Marie Hostetler led the way, capping off her high school cross country career with a third straight individual title, but it was Sydney Yoder’s frenzied finish that gave Mid-Prairie their third …
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The Mid-Prairie girls cross country team with that state championship trophy. Team members include alternate Amara Jones, alternate Tabitha Evans, Sydney Yoder, alternate Brittany Kinsinger, Jaden Yoder, Mitzi Evans, Marie Hostetler, Ana Fleming, Abbagail Evans and Angelina Evans.
The 2019 Class 2A state championship cross country team from Mid-Prairie.
Marie Hostetler hugs a teammate after the state cross country meet.
Ana Fleming hugs her mom, Melissa, after the state cross country meet. Ana was an All-State finisher in 15th place.
Abbagail Evans crosses as the fourth finisher for Mid-Prairie, beating the fourth runner for Williamsburg after a sprint to the finish.
Marie Hostetler became the seventh girl in Iowa history to win at three or more state titles during their high school career. Hostetler won the Class 2A individual title from 2017-2019.
Marie Hostetler led the way, capping off her high school cross country career with a third straight individual title, but it was Sydney Yoder’s frenzied finish that gave Mid-Prairie their third straight Class 2A team win at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Meet.
The No. 2 Golden Hawks beat No. 1 Williamsburg 61-62 in the team race, just one place between them.
At the 2 mile mark, things weren’t looking good for Mid-Prairie according to coach Mark Hostetler. Yoder was at least 30 places back of Williamsburg’s fifth runner and those points were sorely needed. Yoder, knowing the situation, went to work.
“(Hostetler) told me he knew I would do it for our team,” Yoder said. “I knew I had to keep going, even if it hurts.”
The Mid-Prairie sophomore climbed over 20 spots over the final mile of the race to finish in 20:31 and in 33rd place. She scored as the No. 21 runner in the team race, and just 1.1 seconds ahead of the next scoring runner in the team race. If she had finished one second slower, Mid-Prairie would have lost in a tiebreaker to Williamsburg.
“I guess my first thought was with just a one point win it was God and he blessed us today,” Marie Hostetler said.
Hostetler became just the seventh girl in Iowa history to win three individual cross country titles. She won the previous three years and was runner up to her sister, Anna, her freshman season. This year she crossed in 17:58.2 to beat Springville-Central City runner Emily Staal by 41 seconds.
“I’m so blessed to have been able to do that and I’m glad to go out with a bang,” she said.
Another big aspect of the team race was the near-perfect race ran by Ana Fleming. Fleming came into the day out of the top 30, but snagged the final All-State position by placing 15th in 19:46. Fleming has seen a nearly three-minute improvement from the time she ran at the first meet of the season.
“I’m so happy, that was such a fun race and we all worked hard and did so well,” she said. “I don’t even remember the race, which means I pushed so hard. I just knew I had to run fast and be up there.”
After Fleming, Mitzi Evans and Abbagail Evans crossed in 18th and 22nd place. Abbagail Evans beat the fourth Williamsburg runner across the line by two seconds.
Williamsburg put their fifth runner across in 27th, scoring 17, in 20:26. Yoder came in five seconds later and initially the team race was too close to call.
The final Mid-Prairie runners across the finish line were senior Angelina Evans in 49th, running 20:59 and Jaden Yoder in 63rd, running 21:15.
Then came the waiting game and the final results were tabulated. As soon as they were posted, screams erupted from the Mid-Prairie camp and it was known that they beat Williamsburg by just one point.
“It’s literally crazy,” Marie Hostetler said. “We’ve worked so, so hard for it and to be rewarded is amazing.”
With the team win, Mid-Prairie has finished on the podium in four straight years. A third place finish in 2016, followed by team champions from 2017-2019.
