WIAA Performance Factor Results in Fall Sports Divisional Movement

Friday, December 6th, 2024 -- 10:28 AM

STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association performance factor initiative has advanced through the process for the second year with a review of the fall sports to be effective in 2025.

School programs reaching the six-point threshold during the past three seasons are placed in the division containing the next largest set of enrollments from where the schools’ enrollments would place them for each respective sport other than track & field, swimming & diving–which do not have a team component to advancement in the Tournament Series–and sports with only one division. Schools are restricted to moving up a maximum of one division from the previous year’s placement.

This initiative affords schools the opportunity to request to move to a division with lower enrollments for all sports except football, swimming & diving, and track & field in 2025-26. The Classification Committee reviewed four such requests for girls volleyball (Omro, Oshkosh North, Salam and Sheboygan South), one for boys soccer (Sheboygan South), one for both boys and girls cross country (Sheboygan South boys and girls), and two for girls tennis (Roncalli/Two Rivers and Sheboygan South). The committee approved four requests in girls volleyball (Omro, Oshkosh North, Salam and Sheboygan South), one in boys soccer (Sheboygan South), one in boys cross country (Sheboygan South) and one in girls tennis (Sheboygan South).

The school sports programs that have accumulated at least six points to engage a promotion to a division with higher enrollments–if their 2025-26 tournament placement enrollment doesn’t initially move them up a division–are listed below. Please note that programs that meet the performance points threshold to be promoted and are initially assigned to a lower enrollment division–based on their 2025-26 tournament assignment enrollments–will be promoted back into the division they competed in during the most recent season’s Tournament Series.

Boys Cross Country (9)

Cedar Grove-Belgium

Hudson

Kohler

Lakeside Lutheran

Marquette

Oconomowoc

Solon Springs/Northwood

Stevens Point Area Senior High School

West Salem

Girls Cross Country (7)

Assumption

Bloomer

Muskego

Neenah

Slinger

University School of Milwaukee

Xavier

Football (9)

Aquinas

Badger

Bay Port

Edgar

Grantsburg

Kimberly

Notre Dame

Stratford

Wrightstown

Girls Golf (6)

Bay Port

Divine Savior Holy Angels

Edgewood

Middleton

Prescott

Westosha Central

Boys Soccer (6)

Brookfield East

Lake Country Lutheran

Marquette

Middleton

Shoreland Lutheran

Waukesha West

Girls Tennis (5)

Aquinas

Arrowhead

Middleton

University School of Milwaukee

Xavier

Girls Volleyball (6)

Divine Savior Holy Angels

Howards Grove

Oconomowoc

St. Croix Falls

Wonewoc-Center

Xavier

The performance factor process affords schools the opportunity to appeal their promotion to the division with the next largest enrollments based on performance points. Of the 48 programs listed above that compiled points to engage in a promotion, 11 appeals were submitted. The Classification Committee evaluated one appeal in girls volleyball (Wonewoc-Center), two in boys soccer (Lake Country Lutheran and Waukesha West), three in boys cross country (Cedar Grove-Belgium, Solon Springs and West Salem), two in girls cross country (Lancaster and Xavier), one in girls tennis (Aquinas) and two in football (Badger and Wrightstown). The two approved appeals were Wonewoc-Center in girls volleyball and Xavier in girls cross country.

The original ad hoc committee consisting of 11 superintendents/district administrators, six athletic directors, one principal and one principal/athletic director proposed the performance factor process, which was approved by a 265-115 membership vote at the 2023 Annual Meeting that is being implemented in 2024-25. The current committee consists of nine athletic directors, two principals ad seven superintendents.

The performance factor initiative promotes school programs that reach a threshold of tournament success based on a performance point system allocated over a three-year period.

The WIAA will determine the Tournament Series assignments to be released for all 2025 fall sports except football and girls volleyball in early January 2025. For more on the performance factor process, visit the Classification Committee homepage on the WIAA website.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.