FORT DODGE

The last time that Mid-Prairie’s girls did “the jump” at Kennedy Park’s Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Rachel Hostetler was a sixth grader watching her older sister, Danielle, win individual and team state championships.

Brooklyn Stutzman was a seventh grader.

Even Dessa Poll, this year’s elder stateswoman as a senior, was a freshman watching others climb up to the winners’ platform at Lakeside.

Last Saturday, they all got to do it.

The jump.

The platform.

The roses.

The medals.

Everything.

“This is pretty great,” Poll said, flashing a huge smile.

Led by three finishes among the top 15 posted by Stutzman, Hostetler and Kendal Landstrum, the Golden Hawks won the 2A state team championship for the sixth time in eight years. No other school has done it more than twice in the last 10 years.

In the last nine years, Mid-Prairie has never finished lower than fifth.

And unlike the last five times, when Danielle Hostetler or sister Marie Hostetler won the individual title to lead the way, this time the Golden Hawks found their way to the top spot with just one finisher in the top 10 but with four runners, all setting personal bests, in the top 30.

It was truly a team effort.

“We worked so hard to get here and we’re just proud of how we worked for it,” said Stutzman, who finished eighth with a personal-best time of 19 minutes, 20.6 seconds.

“It’s amazing,” Hostetler, a freshman, said. “After coming here for a long time watching my sisters, and finally getting the chance to do it, and it was just amazing.”

She began the weekend with a call the night before from Danielle, whose magical words were, “Good luck.”

Saturday, among those cheering Rachel on were her oldest sister, Anna, a former Mid-Prairie state champion.

After their victory, the Golden Hawks celebrated with their traditional “jump” into the air behind the clubhouse at Lakeside, a celebratory photo opportunity that provides keepsake pictures and laughs.

Following not far behind Stutzman to the finish line were Rachel Hostetler, in 14th place with a time of 19:28.7, and Kendal Lundstrom, a step behind in 15th place with a time of 19:29.3.

Tessa Brokaw, another freshman, came in 29th and Poll was 73rd to finish out Mid-Prairie’s scoring.

Hannah Rodgers placed 77th and Rebekah Wallington was 97th.

The Golden Hawks won team titles at the River Valley Conference championship meet and also the district qualifier at Pella, but they were in ninth place a mile into Saturday’s race. A mile later, they were in second. And then they took over, especially Stutzman, Hostetler and Landstrum.

“The girls moved up quite a bit, especially in the last half mile,” head coach Mark Hostetler said. “They ran smart.”

Unity Christian, of Orange City, placed second with 92 points, 8 behind Mid-Prairie. Van Meter, which dethroned the Golden Hawks in 2022, finished third.

Noelle Steines of Tipton won her fourth consecutive individual championship, but only the last two came in 2A.

2A GIRLS STATE RACE

(At Kennedy Park, Fort Dodge, Nov. 2)

TOP FIVE TEAMS: 1, Mid-Prairie, 84; 2, Orange City Unity Christian, 92; 3, Van Meter, 114; 4, Tipton, 153; 5, Denver, 169.

GIRLS TOP FIVE: 1, Noelle Steines, Tipton, 18:12.8; 2, Laura Streck, Van Meter, 18:31.8; 3, McKenna Montgomery, Albia, 18:43.4; 4, Addison Liston, Unity Christian, 18:45.1; 5, Scarlett Byrnes, Osage, 18:47.2.

MID-PRAIRIE: 8, Brooklyn Stutzman, 19:20.6; 14, Rachel Hostetler, 19:28.7; 15, Kendal Landstrum, 19:29.3; 29, Tessa Brokaw, 20:07.3; 73, Dessa Poll, 21:21; 77, Hannah Rodgers, 21:27; 97, Rebekah Wallington, 21:57.1.