The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in southwestern Wisconsin. Founded in 1926, all league members (past and present) are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
1926-1961
The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League, originally known as the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League, was formed in 1926 by a group of ten small- to medium-sized high schools in southwestern Wisconsin. Original members were Cuba City, Darlington, Dodgeville, Fennimore, Lancaster, Mineral Point, Monroe, Monticello, Mount Horeb and Platteville. Monticello would only be a member during the league's first season, after which they left to become a charter member of the newly formed State Line League. A year later, Monroe would make its exit from the SWAL to help form the new Southern Six Conference. Conference membership remained at eight until 1935, when Boscobel and Prairie du Chien joined the conference. The SWAL maintained this alignment for the next twenty-six years, until expansion caused the league to undergo its first membership split.
1961-1987 The consolidation of rural school districts in southwestern Wisconsin and the resulting creation of larger high schools coincided with the expansion of the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League. Two newly created high schools joined the conference in 1961, bringing membership to twelve: Iowa-Grant High School in Livingston and West Grant High School in Patch Grove. Three years later, Muscoda High School and River Valley High School in Spring Green joined, bringing membership to fourteen. In 1967, Muscoda merged with Blue River of the Kickapoo Valley League to form the new Riverdale High School, inheriting their predecessor's affiliation with the SWAL. Membership was also subdivided into North and South Sections that year: North SectionSouth SectionBoscobelCuba CityFennimoreDarlingtonIowa-GrantDodgevillePrairie du ChienLancasterRiver ValleyMineral PointRiverdaleMount HorebWest GrantPlatteville
West Grant left the conference in 1969 to join the Black Hawk League and were replaced by Viroqua (formerly of the South Central Conference). In 1970, Richland Center High School was accepted for the 1971-72 school year as the SWAL's fifteenth member school. They were placed in the league's North Section, with Iowa-Grant shifting to the South Section to accommodate the expansion: North SectionSouth SectionBoscobelCuba CityFennimoreDarlingtonPrairie du ChienDodgevilleRichland CenterIowa-GrantRiver ValleyLancasterRiverdaleMineral PointViroquaMount HorebPlatteville The SWAL never competed in this new alignment, though. Soon after Richland Center joined, the schools in the league's South Section left to form the new Southern Eight Conference. The remaining schools in the SWAL's North Section continued as a seven-member circuit for sixteen years.
1987-2005
In 1987, the Southern Eight Conference merged with the SWAL to create a fourteen-member conference. All original Southern Eight members (with the exception of Mount Horeb, who left the Southern Eight in 1983) rejoined the league, with Southwestern High School in Hazel Green making their SWAL debut. Viroqua also left the SWAL to join the Coulee Conference that year. With conference expansion came subdivision by enrollment into large (Division 1) and small school (Division 2) divisions: SWAL Division 1SWAL Division 2Cuba CityBoscobelDodgevilleDarlingtonLancasterFennimorePlattevilleIowa-GrantPrairie du ChienMineral PointRichland CenterRiverdaleRiver ValleySouthwestern With the exception of Cuba City and Boscobel swapping divisions in 2003, this divisional alignment remained intact for the next eighteen years before the SWAL split its membership for a second time.
2005-present In 2005, six members of SWAL Division 1 (Dodgeville, Lancaster, Platteville, Prairie du Chien, Richland Center and River Valley) left the league to form the new Southwest Wisconsin Conference. The original league's name was changed to its current name (the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League) as part of the breakup, and the eight remaining members (Boscobel, Cuba City, Darlington, Fennimore, Iowa-Grant, Mineral Point, Riverdale and Southwestern) have maintained a stable eight-school circuit to the present day.
Football (since 2005) Football membership in the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League has mirrored its all-sport membership for most of its history, with the exception of a two-year period where Riverdale played as independents from 1985 to 1986. After the SWC/SWAL split in 2005, the same eight members played as a football conference until the 2016 season, when Riverdale was shifted to the Ridge & Valley Conference to play with schools more in line with its size. Boscobel and Southwestern were moved to the Six Rivers Conference for the 2019 season, and three associate members replaced them: Aquinas (Mississippi Valley), Lancaster (SWC) and Luther (Coulee). That same year, the WIAA and WFCA collaborated to realign Wisconsin's high school football conferences, starting with the 2020 season. The plan for that season was to move Belleville and Parkview/Albany into the SWAL from the Capitol South and Trailways Large to replace Iowa-Grant's exit to the Six Rivers Conference, who would serve as the SWAL's scheduling partner. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SWAL and SWC decided to join forces and their football season to the spring 2021 alternate season approved by the WIAA as an option for schools who didn't want to compete in the regular fall 2020 season. The original realignment was finally implemented for the fall 2021 football season and remained in place for the 2022-2023 competition cycle with the exception of Lancaster's return to the SWC as football members. In 2024, Parkview/Albany was realigned to the Trailways Conference for football, with the Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg and Southwestern/East Dubuque cooperative programs joining to take their place. The Abundant Life Christian/St. Ambrose Academy joint program in Madison was also slated to join after a proposed transition to eleven-player football, but backed out before the season started to remain in the eight-player division. New Glarus is set to join the football roster from the Southwest Wisconsin Conference for the 2026-2027 realignment cycle, replacing the exiting Belleville, who will be a member of the Eastern Suburban Conference for football. The SWAL will also enter into a mandatory one-game crossover with the Southwest Wisconsin Conference starting next season.
List of member schools
Current full members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedBoscobelBoscobel, WIPublic192Bulldogs 1935Cuba CityCuba City, WIPublic239Cubans 1926, 1987DarlingtonDarlington, WIPublic254Redbirds 1926, 1987FennimoreFennimore, WIPublic255Golden Eagles 1926Iowa-GrantLivingston, WIPublic219Panthers 1961, 1987Mineral PointMineral Point, WIPublic242Pointers 1926, 1987RiverdaleMuscoda, WIPublic193Chieftains 1967SouthwesternHazel Green, WIPublic155Wildcats 1987
Current associate members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsPrimary ConferenceSport(s)AlbanyAlbany, WIPublicComets Six RiversBoys Cross Country, Girls Cross CountryArgyleArgyle, WIPublicOrioles Six RiversBoys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Boys GolfBarneveldBarneveld, WIPublicGolden Eagles Six RiversBoys GolfNew GlarusNew Glarus, WIPublicGlarner Knights CapitolFootball
Notes
Current co-operative members TeamColorsHost SchoolCo-operative MembersSport(s)BSMS Knights BentonScales Mound (IL), ShullsburgFootball
Former full members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceDodgevilleDodgeville, WIPublicDodgers 1926, 19871971, 2005Southern Eight, SWCSouthwest WisconsinLancasterLancaster, WIPublicFlying Arrows 1926, 19871971, 2005Southern Eight, SWCSouthwest WisconsinMonroeMonroe, WIPublicCheesemakers 19261928Southern SixRock ValleyMonticelloMonticello, WIPublicPonies 19261927State LineSix RiversMount HorebMount Horeb, WIPublicVikings 19261971Southern EightBadgerMuscodaMuscoda, WIPublicIndians 1964 1967Closed in 1967 (merged into Riverdale)PlattevillePlatteville, WIPublicHillmen 1926, 19871971, 2005Southern Eight, SWCSouthwest WisconsinPrairie du ChienPrairie du Chien, WIPublicBlackhawks 19352005Southwest WisconsinRichland CenterRichland Center, WIPublicHornets 19712005Southwest WisconsinRiver ValleySpring Green, WIPublicBlackhawks 19642005Southwest WisconsinViroquaViroqua, WIPublicBlackhawks 19691987CouleeWest GrantPatch Grove, WIPublicFalcons 19611969Black HawkClosed in 1995 (merged into River Ridge)
Former football-only members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary ConferenceAquinasLa Crosse, WIPrivate (Catholic)Blugolds 2019Mississippi ValleyBellevilleBelleville, WIPublicWildcats 2020-2025CapitolLancasterLancaster, WIPublicFlying Arrows 2019-2021Southwest WisconsinLutherOnalaska, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)Knights 2019CouleeParkview/AlbanyOrfordville, WIPublicVikings 2020-2023Trailways/Six Rivers
Membership timeline
Full members
Football members
Membership map
Sponsored sports +Boscobel●●●●●●●●●●●Cuba City●●●●●●●●●●●●●Darlington●●●●●●●●●●●●●Fennimore●●●●●●●●●●●●●Iowa-Grant●●●●●●●●●●●●Mineral Point●●●●●●●●●Riverdale●●●●●●●●●●Southwestern●●●●●●●●●●●
Notes
List of state champions
Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionDodgeville1967Small SchoolsFennimore1974Class CFennimore1977Class CFennimore1978Class CFennimore1979Class CFennimore1980Class CFennimore1981Class CFennimore1991Division 3Iowa-Grant2000Division 3Boscobel2003Division 3Darlington2011Division 3Darlington2012Division 3Darlington2013Division 3Darlington2014Division 3Darlington2015Division 3Darlington2016Division 3 +Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionPrairie du Chien1975Single DivisionFennimore1980Class CFennimore1981Class CFennimore1981Class CCuba City/Southwestern1997Division 2Fennimore2001Division 3Boscobel2002Division 3Boscobel2004Division 3Dodgeville/Mineral Point2005Division 2Dodgeville/Mineral Point2006Division 2Boscobel2007Division 3Dodgeville/Mineral Point2010Division 2Dodgeville/Mineral Point2011Division 2Dodgeville/Mineral Point2012Division 2Darlington2016Division 2Boscobel2021Division 3Dodgeville/Mineral Point2021Division 2 +FootballSchoolYearDivisionDarlington1987Division 5Darlington1990Division 5Darlington1991Division 5Lancaster1993Division 4Darlington1995Division 4Lancaster2000Division 4Lancaster2001Division 4Lancaster2002Division 4 +Girls VolleyballSchoolYearDivisionRichland Center1987Class BIowa-Grant1989Class CPlatteville1994Division 2Dodgeville1995Division 3Dodgeville1996Division 3Iowa-Grant1997Division 3Dodgeville1999Division 3
Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionDodgeville1964Single DivisionDarlington1990Class CCuba City1991Division 3Cuba City1998Division 3Mineral Point2024Division 4 +Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivisionCuba City1990Class BCuba City1991Division 3Prairie du Chien1991Division 2Cuba City1993Division 3Cuba City2005Division 3Cuba City2006Division 3Cuba City2007Division 3Cuba City2010Division 3Cuba City2014Division 4Cuba City2015Division 4Mineral Point2016Division 4Mineral Point2022Division 4Cuba City2025Division 4 +GymnasticsSchoolYearDivisionPlatteville/Belmont1994Division 2Cuba City/Southwestern1995Division 2Cuba City/Southwestern1996Division 2Cuba City/Southwestern1999Division 2Cuba City/Southwestern2000Division 2