Demon runners setting high goals

With the school year fast approaching, the Washington cross-country team is hitting the ground running.

The Demons return a pair of All-Conference runners this season in senior Emme Keith and junior Owen Horak, and sights are set high for the Demon runners.

?Definitely I want to make it to state and drop my time some,? Keith said. ?Since the mileage changed, I?m hoping to go between 17 or 18 minutes.?

The change comes on the girls? side this season, as the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union upped the distance of the girls? races to match the boys? at 5,000 meters.

The girls will run .6 miles longer than they have for the past 14 years.

?Since we are going to be going longer, I have been doing more mileage and working on my endurance,? Keith said. ?I think the change will benefit me, because I have more endurance than speed. It should help me more than hurt me.?

Washington cross-country head coach Steve Roth said that the training regimen hasn?t changed for the Demon girls? team (they?ve always trained as hard as they boys? team, according to Roth), and hopes the change is good for his senior leader.

?Emme?s had a good summer,? Roth said. ?She?s worked out really well, and gave her workouts, and she?s good to go. She looks like she hasn?t lost a step. We need to work on her speed a little bit, but we are in no hurry for that. If she stays healthy, everything will be great.?

A number of girls will be looking to step up to fill out the varsity squad for the Demons, with Keith mentioning sophomore Brooke Stout and junior Maggie Voss as a couple of athletes who could make a big impact this season.

?Maggie stepped up a lot this summer,? Keith said. ?I saw her on the roads training a lot, and Brooke played softball, so I?m looking at those two to help me.?

With multiple newcomers hoping to break the varsity ranks this year, Roth mentioned that patience will be the key.

?Brooke had a great softball season, but it?ll take some time to get in cross-country shape,? Roth said. ?Maggie will be able to step in and I?ve seen a lot of good things from her. We are going to 3.1 miles this year and that could hurt for a little while, but it is what it is.?

On the boys? side, the Demons lose all-conference runner Curtis Vest to graduation, but hope to have a budding rivalry between Owen and sophomore Brennan Horak this season.

?Curtis had an outstanding year last year, and he and Owen had a nice rivalry,? Roth said. ?With Brennan and Owen this year, I think they?ll be our 1 and 2 this year and Jacob (Van Osdol) has looked really good this year. I know it?s early, but he?s had a nice summer.?

Brennan is entering his second year of varsity cross-country after spending much of his time at the No. 3 spot last year.

After a summer of work, including a trip to a cross-country camp at Wartburg College, he said he?s learned a lot coming into his sophomore year.

?Attitude is everything,? Brennan said. ?You are better than you think you are, so if you keep training, you can run a lot better than you think you can.?

Brennan noted that his goal is to get down in the 18:45 range for his times this season.

Van Osdol is hoping to be a part of the Demon leaders this season, and said his offseason work is paying off.

?I just want to keep with Brennan during the meet,? Van Osdol said. ?That?s one of my goals. I?ve worked a lot this offseason. My times (have improved) and just about every time (I run) they are getting better.?

The Demons boys will once again be young this season, but Roth said the early portion of the season is a good time to have the team shake itself out.

?We?ll be young again,? Roth said. ?There will be inexperience, but we aren?t worried about the early part of the season. All of them aren?t here yet, and we expect that. The state fair and vacation are happening, but we just want to be good at the end.?

The Demons will open their year up at the IMS Early Bird meet on Sept. 1.