Division 1 boys basketball enters the season with a distinctly different feel. Wisconsin Lutheran and Pewaukee, programs that used competitive balance to climb from Division 2 in recent years, now sit firmly in the Division 1 mix after building impressive postseason résumés.

Wisconsin Lutheran captured the 2025 Division 1 state title in a one-possession thriller over Marshfield, capping a run that included state tournament success at multiple division levels. That history makes every nonconference game and sectional pairing involving the Vikings feel like appointment viewing across the state.

Pewaukee follows a similar arc. After building a multi-year Division 2 dynasty, the Pirates now battle the deepest enrollment tier every night. A program with that level of continuity and big-game experience instantly becomes a measuring stick for established Division 1 publics and other performance factor programs.

With both schools promoted by competitive balance and still loaded with talent, Division 1 storylines now include new rivalries between traditional large-enrollment powers and ascendant programs that have proven they can win anywhere on the bracket.

Sectional assignments and realignment place familiar names in new combinations. Cities such as Green Bay, Waukesha, and Racine now feature public schools competing in multiple divisions, which spreads talent and creates storylines that move beyond a single bracket.

In Green Bay, for example, Preble remains in Division 1 while East, Southwest, and West compete in Division 2, changing the stakes of city rivalries and postseason paths. Similar dynamics play out in Brookfield, Racine, Waukesha, and Wauwatosa, where sister schools might find separate routes to Madison.

Add performance factor programs such as Milwaukee Academy of Science and Mineral Point into the mix, and the result is a boys basketball map where every sectional feels capable of producing a champion. Deep, balanced fields and high-level coaching across all five divisions set the stage for upsets, statement wins, and buzzer-beaters from the opening nights of regionals all the way to the Kohl Center.

Few recent WIAA storylines match the drama of Pewaukee versus Notre Dame in girls basketball. The two programs met in three straight Division 2 state championship games from 2022 through 2024, with Notre Dame taking the first two titles before Pewaukee broke through in 2024.

Performance factor placement has now elevated both programs to Division 1, and the rivalry wasted no time in carrying that intensity into the new landscape. Pewaukee opened the 2024–25 season with a convincing win over Notre Dame in a showcase setting, signaling that the Pirates intend to contend even against the largest schools in the state.

With both programs now battling Arrowhead, other suburban powers, and emerging big-school contenders for Division 1 positioning, every meeting between Pewaukee and Notre Dame doubles as both a rivalry showdown and a litmus test for the top of WIAA girls basketball.

In the Classic Eight, Arrowhead enters 2025–26 as the clear favorite. The Warhawks share a conference with traditional heavyweights yet still stand out thanks to a roster headlined by Minnesota commit Natalie Kussow and a strong supporting cast of returning contributors. The combination of high-major talent and depth makes Arrowhead a central Division 1 storyline.

The Badger Small preview points to Edgewood as the team to beat, led by Wisconsin commit Anna Miller and dynamic scorer Beanie Thompson. Both earned WBCA all-state recognition, and their return keeps Edgewood in the statewide conversation even as performance factor adjustments move more successful girls programs up the divisional ladder.

In the Bay Conference, Xavier sits atop preseason projections. The Hawks are powered by sharp-shooting guard Brynn Krull and defensive standout Joy Krull, along with a deep supporting cast that can stretch defenses and pressure the ball for four quarters. Add programs such as Regis, Cuba City, Beaver Dam, and others to the statewide mix, and WIAA girls basketball once again offers one of the deepest competitive fields in the Midwest.

November and December tournaments such as the Beaver Dam Classic and other showcase events create early statement opportunities for ranked programs. Matchups like Cuba City versus Fox Valley Lutheran, Kettle Moraine Lutheran versus Aquinas, and Westosha Central versus Beaver Dam bring together defending champions, rising scorers, and Division 1 prospects on neutral floors.

These events often provide the first look at how graduation losses, new roles, and performance factor promotions translate on the court. A strong weekend can vault a team into statewide rankings, while an upset can foreshadow a bracket-busting run in March.

The WIAA boys swimming and diving scene enters the new season framed by historic runs from two programs. Middleton has claimed three straight Division 1 team titles, stacking depth across every event and establishing a standard for big-school swimming in Wisconsin.

In Division 2, McFarland owns back-to-back state championships and arrives off a 2025 performance that produced four state records at Waukesha South. That combination of team dominance and record-breaking swims positions McFarland as one of the most compelling small-school dynasties in any WIAA sport.

With both programs returning key contributors and depth, the storyline centers on whether challengers from traditional powers or rising programs can disrupt those streaks, or whether Middleton and McFarland can push their title runs into even more rarefied territory.

The 101st Annual WIAA Boys Swimming and Diving Championships again take place at Waukesha South High School, a venue that has become synonymous with fast water and loud winter atmospheres. The meet brings together qualifiers from across the state for two days of prelims and finals that often reshape the record book.

Beyond the headline programs, the championships spotlight individual standouts across all divisions, from elite sprinters and versatile IM specialists to diving talents. Every February, new names join the long list of Wisconsin swimmers who have used the WIAA stage as a springboard to collegiate and national success.

Team wrestling in Wisconsin continues to feature sustained excellence from a handful of programs. Kaukauna captured a fifth straight State Team Wrestling Tournament championship in 2025, cementing its status as one of the premier high school wrestling programs in the country.

St. Croix Falls and Mineral Point also added to their championship totals, and all three programs now sit under the performance factor microscope. Promotions and divisional movement ensure that these powers will see even stronger competition in 2025–26, with every dual and regional carrying implications for both seeding and future performance factor scoring.

The move of the State Team Wrestling Tournament to the La Crosse Center beginning in 2026 adds another layer to the story. A new venue and a three-year hosting agreement promise fresh visuals and a different feel while preserving the intensity that has defined WIAA team wrestling for decades.

The State Individual Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center remains one of the most electric weekends on the WIAA calendar. The 82nd edition in 2025 features champions crowned in 14 boys weight classes across three divisions and 12 weight classes in a rapidly growing girls division.

The field includes 19 former boys state champions and 14 returning girls champions, with names such as Liam Neitzel of Hudson and Kellen Wolbert of Oconomowoc chasing third career titles in Division 1. Other standouts, including Jacob Herm of Neenah and a deep list of lower-division stars, give almost every weight class a must-watch feel.

On the girls side, the 2025 tournament recognizes the first girls team champion in WIAA history based on individual scoring. More than 190 girls from 120-plus programs qualify, and the sport moves toward a full girls team state tournament format scheduled for 2026–27. That growth story, combined with the tradition-rich boys brackets, makes WIAA wrestling one of the most compelling winter properties in the state.

The Kohl Center continues to deliver one of the most distinctive atmospheres in high school sports. Four mats run simultaneously during prelims and consolations before the spotlight narrows to a series of championship mats on Saturday night, all under television lights and statewide broadcast coverage.

Television partners and WIAA streaming coverage now carry finals across Wisconsin, making it easier than ever for families, alumni, and local communities to follow their wrestlers. Combined with live brackets, digital stat platforms, and social coverage from local outlets, the result is a winter spectacle that rivals any collegiate conference championship.