Washburn State Meet
2024-2025 High School Members
This list represents schools that have paid their $60 membership fee as of July 1, 2024. This membership lasts until June 30, 2025. If you don’t see your name on this list and believe you have paid, please don’t pay until you check with Peggy (Peggy.McGuire@msn.com) or Rob (RunRobRun@gmail.com) to see if we have yet to process it. If you know you haven’t paid, you can pay here.
Sign up for the Annual Middle School State Meet Hosted by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches
The Dick Washburn Middle School Statewide Cross Country meet is hosted by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. As a non-school event, it does not count towards a team’s limit of 7 meets in the fall.
Download the Coach’s Packet
Meet History
In 2008, the statewide junior high meet was renamed the Washburn Cross Country Classic in honor of the meet’s founder, Dick “Wash” Washburn of Muscatine.
Washburn organized the first meet in 1994 and held it at Muscatine High School. The Iowa Association of Track Coaches purchased 50 medals and four team championship plaques for the first event. That first meet saw 50 total male and female cross country runners compete, and all of them traveled home with a well-earned award.
Continued Growth
In 2002, the meet moved from Muscatine to Saydel High School, where it remained through the 2013 meet. Beginning in 2014, the Washburn Classic moved to Ankeny and was hosted by Ankeny Centennial High School.
It has been wonderful to see the meet’s growth through the increased participation over the years. From humble beginnings with 50 young runners in 1994, the meet grew an average of 50 runners per year over the next 19 years, crossing the 1000-finisher mark in its final year in Saydel (2013).
The Washburn State Meet Today
Just three years later, there were more than 1500 registered runners in Ankeny. Cross country is booming in Iowa! The meet continues to offer young runners an opportunity to compete against other runners from around the state.
Following the 2007 meet, Washburn retired as meet director, and Mary Madsen of Melbourne was named the meet’s director. Following the 2013 meet, Mary stepped down as the meet director. The current meet director is Ankeny Centennial’s head girls cross country coach, Eric Cogdill.
Spectator FAQ
Where Can I Park?
Parking cost: $5 per car
Parking will occur in different lots based on which race your runner competes in. Please read carefully.
For Families of 4A Boys Racers & All Class 2A Racers:
- We would like for you to park on the west side of the complex. You will enter the parking lots using a south entrance off NW 18th Street
- Please follow instructions from parking lot attendants.
For Families of 4A Girls Racers and All Class 3A & 1A Racers:
- We would like for you to park on the east side of the complex. You will enter parking lots using an east entrance off NW State Street.
- Please follow instructions from parking lot attendants.
From I-35:
- From I-35 take the 36th Street exit (Exit 94) and head west on 36th Street
- If parking on the east side of the complex (all 4A girls and all class 1A and 3A)
- Stay on 36th Street until you reach NW State Street (approximately 2.5 miles after the exit)
- Turn left (South) onto NW State Street
- Follow NW State Street (about 0.5 miles) until you reach Ankeny Centennial High School on your right.
- Turn right into the second drive off State Street (middle entrance)
- When leaving, exit either the north (1st) or south (3rd) entrance. Do not exit where you entered.
- If parking on the west side of the complex (all 4A boys and all class 2A)
- Stay on 36th Street until you reach Ankeny Blvd (approximately 1.5 miles after the exit)
- Turn left (South) at the Casey’s onto Ankeny Blvd (HWY 69) and travel 1 mile
- Turn right (West) at the stoplight onto NW 18th Street and travel through 2 stoplights (1 mile)
- Then, turn right to enter the complex.
What If Inclement Weather Occurs?
The sport of cross country is run in all weather conditions, and our first and utmost concern is for the welfare and safety of our young athletes and their families.
All divisions will be contested unless meet management and IATC executive board determine the weather conditions cause a safety concern for the athletes, coaches, parents, and fans. If the event is cancelled by meet management and IATC executive board, there will be no refunds of entry fees. There is no scheduled makeup date for the meet.
If the meet is in progress and the weather turns severe (damaging winds, thunder, and lightning), the meet will be stopped. The athletes and their families will be asked to seek shelter in the designated area at the host site. Following the passing of the severe weather, if the course is deemed safe for competition, the meet will continue.