New Prairie set to host largest high school athletic event

Tim Creason
·3 min read

That rumbling noise Michiana residents will be hearing Saturday morning won’t come from any earthquake.

More likely, it’s the sound of over 2,000 runners trampling the grounds around New Prairie High School.

Indiana’s largest high school athletic event, the New Prairie Cross Country Invitational, begins at 9 a.m. (EDT) and continues well into the afternoon.  This year’s field includes teams from 109 different schools coming from Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.

Lillian Zelasko of New Prairie leads the way in the 3200 meter race during the NIC girls track meet Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at Elkhart High School. Zelasko finished second in the 1,600 at the Portage Regional to qualify for state finalls.
Lillian Zelasko of New Prairie leads the way in the 3200 meter race during the NIC girls track meet Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at Elkhart High School. Zelasko finished second in the 1,600 at the Portage Regional to qualify for state finalls.

Teams are divided into classes based on school enrollment.  However, if a smaller school has a very good team, that group can move up into a larger class to get better competition.

For instance, Morgan Township, from Porter County, has an enrollment of only 243.  However, the Cherokees have a very strong girls team.  Thus, Morgan Township’s boys will compete in Class A, the small school division.  But the girls will move up to Class AAA and compete against the large schools.

Local runners may shine in the large school divisions.

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In Girls Class AAA, New Prairie senior Lilly Zelasko, the top female runner in northern Indiana, should battle Penn's Mary Eubank and Ellie Stabnik, among others, for the individual championship.  Zelasko clocked 18 minutes, 10 seconds over 5,000 meters earlier this season at the Lafayette Harrison Invitational.

In Boys Class AAA, Mishawaka sophomore Liam Bauschke is one to watch after clocking 15:48 in a Northern Lakes Conference round-robin meet Tuesday night.  That is a Caveman sophomore class record. He also ran 15:58 earlier this season at a meet in Terre Haute.

Hanover Central’s Ryan York clocked 15:47 at the Lafayette Harrison Invitational and also should contend if he chooses to move up from Class AA to Class AAA.

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55th ANNUAL NEW PRAIRIE CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL 

When:  Saturday

Where:  New Prairie High School

Admission:  $6

SCHEDULE (All times EDT)

9:10 a.m. – Girls Varsity A

9:45 a.m. – Boys Varsity A

10:20 a.m. – Girls Varsity AA

10:50 a.m. – Boys Varsity AA

11:20 a.m. – Girls Varsity AAA

11:50 a.m. – Boys Varsity AAA

12:20 p.m. – Boys Freshman/Sophomore

12:55 p.m. – Boys Reserve

1:20 p.m. – Girls Reserve

CLASS AAA (Large Schools) 

Adams, Angola (boys), Chesterton, Crown Point, East Noble, Elkhart, Franklin Central, Gary West Side Leadership Academy, Hammond Morton, Harrison (Lafayette), Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Kokomo, Lafayette Jeff, Lake Central, La Porte, Logansport, Lowell, Maconaquah (girls), McCutcheon, Merrillville, Michigan City, Mishawaka, Morgan Township (girls), Munster, New Prairie, Northridge,  Penn, Plymouth, Portage, Riley, Valparaiso, Warsaw.

CLASS AA (Medium-size Schools) 

Andrean, Angola (girls), Bellmont, Benton Central, Berrien Springs (Mich.), Boone Grove, Bremen, Calumet, Clay, Culver Academies, Eastern (Greentown), Frankfort, Griffith, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hanover Central, Highland, Illiana Christian, Jimtown, John Glenn, Knox,  Maconaquah (boys), Manchester, Marian, Northwestern, Peru, River Forest, SB Saint Joseph, Tippecanoe Valley, Twin Lakes, Rensselaer, Rochester, SB Washington, West Lafayette, Western.

CLASS A (Small Schools) 

Attica, Beecher (Ill.), Bridgman (Mich.), Buchanan (Mich.), Carroll (Flora), Caston, Clinton Prairie, Delphi, DeMotte Christian, Faith Christian (Lafayette),  Fremont, Fountain Central, Frontier, Gary Lighthouse, Hebron, Kouts, Lafayette Central Catholic, Lake Station, LaLumiere, LaVille, Lewis Cass, Michigan City Marquette, Morgan Township (boys), New Buffalo (Mich.), North Judson, North Miami, North Newton, North White, Oregon-Davis, Pioneer, Rossville, SB Career Academy, South Central (LaPorte), Steel City Academy (Gary), Tri County, Tri-Township (LaCrosse), Trinity, Triton, Victory Christian (Valparaiso), Washington Twp., West Central, Westview, Wheeler, Winamac, Whiting.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: New Prairie Cross Country Invitational on tap for Saturday