WILLIAMSBURG

Brooklyn Stutzman had never been paced by a Gator ATV before.

Never.

She had never won a cross country race.

That is, until the third of September, when in the first race of the year for Mid-Prairie’s state-contending cross country team, Stutzman, a sophomore, quickly found herself at the front in the girls varsity race in the Williamsburg Raider Invitational.

When you’re in front, you’re chasing nobody. Except the Gator vehicle, which is driven ahead of the lead runner and pretty much clears a path for that runner through the course’s markings and between lines of spectators.

One thought went through Brooklyn’s head at the time: “ Whoooooa, this is kind of crazy.”

“I’m not used to being behind the golf cart,” she said.

Suddenly, Stutzman was doing a Danielle Hostetler impression right there in Williamsburg, where Danielle, a 2024 Mid-Prairie graduate, never lost a race or a state qualifier in four years of running. If there’s a cross country race, then look for the Gator. That’s where you would find Danielle, who is now a freshman at Liberty University. Once, during a regional meet in Iowa City, Danielle was so fast that she actually lapped runners on the two-lap 5K course at the Kickers Soccer complex.

A year ago, Stutzman was one of two freshmen who made the varsity team for the state championship meet in Fort Dodge, joining Kendal Landstrum. The other five Golden Hawks were seniors.

“They had really good seniors last year,” she said, “so I was like, I don’t know. I don’t know if I can do it. Kendal and me, we both did it.”

“It was a little scary,” she added.

Stutzman finished 37th that day and was the second Golden Hawk to finish, trailing only Hostetler, and it helped Mid-Prairie secure a fourth-place team finish.

Fast forward to Williamsburg 10 months later, and Stutzman was now the Golden Hawk in front. She took the lead about a mile into the race and never trailed after that, finishing 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Channing Becker of host Williamsburg.

“The first mile, it was like, I don’t even know what’s happening,” Stutzman said. “But I’m just happy about it.

“I could hear people cheering for the number two runner (Becker). I was just hoping that she wouldn’t catch me the whole time, basically.”

It wasn’t long before Stutzman was embracing teammates Rachel Hostetler, a freshman and the youngest sister of former state champs Danielle, Anna and Marie Hostetler, and Landstrum near the finish line. Rachel Hostetler placed third in her first high school race and Landstrum was fourth, all helping the Golden Hawks capture the girls team title.

It was another one of those Golden Hawk moments.

And just like Danielle Hostetler, a three-time state champion in cross country, and many others in the Golden Hawk program, Stutzman runs on faith.

“The Lord gave me the talent,” she said. “The Lord gave me the ability and the desire to run. I just want to give Him the glory and I want to run because He gifted me with this ability.”

Indeed, Brooklyn has won races before. In track, she competed last season in the 1500-meter race and 4x800 relay, an event in which the Golden Hawks placed eighth last May at the state track championships in Des Moines with Stutzman running the third leg. She began running cross country in seventh grade, she said, upon a suggestion by her older brother, Jamison.

“He was like, ‘Oh, you should try cross country,’” Brooklyn said.

Middle school running led to a freshman year during which Brooklyn ran in both the state meets in cross country and track. And in Williamsburg, she became the first Golden Hawk runner not named Hostetler in years to win the girls individual title in a major meet.

The tradition, the history, is not lost on Stutzman.

“Yeah, I like what they’ve started,” she said of the Hostetlers. “Just the environment they’ve made.”

Stutzman was hoping to finish in under 20 minutes in Williamsburg. She made it by more than 7 seconds. But still, there were lessons to be learned.

“She slowed down quite a bit,” said Mark Hostetler, Mid-Prairie’s longtime head coach, “but that’s really common with somebody that’s in the lead. If nobody’s pushing them, then why run faster?”

It was all just so new.

“You just try to go for time,” Stutzman said. “Just try to widen the gap and don’t let anyone past you.”

Done and done.

News columnist Paul Bowker can be reached at bowkerpaul1@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul