STEVENS POINT — The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Athletics agreed to an eight-year contract extension that grants the WIAA availability of facilities to host high school State championships in boys basketball, football, boys’ and girls’ golf, individual and team wrestling, and softball through the spring of 2033 in an announcement made at a media conference in Madison.
The UW campus and the City of Madison are premier destinations and locations for WIAA State Tournaments. In 2023-24. The State Tournaments at UW facilities drew a paid attendance of more than 196,000 with thousands of additional participants, coaches and school administrators.
A recent study conducted in conjunction with data shared by Destination Madison indicated the economic impact of WIAA State Tournaments held in the Madison area is estimated at $22.2 million.
“It is a thrill for UW Athletics, our campus and our city to play host to the state’s top high school student-athletes, coaches and staff members each year,” UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said. “I am very pleased that we will be welcoming teams and their fans to Madison for years to come and I appreciate the partnership we have with Stephanie Hauser and the WIAA.”
The agreement recognizes the mutual commitment to work together in providing memorable experiences for participating student-athletes and spectators attending WIAA State Tournament events. In addition to recognizing the best high school student-athletes and teams in the state, the tournaments showcase a number of the state’s finest facilities, the UW campus and the City of Madison.
“Chris McIntosh and his entire staff have conveyed the importance of showcasing the WIAA Championships on their campus, and we look forward to continuing this partnership in serving the member schools and their student-athletes,” WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said.
Many thrilling and unforgettable memories for WIAA State Tournament participants and spectators have been experienced at UW’s iconic venues through the years. The Kohl Center has been the site of the State Boys Basketball Tournament and the State Individual Wrestling Tournament since 1998 when the facility was opened. With the exception of 1936 and then 2020-2021 during the pandemic, the boys basketball tournament has been played in Madison since 1920, and the wrestling championships have been conducted there since 1949. The UW Field House has been the site of the State Team Wrestling Championship Tournament since 2005 with the 2020-2021 exceptions.
In addition, Camp Randall Stadium has been home to the WIAA State Football Finals since 1982 except 2021, and University Ridge has served as host of the girls and boys State Golf Championships a combined 54 times since 1994. Goodman Diamond has been the site of the State Softball Championship Tournament since it moved to Madison in 2002, except 2020-2021.
The WIAA State Girls and Boys Team and Individual Tennis Tournaments are also held on the UW campus, but are not associated with this agreement. Those event and venue agreements are with UW Recreation Sports.
Shafranski Retires; Whitford to Join Staff as Interim Assistant Director
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has named Tim Whitford as interim assistant director on the executive staff beginning Monday, Feb. 10 following the retirement of Tom Shafranski. Whitford will serve in the position until Shafranski’s successor joins the staff this summer.
During his 22-year tenure, Shafranski has served as the administrator for several sports of football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, swimming & diving, and tennis. His other administrative duties included the direction of the prestigious WIAA Scholar-Athlete program and serving as the staff liaison with the Sports Advisory Committee and the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.
Whitford will inherit the administrative responsibilities most recently managed by Shafranski, including the sports of 11-player football, boys and girls golf, boys and girls hockey, boys and girls lacrosse. Other administrative duties will include the oversight of the WIAA Scholar-Athlete program and staff liaison with the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.
He spent his entire 34-year educational career in the Winneconne Community School District before retiring in June 2024. He served the first 22 years of his career as a physical education and health educator before becoming the school’s athletic director in 2012. Whitford was named the District 4 Athletics Director of the Year by the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association last fall.
In addition, Whitford has a combined 77 years of coaching in the district, including 25 years as varsity softball coach. His teams compiled a 365-209 record, won seven conference championships and guided the development of 50 all-conference selections. In 2021, he was enshrined into the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Whitford was active in the WFSCA throughout his coaching career. He served on the association’s executive board and district representative for 20 years (2003-23) and was co-coordinator of the annual Senior All-Star Game from 2018-2023.
Since his retirement from coaching in 2017, Whitford became a WIAA-licensed softball official in 2018, working varsity and WIAA postseason games, as well as the WFSCA Senior All-Star Game in 2017. In addition, he has served as a team host for the WIAA State Softball Tournament the past six years.
Other coaching experience at Winneconne includes seven years as varsity girls volleyball coach and eight years as the middle school volleyball coach, junior varsity girls basketball coach for two years, freshman boys basketball coach for three years and middle school boys and girls basketball coach for 16 years. He also has a one-year stint as middle school football coach.
Whitford graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in May1990 with Bachelor of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education and Minor in Coaching.
Jacob Beschta to join WIAA as Assistant Director
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association announces the hiring of Jacob Beschta to serve as assistant director on the executive staff. He will assume his role at the organization’s headquarters on June 5, 2025.
“I am extremely grateful and honored to have the opportunity to serve our membership as Assistant Director,” Beschta said. “I look forward to working alongside our dedicated WIAA team to support our member schools in providing the absolute best in academic and co-curricular opportunities for our student-athletes.”
Beschta’s responsibilities will include the administration and tournament planning for the sports assigned, as well as other administrative duties to be determined.
“Our staff enthusiastically welcomes Jake to our team,” Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said. “His wide range of experiences as athletic director, coach, licensed official and as a high school principal bring a unique perspective to our staff in serving the membership.”
Beschta joins the executive staff after serving as high school principal in the Denmark School District since 2020. Among his many responsibilities, he supervised and evaluated professional and support staff, and he led the hiring process for all high school staff. He has guided the planning and implementing of course and curriculum development, effectuated school safety planning and professional development for district and building staff; and managed building and activity budgets.
He also collaborated to create several strategies and initiatives designed to enhance opportunities, engagement and improvement for students and staff. Beschta developed the Vikings Link Crew, a student-led, ninth-grade mentorship program, and led the implementation of a Building Advisory Committee to improve the school’s master schedule, create opportunities for shared leadership, and implement a building continuous improvement plan. He also worked with the athletic director to hire coaches and revise the district’s coaches handbook.
Prior to his most current role, Beschta served as principal at Oconto Falls High School from 2018-2020. In addition to similar responsibilities and achievements at Denmark, he collaborated on educator effectiveness planning and implemented a leadership committee to build teacher course loads and student-led tutor and mentoring programs. He also created a Student Leadership Committee and led the school’s Wall of Fame nomination and inductee process, as well as working with the athletic director to implement coach evaluations and professional learning.
He served three years as the athletic director and associate principal at Sheboygan Falls High School from 2015-18. Beschta was responsible for 17 athletic programs, the district’s recreation programs and co-curricular clubs. In addition to managing the athletic program budget, he supervised policy updates to the student handbook and athletic code, evaluated coaches, facilitated staff professional development opportunities and led coach and conference meetings.
Other educational experiences include teaching middle school mathematics and language arts in the Coleman School District from 2007-15. Along with his teaching duties, he served as football junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach, girls basketball junior varsity head and varsity assistant coach and as a high school track & field coach.
Beschta is currently the co-chair of the WIAA Calendar and Contact Ad-Hoc Committee and he is a WIAA-licensed basketball official at the master level along with being a member of the Green Bay Officials Association. Other education-related service includes a position as secretary and vice president of the Northeast Wisconsin Conference Principals Committee.
The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle level schools in its membership.
