It’s an effort from the IHSAA and IGHSAU to reduce a congested spring sports calendar
In an effort to reduce a congested spring sports calendar for Iowa high schools, girls’ tennis and boys’ golf will be held in the fall season, beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
The announcement was made Monday through a joint release from the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Both governing bodies approved the moves during a joint meeting last month.
The changes address decades-long concerns from member schools over scheduling.
“Reducing the congestion in the spring schedule has been a topic of conversation among ADs, our staffs, representative councils, boards, and the joint IHSAA & IGHSAU committee for several years,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said in the release.
Iowa’s current spring schedule includes eight sports — golf, soccer, tennis and track and field for both boys and girls — and overlaps seasonally with baseball and softball.
“Our member schools have been asking for ways to relieve the crowded spring sports seasons for years” IGHSAU executive director Erin Gerlich said. “The new changes provide relief in an already busy spring, and an opportunity for the IGHSAU and IHSAA to enhance the state tournament experiences for tennis and golf.
“A lot of work has gone into this process and we appreciate all of the input we have received regarding these changes.”
Xavier girls’ tennis coach Matt Foxhoven said the move to the fall will allow players to build on momentum gained playing in summer tournaments.
“This is going to be a very interesting change for girls’ tennis,” he said. “There are many positives, more court availability, great weather early in the season, teams can use the summer to prepare for the upcoming season and tournament players are coming off summer tourneys so will be performing at high levels.”
Foxhoven’s Saints have been one of the state’s most successful Class 1A programs over the past decade. He said a possible downfall of the change, especially in the small schools, could be that athletes may have to make a choice.
“I am a little concerned for the immediate impacts on schools with strong volleyball programs that use many of those athletes on the tennis team,” Foxhoven said. “I think that will really hurt some programs and as we saw last year on the 1A side.
“It was pretty wide open with a lot of teams having success that maybe haven’t been powers in the past. I really hope this doesn’t affect some smaller programs that way.”
Ironically, had the new plan been in place the last two years a pair of Cedar Rapids Washington athletes — Mya Messenger and Lily Belle Barker — would have benefitted. As members of the tennis and golf teams, they were forced to choose state golf over state tennis after qualifying in both sports.
As for boys’ golf, Class 4A teams have played in the fall since 1993. Keating said having all four classes beginning play in August helps spread things out.
“Other Midwest states have found success with this model and I am confident our schools will adjust to the new format,” said Keating, who served as president of the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2023-24. “While we recognize some of the initial challenges, the advantages of reducing scheduling congestion in the spring, reducing lost class time, and giving the option of having the same coach for spring and fall combine to lead us in this direction.”
In 2025, boys’ golf (3A, 2A, 1A) and girls’ tennis (2A, 1A) will compete in both the 2024-25 spring season and the 2025-26 fall season.
