The Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, active from 1956 to 2000. Consisting entirely of Catholic high schools within the La Crosse diocese, the conference was affiliated with both the Wisconsin Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association and its successor, the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association.
History
The Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference was formed by six parochial high schools in central Wisconsin in 1956. Original members were Assumption in Wisconsin Rapids, Campion Jesuit in Prairie du Chien, Columbus Catholic in Marshfield, McDonell Central Catholic in Chippewa Falls, Newman Catholic in Wausau and Pacelli in Stevens Point. Two other high schools were also part of the initial group (Aquinas in La Crosse and Regis in Eau Claire), but originally were not slated to join until 1957 because of previous athletic commitments. Madonna in Mauston and Maryheart in Pittsville were also invited to join the conference but declined due to smaller enrollment compared to the other eight schools.
In 1957, McDonell Central Catholic left the conference to compete as an independent, then returned as a full member four years later. Regis wouldn't officially join in CWCC competition until 1963, and Aquinas followed suit in 1964, bringing the conference to eight member schools. Campion would close in 1975, leaving the Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference with seven members. It would stay this way for nearly a quarter century until Aquinas was invited to join the Mississippi Valley Conference in 1996 with conference play starting the next year. In 1997, WISAA agreed to a merger with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association to group public and private high schools under one organizational umbrella for interscholastic competition, finalizing in 2000. The Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference was folded along with WISAA that year, with its members going to the Central Wisconsin Conference (Pacelli), Cloverbelt Conference (McDonell Central Catholic and Regis) and Marawood Conference (Assumption, Columbus Catholic and Newman Catholic).
Conference membership history
Final members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceAssumptionWisconsin Rapids, WIPrivate (Catholic)Royals 19562000MarawoodColumbus CatholicMarshfield, WIPrivate (Catholic)Dons 19562000MarawoodCloverbeltMcDonell Central CatholicChippewa Falls, WIPrivate (Catholic)Macks 1956, 19611957, 2000CloverbeltNewman CatholicWausau, WIPrivate (Catholic)Cardinals 19562000MarawoodPacelliStevens Point, WIPrivate (Catholic)Cardinals 19562000Central WisconsinRegisEau Claire, WIPrivate (Catholic)Ramblers 19632000Cloverbelt
Previous members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceAquinasLa Crosse, WIPrivate (Catholic)Blugolds 19641997Mississippi ValleyCampion JesuitPrairie du Chien, WIPrivate (Catholic, Jesuit)Red Knights 19561975Closed
Membership timeline
Full members
Football members
List of state champions
Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearOrganizationDivisionAssumption1974WISAAClass BColumbus Catholic1974WISAAClass C Aquinas1977WISAAClass ANewman Catholic1978WISAAClass B Aquinas1979WISAAClass ANewman Catholic1979WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1980WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1981WISAAClass B Regis1981WISAAClass CPacelli1982WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1983WISAAClass BMcDonell Central Catholic1984WISAAClass CNewman Catholic1984WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1985WISAAClass CPacelli1985WISAAClass BPacelli1986WISAAClass BPacelli1987WISAAClass BPacelli1988WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1989WISAAClass BPacelli1990WISAAClass BPacelli1991WISAAClass BPacelli1994WISAADivision 2Pacelli1995WISAADivision 2Pacelli1996WISAADivision 2McDonell Central Catholic1997WISAADivision 2McDonell Central Catholic1998WISAADivision 2 +Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearOrganizationDivisionPacelli1981WISAAClass BPacelli1982WISAAClass BColumbus Catholic1983WISAAClass BPacelli1984WISAAClass BPacelli1985WISAAClass B Aquinas1986WISAAClass APacelli1986WISAAClass B Aquinas1987WISAAClass APacelli1987WISAAClass BPacelli1988WISAAClass BPacelli1989WISAAClass BPacelli1990WISAAClass BPacelli1991WISAAClass BMcDonell Central Catholic1994WISAADivision 2 Aquinas1996WISAADivision 1McDonell Central Catholic1999WISAADivision 2 +FootballSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionAssumption1973WISAAColumbus Catholic1980WISAAClass APacelli1986WISAAClass AMcDonell Central Catholic1989WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic1992WISAADivision 2 Regis1992WISAADivision 3 Aquinas1993WISAADivision 2 Regis1993WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic1994WISAADivision 3 Aquinas1995WISAADivision 2Pacelli1995WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic1996WISAADivision 3 Regis1999WISAADivision 3 +GolfSchoolYearOrganization Aquinas1975WISAA Aquinas1977WISAA Aquinas1995WISAA +VolleyballSchoolYearOrganizationDivision Aquinas1984WISAAClass AColumbus Catholic1991WISAAClass B Regis1992WISAADivision 2Pacelli1994WISAADivision 2 Regis1995WISAADivision 2 Regis1997WISAADivision 2 Regis1998WISAADivision 2McDonell Central Catholic1999WISAADivision 2
Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionMcDonell Central Catholic1994WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic1996WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic1997WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic1999WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic2000WISAADivision 3 +Girls BasketballSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionColumbus Catholic1980WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1981WISAAClass A Regis1986WISAAClass B Regis1992WISAADivision 2 Regis1993WISAADivision 2 Aquinas1996WISAADivision 2 Aquinas1997WISAADivision 2Assumption1998WISAADivision 3Assumption1999WISAADivision 2Columbus Catholic1999WISAADivision 3Columbus Catholic2000WISAADivision 3 +WrestlingSchoolYearOrganization Aquinas1967WCIAA Aquinas1968WCIAAPacelli1973WISAAPacelli1976WISAAPacelli1977WISAA Aquinas1983WISAAPacelli1984WISAA Aquinas1985WISAA Aquinas1986WISAA Aquinas1987WISAA Aquinas1988WISAA Aquinas1989WISAA Aquinas1990WISAA Aquinas1997WISAA
Spring sports +BaseballSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionPacelli1974WISAANewman Catholic1980WISAA Aquinas1984WISAA Aquinas1985WISAA Aquinas1986WISAAClass A Aquinas1987WISAAClass AMcDonell Central Catholic1988WISAAClass BNewman Catholic1991WISAAClass B Regis1995WISAADivision 2Pacelli1998WISAA +GolfSchoolYearOrganization Aquinas1970WISAACampion Jesuit1971WISAA Aquinas1974WISAA +SoftballSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionPacelli1992WISAADivision 2Pacelli1993WISAADivision 2Pacelli1994WISAADivision 2Pacelli1995WISAADivision 2Pacelli1996WISAADivision 2Pacelli1997WISAADivision 2 +Boys TennisSchoolYearOrganizationCampion Jesuit1970WISAA +Boys Track & FieldSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionAssumption1965WCIAAClass BColumbus Catholic1966WCIAAClass BAssumption1967WCIAAClass BAssumption1968WCIAAClass BNewman Catholic1971WISAAClass BPacelli1978WISAAClass B Aquinas1980WISAAClass B Aquinas1981WISAAClass B Aquinas1982WISAAClass BPacelli1983WISAAClass BMcDonell Central Catholic1986WISAAClass C Regis1988WISAAClass B Regis1989WISAAClass BColumbus Catholic1992WISAADivision 2 +Girls Track & FieldSchoolYearOrganizationDivisionNewman Catholic1971WISAA Aquinas1976WISAA Aquinas1977WISAAClass A Aquinas1978WISAAClass A Aquinas1981WISAAClass BAssumption1982WISAAClass BMcDonell Central Catholic1984WISAAClass BPacelli1985WISAAClass BPacelli1986WISAAClass B Regis1987WISAAClass B Regis1993WISAADivision 2Newman Catholic1996WISAADivision 2 Aquinas1997WISAADivision 1McDonell Central Catholic1998WISAADivision 2McDonell Central Catholic1999WISAADivision 2McDonell Central Catholic2000WISAADivision 2
List of conference champions
Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYears Aquinas121968, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1997 Regis121965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1994Pacelli101959, 1961, 1963, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988Assumption71959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1994Newman Catholic41957, 1978, 1989, 1998Campion Jesuit31957, 1958, 1970Columbus Catholic31996, 1999, 2000McDonell Central Catholic11991
Girls Basketball SchoolQuantityYears Aquinas111978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Regis61986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998Columbus Catholic31998, 1999, 2000Assumption21977, 1998Pacelli21982, 1983McDonell Central Catholic11989Newman Catholic11981
Football SchoolQuantityYearsColumbus Catholic151957, 1958, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996Pacelli121962, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1995, 1998 Aquinas91966, 1970, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994Assumption81959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1973, 1974McDonell Central Catholic41969, 1977, 1981, 1997 Regis41968, 1974, 1985, 1999Campion Jesuit21963, 1964Newman Catholic11956
References