For the better part of a decade, annually, if you have made the trip to the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge for the State Championship Cross Country meet you have seen a familiar site. One of the Hostetler sisters wearing Mid-Prairie black and gold, weaving through the fairways and greens, leading the field, and raising the individual 2A championship trophy. For seven straight seasons, undaunted by other competitors, weather, or even a pandemic, the Hostetler family has minted their streak of individual gold. The streak began in 2016, when Anna, the oldest, was Mid-Prairie’s first ever individual winner as a junior, taking the crown in 17:57, with younger sister Marie, a freshman behind her as runner-up.

In 2017, those two traded places with sophomore Marie overtaking senior sister Anna for the championship in 17:51, at the time, the fastest female 2A 5K time ever recorded.

In 2018, it was again a Hostetler alone at the top with Marie winning the title as a junior in 18:02, and in 2019, she capped her tremendous career with a three-peat, winning the 2A championship as a senior in 17:58.

In 2020, the torch was passed to freshman sister Danielle, and she didn’t miss a beat. She won the championship in her first opportunity to keep the streak intact at five, with her time of 19:08. In 2021, it was Danielle again atop the mountain, making it back-to-back individual titles for her and six straight overall with a win in 18:27. The 2022 chapter was written last weekend, when Danielle, now a junior, completed a three-peat of her own, just like sister Marie, winning gold in 18:41, to make it seven in a row. She spoke after the race about the current family lineage of success. “It’s so special to be able to run where my sisters ran. I know that I’m following in their footsteps and also making my own legacy. Most importantly, I want to say all of the glory to God, for giving me strength in my race and a clearness of mind.”

Hostetler has a chance to make it eight straight for the family in 2023. She could also become the first of the sisterhood to win the individual championship all four years of her career and only the second runner in Iowa high school girls cross country history to accomplish the feat.