The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk cross country programs have served as gold standards under head coach Mark Hostetler, and those on the national stage are taking notice.
The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has named Hostetler as the 2020 Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year for the state of Iowa. This past season was another banner year for the Golden Hawks, literally, as Hostetler guided the Golden Hawk girls to their fourth consecutive team class 2A state championship, led by his daughter Danielle Hostetler who captured the school’s fifth straight individual championship, and fifth for the family overall as older sisters Marie and Anna were also Iowa state champions in their time at Mid-Prairie. The team championship for Hostetler in 2020 was his sixth as a coach. To go along with the four consecutive the Mid-Prairie girls have won, the Mid-Prairie boys were also team state champs in 2016 and the Iowa Mennonite boys won a team state title under Hostetler in 1995.
Hostetler was also named at-large girls Coach of the Year this past season by the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association. He won 2A girls Coach of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018 and was named boys at-large Coach of the Year in 2017.