Southwest Wisconsin Activities League

Last updated

The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in southwestern Wisconsin. Founded in 1926, all league members (past and present) are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Contents

History

Origins and Early Years (1926-1961)

The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League, originally known as the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League, was formed in 1926 by a group of ten small- to medium-sized high schools in southwestern Wisconsin. [1] Original members were Cuba City, Darlington, Dodgeville, Fennimore, Lancaster, Mineral Point, Monroe, Monticello, Mount Horeb and Platteville. Monticello would only be a member during the league's first season, after which they left to become a charter member of the newly formed State Line League. [2] A year later, Monroe would make its exit from the SWAL to help form the new Southern Six Conference. [3] Conference membership remained at eight until 1935, when Boscobel and Prairie du Chien joined the conference. [4] The SWAL maintained this alignment for the next twenty-six years, until expansion caused the league to undergo its first membership split.

Expansion and First Membership Split (1961-1987)

The consolidation of rural school districts in southwestern Wisconsin and the resulting creation of larger high schools coincided with the expansion of the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League. Two newly created high schools joined the conference in 1961, bringing membership to twelve: Iowa-Grant High School in Livingston and West Grant High School in Patch Grove. [5] Three years later, River Valley High School in Spring Green and Riverdale High School in Muscoda joined, bringing membership to fourteen. Membership was also subdivided into North and South Sections that year: [6]

North SectionSouth Section
BoscobelCuba City
FennimoreDarlington
Iowa-GrantDodgeville
Prairie du ChienLancaster
River ValleyMineral Point
RiverdaleMount Horeb
West GrantPlatteville

West Grant left the conference in 1969 to join the Black Hawk League and were replaced by Viroqua (formerly of the South Central Conference). [7] In 1970, Richland Center High School was accepted for the 1971-72 school year as the SWAL's fifteenth member school. [8] They were placed in the league's North Seciton, with Iowa-Grant shifting to the South Section to accommodate the expansion:

North SectionSouth Section
BoscobelCuba City
FennimoreDarlington
Prairie du ChienDodgeville
Richland CenterIowa-Grant
River ValleyLancaster
RiverdaleMineral Point
ViroquaMount Horeb
Platteville

The SWAL never competed in this new alignment, though. Soon after Richland Center joined, the schools in the league's South Section left to form the new Southern Eight Conference. [9] The remaining schools in the SWAL's North Section continued as a seven-member circuit for sixteen years.

Reformation (1987-2005)

In 1987, the Southern Eight Conference merged with the SWAL to create a fourteen-member conference. [10] All original Southern Eight members (with the exception of Mount Horeb, who left the Southern Eight in 1983) rejoined the league, with Southwestern High School in Hazel Green making their SWAL debut. Viroqua also left the SWAL to join the Coulee Conference that year. With conference expansion came subdivision by enrollment into large (Division 1) and small school (Division 2) divisions:

SWAL Division 1SWAL Division 2
Cuba CityBoscobel
DodgevilleDarlington
LancasterFennimore
PlattevilleIowa-Grant
Prairie du ChienMineral Point
Richland CenterRiverdale
River ValleySouthwestern

With the exception of Cuba City and Boscobel swapping divisions in 2003, [11] this divisional alignment remained intact for the next eighteen years before the SWAL split its membership for a second time.

Second Membership Split (2005-present)

In 2005, six members of SWAL Division 1 (Dodgeville, Lancaster, Platteville, Prairie du Chien, Richland Center and River Valley) left the league to form the new Southwest Wisconsin Conference. The original league's name was changed to its current name (the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League) as part of the breakup, and the eight remaining members (Boscobel, Cuba City, Darlington, Fennimore, Iowa-Grant, Mineral Point, Riverdale and Southwestern) have maintained a stable eight-school circuit to the present day. [12]

List of Member Schools

Current Members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoined
Boscobel Boscobel, WI Public212Bulldogs  1935 [4]
Cuba City Cuba City, WI Public273Cubans  1926, [1] 1987 [10]
Darlington Darlington, WI Public280Redbirds  1926, [1] 1987 [10]
Fennimore Fennimore, WI Public223Golden Eagles  1926 [1]
Iowa-Grant Livingston, WI Public204Panthers  1961, [5] 1987 [10]
Mineral Point Mineral Point, WI Public245Pointers  1926, [1] 1987 [10]
Riverdale Muscoda, WI Public202Chieftains  1964 [6]
Southwestern Hazel Green, WI Public162Wildcats  1987 [10]

Former Members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent Conference
Dodgeville Dodgeville, WI Public375Dodgers  1926, [1] 1987 [10] 1971, [9] 2005 [12] Southern Eight, SWC Southwest Wisconsin
Lancaster Lancaster, WI Public295Flying Arrows  1926, [1] 1987 [10] 1971, [9] 2005 [12] Southern Eight, SWC Southwest Wisconsin
Monroe Monroe, WI Public742Cheesemakers  1926 [1] 1928 [3] Southern Six Rock Valley
Monticello Monticello, WI Public98Ponies  1926 [1] 1927 [2] State Line Six Rivers
Mount Horeb Mount Horeb, WI Public792Vikings  1926 [1] 1971 [9] Southern Eight Badger
Platteville Platteville, WI Public513Hillmen  1926, [1] 1987 [10] 1971, [9] 2005 [12] Southern Eight, SWC Southwest Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien, WI Public343Chieftains  1935 [4] 2005 [12] Southwest Wisconsin
West Grant Patch Grove, WI PublicN/AFalcons  1961 [5] 1969 [7] Black Hawk Closed in 1995 [13]
River Valley Spring Green, WI Public389Blackhawks  1964 [6] 2005 [12] Southwest Wisconsin
Viroqua Viroqua, WI Public339Blackhawks  1969 [7] 1987 Coulee
Richland Center Richland Center, WI Public418Hornets  1971 [8] 2005 [12] Southwest Wisconsin

List of State Champions

Fall Sports

Boys Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Dodgeville1967Small Schools
Fennimore1974Class C
Fennimore1977Class C
Fennimore1978Class C
Fennimore1979Class C
Fennimore1980Class C
Fennimore1981Class C
Fennimore1991Division 3
Iowa-Grant2000Division 3
Boscobel2003Division 3
Darlington2011Division 3
Darlington2012Division 3
Darlington2013Division 3
Darlington2014Division 3
Darlington2015Division 3
Darlington2016Division 3
Girls Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Prairie du Chien1975Single Division
Fennimore1980Class C
Fennimore1981Class C
Fennimore1981Class C
Cuba City/Southwestern1997Division 2
Fennimore2001Division 3
Boscobel2002Division 3
Boscobel2004Division 3
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2005Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2006Division 2
Boscobel2007Division 3
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2010Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2011Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2012Division 2
Darlington2016Division 2
Boscobel2021Division 3
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2021Division 2
Football
SchoolYearDivision
Darlington1987Division 5
Darlington1990Division 5
Darlington1991Division 5
Lancaster1993Division 4
Darlington1995Division 4
Lancaster2000Division 4
Lancaster2001Division 4
Lancaster2002Division 4
Girls Volleyball
SchoolYearDivision
Richland Center1987Class B
Iowa-Grant1989Class C
Platteville1994Division 2
Dodgeville1995Division 3
Dodgeville1996Division 3
Iowa-Grant1997Division 3
Dodgeville1999Division 3

Winter Sports

Boys Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
Dodgeville1964Single Division
Darlington1990Class C
Cuba City1991Division 3
Cuba City1998Division 3
Mineral Point2024Division 4
Girls Basketball
SchoolYearDivision
Cuba City1990Class B
Cuba City1991Division 3
Prairie du Chien1991Division 2
Cuba City1993Division 3
Cuba City2005Division 3
Cuba City2006Division 3
Cuba City2007Division 3
Cuba City2010Division 3
Cuba City2014Division 4
Cuba City2015Division 4
Mineral Point2016Division 4
Mineral Point2022Division 4
Gymnastics
SchoolYearDivision
Platteville/Belmont1994Division 2
Cuba City/Southwestern1995Division 2
Cuba City/Southwestern1996Division 2
Cuba City/Southwestern1999Division 2
Cuba City/Southwestern2000Division 2
Boys Wrestling
SchoolYearDivision
River Valley1982Class B
River Valley1984Class B
River Valley1989Class B
Lancaster1990Class B
Riverdale1990Class C
Riverdale1992Class C
Riverdale1997Division 3
Mineral Point2002Division 3
Mineral Point2003Division 3
Iowa-Grant2004Division 3
Mineral Point2007Division 3
Mineral Point2008Division 3
Mineral Point2009Division 3
Fennimore2016Division 3
Fennimore2019Division 3
Mineral Point2021Division 3
Fennimore2022Division 3
Fennimore2023Division 3
Fennimore2024Division 3

Spring Sports

Baseball
SchoolYearDivision
Boscobel1987Class C
Prairie du Chien1993Division 2
Cuba City2022Division 3
Boys Golf
SchoolYearDivision
River Valley1997Division 2
Cuba City2012Division 3
Mineral Point2024Division 3
Softball
SchoolYearDivision
River Valley1985Class B
River Valley1986Class B
Mineral Point2013Division 3
Dodgeville2021Division 3
Boys Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Platteville1929Class B
Platteville1957Class B
Mineral Point1961Class C
Mineral Point1962Class C
Platteville1988Class B
Boscobel1989Class C
Platteville1989Class B
Lancaster/Potosi1998Division 2
Fennimore2009Division 3
Girls Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Prairie du Chien1975Class B
Prairie du Chien1976Class B
Prairie du Chien1977Class B
Prairie du Chien1978Class B
Richland Center1983Class B
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2015Division 2

Summer Sports

Baseball
SchoolYearDivision
Platteville1967Single Division

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Grant County is the most southwestern county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,938. Its county seat is Lancaster and its largest city is Platteville. The county is named after the Grant River, in turn named after a fur trader who lived in the area when Wisconsin was a territory. Grant County comprises the Platteville Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is in the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, and is crossed by travelers commuting to Madison, Wisconsin, from a number of eastern Iowan cities, and by residents of northern Illinois traveling to the Twin Cities or La Crosse, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 608 and 353</span> Telephone area code for southwestern Wisconsin

Area codes 608 and 353 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for much of southwestern Wisconsin, including the state capital city Madison. Area code 608 was assigned in 1955 to a numbering plan area created from areas with area code 414 and area code 715, and was the third area code created in Wisconsin. Rapid growth of the area, specifically in Dane County, brought the area code close to exhaustion of central office prefixes, with NANPA projections in 2022 projecting the need for relief by late 2023. In September 2022, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) announced an overlay complex for the numbering plan area with new area code 353, with an in-service date of September 15, 2023. New central office code orders were accepted starting on July 11, 2023, but activatlon is contingent on complete exhaustion of central office codes for 608.

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, as well as many Wisconsin-based exurbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It borders the states of Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Republican Derrick Van Orden has represented the district since 2023.

Riverdale School District is the school district in the U.S. state of Wisconsin serving the villages of Muscoda, Blue River, and Avoca, as well as surrounding areas of Crawford, Grant, Iowa, and Richland Counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodgeville School District</span> School district in Wisconsin, United States

The Dodgeville School District is headquartered in the city of Dodgeville, Wisconsin. It serves students from Dodgeville and Ridgeway. It consists of three schools - one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. The elementary school covers pre-K through 5th grade. The middle school serves grades 6 through 8, and the high school 9 through 12. A second elementary school, Ridgeway Elementary School, was previously located in Ridgeway but closed at the end of the 2020 school year after being consolidated with Dodgeville Elementary School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Wisconsin Conference</span>

The Southwest Wisconsin Conference, commonly referred as the SWC, is a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) conference in southwest Wisconsin comprising the largest high schools in the area, including the school districts of Dodgeville, Lancaster, Platteville, Prairie du Chien, Richland Center,Broadhead Juda and River Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 NCAA conference realignment</span>

The 1996 NCAA conference realignment was initiated by the dissolution of the Southwest Conference (SWC), the formation of the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA (C-USA), and the expansion of the Western Athletic Conference to 16 teams. This "new" WAC ultimately did not last long, as eight of its 16 members left the conference in 1999 and founded the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Athletic Association</span> NCAA Division III collegiate division

The Southern Athletic Association (SAA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III that began play in the 2012–13 school year. It was formed in 2011 by seven former members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and independent Berry College.

Wisconsin's 17th Senate district is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in southwest Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Crawford, Grant, Green, Lafayette, and Iowa counties, as well as parts of southwest Dane County. It includes the cities of Boscobel, Brodhead, Cuba City, Darlington, Dodgeville, Lancaster, Mineral Point, Monroe, Oregon, Platteville, Prairie du Chien, and Shullsburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin's 51st Assembly district</span> American legislative district in southwest Wisconsin

The 51st Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in southern Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Iowa and Lafayette counties, and parts of western Dane County and eastern Grant County. It includes the cities of Cuba City, Darlington, Dodgeville, Mineral Point, and Shullsburg, and the villages of Arena, Argyle, Avoca, Barneveld, Belmont, Benton, Blanchardville, Blue Mounds, Blue River, Cobb, Gratiot, Hazel Green, Highland, Hollandale, Linden, Livingston, Montfort, Mount Horeb, Muscoda, Rewey, Ridgeway, and South Wayne. The district also contains landmarks such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin estate, the historic Iowa County Courthouse, Governor Dodge State Park, Blue Mound State Park, and Yellowstone Lake State Park. The district is represented by Republican Todd Novak, since January 2015.

Thomas Jefferson Graham was an American cattle rancher, politician, and pioneer of Wisconsin and Montana. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Grant County during the 1878 session.

The South Central Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Originally founded in 1926, it disbanded in 1941 only to reconstitute eleven years later. All member schools of the South Central Conference are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Southern Eight Conference is a former high school athletic conference in southwestern Wisconsin, operating from 1971 to 1987. All member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The State Line League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 1927 and ending competition in 1997, its membership consisted of small schools located in the southernmost counties of the state along the Wisconsin-Illinois border. All member schools were associated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Black Hawk League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Formed in 1930 and in operation until 1997, its membership consisted primarily of small high schools in the southwest corner of Wisconsin. All members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Southeastern Wisconsin Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, operating from 1928 to 1963. All but one of its member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Southern Ten Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, comprising schools in the south central part of the state. It was in operation from 1941 to 1952 and all member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Gateway-West Central Conference is an affiliated pair of former high school athletic conferences with their membership concentrated in west central Wisconsin. Competing from 1941 to 1952, all member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Kickapoo Valley League is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, competing from 1907 to 1971. Membership was concentrated in the Driftless Area of the state, and all members belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "S.W. Wisconsin League Books Grid, Cage Games". Wisconsin State Journal. 21 September 1926. p. 17. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Eight Schools Organize New Sports League". The Capital Times. 14 October 1927. p. 12. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 "11 Tilts Booked in New Circuit". The Stoughton Courier. 17 September 1928. p. 6. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Southwest League Adds Two Teams". Wisconsin State Journal. 1 March 1935. p. 11. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Cornelius, Lew (2 September 1961). "Iowa-Grant, West Grant Join SWAL". The Capital Times. p. 13. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 "SWAL Divided Into Two Sections; Muscoda, River Valley Are Added". The Boscobel Dial. 10 September 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "SWAL Split Into Two Sections With Addition of Viroqua High". The Boscobel Dial. 30 January 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Richland Center Joins Big SWAL". La Crosse Tribune. 24 March 1970. p. 12. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Conference Is Southern Eight". Wisconsin State Journal. 18 December 1970. p. 22. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "SWAL, Southern Eight combined as one league". The Boscobel Dial. 18 December 1986. p. 17. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Lauren (23 January 2003). "Move to SWAL 1 called a 'moot' point". The Boscobel Dial. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hernandez, Rob (28 August 2005). "Off and Running (and Blocking)". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 24. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "News from around the area (Lancaster)". The Boscobel Dial. 20 October 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 10 December 2024.

Southwest Wisconsin Activities League (official site)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.