Iowa high school preseason cross country rankings: Mid-Prairie, South Winneshiek girls among No. 1 teams

Led by four-time defending state champion Mid-Prairie, the top four girls’ cross country teams in Class 2A reside in the Gazette area.

The Golden Hawks are led by sophomore Danielle Hostetler, who won the individual championship last year.

Six of Mid-Prairie’s runners from last year’s title are back, including seniors Jaden Yoder, Mitzy Evans and Sydney Yoder, who finished third, eighth and 11th.

Williamsburg, Jesup and Tipton are rated 2-3-4 in 2A.

Mid-Prairie is one of five defending champions to start 2021 atop the preseason rankings, released Tuesday by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches.

Also on top are the Sioux City North boys in 4A, the Dallas Center-Grimes boys and Ballard girls in 3A and the Danville-New London boys in 2A.

South Winneshiek’s girls open at No. 1 in 1A. The Warriors bring back their top six runners from last year’s runner-up squad, including state runner-up Billie Wagner.

Class 4A girls

1. Dubuque Hempstead

2. Southeast Polk

3. West Des Moines Valley

4. Johnston

5. Pleasant Valley

6. Cedar Rapids Prairie

7. Ankeny Centennial

8. Bettendorf

9. West Des Moines Dowling

10. Linn-Mar

11. Urbandale

12. Indianola

13. Ankeny

14. Dubuque Senior

15. Iowa City High

16. Iowa City Liberty

17. Cedar Falls

18. Waukee

19. Norwalk

20. Iowa City West

Class 4A boys

1. Sioux City, North

2. West Des Moines Dowling

3. Iowa City High

4. Iowa City Liberty

5. Dubuque Hempstead

6. Urbandale

7. Cedar Falls

8. Cedar Rapids Prairie

9. Pleasant Valley

10. Norwalk

11. Ankeny Centennial

12. Iowa City West

13. Johnston

14. West Des Moines Valley

15. Ankeny

16. Waukee

17. Linn-Mar

18. Cedar Rapids Kennedy

19. Bettendorf

20. Ames

Class 3A girls

1. Ballard

2. Dallas Center-Grimes

3. Dubuque Wahlert

4. Sioux City Heelan

5. Solon

6. Pella

7. Davenport Assumption

8. Center Point-Urbana

9. Glenwood

10. Waverly-Shell Rock

11. Carlisle

12. Winterset

13. Decorah

14. Spencer

15. Harlan

16. Mount Vernon-Lisbon

17. North Polk

18. MOC-Floyd Valley

19. Adel ADM

20. Marion

Class 3A boys

1. Dallas Center Grimes

2. North Polk

3. Pella

4. Solon

5. Marion

6. Decorah

7. Carlisle

8. MOC-Floyd Valley

9. Mount Vernon-Lisbon

10. Center Point-Urbana

11. Dubuque Wahlert

12. Glenwood

13. Clear Creek Amana

14. Adel ADM

15. Waverly-Shell Rock

16. Davenport Assumption

17. Newton

18. Sergeant Bluff-Luton

19. Le Mars

20. Fort Madison

Class 2A girls

1. Mid-Prairie

2. Williamsburg

3. Jesup

4. Tipton

5. Denver

6. Sibley-Ocheyedan

7. Unity Christian

8. Starmont

9. Cherokee

10. Roland-Story

11. Davis County

12. Des Moines Christian

13. Okoboji

14. Dike-New Hartford

15. Danville-New London

16. Chariton

17. WC-KP

18. Monroe PCM

19. Pocahontas Area

20. GLR-Central Lyon

Class 2A boys

1. Danville-New London

2. Western Christian

3. Tipton

4. Williamsburg

5. Des Moines Christian

6. Mid-Prairie

7. Unity Christian

8. Davis County

9. Monticello

10. Waukon

11. North Fayette Valley

12. East Marshall

13. Grundy Center GC-GR

14. Albia

15. GLR-Central Lyon

16. Okoboji

17. Forest City

18. Jesup

19. Dike-New Hartford

20. Clarinda

Class 1A girls

1. South Winneshiek

2. Hudson

3. Pekin

4. Iowa City Regina

5. Logan-Magnolia

6. Lansing Kee

7. Mason City Newman

8. Manson-NW Webster

9. North Linn

10. Guthrie Center ACGC

11. Earlham

12. Fort Dodge St. Edmond

13. Panorama

14. Sumner-Fredericksburg

15. Council Bluffs St. Albert

16. Ridge View

17. Nashua-Plainfield

18. West Fork

19. Cascade

20. Montezuma

Class 1A boys

1. Earlham

2. Guthrie Center ACGC

3. Maquoketa Valley

4. South Winneshiek

5. Ogden

6. Bellevue

7. Madrid

8. Hudson

9. Pekin

10. Central Decatur

11. Fort Dodge St. Edmond

12. Nodaway Valley

13. Mason City Newman

14. Columbus Community

15. Central Springs

16. Siouxland Christian

17. Council Bluffs St. Albert

18. Valley Lutheran

19. Tri-Center

20. Manson-NW Webster

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com