Our top story from the last academic year for Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk athletics takes us to the cross country course where again the Hawks were the best in the state. Coming off of team state championships in 2017 and 2018, the Golden Hawk girls were looking to make it three state titles at Fort Dodge, while Marie Hostetler was on her own personal quest for a three-peat, returning as the reigning 2017 and 2018 individual champ.
Mid-Prairie was ranked in the top two in class 2A all year by the Iowa High School Track and Field Coaches Association. The Hawks posted impressive performances all season including meet championships at Pella, Monticello and Williamsburg, and a divisional championship at Cedar Rapids Prairie. In the post season, Mid-Prairie captured their second straight River Valley Conference championship, besting 13 other schools in Iowa City. The Golden Hawks won the team championship going away, beating second place Iowa City Regina by 48 points. Marie Hostetler took the individual title and Mitzi Evans was conference runner-up.
Adversity found the top ranked Golden Hawks in the state qualifier meet where they finished as team runners-up at Williamsburg to the homestanding Raiders. No. 2 ranked Williamsburg topped the Hawks 37-43, despite Hostetler’s individual championship and top ten finishes from Mitzi and Abbagail Evans. The second place team finish got the Hawks through to the state meet where they took advantage of their next shot at the Raiders in Fort Dodge.
Mid-Prairie claimed their third straight state team title, avenging their loss the week before to Williamsburg by a single point 61-62. Marie Hostetler brought home her third consecutive individual title in 17:58. After the meet, Mid-Prairie senior and state champion Marie Hostetler, along with her dad and head coach Mark Hostetler talked about the individual and team titles. “It means a lot. We started our team titles with my sister Anna and I think Mike Jay called me that once on the course and that made me happy to think of her. To go out like that makes me very happy. My teammates mean so much to me. They are incredible and encouraging. Knowing that we are all running for each other.”
Mark Hostetler added, “I told each one of the girls what we needed to do coming into today, and they really responded. Our fifth and sixth runners Sydney Yoder and Ana Fleming passed tons of people in the last three quarters of a mile. Winning by one was a little too close. This means a lot because we lost a lot of seniors from last year’s team and we didn’t know where this team was going to come from. We were successful today because we were patient and let the race come to us.”
Other finishers for the Golden Hawks included Ana Fleming 15th, Mitzi Evans 18th, Abbagail Evans 22nd, Sydney Yoder 33rd, Angelina Evans 49th and Jaden Yoder 63rd.