Northwest Upstate Illini Conference

The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference within Illinois

The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference is a high school conference in northwest and north central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference comprises 19 small public high schools and one small private school, with enrollments between 64-382 students in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties.

History

In 1996 the Northwest Illinois Conference (NWIC) and Upstate Illini Conference (UIC) merged under the Upstate Illini banner. Three divisions were formed: West - Dakota, East Dubuque, Galena, Lena-Winslow, Orangeville, River Ridge, Stockton, and Warren East - Ashton-Franklin Center, Durand, Kirkland-Hiawatha, North Boone, Pecatonica, Rockford Lutheran and South Beloit, and South - Forreston, Freeport Aquin, Eastland, Pearl City, Milledgeville, Mt. Carroll and Polo. In 1999 Savanna was added to the South Division and Rockford Christian Life to the East Division for a total of 24 teams. In 2000, six schools (Ashton-Franklin Center, Durand, Kirkland-Hiawatha, North Boone, Pecatonica and South Beloit) left to form the Four Rivers Conference, the remaining schools realigned under the Northwest Upstate Illini moniker. Based on proximity, the two remaining schools from the East, Rockford Christian Life and Rockford Lutheran, also left the conference following the 2000 school year.

Founded in 2001, the Northwest Upstate Illini was divided into two divisions: Northwest - Dakota, Eastland, Forreston, Galena, Lena-Winslow, Pearl City, Mt. Carroll and Savanna, and Upstate - Freeport Aquin, East Dubuque, Milledgeville, Orangeville, Polo, River Ridge, Scales Mound, Stockton, and Warren. In 2006, Mt. Carroll and Savanna consolidated with Thomson to become West Carroll. During the same year, four teams from the Four Rivers Conference (Ashton-Franklin Center, Durand, Pecatonica, South Beloit) were accepted to join the conference. Durand, Pecatonica and South Beloit joined the Northwest Division and Ashton-Franklin Center entered the Upstate. Outside of the Chicago Public High School League, the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference is the largest conference in the state of Illinois.

South Beloit will be leaving the NUIC beginning with the 2016-17 season. The Sobos will be joining the Northeast Athletic Conference to compete against schools from Chicago, Rockford, Aurora, Arlington Heights, Elgin, Hebron, Crystal Lake, Ottawa, Mooseheart and Kirkland.^[1] To replace the exiting team the NUIC has invited Amboy High School, currently a member of the Three Rivers Conference. The Clippers will join the NUIC for the 2016-17 school year.^[2]

Current Membership

The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference is split into Northwest and Upstate divisions based on enrollment. The Northwest schools and coops have enrollments which exceed 250. Upstate schools enrollments fall below 250.

Northwest Division

Upstate Division

Sources:IHSA Conferences,^[7] IHSA Coop Teams,^[8] and IHSA Member Schools Directory^[9]

Pending Membership

Cooperative Arrangements

note: Highlighted school is the host^[10]

• Dakota and Orangeville High Schools co-operate for wrestling.
• Durand and Pecatonica High Schools co-operate for wrestling.
• Durand and Pecatonica High Schools co-operate for girls cross country.
• Eastland and Milledgeville High Schools co-operate for boys & girls golf.
• Forreston and Polo High Schools co-operate for baseball & softball
• Forreston and Byron High Schools co-operate for boys & girls swimming & diving.
• Galena and East Dubuque High Schools co-operate for boys & girls track & field.
• Galena and River Ridge High Schools co-operate for boys & girls track & field.
• Galena and River Ridge High Schools co-operate for girls soccer.
• Lena-Winslow and Stockton High Schools co-operate for wrestling.
• Lena-Winslow and Warren High Schools co-operate for wrestling.
• Lena-Winslow and Orangeville High Schools co-operate for speech individual events.
• Lena-Winslow and Stockton High Schools co-operate for speech individual events.
• Lena-Winslow and Warren High Schools co-operate for speech individual events.
• Milledgeville and Eastland High Schools co-operate for boys & girls track & field.
• Pearl City and Eastland High Schools co-operate for football^[11]
• Pearl City and Eastland High Schools co-operate for speech individual events.
• Pecatonica and Durand High Schools co-operate for baseball.
• Pecatonica and Winnebago High Schools co-operate for boys & girls bowling.
• Pecatonica and Byron High Schools co-operate for boys & girls swimming & diving.
• Pecatonica and Durand High Schools co-operate for boys & girls track & field.
• Polo and Byron High Schools co-operate for boys & girls swimming & diving.
• Polo and Forreston High Schools co-operate for boys & girls track & field.
• Polo and Forreston High Schools co-operate for wrestling.
• Polo and Eastland High Schools co-operate for wrestling.
• River Ridge and Scales Mound High Schools co-operate for baseball.
• River Ridge and Scales Mound High Schools co-operate for boys golf.
• River Ridge and Scales Mound High Schools co-operate for girls basketball.
• Scales Mound High School co-operates with Benton, WI for football, therefore they do not participate in the IHSA football playoffs.
• Stockton and Warren High Schools co-operate for softball.
• Stockton and Warren High Schools co-operate for girls track.
• Warren and Stockton High Schools co-operate for baseball.
• West Carroll and Byron High Schools co-operate for boys & girls swimming & diving.

Membership timeline

Full members Full members (non-football) Full members (Football Coop) Other Conference Consolidated

Competitive Success

The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference has won 68 team state championships in IHSA sponsored athletics and activities.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]} The conference also has produced over 108 individual championships, including golf,^[16] public speaking,^[26] track & field,^[17][23] and wrestling.^[27] Josh Alber and Seth Milks from Dakota are the only individual 4-time state champions in the history of the conference. As a wrestler, Alber finished his 4 years of competition undefeated with a final record of 182 wins and 0 losses. Alber also became the first four-time state champion in IHSA history to complete high school competition without a loss or tie.

State Champions

Note: Championships listed here also include championships won by current member schools prior to any respective consolidations, as well as prior to the formation of the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference.

Team

Individual

References

External links

• Ashton-Franklin Center High School
• Aquin Catholic High School
• Dakota High School
• Durand High School
• East Dubuque High School
• Eastland High School
• Galena High School
• Lena-Winslow High School
• Milledgeville High School
• Orangeville High School
• Pearl City High School
• Pecatonica High School
• Polo High School
• River Ridge High School
• Scales Mound High School
• South Beloit High School
• Stockton High School
• Warren High School
• West Carroll High School