Washington junior Brooke Stout (No. 535) runs side-by-side with 2016 Demon graduate Emme Keith during last season’s Washington Invitational Cross Country meet at Washington’s Golf and Country Club. Photo by KCII Sports Nate Gonner.

A new season of Washington Demon cross country began last week with a familiar face taking over as the team’s new head coach. Stephanine Tschantz, Washington’s head girls track coach, has assumed the role as head coach of the Demon cross country teams, taking over for recently retired Steve Roth.

Tschantz is a guest on this week’s PM Sports Page and says the transition to head coach has been pretty seamless, working as the assistant coach of the cross country teams in previous seasons. She adds there are several returners who posted their personal best times last fall.

The Demon boys’ cross country team had three runners set their personal best finish at the Class 3A state qualifying race at Waterworks Park in Fairfield. Senior Owen Horak posted the best time out of the group at 18:00. His cousin, junior Brennan Horak, crossed the finish line in 18:04. Junior Jacob Van Osdol finished the final race of his sophomore season in 18:22.

Last season marked the first year where the girls ran 3.1 mile races in cross country. By the end of the season, four members of the Washington girls’ cross country team tallied race times below 24 minutes. Junior Brooke Stout’s best race time was clocked at 21:15. Sophomore Molly Sparks’ top time was 22:17. Junior Meredith Raber’s top time last year was clocked at 22:38. Senior Maggie Voss finest race time was 23:51.

The Washington cross country teams will open competition with two races the week of August 29. The Demons open their season in rural Kalona, taking part in the Iowa Mennonite School Early Bird Meet on August 30. The teams will also compete in the Pekin Invitational at Wildwood State Park in Ottumwa on September 1.