Miamisburg had submitted a letter of interest to the SWBL and gave notice to the GWOC of its intentions to seek new conference affiliation in October 2025.
Miamisburg athletic director Jason Shade confirmed the district was denied by the SWBL.
“We are members of the GWOC,” Shade said when asked if the school would attempt to pursue membership with a different league.
Bellbrook athletic director Charlie O’Dell said there was “almost no support” from SWBL athletic directors to having Miamisburg potentially join the league, which at the earliest would have been for the 2027-28 calendar year. He added his belief there could be another time down the road Miamisburg or other schools could be more favorably considered for entry into the league.
SWBL officials did not provide comment when attempted to be contacted by Cox First Media.
The majority of Miamisburg team sports currently compete at the Division II level under the OHSAA’s seven-division structure. All other GWOC schools, except Northmont, are D-I schools.
The SWBL Southwest Division, which includes Bellbrook, Edgewood, Franklin, Monroe, Ross and Talawanda, primarily competes in D-II and D-III. The other eight schools that make the up SWBL Buckeye Division — Brookville, Carlisle, Dayton Christian, Eaton, Middletown Madison, Oakwood, Waynesville, Valley View — compete in D-IV and D-V.
The OHSAA lists Miamisburg’s enrollment at 1,137 students, comprised of 587 boys and 550 girls for the current two-year cycle starting in 2024. It is the smallest total of the eight GWOC member schools. Centerville has the highest total enrollment of 2,014.
In the SWBL, Edgewood has the highest enrollment total at 852. Franklin with 585 students is the lowest amount for Southwest Division schools. Oakwood has the highest enrollment in the Buckeye Division with 472, and Dayton Christian at the other end is listed having 214 students.
Miamisburg athletic programs in the Fall had no team finish in the top half of the GWOC standings. Winter sports resulted with the Vikings girls bowling team getting a second place finish, and boys bowling and wrestling earning third places, respectively.
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