The Washington Demons have reached the starting line of a new girls’ track and field season, and they’re trying to pull off an encore to one of the program’s best years after winning their first Southeast Conference championship as a team in over 40 years and having four individual athletes and three relay teams reach state in 2024.

Returner Leighton Messinger was a big contributor to that success, reaching the Class 3A state meet in the 100 and 400-meter hurdles and running on Washington’s 4-by-100-meter and shuttle hurdles relays.

Fellow junior Iris Dahl also comes back after making state again in the 800 and 1,500 meters, part of a wealth of experience for the Demons in distance running. Seniors Lauren Horak and Kendall Hinrichsen join Dahl in returning for the 4-by-800 relay that reached state.

Head coach Stefanie Haworth tells KCII Sports that there’s plenty of reason to believe that Washington will again make a push to do plenty of winning, both individually and as a team.

“What we said at the first day of practice was [that] we won conference last year, and that’s our goal again this year,” Haworth says. “We have no reason to believe we can’t be conference champs. Obviously, it’s going to take a lot of work from everyone on the team, but we believe we should be there, so we’re going to do everything we can, and then, we’re not just content with getting to state. We want to come home with some medals this year.”

The Demons also get back athletes like all-conference sophomore sprinter Jaedyn Moore and junior hurdler and jumper Leighton Salazar, who qualified for state in two different events.

Washington is getting the new girls’ track season started today at the annual Dickinson Relays inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Rapids on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa.