MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday put an end to a yearslong dispute over a state wrestling title, siding with the state’s high school athletics association.
In a 5-2 ruling, justices decided that the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association acted appropriately when it suspended wrestler Hayden Halter in 2019. The court’s ruling strips Halter of that year’s state wrestling title.
Watch: Supreme Court sides with WIAA in Hayden Halter wrestling dispute
Halter, who wrestled for Waterford High School, received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties at a conference tournament in 2019. Under the WIAA’s rules, that resulted in a suspension for his next meet. A suspension would have ended the season for Halter. His family sued to challenge the decision, and a circuit court judge overturned the suspension.
Halter went on to win his weight class at the WIAA Division 1 championship, but a court ruling in 2021 stripped him of the title. Then, last year, an appeals court reinstated Halter’s win.
Tuesday’s decision from the Wisconsin Supreme Court once again takes away Halter’s victory in 2019. In reviewing the WIAA’s decision-making process, the court found that the WIAA adhered to its own rules.
“The record is clear that the WIAA acted reasonably in the interpretation and application of its rules,” the court’s majority wrote.
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