FORT DODGE

Making their annual trip to Fort Dodge, the Mid-Prairie girls cross-country team made their ninth consecutive appearance at the Class 2A Iowa High School Cross-Country Championship meet on Oct. 28. 

 Led by senior Danielle Hostetler, a three-time state champ, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 2A, Mid-Prairie, ended the state meet by placing fourth in the team standings with 122 points. 

“I’m just so proud of those girls,” Mid-Prairie coach Jeremy Meyers said. “Coming in ranked number one, finishing fourth. It wasn’t the team result that we wanted, but if you go back and look at our times it wasn’t that we didn’t run well, it was just that some other teams really outperformed what they had done all year.”

Des Moines Christian won the state team championship with a score of 101 and Van Meter was the runner-up with a score of 110. 

140 runners competed at state, and it was a cold day indeed. The chilly weather was apparent by how many girls ran while wearing gloves, hats, and long sleeves. 

Hostetler, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, put the finishing touches on an extraordinary high school cross-country career by placing 5th in 18:55. Her top five finish earned all-state honors. This is the fourth consecutive year she has accomplished this feat. 

At the one-mile mark Hostetler was in 8th place. By the time the two-mile mark came around she bolstered her position by reaching third place, but in the final stretch of the course she dropped two spots. 

Crossing the finish line in 18:09 to win the 2A state cross-country championship was Sumner-Fredericksburg senior Hillary Trainor. Trainor, ranked No. 1, finished 26 seconds faster than Albia sophomore McKenna Montgomery’s runner-up finish.  

“We need to be proud of what we’ve done because we came out and we ran well,” coach Meyers said. “They just beat us. They were faster than us. So, obviously it wasn’t the result we wanted. But in the hotel last night we were talking. The results are great and that’s really cool. But as long as we love each other and care for each other throughout the day, we’re successful.” 

Aside from Hostetler, Mid-Prairie entered state with two other ranked runners, freshman Brooklyn Stutzman and senior Greta Sieren.

In her first state meet Stutzman, ranked No. 24, placed 37th in 20:25. Sieren, ranked No. 25, placed 45th in 20:32. Her time and placement were an improvement from last year at state when she placed 87th in 21:41. 

Also finishing within the top 50 was senior Abby Fleming. Fleming was able to keep a consistent pace, going from 89th at mile one to 64th at mile two, to finish the race with a time of 20:31 to place 43rd.  

With the state meet serving as a conclusion of the season Mid-Prairie will say goodbye to its eight seniors: Hostetler, Fleming, Sieren, Emma Lueck, Kali Miller, Annika Poll, Behla Schmidt, and Phoebe Shetler.

“I’ve never been around a group of kids that care for each other as much as these guys do and love each other as much as these guys do,” coach Meyers said about his team. “I’m just proud of them.”  

Results

1. Hillary Trainor, Sumner-Fredericksburg, 18:09

5. Danielle Hostetler, Mid-Prairie, 18:55

37. Brooklyn Stutzman, Mid-Prairie, 20:25

43. Abby Fleming, Mid-Prairie, 20:31

45. Greta Sieren, Mid-Prairie, 20:32

51. Kendal Landstrum, Mid-Prairie, 20:37

53. Phoebe Shetler, Mid-Prairie, 20:39

93. Annika Poll, Mid-Prairie, 21:34