Wisconsin Valley Conference

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Wisconsin Valley Conference Member School Locations in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Valley Conference is a high school athletic conference composed of the largest public schools in north central Wisconsin. Founded in 1921, it is one of Wisconsin's oldest athletic conferences, and all members belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

Founding and Early Years (1921-1956)

The Wisconsin Valley Conference was founded in 1921^[1] by seven medium- to large-enrollment high schools in north central Wisconsin: Antigo, Marshfield, Merrill, Rhinelander, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln. The early years brought a lot of membership changes to the conference. In 1922, Edgar, Medford, Nekoosa and Tomahawk joined the conference^[2]. Edgar left the following year, and in 1924, Shawano and Wautoma joined the Wisconsin Valley^[3]. They would end up staying for two years, and after Medford left the conference in 1928^[4], membership stayed stable at nine schools for just over two decades. Nekoosa left the Wisconsin Valley in 1951 and in 1955, Tomahawk joined the the Lumberjack Conference^[5]. In addition to losing Tomahawk, the Wisconsin Valley faced an even greater change that year. Citing competitive imbalance in football^[6], the four smallest schools in the conference (Antigo, Marshfield, Merrill and Rhinelander) left the Wisconsin Valley to start a new conference called the Northern Wisconsin Conference^[7]. These four schools continued to schedule WVC members Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids as non-conference opponents^[8], but not Wausau, who had been the dominant force in football for decades. Ultimately, Wausau joined the new Big Rivers Conference^[9] and the four schools who left rejoined in 1956^[10].

Expansion and the Return of Old Rivals (1956-2008)

The revamped Wisconsin Valley Conference began play in 1956 with six schools (Antigo, Marshfield, Merrill, Rhinelander, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln). A seventh school was added to the Wisconsin Valley in 1957 when D.C. Everest High School in Schofield joined the conference^[11]. In 1970, Shawano became the eighth school to join the conference after leaving the Mid-Eastern Conference^[12]. Wausau East was invited to rejoin the Wisconsin Valley Conference from the Big Rivers in 1973, along with newcomer Wausau West to bring conference membership to ten schools^[13]. Shawano would leave the Wisconsin Valley Conference to join the Bay Conference in 1979^[14], and conference membership would remain at nine schools for nearly thirty years.

Present Day (2008-present)

In 2008, two of the smaller schools in the conference left to become member of the new Great Northern Conference: Antigo and Merrill^[15]. Two years later, Merrill and Rhinelander would swap conferences, with Merrill returning to the Wisconsin Valley and Rhinelander taking their place in the Great Northern Conference^[16]^[17]. Merrill is set to return to the Great Northern Conference after fifteen years of Wisconsin Valley membership in 2025^[18], leaving the conference with six member schools.

List of Member Schools

Current Members

School	Location	Affiliation	Enrollment	Mascot	Joined
D.C. Everest	Schofield, WI	Public	1,824	Evergreens	1957
Marshfield	Marshfield, WI	Public	1,250	Tigers	1921^[a], 1956
Merrill	Merrill, WI	Public	801	Bluejays	1921^[b], 1956^[c], 2010^[d]
Stevens Point	Stevens Point, WI	Public	2,105	Panthers	1921
Wausau East	Wausau, WI	Public	948	Lumberjacks	1921, 1973
Wausau West	Wausau, WI	Public	1,535	Warriors	1973
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln	Wisconsin Rapids, WI	Public	1,467	Red Raiders	1921

Notes

^ Left the Wisconsin Valley Conference in 1955, returned in 1956
^ Left the Wisconsin Valley Conference in 1955, returned in 1956
^ Left the Wisconsin Valley Conference in 2008, returned in 2010
^ Joining the Great Northern Conference in 2025

Former Members

School	Location	Affiliation	Enrollment	Mascot	Joined	Left	Conference Joined	Current Conference
Antigo	Antigo, WI	Public	687	Red Robins	1921, 1956	1955, 2008	Northern Wisconsin, Great Northern	Great Northern
Rhinelander	Rhinelander, WI	Public	747	Hodags	1921, 1956	1955, 2010	Northern Wisconsin, Great Northern	Great Northern
Edgar	Edgar, WI	Public	201	Wildcats	1922	1923	Independent	Marawood
Medford	Medford, WI	Public	738	Raiders	1922	1929	3-C	Great Northern
Nekoosa	Nekoosa, WI	Public	295	Papermakers	1922	1951	Independent	South Central
Tomahawk	Tomahawk, WI	Public	371	Hatchets	1922	1955	Lumberjack	Great Northern
Shawano	Shawano, WI	Public	797	Hawks	1924, 1970	1926, 1979	Independent, Bay	Bay
Wautoma	Wautoma, WI	Public	381	Hornets	1924	1926	7-C	South Central

List of State Champions

Fall Sports

Boys Cross Country
School	Year	Division
Antigo	1965	Large Schools
Rhinelander	1966	Medium Schools
Stevens Point	1980	Class A
Stevens Point	1981	Class A
Stevens Point	1983	Class A
Stevens Point	1985	Class A
Rhinelander	1987	Class A
Stevens Point	1994	Division 1
Stevens Point	1997	Division 1
Stevens Point	1998	Division 1
Stevens Point	2003	Division 1
Stevens Point	2008	Division 1
Stevens Point	2013	Division 1
Stevens Point	2021-22	Alternate Season
Stevens Point	2022	Division 1
Stevens Point	2023	Division 1

Girls Cross Country
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1987	Class A
Stevens Point	2002	Division 1
Stevens Point	2003	Division 1
Wausau East	2009	Division 1
Wausau East	2010	Division 1

Football
School	Year	Division
Antigo	1976	Division 1
Antigo	1978	Division 1
D.C. Everest	1981	Division 1
Antigo	1982	Division 1
D.C. Everest	1983	Division 1
D.C. Everest	1989	Division 1
Marshfield	1997	Division 1
D.C. Everest	1998	Division 1
Marshfield	2001	Division 1
Marshfield	2002	Division 1

Girls Golf
School	Year	Division
Wisconsin Rapids	2000	Single Division

Boys Volleyball
School	Year	Division
Antigo	1967	Single Division
Antigo	1968	Single Division

Girls Volleyball
School	Year	Division
Shawano	1973	Single Division
Merrill	1981	Class A

Winter Sports

Boys Basketball
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1926	Single Division
Wausau	1929	Single Division
Wausau	1938	Class A
Rhinelander	1939	Class A
Wisconsin Rapids	1951	Single Division
Stevens Point	1954	Single Division
Stevens Point	1994	Division 1
Stevens Point	2015	Division 1
Stevens Point	2016	Division 1
Stevens Point	2017	Division 1

Girls Basketball
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1980	Class A
D.C. Everest	1986	Class A

Gymnastics
School	Year	Division
Antigo	2008	Division 2

Boys Ice Hockey
School	Year	Division
Antigo	1993	Single Division
Stevens Point	2002	Single Division
Wausau West	2011	Single Division

Girls Ice Hockey
School	Year	Division
Wausau Co-op	2008	Single Division
Wausau Co-op	2012	Single Division
Wausau Co-op	2017	Single Division
Wausau Co-op	2022	Single Division
Wausau Co-op	2024	Single Division

Skiing
School	Year	Division
Rhinelander	1963	Single Division
Rhinelander	1965	Single Division
Rhinelander	1967	Single Division

Boys Wrestling
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1949	Single Division
Merrill	1970	Single Division
Wisconsin Rapids	1974	Single Division
D.C. Everest	1978	Single Division
Wisconsin Rapids	1979	Single Division
Wisconsin Rapids	1981	Class A
D.C. Everest	1982	Class A
Antigo	1983	Class A
Wisconsin Rapids	1985	Class A
D.C. Everest	1986	Class A
Wisconsin Rapids	1989	Class A
Merrill	1992	Division 1
Merrill	1993	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	1995	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	1996	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	1997	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	1998	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	1999	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2000	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2001	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2003	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2004	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2005	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2006	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2007	Division 1
Wausau West	2008	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2009	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2010	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2011	Division 1
Wisconsin Rapids	2012	Division 1
Wausau West	2013	Division 1

Spring Sports

Baseball
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1979	Class A
Stevens Point	1989	Class A
Stevens Point	1994	Division 1

Boys Golf
School	Year	Division
Merrill	1964	Single Division
Rhinelander	1969	Single Division
Stevens Point	1981	Single Division
Stevens Point	1983	Single Division

Girls Soccer
School	Year	Division
D.C. Everest	2015	Division 1

Softball
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1986	Class A
Marshfield	1991	Division 1
Marshfield	1997	Division 1
Stevens Point	2001	Division 1
Stevens Point	2002	Division 1
Stevens Point	2003	Division 1
Stevens Point	2004	Division 1
Stevens Point	2008	Division 1
Stevens Point	2009	Division 1
Stevens Point	2011	Division 1
Stevens Point	2016	Division 1

Boys Track & Field
School	Year	Division
Stevens Point	1955	Class A
D.C. Everest	1994	Division 1
D.C. Everest	1996	Division 1
Stevens Point	2023	Division 1

Girls Track & Field
School	Year	Division
D.C. Everest	1991	Division 1
Wausau West	1995	Division 1
D.C. Everest	1999	Division 1
D.C. Everest	2021	Division 1

References

^ "Antigo Giants Here Saturday for First Game". Marshfield News-Herald. 30 September 1921. p. 7. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Antigo Trims Wausau, Stevens Point Preps Tie for League Lead". Stevens Point Journal. 19 February 1923. p. 7. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Medford in Nearly Invincible Position in Conference, Point Slips Notch Below in Cage Race". Stevens Point Journal. 2 February 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Sport Ink-Lings". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. 10 January 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ McCormick, Henry J. (3 April 1955). "Playing the Game with Henry J. McCormick". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 53. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Expect Discussion on Valley's Future". Stevens Point Journal. 28 March 1955. p. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Associated Press (30 June 1954). "Northern Wisconsin Conference Formed". Stevens Point Journal. p. 13. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Point, Rapids Domination of Valley Cage Race Threatened". Marshfield News-Herald. 11 November 1954. p. 16. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Associated Press (24 April 1956). "Wausau, Four Other Schools to Play Next Fall". The Rhinelander Daily News. p. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Lewis, Ben (13 April 1956). "WVC Reorganization Is Almost Certainty". The Rhinelander Daily News. p. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "D.C. Everest Admitted Into Valley Circuit". Stevens Point Journal. 13 November 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Kloppenburg, Dick (19 December 1969). "Valley Conference takes in Shawano". Wausau Daily Herald. p. 17. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Associated Press (24 February 1970). "Wausau Schools Will Join WVC". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 14. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Lee, John (12 February 1978). "Realignment pleases New London officials". Appleton Post-Crescent. pp. E6. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Miller, Jake (12 December 2006). "Changes will strip Valley of tradition". Marshfield News-Herald. p. 11. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ Hernandez, Rob (26 June 2009). "Five-division basketball plan among two going to fall area meetings". Baraboo News Republic. p. 10. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Merrill moving back to WVC". Marshfield News-Herald. 27 June 2009. p. 9. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ "Board acts on conference plans; Merrill's move to GNC becomes official". Medford Star News. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

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