Your guide to cross-country courses in the Region

Your guide to cross-country courses in the Region

The Region is littered with various types of cross-country courses. From Agony Hill at the forefront of New Prairie High School's famous cross country (XC) course in New Carlisle to the twists and turns of Sunset Hill Farm County Park in Valparaiso, there are different aspects that make each one a unique place to race. Some courses feature hills, like the trails of Sunset Hill, while others feature flat stretches that make them faster than others, like Lake Central High School’s home course. 

All the courses in the area host different types of events, too. For instance, New Prairie is known for hosting one of four semi-state meets as well as the famous New Prairie Invite that attracts not only teams from Indiana but also from Michigan and Illinois, too. New Prairie is also host to sectional and regional meets as well. It has been around for decades and features some of the most interesting terrain in the State of Indiana, including Agony Hill, which seems endless when you’re a competitor in the race.  

The Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) rotates each year on who hosts the championship meet. It has been held at Woodland Park in Portage which requires a certain strategy to run the course due to a challenging first half. The DAC meet has also been hosted at Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) home course at their Westville campus. The PNW course features a 5k high school course and 6k, 8k, and 10k college courses.

Along with PNW being a college course, Sunset Hill also functions as a space for collegiate meets for Valparaiso University. For high school students from both Chesterton and Valparaiso High Schools, Sunset Hill is also a popular place for teams to work out and train during the summers. 

Another rather well-known cross country course in the Region is Lemon Lake County Park in Crown Point. The course hosts the sectional and regional meets and the Bulldog Invitational, and in the past, it has hosted the DAC meet. It features long, up and down hills that runners must be strategic about when racing. 

While there are a plethora of courses around our neighborhoods here in the Region, the most important course in Indiana is located in Terre Haute. The LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course is touted as one of the best XC courses in the country. It is home to the IHSAA state championships and has hosted NCAA D1 Nationals in the past. 

The courses in the Region prepare athletes to race at the championship course in Terre Haute and show athletes some of the hardest courses in the state. While the courses all feature different aspects that make them distinct, all include a start line, a finish line, and a victor.