A step back to normalcy is here. Spring sports officially return to southeast Iowa today with the start of boys and girls track practice on March 1st. No spring sports occurred in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mid-Prairie boys and girls track teams will open up season preparations today looking to pickup where they left off. The Golden Hawk girls are the two-time defending class 2A state champions, bringing home the title in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, they did it by scoring 49 points in Des Moines through nine events. Marie Hostetler led the Hawks to three event championships, winning individual gold in the 1500 and 3000 and also taking part in the championship distance medley team with Abbigail Evans, Cassidy Rourke and Amber Swart. Other events for Mid-Prairie included Hostetler runner-up in the 800 with Mitzi Evans 21st, third place for the sprint medley team of Maddie Edgington, Rourke, Swart and Mitzi Evans, fourth for the 4×200 team of Swart, Rourke, Edgington and Abbigail Evans, eighth for Tori Boyse in the discus, ninth for the 4×800 team of Angelina and Abbigail Evans, Moriah Brase and Kate Cavanagh, a finals appearance for the 4×100 team of Mitzi and Abbigail Evans, Swart and Edgington and 18th for Angelina Evans in the 1500. Returners from those events include Swart, Mitzi Evans, Edgington, and Boyse. The Golden Hawk girls begin the year April 1st at Mount Pleasant.
The Golden Hawk boys sent five events to state led by a sixth place finish for the 4×800 team of Quinn Schmidt, Brad Tornow, Miles Burrows and Justin Schwartz, a seventh place finish for the 4×200 team of Clarke Latcham, Quinn Schmidt Grant Boyse and Elmir Ganibegovic, 11th for the sprint medley team of Latcham, Schmidt, Ganibegovic and Boyse, 17th for the 4×100 team of Latcham, Caleb Thomas, Boyse and Ganibegovic and 20th for Jack Baker in the discus. The Golden Hawks will look to reload on the boys side with all of their previous state experience from 2019 having moved on through graduation. The Golden Hawk boys will open the season March 25th at the Steve Roth Relays at Case Field.
The 2019 season was a big one for Hillcrest Raven track on the girls side. Suzanna Yoder and Leah Bontrager combined to win three golds at the Superconference championship meet with Yoder winning the 200 and 400 and Bontrager winning the half mile. The duo also represented the Ravens at state, qualifying in a total of four events with Yoder participating in the 100, 200 and 400 and Bontrager in the 800. Yoder was sixth in the 400, 11th in the 200 and 18th in the 100 at state, Bontrager took 20th in her event. Yoder has moved on through graduation, but Bontrager returns for her junior season, fresh off of her third consecutive state cross country bid in the fall. The Ravens begin the year March 22nd at the Wildcat Relays in Columbus Junction.