After establishing himself as the finest cross country runner in DeMatha history, Cory Puffett ’10 is leaving his mark as one of the program’s top coaches. The Stags followed their second-place finish in 2021 by winning the WCAC championship in ’22. That same weekend, Puffett was inducted into the DeMatha Hall of Fame.

Puffett, now in his eighth year coaching at DeMatha, was a key member of the Stags’ 2006 championship team as a freshman and then won three straight individual conference titles (2007-09). The Washington Post named him 2009 Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and he became the first WCAC cross country runner to qualify for the year-end nationals. His dominance earned him a full scholarship to the University of Maryland.

With several strong runners returning in 2023, DeMatha is in good position to contend for its fourth WCAC crown.

DeMatha’s Individual Champions:

• 1972: Harry Berrang
• 1973: BrianStephenson
• 1988: Kyle Sullivan
• 1991: RudyKriester
• 2006: Robert Patterson
• 2007-09: CoryPuffett