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Haworth coaches, Swartzentruber captains boys’ XC team
2024 All-Union squad led by Demons, Golden Hawks
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
It was another big year for boys’ cross-country in the Union area.
The 2024 season saw state qualifications from four teams, as Mid-Prairie, Washington, Columbus and Van Buren County all represented Southeast Iowa on state championship weekend in Fort Dodge. There were no individual or team champions, but all four squads, and some individual qualifiers, made plenty of noise.
The 2024 All-Union boys cross-country team features the Top-seven times for area runners at the state meet, as well as a return appearance for Demon head coach Stfanie Haworth.
Coach: Stafanie Haworth, Washington
Washington cross-country just continues to shine in the Southeast Conference, and Coach Haworth’s team did so once again this fall.
The Demon boys not only brought home a conference team championship, edging Fort Madison for the top spot, but tallied another individual title as well.
For the first time in school history, Washington cross-country sent both the boys and girls to state together. The Demon boys, ranked 11th going in, finished seventh place in the Class 3A race, scoring 219 points.
Captain: Emmett Swartzentruber, senior, Mid-Prairie
Mid-Prairie’s Emmett Swartzentruber shocked the Class 2A field with a state title last season, and although he didn’t defend the title, he gave the field a run for the money in 2024.
Last year’s All-Union captain repeats this season after another Top-4 finish at the state meet.
Swartzentruber finished second in the River Valley Conference meet, made his way back to Fort Dodge and took fourth in the Class 2A race, crossing the tape in 15:56.4.
Kohlby Newsom, senior, Winfield-Mount Union
Winfield-Mount Union senior Kohlby Newsom had plenty of local competition this fall. Newsom battled it out with the best in the conference, but finished just seventh at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet in Columbus.
A couple of weeks later in Fort Dodge, Newsom nearly finished better at state than he did in his own conference. In Fort Dodge, Newsom did the best of any SEISC runner, crossing the tape in 16:29.4, good for ninth-place in Class 1A.
Andrew Rees, junior, Washington
Demon junior Andrew Rees continued to rise in the ranks this fall, helping the Demons stay ahead in the SEC despite the loss of a strong senior class that included his brother Micah.
Rees followed in the family footsteps by grabbing the SEC individual title at the conference meet. He and his teammates did plenty enough at the state qualifier to get to Fort Dodge together.
At state, Rees put together his best race all year long. He finished in 16:20.8, putting himself in 13th, good enough to make his debut on the state podium.
Preston Yutzy, senior, Mid-Prairie
The Mid-Prairie boys were a serious contender for the Class 2A title this year, and the Golden Hwks came just 15 points away from taking gold, thanks in part to the work of senior Preston Yutzy.
Yutzy finished fourth place in the RVC meet and then represented Mid-Prairie well at state, finishing 14th place to land himself on the podium.
Jude Dykstra, junior, WACO
A transfer from Mt. Pleasant, junior Jude Dykstra was exactly the boost WACO cross-country needed this fall.
Dykstra broke a ahandful of WACO records in the regular season, took fourth in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet, and then put his all into the state race, crossing in 16:46.6, for 19th place in Class 1A.
Tyler Alderton, senior, Washington
Demon senior Tyler Alderton has been a staple for Washington cross-country his entire high school career, and he brought it home with a strong senior season.
Alderton took second in the SEC meet, led the Demons in the state qualifier and helped his team get back to Fort Dodge.
At the state meet, Alderton finished 28th in the Class 3A race, crossing the tape in 16:43.6.
Ty Muniz, senior, Columbus
Another tough SEISC runner, Ty Muniz finished fifth place in his final conference championship, leading Columbus to a third-place finish on their home course.
At state, Muniz beat out many of his conference rivals to slip into the Top-25, crossing the tape in 16:57.7, for 25th in Class 1A.
