Duneland Athletic Conference - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) is a high school athletic conference in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

serving eight members of the Indiana High School Athletic Association

Indiana High School Athletic Association

The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...

. Member schools are located in the counties of Lake

Lake County, Indiana

Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2010, its population was 496,005, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. This county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area. The county contains a mix of urban,...

, LaPorte

LaPorte County, Indiana

LaPorte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 111,467. The county seat is the city of La Porte. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, Northwest Indiana and Michiana. The largest city is Michigan City...

, and Porter

Porter County, Indiana

Porter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 164,343. Much of the population growth has to do with the expansion of the Chicago Metropolitan Area eastward into Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso...

along Indiana's Lake Michigan shore. Each school is classified based on enrollment as 5A for football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

and 4A for basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, the classes for the largest schools in Indiana. The Duneland Conference is also quite known for its gymnastics programs which have won a combined total of 27 state championship and state runner-up titles.

Current members

School	Mascot	Location	Year Joined	Enrollment http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SAS/sas2.cfm?type=s&tab=peschl&already= 08-09	IHSAA Indiana High School Athletic Association The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as... Class	IHSAA Indiana High School Athletic Association The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as... Class Football	County
Chesterton	Trojans	Chesterton Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,068 at the 2010 census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the tri-towns or the Duneland area....	1970^	1921	4A	5A	64 Porter
Crown Point	Bulldogs	Crown Point Crown Point, Indiana As of the census of 2010, there were 27,317 people and 10,976 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.20% White, 6.30% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races...	1993	2426	4A	5A	45 Lake
Lake Central Lake Central High School Lake Central High School is located in St. John, Indiana, USA for students in grades nine through twelve. In the 2005-06 academic year, it had an enrollment of 3,014, which puts it near the top of list of Indiana high schools in terms of enrollment. Its students come from the towns of St...	Indians	Saint John	2003	3141	4A	5A	45 Lake
LaPorte	Slicers	LaPorte LaPorte, Indiana La Porte is a city in La Porte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was 22,053 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the...	1976	1956	4A	5A	46 LaPorte
Merrillville	Pirates	Merrillville Merrillville, Indiana Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....	1975	2241	4A	5A	45 Lake
Michigan City Michigan City High School Michigan City High School is located in Michigan City, Indiana. At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, there were 1935 students During normal hours of operation.-History:...	Wolves	Michigan City Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....	1972^^	1919	4A	5A	46 LaPorte
Portage Portage High School Portage High School is a public high school in Indiana that serves grades 9 thru 12. The school has been in the area since the 1960s but can be dated back to the 1940s. The school serves the Portage, Indiana area as well as the South Haven area of Valparaiso, Indiana and Ogden Dunes, Indiana...	Indians	Portage Portage, Indiana Portage is a city in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 36,828 as of the 2010 census. It is the largest city in Porter County, and third largest in Northwest Indiana.-Geography:...	1970^	2618	4A	5A	64 Porter
Valparaiso Valparaiso High School Valparaiso High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana. This high school is currently a four star and accredited high school, cited by US News and World Report as a "Best High School 2008". The current principal is Mr...	Vikings	Valparaiso Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...	1970^	2072	4A	5A	64 Porter

^Charter Member

^^Michigan City initially joined as Michigan City Rogers High School

Boys	State Titles	Runner-Up	Girls	State Titles	Runner-Up
Baseball	5	1	Basketball	2	7
Basketball	2	3	Cross Country	6	7
Cross Country	10	10	Golf	2	1
Football	5	6	Gymnastics	12	9
Golf	0	0	Soccer	0	1
Soccer	3	1	Softball	3	2
Swimming & Diving	2	3	Swimming & Diving	0	2
Tennis	1	1	Tennis	0	0
Track & Field	0	0	Track & Field	0	1
Wrestling	1	1	Volleyball	0	0
Total	29	26	Total	25	30
Conference Total	54	56	110

History

1970: Chesterton, Portage, Valparaiso, and Hobart High School began competition as the Duneland Athletic Conference. Chesterton & Portage had been members of the Calumet Conference; Hobart & Valparaiso had been independents.
1972: Michigan City Rogers joins the DAC.
1975: Merrillville joins the conference, leaving the Lake Suburban Conference
Lake Suburban Conference
The Lake Suburban Conference was a high school athletic conference serving schools in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The conference was formed in 1970 and disbanded in 1992. During the majority of its existence the conference was composed of seven teams...

.
1976: LaPorte joins after being independent for two years following its departure from the Northern Indiana Conference
Northern Indiana Conference
-About:The Northern Indiana Conference is a high school athletic conference that was founded in 1927 and spanned from Hammond and Gary over to South Bend/Mishawaka and Elkhart and all the way down to Plymouth...

.
1993: Crown Point joins the DAC following the disbandment of the Lake Suburban Conference
Lake Suburban Conference
The Lake Suburban Conference was a high school athletic conference serving schools in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The conference was formed in 1970 and disbanded in 1992. During the majority of its existence the conference was composed of seven teams...

.
1995: Michigan City Rogers is merged with Michigan City Elston, who was a member of the Northern Indiana Conference, to form Michigan City High School.
2003: Hobart, the only non-5A football school, leaves to join the Lake Athletic Conference
Lake Athletic Conference
The Lake Athletic Conference was a high school athletic conference serving members of the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The LAC existed in multiple guises from the fall of 1993 through the spring of 2007, at which time it comprised sixteen member high schools...

. Lake Central joins in place of Hobart following being independent since the disbandment of the Lake Suburban Conference
Lake Suburban Conference
The Lake Suburban Conference was a high school athletic conference serving schools in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The conference was formed in 1970 and disbanded in 1992. During the majority of its existence the conference was composed of seven teams...

in 1993. Hobart is currently with the Northwest Crossroads Conference
Northwest Crossroads Conference (IHSAA)
The Northwest Crossroads Conference is a seven-member IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference. Six of the seven institutions are in Lake County, while the seventh, Kankakee Valley, is in neighboring Jasper County. This conference was created in 2007, following the disbandment of the Lake Athletic...

after the 2007 disbandment of the Lake Athletic Conference
Lake Athletic Conference
The Lake Athletic Conference was a high school athletic conference serving members of the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The LAC existed in multiple guises from the fall of 1993 through the spring of 2007, at which time it comprised sixteen member high schools...

.

2003 Expansion

In 2002, five schools - East Chicago Central High School

East Chicago Central High School

EC Central High School is a high school in the industrial city of East Chicago, Indiana, United States, located in the Chicago metropolitan area. Its address is 1100 W. Columbus Drive, on the corner of Columbus Drive and Indianapolis Boulevard...

, Elkhart Central High School

Elkhart Central High School

-Vision:Elkhart Central High School is a place where all feel safe, welcome and aspire to learn, find their niche and pursue their dreams.-Mission:...

, Lake Central High School

Lake Central High School

Lake Central High School is located in St. John, Indiana, USA for students in grades nine through twelve. In the 2005-06 academic year, it had an enrollment of 3,014, which puts it near the top of list of Indiana high schools in terms of enrollment. Its students come from the towns of St...

, Mishawaka High School, & Penn High School

Penn High School

Penn High School is a public high school located just outside of Mishawaka, Indiana, USA, near South Bend. It is the one high school in the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation...

- submitted proposals to join the DAC when expansion talks began following Hobart's announcement it would leave to join the Lake Athletic Conference. Lake Central, Mishawaka and Penn were invited to join the DAC. Mishawaka, shortly followed by Penn, opted to not join the conference. These two schools cited wanting Elkhart Central and East Chicago Central to have been invited to join as well. This coupled with the extensive travel times to Lake County schools and the time zone difference led to their decision to remain in the Northern Indiana Conference

Northern Indiana Conference

-About:The Northern Indiana Conference is a high school athletic conference that was founded in 1927 and spanned from Hammond and Gary over to South Bend/Mishawaka and Elkhart and all the way down to Plymouth...

Chesterton Trojans (6)

1989 Wrestling
1993 Gymnastics

2008 Boys' Swimming
2000 Gymnastics

2002 Gymnastics
2009 Boys' Swimming

Crown Point Bulldogs (5)

1983-1984 Girls' Basketball
1984-1985 Girls' Basketball

1971-1972 Boys' Tennis
2008-2009 Wrestling

2011 Boys' Soccer (2A)

LaPorte Slicers (12)

1960 Boys' Golf
1967 Baseball
1968 Boys' Tennis
1971 Baseball

1976 Baseball
1976 Boys' Golf
1978 Girls' Golf
1982 Baseball

1987 Baseball (Easton National Champions)
1990 Baseball
1992 Baseball
2000 Baseball (4A)

Lake Central Indians (6)

1987 Boys' Swimming
1992 Softball

1994 Girls Basketball
2002 Softball (3A)

2004 Softball (4A)
2010 Boys Soccer

Merrillville Pirates (5)

1976 Football (3A)
1986 Gymnastics

1992 Gymnastics
1993 Softball

1997 Softball

Portage Indians (7)

1974 Boys Cross Country
1975 Gymnastics
1977 Football (3A)

1984 Boys Cross Country
1992 Boys Cross Country

1999 Boys Cross Country
2000 Softball (3A)

Valparaiso Vikings (22)

1966 Boys Cross Country
1975 Football (3A)
1981 Gymnastics
1983 Boys Cross Country
1985 Boys Cross Country
1986 Boys Cross Country
1991 Gymnastics

1994 Gymnastics
1997 Boys Cross Country
1997 Gymnastics
1998 Gymnastics
1999 Girls Cross Country
2000 Girls Cross Country

2000 Boys Cross Country
2002 Girls Cross Country
2003 Girls Cross Country
2004 Girls Cross Country
2004 Boys Soccer
2008 Gymnastics
2009 Gymnastics
2010 Gymnastics
2011 Gymnastics

Hobart Brickies (6)

1957 Boys Cross Country
1987 Football (4A)
1989 Football (4A)
1991 Football (4A)
1993 Football (4A)
2004 Gymnastics

Current members

Chesterton Trojans (10)

1981 Wrestling
1985 Gymnastics
1995 Gymnastics
1995 Girls Cross Country
1997 Girls Cross Country

2001 Girls Soccer
2003 Gymnastics
2003 Girls Cross Country
2007 Boys Soccer
2009 Boys Cross Country

Crown Point Bulldogs (6)

1975 Boys Cross Country
1976 Boys Cross Country
1977 Boys Cross Country
1983 Girl's Basketball
1978 Boys Swimming
1997 Girls Basketball

LaPorte Slicers (10)

1949 Boys' Golf
1962 Boys' Golf
1963 Boys' Golf
1967 Boys' Golf
1973 Baseball
1973 Gymnastics
1979 Boys' Tennis
1980 Girls' Golf
1989 Boys' Tennis
2007 Boys' Cross Country

Lake Central Indians (7)

1990 Boys Swimming
1998 Girls Basketball (4A)
1999 Boys Swimming
1993 Football (5A)
2003 Softball (3A)
2007 Girls Cross Country
2008 Girls Cross Country

Merrillville Pirates (6)

1979 Gymnastics
1982 Gymnastics
1988 Gymnastics
1990 Gymnastics
1996 Baseball
2010 Girls Basketball

Michigan City Wolves (0)

None

Portage Indians (12)

1973 Boys Cross Country
1981 Boys Cross Country
1988 Boys Cross Country
1988 Girls Cross Country
1991 Boys Cross Country

1993 Boys Cross Country
1994 Football (5A)
1995 Boys Cross Country
1998 Softball (3A)

1998 Boys Cross Country
1998 Wrestling
2001 Wrestling

Valparaiso Vikings (16)

1982 Girls Basketball
1985 Football (5A)
1990 Girls Swimming
1991 Girls Swimming
1992 Gymnastics
1994 Boys Basketball
1996 Girls Basketball

1996 Gymnastics
1999 Gymnastics
2000 Girls Basketball (4A)
2001 Girls Cross Country
2001 Football (5A)

2004 Gymnastics
2005 Boys Cross Country
2005 Girls Cross Country
2006 Girls Track & Field
2006 Girls Cross Country

Former members

Hobart Brickies (8)

1955 Boys Cross Country
1979 Football (3A)
1980 Football (4A)
1982 Football (4A)
1984 Football (4A)
1985 Football (4A)
1990 Football (4A)
1996 Football (4A)

Michigan City Rogers Raiders (1)

1986 Softball

Current members

Sponsored Sports & Current Standings

History

2003 Expansion

Chesterton Trojans (6)

Crown Point Bulldogs (5)

LaPorte Slicers (12)

Lake Central Indians (6)

Merrillville Pirates (5)

Portage Indians (7)

Valparaiso Vikings (22)

Hobart Brickies (6)

Current members

Former members

Related links