The Dairyland Conference is a high school athletic conference in west central Wisconsin. It was founded in 1959 and all member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
1959–1977
The Dairyland Conference was formed by six small high schools in west central Wisconsin in 1959. Three members came from the original Mississippi Valley Conference (Augusta, Osseo and Whitehall) and the other three from the disbanded Trempealeau Valley Conference (Blair, Eleva-Strum and Independence). The membership roster soon increased to eight schools, with Lincoln High School in Alma Center joining from the West Central Conference in 1961 and Cochrane-Fountain City moving over from the Mississippi Valley Conference in 1963. Alma High School joined the Dairyland Conference in 1971 from the West Central Conference. They replaced Cochrane-Fountain City, who was moved to the Coulee Conference that year.
1977–2000 In 1977, the Dairyland Conference added four schools: two from the Coulee Conference (Cochrane-Fountain City and Melrose-Mindoro) and two from the defunct West Central Conference (Gilmanton and Taylor). The membership roster would remain the same for eight years, until the league realigned into divisions based on enrollment size in 1985: Large SchoolsSmall SchoolsAugustaAlmaCochrane-Fountain CityAlma Center LincolnEleva-StrumBlairMelrose-MindoroGilmantonOsseo-FairchildIndependenceWhitehallTaylor Osseo-Fairchild left for membership in the Cloverbelt Conference after the first season of this alignment. In 1989, Blair and Taylor merged to form Blair-Taylor High School, inheriting both predecessors' Dairyland membership in the process. The Dairyland Conference also consolidated into a single division that year. Augusta's departure to the Cloverbelt Conference in 1990 would bring membership down to nine schools. Luther High School in Onalaska entered the Dairyland Conference in 1991, bringing the roster back up to ten schools. The next year, the conference reinstated the Large School/Small School divisional alignment: Large SchoolsSmall SchoolsBlair-TaylorAlmaCochrane-Fountain CityAlma Center LincolnLutherEleva-StrumMelrose-MindoroGilmantonWhitehallIndependence Luther was voted out of the conference in 1996, with members citing issues with travel distances and competition level disparity. Soon after Luther left the conference in 1997, they were invited to become members of the Coulee Conference.
2000–present Immanuel Lutheran High School in Eau Claire joined the Dairyland Conference as its tenth member in 2000, after the merger between the WIAA and the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association was completed. Eleva-Strum moved over to the Large Schools division to even out the divisional balance at five members each: Large SchoolsSmall SchoolsBlair-TaylorAlmaCochrane-Fountain CityAlma Center LincolnEleva-StrumGilmantonMelrose-MindoroImmanuel LutheranWhitehallIndependence In 2006, Alma Center Lincoln and Eleva-Strum swapped divisions, and in 2009, Alma High School entered into a cooperative agreement for most sports with nearby Pepin High School. The Pepin/Alma cooperative inherited Alma's place in the Dairyland Conference's Small Schools division. Augusta reentered the Dairyland in 2014 and was added to the conference's Large Schools division. Blair-Taylor and Eleva-Strum switched divisions in 2016, with the latter making their return to the Large Schools division. Blair-Taylor returned to the Large Schools division in 2021, with Alma Center Lincoln moving back to the Small Schools division. Two years later, Independence and Gilmanton became a cooperative program and remained in the Small Schools division. Cochrane-Fountain City moved over to the Small Schools division to balance the alignment at five schools per division: Large SchoolsSmall SchoolsAugustaAlma Center LincolnBlair-TaylorCochrane-Fountain CityEleva-StrumImmanuel LutheranMelrose-MindoroIndependence/GilmantonWhitehallPepin/Alma In 2024, Osseo-Fairchild left the Cloverbelt Conference to rejoin the Dairyland, and they were placed in the Large Schools division.
List of conference members
Current full members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedDivisionAlma/PepinAlma, WIPublic162Eagles 2009SmallAlma Center LincolnAlma Center, WIPublic164Hornets 1961SmallAugustaAugusta, WIPublic186Beavers 1959, 2014LargeBlair-TaylorBlair, WIPublic166Wildcats 1989LargeCochrane-Fountain CityFountain City, WIPublic161Pirates 1963, 1977SmallEleva-StrumStrum, WIPublic193Cardinals 1959LargeImmanuel LutheranEau Claire, WIPrivate (Lutheran, CLC)110Lancers 2000SmallIndependence/GilmantonIndependence, WIPublic170Indees 2023SmallMelrose-MindoroMelrose, WIPublic199Mustangs 1977LargeOsseo-FairchildOsseo, WIPublic205Thunder 1959, 2024LargeWhitehallWhitehall, WIPublic214Norse 1959Large
Notes
Former full members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceAlmaAlma, WIPublicRivermen 19712009Dairyland (coop with Pepin)BlairBlair, WIPublicCardinals 19591989Closed (merged into Blair-Taylor)GilmantonGilmanton, WIPublicPanthers 19772023Dairyland (coop with Independence)IndependenceIndependence, WIPublicIndees 19592023Dairlyland (coop with Gilmanton)LutherOnalaska, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)Knights 19911997CouleeTaylorTaylor, WIPublicTrojans 19771989Closed (merged into Blair-Taylor)
Former football-only members +SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary ConferenceAugustaAugusta, WIPublicBeavers 2011-2013Cloverbelt
Membership timeline Full members
Football members
Membership map
Sponsored sports +Alma/Pepin●●●●●●●●●Alma Center Lincoln●●●●●●●●●Augusta●●●●●●●●●●●Blair-Taylor●●●●●●●●●●●●●Cochrane-Fountain City●●●●●●●●●●●●●Eleva-Strum●●●●●●●●●●●Immanuel Lutheran●●●●●●●●●Independence/Gilmanton●●●●●●●●●●●●●Melrose-Mindoro●●●●●●●●●●Osseo-Fairchild●●●●●●●●●●●●Whitehall●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Notes
List of state champions
Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionCochrane-Fountain City1984Class CCochrane-Fountain City1993Division 3Cochrane-Fountain City1994Division 3Cochrane-Fountain City1995Division 3Cochrane-Fountain City1996Division 3 +Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionCochrane-Fountain City1996Division 3Cochrane-Fountain City1998Division 3Cochrane-Fountain City1999Division 3Cochrane-Fountain City2022Division 3 +FootballSchoolYearDivisionOsseo-Fairchild1977Division 4Osseo-Fairchild1981Division 5Osseo-Fairchild1982Division 5Augusta1989Division 6Eleva-Strum2007Division 7 +Girls VolleyballSchoolYearDivisionImmanuel Lutheran2024Division 5
Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionEleva-Strum2008Division 4Cochrane-Fountain City2025Division 5 +Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivisionGilmanton2001Division 4
Spring sports +BaseballSchoolYearDivisionEleva-Strum2024Division 4 +Boys GolfSchoolYearDivisionEleva-Strum1989Class CEleva-Strum2008Division 3 +Boys Track & FieldSchoolYearDivisionWhitehall1986Class C +Girls Track & FieldSchoolYearDivisionWhitehall2008Division 3
Summer sports +BaseballSchoolYearDivisionWhitehall1986Single Division
List of conference champions Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsEleva-Strum231961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015Whitehall201961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2020, 2022, 2026Blair-Taylor151992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021Alma Center Lincoln81963, 1967, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2020Osseo-Fairchild81970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 2025Cochrane-Fountain City71987, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2024, 2025, 2026Melrose-Mindoro71998, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 Blair61960, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1974Gilmanton61994, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2011, 2012 Alma4 1975, 1989, 1990, 1996Independence41987, 1988, 1999, 2018Alma/Pepin42010, 2016, 2017, 2023Immanuel Lutheran32004, 2021, 2022 Luther21995, 1996Augusta11986Independence/Gilmanton0Taylor0
Girls Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsBlair-Taylor171993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026Independence151987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019Eleva-Strum131989, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2025, 2026Alma Center Lincoln121979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2021, 2022, 2023Cochrane-Fountain City101987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025Whitehall101984, 1985, 1987, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2024Melrose-Mindoro72000, 2001, 2008, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020Augusta31983, 1986, 2015Gilmanton31993, 2002, 2005Immanuel Lutheran32006, 2012, 2013Osseo-Fairchild31980, 1981, 1982 Alma21986, 2003Alma/Pepin12012 Blair0Independence/Gilmanton0 Luther0Taylor0
Football SchoolQuantityYearsAugusta111959, 1961, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2021Eleva-Strum111960, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1987, 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015Whitehall111967, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1992, 2006, 2009, 2012Melrose-Mindoro101988, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018Osseo-Fairchild91968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984Blair-Taylor81998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019, 2020, 2024Independence71962, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1994, 2001Cochrane-Fountain City61966, 1994, 2000, 2014, 2024, 2025 Luther31991, 1993, 1995Pepin/Alma32022, 2023, 2024 Alma/Gilmanton21990, 1996 Alma12005Independence/Gilmanton12014Alma Center Lincoln0 Blair0 Blair/Taylor0
References
External links
Dairyland Conference (official website)