Southwest Wisconsin Conference

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The Southwest Wisconsin Conference is a high school athletic conference in Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Comprising the six largest high schools in the southwest corner of the state, the conference was founded in 2005 and is affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Contents

History

The Southwest Wisconsin Conference was formed from a membership split in the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League. Since 1987, the SWAL had consisted of fourteen schools in two divisions subdivided by membership size. Division I consisted of the larger schools, and the smaller schools made up Division II. [1] This divisional alignment remained intact for the next sixteen years until 2003. Cuba City, the smallest school in the SWAL Division I, sought to switch divisions and join with smaller schools in the SWAL Division II. [2] Boscobel, the largest school in Division II, resisted the move and the two factions continued to seek a solution. In 2004, a realignment agreement was reached that would place Boscobel back in an eight-member SWAL Division II, with the remaining six schools comprising Division I. [3] Instead, the six remaining schools (Dodgeville, Lancaster, Platteville, Prairie du Chien, Richland Center and River Valley) left the SWAL to form the Southwest Wisconsin Conference, commencing play in the 2005-06 school year. [4]

Football

For the first fourteen seasons of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference, the six members that comprised its all-sport lineup also made up its football roster. During this period, Lancaster was a dominant force in the sport, winning eleven conference championships and three state titles. To achieve greater parity among conference members, Lancaster was moved to the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League as a football-only member for the 2019 season and were replaced by three schools from the Coulee Conference: Arcadia, Viroqua and Westby. [5] This would only last for one season, as the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and the WIAA collaborated on a football-only realignment to begin with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle. [6] The three Coulee Conference members returned to that conference, with Brodhead/Juda of the Rock Valley Conference and New Glarus/Monticello of the Capitol Conference entering as their replacements. The SWC also entered into a scheduling alliance with the South Central Conference as part of the realignment. [7] However, the SWC instead joined forces with the SWAL to play their football season in the spring 2021 alternate season due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the new alignment taking effect for the fall 2021 season. [8] In 2022, Lancaster made their return to the SWC, replacing New Glarus/Monticello after their return to the Capitol Conference. [9] For the current 2024-2025 realignment cycle, New Glarus returned to the SWC to bring football membership to eight schools and nullify the South Central Conference scheduling agreement. [10] The Southwest Wisconsin Conference will go back to seven football members in 2026 when New Glarus joins the SWAL, along with a new interconference scheduling arrangement with the Eastern Suburban Conference. [11]

List of member schools

Current members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoined
Dodgeville Dodgeville, WI Public375Dodgers  2005 [4]
Lancaster Lancaster, WI Public295Flying Arrows  2005 [4]
Platteville Platteville, WI Public513Hillmen  2005 [4]
Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien, WI Public343Blackhawks  2005 [4]
Richland Center Richland Center, WI Public418Hornets  2005 [4]
River Valley Spring Green, WI Public389Blackhawks  2005 [4]

Current football-only members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsJoinedPrimary Conference
Brodhead/Juda Brodhead, WI Public411Cardinals  2019 CYTBN (2025), Six Rivers

Former football-only members

SchoolLocationAffiliation Enrollment MascotColorsSeasonsPrimary Conference
Arcadia Arcadia, WI Public417Raiders  2019 Coulee
Viroqua Viroqua, WI Public339Blackhawks  2019 Coulee
Westby Westby, WI Public305Norsemen  2019 Coulee
New Glarus/Monticello New Glarus, WI Public421Glarner Knights  2020-2021 Capitol, Six Rivers
New Glarus New Glarus, WI Public323Glarner Knights  2024-2025 CYTBN (2025)

Membership timeline

Full members

Southwest Wisconsin Conference

Football members

Southwest Wisconsin Conference

Membership map

Southwest Wisconsin Conference
Southwest Wisconsin Conference
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Location of Southwest Wisconsin Conference full members:

List of state champions

Fall sports

Girls Cross Country
SchoolYearDivision
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2005Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2006Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2010Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2011Division 2
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2012Division 2
Lancaster2018Division 3
Lancaster2020Division 3
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2021Division 2
Lancaster2023Division 3
Football
SchoolYearDivision
Lancaster2005Division 5
Lancaster2006Division 5
Lancaster2014Division 5

Winter sports

Boys Wrestling
SchoolYearDivision
Lancaster2013Division 3

Spring sports

Boys Golf
SchoolYearDivision
Lancaster2014Division 3
Softball
SchoolYearDivision
Dodgeville2021Division 3
Boys Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Richland Center2007Division2
Girls Track & Field
SchoolYearDivision
Dodgeville/Mineral Point2015Division 2

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball

SchoolQuantityYears
Prairie du Chien72007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019
River Valley62007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2020
Platteville52018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025
Dodgeville42013, 2015, 2022, 2023
Richland Center42006, 2013, 2014, 2021
Lancaster0

Girls Basketball

SchoolQuantityYears
Platteville62013, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2024, 2025
Prairie du Chien62019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Richland Center62007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Dodgeville32014, 2015, 2018
Lancaster12006
River Valley0

Football

SchoolQuantityYears
Lancaster112005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
River Valley52010, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020
Platteville42006, 2016, 2017, 2023
Prairie du Chien42015, 2018, 2022, 2024
Brodhead/Juda12021
Arcadia0
Dodgeville0
Richland Center0
New Glarus0
New Glarus/Monticello0
Viroqua0
Westby0

References

  1. "SWAL, Southern Eight combined as one league". The Boscobel Dial. December 18, 1986. p. 17. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  2. Hernandez, Rob (January 7, 2003). "SWAL searches for compromise". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. D3. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  3. "Board approves some realignment". Wisconsin State Journal. December 4, 2004. pp. F7. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hernandez, Rob (August 28, 2005). "Off and Running (and Blocking)". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 24. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  5. AB Staff (April 25, 2018). "Wisconsin Prep Conferences to Realign". Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  6. "Revised Football-Only Conference Plan Released". Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. February 9, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  7. "WFCA/WIAA Football-Only Realignment Proposal" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. February 6, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  8. "Football - Teams - 2020 Spring Alternate Regular Season (see COVID Spring-Large and COVID Spring-Small standings)". Wisconsin Sports Network. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  9. "Proposed Football Only Conference Alignment - 11-Player" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. February 11, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  10. "2024-25 Conference Realignment Plan – 11-Player Football" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. December 14, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  11. "2026 - 27 Conference Realignment – 11-Player Football" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. December 10, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2025.