FISHER, Ill. (WCIA) — After competing as members of the Heart of Illinois Conference for nearly two decades, a big change is coming to Fisher Athletics.

The Bunnies plan to move to the Lincoln Prairie Conference at the start of the 2026-27 athletic calendar.

Fisher athletic director Brian Bajer said after evaluating the school’s performance in various sports, it was determined that a change in conference would be beneficial.

He believes the move will allow the Bunnies to play teams more closely aligned to their enrollment and socio-economic status.

“Our overall goal and theme throughout this process has been let’s make the decision that’s best for our kids and for our athletes,” Bajer said. “We believe that putting our kids in a position in which they have a more competitive competition field is going to ultimately increase our participation, our overall enjoyment in athletics, and really impact the positive culture within our building.”

Bajer also said that the move wasn’t primarily centered around football, but it’s a change that would benefit all of Fisher’s teams.

The conference shift isn’t expected to impact the Bunnies co-op with Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in boys soccer and wrestling.

The Bunnies regularly play Eureka, Fieldcrest, Heyworth and others in the HOIC. The move to the LPC will match them up more often with Sullivan, Villa Grove, Arcola and others.