MHS individual sports assigned to new AIA divisions

Maricopa High School’s individual-sports programs such as cross country, wrestling and track have been assigned to new state-championship divisions as part of the realignment announced Monday by the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA).

The MHS boys cross country team, which placed eighth in the state last year in Class 4A-II, has been assigned to Division III, the third-largest (in terms of enrollment numbers) among the four new cross country divisions. Maricopa also will compete in Division III in girls cross country.

In boys and girls golf, Maricopa has been assigned to Division II, the smaller of two divisions.

During the winter season, the MHS wrestling team will compete in Division III (the third-largest of four divisions).

Among spring sports, the Maricopa boys and girls tennis teams have been assigned to Division II (the second-largest of three divisions). The boys and girls track teams also are in Division II, but they will be competing in the second-largest of four divisions.

The new divisions, which will take effect immediately for the 2010-11 school year, are designed to reduce travel and decrease the number of state championships in all sports. Cross country, for example, will go from having six state championships to four.

The divisions, which are identified by Roman numerals with the state’s largest schools competing in Division I, will replace the conference format that grouped schools into classifications ranging from 5A-I for the largest to 1A for the smallest.

For this academic year, the changes only will affect sports that feature individual competitors – such as cross country, golf, wrestling, tennis and track.

Team sports such as football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball will continue to utilize the conference classification system for this school year before undergoing realignment into divisions in 2011-12. Maricopa’s team-sports programs will continue to compete in Class 4A-II for this school year.

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