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Demon boys’ XC leads All-Union team
Mid-Prairie’s Swartzentruber captains squad after state title win
The 2023 high school cross-country season was filled with first for the Southeast Iowa Union coverage area. A couple of those firsts very much reflect the 2023 All-Union boys cross-country team, which composes one coach and seven of the best runners from the area this fall.
Among those firsts was a first-ever Top-5 finish for the Washington boys cross-country team. The 2023 Demon squad ran well enough to earn half the slots on the All-Union squad, getting a coach and three runners on the list.
Another historic moment this year was the first-ever boys’ cross-country state title at Mid-Prairie High School. Captain Emmett Swartzentruber was the Union area’s only state champion of the fall.
Without further ado, below is the 2023 All-Southeast Iowa Union boys cross-country team.
COACH
Stefanie Haworth, Washington
The last handful of years has seen Washington cross-country thrive on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. Coach Stefanie Haworth has been at the focal point for both teams, but makes it onto the All-Union team for the boys this fall.
Under Haworth, Washington reached new heights in boys cross-country this season. The Demons were ranked in the Top-5 in Class 3A at different times throughout the season, continued to run first in the Southeast Conference, and made it to state as a team after narrowly missing out last season.
At the state meet, the Demon boys showed out, jumping into the Top-5 for the first time in Washington cross-country history. Haworth’s Demons finished at 186 points in the 2023 state meet, taking fifth overall in Class 3A.
CAPTAIN
Emmett Swartzentruber, junior, Mid-Prairie
Mid-Prairie High School had won a historic seven individual state championships in the seven years leading up to the 2023 season, but none of those had been on the boys’ side.
That all changed this fall, as Swartzentruber made school history, by breaking home Mid-Prairie’s first individual boys state title.
Swartzentruber came into the state meet ranked No. 3, but jumped to the front of the race and held off the rest of the field to win the state championship in his junior year, crossing the tape in 15 minutes, 51 seconds.
Along with his state title, Swartzentruber was the 2023 River Valley Conference champion.
Micah Rees, senior, Washington
The Washington boys’ cross-country team has been on a heck of a run in the last four years, and Demon senior Micah Rees has been there every step of the way.
Rees polished off his high school cross-country career in style, winning his second-straight SEC championship, leading his team to another conference crown and securing a spot at the 2023 Class 3A boys state meet.
At state, Rees had his best finish ever in Fort Dodge. The Washington senior crossed the tape in 15:47.9, seconds, finishing fourth overall, his best-ever finish in the state race.
Lincoln Bainbridge, sophomore, Van Buren County
It was tough to get any running room in Southeast Iowa this season, and that was evident in a tough Southeast Iowa Super Conference field.
Van Buren County’s Lincoln Bainbridge was a rare underclassman in a conference that held some of the best seniors and juniors in the area, but that didn’t stop him from showing out against tough competition.
Bainbridge finished fourth in the 2023 SEISC meet, the top underclassman in the entire field. He then ran well enough at the state qualifier to earn himself a spot in the Class 1A state race.
At state, Bainbridge broke his personal record and shot into the Top-5 in the race, finishing fifth, in 16:13.
Brady McWhirter, junior, Pekin
Pekin junior Brady McWhirter set himself up to be high in the pecking order when the next cross-country season comes around, finishing third in the SEISC race, which makes him the leading returner in the conference next fall.
But McWhirter didn’t settle for the potential of next year. He ran his best when it mattered, at the state race in Fort Dodge.
McWhirter broke his personal record at the state meet, taking Top-10 in the Class 1A meet with a final time of 16:26.5.
Kohlby Newsom, junior, Winfield-Mount Union
Winfield-Mount Union’s Kohlby Newsom entered the postseason ranked just 27th in the Class 1A rankings, but the Wolves’ junior star exploded in the last few weeks of the year.
Newsom didn’t crack the Top 5 at the conference meet, but did qualify for state at the qualifier. Once at Fort Dodge, he did some of his best work of the year.
Newsom finished 19th in the race, breaking his personal best by crossing the finish line in 16:54.8, earning the Wolves a Top-20 individual finisher.
Tyler Alderton, junior, Washington
One of the fastest rising stars of the last few years has been Washington’s Tyler Alderton, who can always be up toward the front of the pack.
Alderton created a strong number two behind elder teammate Rees for the Demons, and even took second place overall at the 2023 SEC meet in Fort Madison.
Alderton was one of three Demons to finish Top-50 at the state cross-country meet. In his second season running in Fort Dodge, Alderton crossed the tape in 17:02.5, taking 48th overall.
Andrew Rees, sophomore, Washington
The Demons needed a boost from the underclassmen to stay ahead of Fort Madison in the SEC pecking order this fall, and sophomore Andrew Rees was on the case.
Rees rose up high enough in the ranks to outdo all non-Demon SEC runners at the conference championship, finishing in third place overall. He also got to make his debut at the Class 3A state meet.
Rees flew through the course in Fort Dodge, finishing the race in 16:56.8, which was good enough for 41st overall.
