THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 24th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Team Wrestling Tournament will take place Friday and Saturday, March 6-7. The tournament is held at the Field House on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $13 for the Friday session and $8 for the Saturday sessions.
CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS: The single elimination tournament features eight teams in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2 and 3. The Division 1 quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Friday evening with the Divisions 2 and 3 semifinals and the finals for all divisions Saturday.
Friday, March 6
Division 1 Quarterfinals
Time Pairings
5:30 p.m. Match-1: Kaukauna (17-1) vs. Burlington (12-1)
5:30 p.m. Match-2: Hudson (12-2) vs. Cedarburg (17-1)
5:30 p.m. Match-3: Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln (18-0) vs. Pewaukee (16-3)
5:30 p.m. Match-4: Sauk Prairie (15-3) vs. Stoughton (22-1)
Division 1 Semifinals
7:30 p.m. Match-5: Match-1 Winner vs. Match-2 Winner
7:30 p.m. Match-6: Match-3 Winner vs. Match-4 Winner
Saturday, March 7
Division 2 Semifinals
10 a.m. Match-1: Ellsworth (17-4) vs. Wisconsin Lutheran (18-1)
10 a.m. Match-2: Freedom (13-2) vs. Sparta (13-6)
Division 3 Semifinals
10 a.m. Match-1: Spring Valley/Elmwood (14-3) vs. Random Lake (16-1)
10 a.m. Match-2: Coleman (16-1) vs. Fennimore (18-2)
Finals
3 p.m. Division 1 Championship Match
3 p.m. Division 2 Championship Match
3 p.m. Division 3 Championship Match
ON THE AIR: Each of the three championship final matches will be aired on FS Wisconsin at a date and time yet to be determined. Check the Media Center on the WIAA website for a schedule of all WIAA Tournament events on FS Wisconsin.
LIVE INTERNET STREAMS: The finals of the three championship finals will be streamed live on foxsportswisconsin. com at no cost. The Division 1 quarterfinals and the semifinals for each division will be streamed live via subscription on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network.
TEAM TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW: The first WIAA State Team Wrestling Tournament was held in 1940. Until 1992, team champions were determined by a point system based on individuals’ placing in what is currently the individual championships. For the first time in 1992, a team champion was determined by a separate tournament series involving dual matches. UW-Stevens Point hosted the first two championships. West Allis Central hosted the meet from 1994-2004. Since then, the tournament has been held at the UW Field House. There were 335 programs entering the tournament series, including 128 in Division 1, 103 in Division 2 and 104 in Division 3.
LAST YEAR: Kaukauna won the Division 1 team title by taking down Bay Port 39-22 in the championship final. Ellsworth won its sixth championship, defeating Pewaukee in the Division 2 title match, 41-12. Coleman won its 10th championship with a 39-22 win over Spring Valley/Elmwood in the Division 3 championship final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Last year’s champion Kaukauna is back at State for the sixth time in the last eight years and for the 13th time overall. The Galloping Ghosts had a string of five straight appearances from 1999-2003, and had a three-year run from 2008-10. They have finished runner-up four times, including 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2013. The Ghosts’ qualified for State with a 60-12 victory over Hartford in the Oshkosh North Sectional final. Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln is making its membership-leading 18th appearance in the team tournament and its first since winning the title in 2012. The Red Raiders have won 21 team championships, including 16 since the inception of the dual championship format in 1992. They have also placed runner-up six times. The Red Raiders return to the State Tournament comes virtue of their 34-22 win over last year’s runner-up Bay Port in the Pulaski Sectional final. Stoughton is making its second straight appearance and its ninth overall. Prior to the team tournament format, the Vikings won seven State championships (1968, 1972, 1975-77, 1987-88). They have also finished runner-up on seven occasions. This season, they earned their way into the quarterfinals with a 29-24 win over Milton in the sectional final held at Verona. Burlington is making its fourth straight State appearance, which also accounts for the Demons’ overall total. They advanced to the semifinals last season after being ousted from title contention in the quarterfinals in their first two appearances. This year, they earn their return to the field by downing Oak Creek 39-28 in the Kenosha Bradford Sectional. Pewaukee moves up into Division 1 after finishing runner-up in Division 2 last season. The Pirates are making their second straight appearance in the team tournament and its fifth overall. They had three straight appearances from 2008-10 that resulted in a runner-up finish in the final year of that run. The Pirates are the last ones standing from the Mukwonago Sectional with a 31-23 win over Whitnall/Greendale in the final. Sauk Prairie returns for its third consecutive appearance and its third overall. The Eagles advanced to the semifinals in 2013 and fell in the quarterfinals last season. They trounced DeForest 54-17 in the Baraboo Sectional final to advance into quarterfinals. Hudson is appearing in the State team tournament for the second time. The Raiders only other experience at State was in 2011, when they advanced to the semifinals before being erased from title contention. They are the representatives from the Menomonie Sectional following their 50-21 victory over Stevens Point in the final. Cedarburg is experiencing the State Team Tournament for the first time following its 34-30 triumph over Wauwatosa West/East in the final of the Arrowhead Sectional.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Defending champion Ellsworth is back for the 10th straight year and for the 14th time overall. The Panthers have won six State titles, capturing the crown in 1985, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2011 and again last year. In addition, they also finished runner-up in 1999, 2001, 2008 and again in 2012. The Panthers qualify again for another run at the title following a 64-6 thumping of Melrose-Mindoro/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau in the sectional final held at Stanley-Boyd. It’s the fourth time Freedom advances to State and it’s the first since 2000. The Irish won the Division 2 championship in 1997 followed by defeats in the semifinals in 1998 and 2000. They return to the semifinals with a 33-27 decision over Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the sectional finals held at Freedom. Sparta will experience the team tournament for the third time. Their first appearance came in 2003 when the Spartans qualified in Division 1. The second came in Division 2 in 2012. They fell in the semifinals in each of their previous appearances. They are the representatives out of the Lodi Sectional following their 37-28 victory over Lodi in the final. Wisconsin Lutheran will appear in the State Team Tournament for the first time following the Vikings’ 41-19 win over Lomira in the North Fond du Lac/St. Mary’s Springs Sectional final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Defending champion Coleman returns for the eighth consecutive year and for the 13th time overall. The Cougars have won a total of 10 team championships. With the current dual format, they won the title in 2000, three in a row from 2010-12 and again last year. They also claimed crowns before the dual format in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1966 when there was only one division. In addition, they finished runner-up in 1959, 1961, 1981, 1983, 1996, 2008 and 2013. The Cougars out-dueled Stratford 35-31 to capture the Amherst Sectional title to earn the opportunity to continue their quest to defend the title. Last year’s runner-up Spring Valley/Elmwood is back in the State Tournament for the second straight season and for the third time in the last four seasons. In addition to last year, the Cardinals also finished runner-up in the program’s first experience at State in 2012. They qualify this season from the Ladysmith Sectional by rolling to a 60-13 victory over Cumberland. Random Lake returns to the State Tournament for the fourth straight season and for the sixth time overall. The Rams had back-to-back appearances in 2008-09, which produced a runner-up finish in 2009. That second-place outcome represents the Rams’ most notable finish. They posted a 36-27 win over Laconia in the sectional final held at Lomira. Fennimore defeated Cashton 49-14 in the final of the Riverdale Sectional to advance to the State Team Tournament for the first time in the program’s history.
FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Individual Wrestling Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaawiwr. Also follow daily recaps on Facebook.
NEED RESULTS?: The quickest way to get results will be to access the wrestling homepage on WIAA website and select the Tournament Information option, or access the TrackWrestling.com website directly.