Starting August 2nd, The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association made their hire of Mel Dow for the Associate Director official. Dow will replace Wade Labecki, who officially retires on September 1st. Dow will take on a variety of tasks, including administration, coordination, and rounament planning for baseball, wrestling, and tennis. Dow will also play an essential role in eligibility, camps, out-of-season participation, foreign students, and coaching contact. 

Dow has had a plethora of stops in several capacities. Dow has been the Athletic Director in the Stoughton School District since 2010. Dow also spent just over a decade at Prairie du Chien High School teaching physical education and coaching wrestling, football, and track and field. Dow also was an assistant coach for UW-La Crosse wrestling from 1999t to 2000 and taught and coached in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1997 to 1999. In 1996, Dow founded Wisconsin’s first visually impaired wrestling team.  

Dow has been affiliated for some time with the WIAA, having served on its Sports Advisory Council since 2018. Experience on other committees include the WIAA’s Sportsmanship Committee and the Strategic Plan Committee of the Wisconsin Athletic Director’s Association. Dow was even the tournament director for the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in 2014 to 2015. Dow is a UW-La Crosse alum and a 1992 graduate of Prairie du Chien High School.