball

SchoolQuantityYears
Hilbert101976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1998, 1999
Reedsville61979, 1980, 1995, 1996, 2013, 2014
Brillion41984, 2003, 2010, 2012
Denmark41978, 1982, 1983, 1997
St. Mary Catholic42000, 2001, 2005, 2007
Valders41986, 1991, 2002, 2009
Mishicot31993, 1994, 2006
Manitowoc Lutheran22003, 2004
Roncalli22008, 2015
Chilton12011
Freedom11985
Wrightstown11987

Football

SchoolQuantityYears
Wrightstown111974, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006
Hilbert101976, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2003
Brillion81971, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995
Denmark61970, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1996
Reedsville31992, 1993, 1994
Freedom21991, 1997
Valders21993, 2002
Chilton11999
Mishicot11972
Gibraltar0
Manitowoc Lutheran0
Roncalli0
Sevastopol0
St. Mary Catholic0

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Olympian Loop Gets Approval". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. December 5, 1969. p. 22. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  2. "Names Conference". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. December 8, 1969. p. 24. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  3. "Staff's Stuff". Green Bay Press-Gazette. December 14, 1979. p. 38. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  4. "Olympian Tables Decision on Manitowoc Lutheran". Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 8, 1979. p. 26. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Bartel, Roger (October 12, 1978). "Lutheran looks for new conference". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 19. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  6. Rockley, Jan (June 21, 1979). "Valders rejoins Olympian group". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 18. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "WIAA Alters Grid Playoffs". Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 24, 1979. pp. B-2. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Goff, Tom. "WIAA approves CSC, CWC league merger". Appleton Post-Crescent. pp. B-14.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McMahon, Scott (June 26, 1998). "WIAA's realignment stands, as expected". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 15. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lichterman, Dean (April 17, 1998). "Area school officials generally pleased with latest proposals". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 8. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  11. 1 2 VanderPas, Dan (January 13, 2006). "Approval expected for plan". Appleton Post-Crescent. p. 19. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  12. Venci, Scott (June 30, 2007). "It will be a new era". Green Bay Press-Gazette. pp. C-1. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Gannett Wisconsin Media (January 30, 2014). "WIAA approves realignment plan". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. pp. A7 –A8. Retrieved December 18, 2024.