New PCM head cross country coach Eric Osterhaus has excelled in his first year at the helm.

On Thursday the PCM girls qualified for the state cross country meet by placing second at their State Qualifier meet hosted by Red Oak. Five girls were all district along with Coby DeRaad qualifying for state on the boys side. Osterhaus took over as head coach in the offseason after previously serving as an assistant coach. Osterhaus also took over mid-season last year as head track and field coach for the Mustangs after a mid-season resignation. The Mustangs have impressed this season with a young roster and the first year head coach says he is excited for the future of PCM cross country.

“Very excited for what this program offers in the future. We bring all of the girls back, and we bring all of the boys back except for Wyatt Vannoy. The boys had a pretty good performance last night as well placing sixth right behind some of the top ranked teams in the state. I’m very excited to see what we can do next year and the year after that as we start to mature and gain some traction into a good distance running culture.”

The Mustangs will compete at the state cross country meet in Fort Dodge on Saturday.