The first race of the cross country season is set for tonight for Washington Demons. The Demons are among the 16-team field competing in the Iowa Mennonite School’s Early Bird Invitational. The teams in the field are diverse, ranging from 4A schools Muscatine, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and Iowa City City High, to 1A schools Highland, Keota, WACO, and Winfield-Mount Union.

Washington head cross country coach Steve Roth says he is ready to see his teams compete in a race setting for the first time this year, “We have four or five kids who have been leading the pack during the preseason and we are anxious to see how they handle the competition.”

On top of the course, the Demon runners will battle the heat today. Accuweather is projecting temperatures to be in the upper 80’s at the start of the race.

The IMS Early Bird Invitational is set to begin at 5 p.m. on the campus of Iowa Mennonite School in rural Kalona.