Wisconsinโค Wrestling Championships Movingโ too La Crosse Center in 2026
STEVENS โPOINT, WI – In a move driven by growth and the addition of new โcompetitions, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athleticโ Association (WIAA) announced today a three-year agreement โto โฃrelocate the state team wrestling tournament to the โฃLa crosse Center, beginningโ in March โค2026. the decision comesโข as the sport expands โฃto include โขa state girls โขteamโค tournament in 2027, necessitatingโค a larger venue than the current location โฃat the University of Wisconsin Fieldโฃ House.
“Wiht the expansion โof the state team wrestling tournament format this year and the advent of the state girls team tournament in 2027, this โคevent has actually outgrown the UW โField House’s floor space and warm-up areas,” explained WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser. “The UW staff โคhas โขcreated a welcoming environment for this tournament for 19 years. We are very grateful for nearly โtwo decadesโ of โขhospitality and look โฃforward toโค continuing to host the individual championships on UW’s campus at the Kohl Center.”
The change is a direct โฃresponse โto the WIAA board ofโฃ Control’s June decision to increaseโค qualifyingโ teams in Divisions 2 and 3 to โฃeight, mirroring Divisionโ 1. this expansion requires additional โฃwrestlingโ mats – six in total – beyond the four currently accommodated at the UW Fieldโฃ House. The addition of a dual-match format to determineโ the girls team champion in 2026-27 further โsolidifies the need for a larger space.
The Laโฃ Crosse Center,โ builtโข in โ1980, offers a โคsubstantial 21,000 square feet of competition area, capable of hosting 8-10 wrestling mats. The venue boasts a seating capacity of 4,537โฃ and includes built-in concession areas, alongside โคample space for team warm-up and staging.
This isn’t the first time the La Crosse Center has hosted WIAA โchampionship events. the facility successfully hosted the inaugural state girls individual wrestling tournament in 2022โฃ and served as a venueโ for divisions 2,โ 4, and 5 of the โstate boys and girls basketball tournaments in 2021 as aโข COVID-19 โmitigation strategy.The Center also has a long history of athletic events, including hosting the Bi-Stateโฃ Wrestling classic sinceโ 1982, and previously housed the La Crosse Catbirds (Continental Basketball โAssociation) and the โคLa crosse Spartans โค(Indoor Footballโ League).
The WIAA anticipatesโข a seamless transition โto the La Crosse center,โ continuing โขto provide a high-quality championshipโข experience for student-athletes, coaches, and spectators alike. The move underscores โคthe growing popularity of wrestling โขin Wisconsin and the WIAA’s โฃcommitment to accommodating the sport’s continued expansion.
Keywords: Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, WIAA, wrestling, La Crosse Center, state tournament,โ high school sports, Wisconsin, girls wrestling, teamโ wrestling, UW Field House, Stephanie โฃHauser.