Stevens Point, WI – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) has announced significant changes impacting high school wrestling, set to redefine the competitive landscape starting with the 2025-26 season. These adjustments stem from recommendations by the Winter Coaches Advisory Committees and aim to enhance the sport for all participants across the state.
A Transformed Tournament Series
The most impactful change for Wisconsin wrestling fans and participants is a major restructuring of the WIAA Tournament Series. This new format is designed to create a more balanced and exciting postseason:
- Equalizing Qualifiers: The WIAA is committed to ensuring a more equitable number of qualifiers across all divisions. This means a more consistent and fair path to the state tournament for wrestlers regardless of their division.
- Regional Round Eliminated: Get ready for a direct shot at sectionals! The traditional regional round of the individual tournament competition will be removed from the schedule. This streamlines the early postseason and immediately raises the stakes at the sectional level.
- Expanded Team Sectionals: The Tuesday team sectional is a thing of the past. In its place, an expanded team sectional will take place on the second Saturday of the Tournament Series. This shift promises a more concentrated and impactful day of team competition, potentially creating more buzz and excitement around the team state qualification.
Boosting Girls’ Wrestling
In a clear move to support the rapidly growing sport of girls’ wrestling, the WIAA has approved two key recommendations:
- Practice Waivers for Smaller Programs: To help developing programs, those with seven or fewer total wrestlers can now request a waiver to practice with up to three other small teams. This is a crucial step to provide more training partners and a better practice environment, fostering skill development for individual female wrestlers and helping to build stronger programs. These joint practices are limited to no more than two times per week during the regular season.
- Four Regionals Per Sectional: Beginning in the 2025-26 season, girls’ wrestling sectionals will now draw from four regionals. This change aims to create a more organized and efficient path to the sectional tournament, addressing concerns about the previous format.
Obsolete Regulations Removed
Beyond the tournament series, the WIAA has also taken action to simplify the rulebook by striking language for several obsolete regulations that specifically applied to non-varsity teams composed solely of ninth-grade students. This update aims to make the rules clearer and more concise for all involved.
These updates reflect the WIAA’s ongoing commitment to refining regulations and supporting high school athletics across Wisconsin. What are your thoughts on the changes? Let us know in the comments!
