Two underclassmen on the Washington Demon cross country teams gained all-conference honors for the first time. Sophomore Claire Horak and freshman Evan Horak were among the first 10 runners to cross the finish line in Thursday’s Southeast Conference meet at Fairfield’s Waterworks Park.

Claire Horak posted the best finish of her high school running career, taking second place with a time of 18:49. Washington’s next best result came from Meredith Raber, who finished 13th at 21:28. Ashley Teelen, Brooke Stout, and Maggie Vos took 20th, 21st, and 22nd place, respectively. Peyton Cuddeback ranked 26th. Washington finished fourth out of the five-team field with 72 points.

Evan Horak was Washington’s lead runner in the boys’ race, placing ninth at 17:19. Brennan Horak, who entered the meet as Washington’s top runner, suffered an injury in the meet’s last mile and didn’t finish. Owen Horak posted the Demons’ next best finish, taking 13th place with a time of 17:49. Jacob VanOsdol took 16th, Kyle Anderson was 27th, Kiowa Keith finished 29th, and Ben Schiefer ranked 30th. The Demons were fourth place in the team standings, scoring 94 points.

The Demon cross country teams are gearing up for the state qualifying race next Thursday at Solon’s Recreation and Nature Area. Washington will battle for 15 individual and three team spots at the state cross country meet which is held October 29, in Fort Dodge. The Demons will compete against runners from Central DeWitt, Clear Creek Amana, Davenport Assumption, Fairfield, Keokuk, Maquoketa, Marion, Mount Vernon-Lisbon, Notre Dame-West Burlington, Solon, South Tama, and Williamsburg.