Photo Courtest of Washington Cross Country Social Media

Washington cross country hit the ground running at its first meet of 2026, taking on the field at Anamosa over the weekend. A successful Saturday saw the boys take first place, with the girls finishing top half with a third place finish.

The boys captured the team title with 48 points. Parker Tschantz was the top performer, finishing second overall with a time of 16:43. Jack Shepherd finished sixth with a time of 17:49. Ethan Hotchkiss finished just inside the top ten, taking tenth with a time of 17:59. Xavi and Johan Recendez finished 12th and 18th respectively at 18:04 and 19:08 to round out the scoring. Washington finished 12 points ahead of second place Anamosa.

The Washington girls finished in third place out of seven teams with 79 total points. Emma Horak was the top finisher, taking fourth with a time of 20:44. Emma Keil finished in ninth with a time of 21:28. Eliana Martin crossed the line 15th with a time of 22:22. Ivy Anderson finished 26th with a time of 24:31, and Ellie Van Der Molen finished 29th with a time of 24:42. Tipton took the girls title with a score of 37.

Both the girls and boys of Washington Cross country will compete next at the Bob Brown Invitational in Iowa City on September 3rd.