News Report: U of Wisconsin to Keep Hosting WIAA Championships

ccording to a news report, elite facilities on the University of Wisconsin campus will continue to be the postseason destination for high school teams in five sports.

The article, published in the Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), notes the following:

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the University of Wisconsin athletic department last week announced a five-year extension that grants the WIAA access to campus facilities in boys basketball, football, golf, softball and wrestling. The agreement keeps those state championships at university facilities through the 2024-school year.

The WIAA will continue to hold state swimming and tennis at University of Wisconsin facilities. But the WIAA holds contracts with a different entity, UW Recreation Sports, for those venues.

"We're absolutely thrilled and have been very happy and pleased with our relationship with the WIAA," Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said in a statement. "I think it is important for the university, for our department and also for the city that we maintain this relationship and continue to have the state championships here on campus."

The WIAA has held the boys state basketball tournament and the boys state individual wrestling tournaments at the Kohl Center since it opened in 1998. The state team wrestling tournament has been contested at the UW Field House since 2005.

The state football finals have been played at Camp Randall Stadium since 1982, and boys and girls state golf has taken place at University Ridge every year since 1994, with the exception of the girls tournament in 2012 because of course renovations. State softball has been played at Goodman Diamond since 2002.

"We're grateful to Coach Alvarez and his whole team for helping to put this into place," WIAA executive director Dave Anderson said in a statement. "We need to acknowledge the efforts of Deb Archer and the Conventional and Visitors Bureau, and Mayor Soglin and the City of Madison to continue to make this community and campus a welcoming place for WIAA sports fans."

According to the WIAA, a paid attendance of 220,557 witnessed state tournaments in Madison. That figure does not include participants, coaches and school administrators.

The WIAA oversees athletic programs for 512 senior high schools and 43 junior high/middle level schools. It sponsors 27 championship tournament series.

To read the full article, go here.