STEVENS POINT – In a recent email from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), the organization and the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced state tournaments won’t be conducted at UW facilities this fall.
The WIAA said all tournament schedules and venues are subject to change if conditions warrant per local, state and national health guidelines.
The events impacted include girls’ golf Oct. 12-13, girls’ tennis Oct. 15-17 and Oct. 23-24 and girls’ swimming and diving Nov. 13-14.
The WIAA executive staff is in the process of identifying prospective alternate locations and venues for the three state events.
In July, the board of control’s approval of an 11-week fall football season ruled out conducting the 2020 state finals at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
“Since July, we’ve been talking with the board of control, our members and UW athletic department personnel, and we understand our need to take a new and different approach to this year’s events,” WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson said. “Through our relationship with UW-Madison, we share the hope and look forward to more normal times.”
John Horn, chief of staff to the vice chancellor for finance and administration at UW-Madison, expressed similar sentiments.
“We regret, given the situation here in Dane County related to COVID-19, it will not be feasible to host the WIAA state tournaments this fall,” Horn said. “We look forward to when the conditions of the pandemic improve and Dane County and campus policies change to allow larger non-essential events.”