The Great Northern Conference is a high school athletic conference based in north central Wisconsin . Founded in 2008, the conference and its member schools belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association .
History The Great Northern Conference was formed in 2008 by seven medium-sized high schools in north central Wisconsin. Four of its original members (Lakeland Union , Medford , Northland Pines and Tomahawk ) were previously members of the Lumberjack Conference , which had disbanded the year prior. Two schools joined from the Wisconsin Valley Conference (Antigo and Merrill ) and Mosinee moved over from the Cloverbelt Conference . For Antigo and Merrill, this move grouped them with schools more in line with their enrollment size instead of being two of the smallest schools in their former conference. Two years after the Great Northern Conference was formed, Merrill swapped affiliations with Wisconsin Valley Conference member Rhinelander . They rejoined in 2025 from the Wisconsin Valley Conference, bringing the Great Northern Conference's membership group to eight schools.
List of member schools Current full members School Location Affiliation Enrollment Mascot Colors Joined Antigo Antigo, WI Public 647 Red Robins 2008 Lakeland Union Minocqua, WI Public 713 Thunderbirds 2008 Medford Medford, WI Public 667 Raiders 2008 Merrill Merrill, WI Public 727 Bluejays 2008, 2025 Mosinee Mosinee, WI Public 556 Indians 2008 Northland Pines Eagle River, WI Public 404 Eagles 2008 Rhinelander Rhinelander, WI Public 718 Hodags 2010 Tomahawk Tomahawk, WI Public 372 Hatchets 2008
Current associate members School Location Affiliation Mascot Colors Primary Conference Sports Ashland Ashland, WI Public Oredockers Heart O'North Gymnastics, Boys Tennis Colby Colby, WI Public Hornets Cloverbelt Girls Swim & Dive Columbus Catholic Marshfield, WI Private (Catholic ) Dons Marawood Girls Tennis Marshfield Marshfield, WI Public Tigers Wisconsin Valley Gymnastics Newman Catholic Wausau, WI Private (Catholic ) Cardinals Marawood Girls Tennis Pacelli Stevens Point, WI Private (Catholic ) Cardinals Central Wisconsin Boys Tennis, Girls Tennis Phillips Phillips, WI Public Loggers Marawood Girls Tennis Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public Panthers Wisconsin Valley Gymnastics Waupaca Waupaca, WI Public Comets North Eastern Boys Hockey Wausau East Wausau, WI Public Lumberjacks Wisconsin Valley Football Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids, WI Public Red Raiders Wisconsin Valley Gymnastics
Notes Current co-operative members Team Colors Host School Co-operative Members Sport(s) Trident Swim Team Ladysmith Bloomer , Bruce, Flambeau, Lake HolcombeGirls Swim & Dive
Future associate members School Location Affiliation Mascot Colors Joining Sports Primary Conference Shawano Shawano, WI Public Hawks 2027 Boys Hockey Bay
Notes Former associate members School Location Affiliation Mascot Colors Seasons Sports Primary Conference Ashland Ashland, WI Public Oredockers 2011-2023 Football Lake Superior , Heart O'North Merrill Merrill, WI Public Bluejays 2011-2024 Football Wisconsin Valley Hayward Hayward, WI Public Hurricanes 2020-2023 Football Heart O'North
Membership timeline Full members Football members Membership map Location of Great Northern Conference full members:1 Antigo 2 Lakeland Union 3 Medford 4 Merrill 5 Mosinee 6 Northland Pines 7 Rhinelander 8 Tomahawk Sanctioned sports Baseball Boys Basketball Girls Basketball Boys Cross Country Girls Cross Country Football Boys Golf Gymnastics Boys Hockey Boys Soccer Girls Soccer Softball Boys Swim & Dive Girls Swim & Dive Boys Tennis Girls Tennis Boys Track & Field Girls Track & Field Girls Volleyball Boys Wrestling Girls Wrestling Antigo X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Lakeland Union X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Medford X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Merrill X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Mosinee X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Northland Pines X X X X X X X X X X X X X Rhinelander X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Tomahawk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Notes List of state champions Fall sports School Year Division Tomahawk 2008 Division 2 Lakeland Union 2016 Division 2
School Year Division Medford 2018 Division 2
School Year Division Rhinelander 2020 Division 2 Rhinelander 2023 Division 2
Winter sports School Year Division Tomahawk 2025 Division 2 Northland Pines 2026 Division 2
School Year Division Rhinelander 2023 Division 2
Spring sports School Year Division Antigo 2019 Division 2
School Year Division Lakeland Union 2024 Division 2
School Year Division Mosinee 2014 Division 2
List of conference champions Source:
Boys Basketball School Quantity Years Rhinelander 8 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2024, 2025, 2026 Mosinee 5 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2026 Antigo 4 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Medford 4 2017, 2020, 2021, 2023 Lakeland Union 0 Merrill 0 Northland Pines 0 Tomahawk 0
Girls Basketball School Quantity Years Lakeland Union 7 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025 Mosinee 5 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2026 Medford 3 2010, 2012, 2013 Rhinelander 2 2019, 2020 Antigo 1 2009 Merrill 1 2009 Northland Pines 1 2013 Tomahawk 0
Football School Quantity Years Medford 7 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2024 Mosinee 6 2011, 2012, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 Antigo 5 2008, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 Merrill 3 2009, 2014, 2016 Ashland 1 2018 Lakeland Union 1 2008 Tomahawk 1 2025 Hayward 0 Rhinelander 0 Wausau East 0
Boys Hockey School Quantity Years Northland Pines 7 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Antigo 5 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Lakeland Union 4 2009, 2022, 2023, 2024 Tomahawk 3 2024, 2025, 2026 Mosinee 2 2021, 2023 Rhinelander 1 2021 Waupaca 1 2010 Medford 0 Merrill 0
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