The Iowa High School Track and Field Coaches Association has released their preseason rankings for the 2021 cross country season and three schools in the KCII listening area are among those who made the cut.

The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk girls cross country team is ranked No. 1 in the state in class 2A. The four-time defending 2A state team champions were the wire-to-wire top ranked team a season ago en route to the title in Fort Dodge. They have only spent two weeks outside of the top spot since the start of the 2018 season. The Golden Hawk lineup has four ranked runners, including last year’s individual 2A state champ Danielle Hostetler who checks into the top spot. Jaden Yoder is ranked second, she finished third in Fort Dodge a year ago. Mitzi Evans is eighth in the first poll of the season after a seventh place finish at state in 2020 and Sidney Yoder is 12th after placing ninth at the 2020 state meet.

The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk boys cross country team is sixth in the first class 2A poll of the 2021 season. That matches the Hawks team finish at the 2020 state meet in Fort Dodge.

The Washington Demons are represented in the class 3A boys individual poll by Lance Sobaski who is 15th in the first ratings of the season. He finished 27th in the 3A field at state in 2020, his second straight trip to Fort Dodge, and posted a new Washington school record of 16:27 in a 5K race at last year’s state qualifier.

The Columbus Wildcats make an appearance in the 1A individual and team polls in week one. The Wildcats are ranked No. 14 in the state in the 1A boys poll after finishing in that spot in Fort Dodge a season ago at the state meet. That was Columbus’ first trip to the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course as a team since 2005. Individually, the Wildcats have Isaac Acosta ranked No. 18 in the 1A preseason poll. He finished 24th at state in 17:51.