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After years of debate, discussion, and proposals to try to address competitive equity, the WIAA membership approved a Competitive Balance plan at April's Annual Meeting that was two-fold: a Tournament Performance Factor that applies points based on previous year's playoff success and moves teams up if a certain threshold is met, and an opportunity for schools to request divisional placement up or down based on several factors.

WisSports.net has examined the WIAA's Tournament Performance Factor portion of the plan, which will not go into effect until the 2024-2025 school year, and applied points to all teams in all applicable sports to determine which teams have already achieved the requisite six TPF points to move up a division in 2024-2025, and which could be on the brink of moving up depending on their success in the 2023-2024 school year.

To better assist coaches, players, and fans in digesting the information, we will post three separate articles with this information, one for each sports season:

Fall Sports

Winter Sports

Spring Sports

The Tournament Performance Factor uses the exact same points-based system to determine if teams will move up a division based on past success as did the Success Factor recommended back in 2015, and is applied equally to public schools and private schools.

Points will be awarded based upon the finish of the team in the tournament series. For bracketed sports, here are how points are assigned:

• 4 points for winning a state title
• 3 points for advancing to the championship game
• 2 points for advancing to the state semifinal (final 4)
• 1 point for advancing to the state quarterfinal, sectional final or Level 3 11-player FB, Level 2 8-player FB (final 8 teams).

Non-bracketed sports are slightly different and fully outlined here.

The sports of swimming & diving as well as track & field are not included in the Tournament Performance Factor and thus teams cannot move up or down in those sports based on postseason success. Also, the sports of girls wrestling, girls hockey, boys volleyball, and 8-player football are single-division sports and thus are not applicable currently either.

At the team level, those teams that accumulate six or more points in the previous three years will be placed up one division from their normal postseason classification. No team will be moved up more than one division per year. If a team is moved up under the Tournament Performance Factor and in future years their trailing three-year point total falls below six points, they will be moved back down, unless their enrollment places them in a higher division.

As an example provided by the WIAA for a hypothetical team:

• Year 1 - 0 points - Division 4
• Year 2 - 0 points - Division 4
• Year 3 - 0 points - Division 4 - 3-year total = 0 points
• Year 4 - 1 point - D4 - Sectional Final; 3-year total = 1 point
• Year 5 - 2 points - D4 - State Appearance-(Final 4); 3-year total = 3 points
• Year 6 - 3 points - D4 - State Runner-Up; 3-year total = 6 points (will move up to D3)
• Year 7 - 4 points - D3 - State Championship; 3-year total = 9 points
• Year 8 - 0 points - Division 3 - 3-year total = 7 points
• Year 9 - 0 points - Division 3 - 3-year total = 4 points (will move down to D4)
• Year 10 - 1 point - Division 4 - 3-year total = 1 point

There will be an appeals process in place for those teams that would be impacted by the Tournament Performance Factor, with schools able to appeal to a to-be-formed Classification Committee based on the following factors:

• Prior year out-of-building student percentage on rosters or historical movement of student athletes
• Socioeconomics of the school's population (i.e. % of student body on Free and Reduced Lunch rate)
• Demographics of the school's population
• Competitive history and balance - non-success and success
• Geography
• School's enrollment trend
• Student participation rate in WIAA-sponsored activities
• Student enrollment factors (i.e. open enrollment, students from outside your school's location)

We have taken the initial work of the WIAA's Ad Hoc Committee and applied it to the last three years of data to determine which teams would have met the threshold and been moved up. This does not take into account the ability for any of those impacted teams to appeal to a committee to not be moved.

In our sport-by-sport review below, we will display only those teams that have a chance to move up in the 2024-25 year (any teams that already have two points), though there are more teams that may have one point in the Tournament Performance Factor, though as of right now are not in a position to potentially move up in the first year of implementation.

As a reminder, the 2024-2025 school year will be the first season that the Tournament Performance Factor will be applied, so points accumulated in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 will determine placements in that first year. We have tracked and added up points for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 years to determine where things stand as of right now, though any points that teams accumulate in 2023-24 will ultimately impact any potential divisional placement changes.

One note regarding football, in the Ad Hoc Committee's plan, because not all teams make the football playoffs and the short turnaround between when qualifiers and divisions are determined (after all regular season games are completed) and when the first playoff games are contested (less than a week later), there is no process for schools to request up or down. 

However, there is still the application of the Tournament Performance Factor, with any teams identified as meeting the point threshold able to appeal to the classification committee (likely conducted several weeks before the start of the playoffs).

Because football requires 32 teams in each division, if a team(s) is moved up a division because of the Tournament Performance Factor, another team(s) would move down in a corresponding move.

Based on success in the last two seasons, there are seven schools who will move up a division (pending appeal) in 2024-25 regardless of how they perform in 2023-24: Aquinas, Catholic Memorial, Kettle Moraine, Monroe, Columbus, Mayville, and Regis. 

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

Just three teams met the six-point threshold, though Oconomowoc is Division 1 and cannot be moved up. Teams that will move up a division (pending appeal) in 2024-25 are Howards Grove and McDonell Central.

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

The teams, their points, and new projected divisions are below.

Three teams met the six-point threshold, though Stevens Point is Division 1 and cannot be moved up. Teams that would move up (pending appeal) in 2024-25 are Notre Dame and Shorewood.

UPDATE: The WIAA has provided clarification that both teams and individuals from teams who meet the point threshold will be bumped up divisions.

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

The teams, their points, and new projected divisions are below.

Two teams met the six-point threshold, though Muskego is Division 1 and cannot be moved up. That means that Dodgeville/Mineral Point is the only team as of right now that will move up in 2024-25 (pending appeal).

UPDATE: The WIAA has provided clarification that both teams and individuals from teams who meet the point threshold will be bumped up divisions.

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

The teams, their points, and new projected divisions are below.

Seven teams met the six-point threshold, though Marquette and Verona are Division 1 and cannot be moved up. Teams that will move up a division in 2024-25 (pending appeal) are Oregon, Sheboygan Christian/Lutheran, Whitefish Bay, and Notre Dame.

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

The teams, their points, and new projected divisions are below.

Two teams met the six-point threshold, though Westosha Central is Division 1 and cannot be moved up. That means Prescott is the only team that would move up in 2024-25 (pending approval).

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

The teams, their points, and new projected divisions are below.

No teams have accumulated enough points to move up in 2024-25 as of yet.

UPDATE: The WIAA has provided clarification that both teams and individuals from teams who meet the point threshold will be bumped up divisions.

There are many others who hypothetically could move up a division based on their success in the 2023-24 school year (any teams with two points already), though some are certainly closer to doing so than others. As a reminder, teams in Division 1 cannot move up any further.

The teams, their points, and new projected divisions are below.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.