Mid-Prairie rings up consecutive titles

It takes a lot of dedication and determination to be state champions.

It stands to reason it takes twice that to be Class 2A state champs in consecutive years.

The Mid-Prairie High School girls cross-country team did that Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

'Repeating as state champions was definitely a goal all year long,” Mid-Prairie assistant coach Aaron Fleming said.

The Golden Hawks returned five runners from the 2017 squad, including state champion Marie Hostetler and 10th-place finisher Ana Fleming.

'We knew that we had as good a chance as anyone if the girls would put in the hard work and they did,” Fleming said.

Seniors Kate Cavanagh and Kessa Jones were the team captains and the most vocal of the group. Three hundred meters into Saturday's race Cavanaugh and Jones were in dead last place.

'They are so mature and confident that they knew they could make their way up through the pack, and they did so in fine style,” Fleming said. 'Kate passed 26 runners over the last mile of the race, and we won by 29 points, so it's hard to overstate how critical her discipline and toughness were.”

A third senior, Moriah Brase, was the workhorse of the team, often logging upward of 45 miles a week through the winter and summer months, as well as running track in the spring.

'Moriah was running in the 27- to 28-minute range as a sophomore, and we're so very proud of how she transformed herself into a key member of back-to-back championship teams,” Fleming said.

Ana Fleming, a sophomore, was plagued by injuries all summer and fall, so her training was often disrupted.

'She has one of the fiercest competitive motors we've ever seen and when it came time to do well at state, she came through with a really great run,” Coach Fleming said.

Sisters Mitzi and Angelina Evans rounded out the squad.

'Freshman Mitzi has been a great second runner for us all season and did so again at the state meet,” Coach Fleming said. 'Angelina is a junior, but this is her first season of cross-country and they both ran really well in their first experience at the state meet.”

The state meet is a lot different than any of the other meets high-schoolers run, with huge crowds and all kinds of added stress and excitement.

'We were really pleased with how the first-year runners responded to the pressure,” Coach Fleming said.

Having a state champion to lead the team is an obvious benefit.

'Marie, of course, is such a key member of the team,” Coach Fleming said. 'It's helpful to have someone who can win the state meet, but what most people don't see is the tremendous number of hours that Marie puts in to get to that point. Besides the many miles she puts in, she's also very dedicated to strength training, stretching, and the many other 'extras” required to lead the state. She sets the bar very high from a training perspective, but one of the other qualities that Marie brings to the team is her character traits of grace and humility. She's so kind and generous toward her teammates and that makes her a very easy person to respect and want to be like.”

A champion's work is never done.

'We are still enjoying the glow of the win, but already thinking a bit about how to repeat in 2019,” Coach Fleming said.