Four members of the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk girls soccer program, were rewarded for their work this spring on the pitch and in the classroom, being named to girls academic all-state teams by the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Esther Hughes was a first team all-state pick at forward. She led the Hawks with 21 goals, second most in the River Valley Conference and assisted on four others.

Lilou Beachy was a first team all-state selection on defense. She was part of a Mid-Prairie defensive unit that engineered five shut outs during the year, one of those in a 10-0 opening round playoff victory over Columbus.

Evelyn Gerber was a second team all-state pick on defense. She was part of a defensive unit that surrendered 1.75 goals per match.

Julia Boller was a second team all-state selection at forward. She finished with nine goals and five assists.

The Golden Hawks had an overall record of 11-6 and finished 6-1 in the River Valley Conference. All four selections have just completed their junior years. Hughes, Gerber and Boller are students at Hillcrest Academy which shares a soccer program with Mid-Prairie. In order to receive the award, athletes must be nominated by their coaches, participate in more than half of their team’s varsity halves and achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the season.