Mid-Prairie wins fourth straight 2A girls’ state track distance medley with school-record time

DES MOINES — They stood near the finish line, arms locked, watching their competition churn toward the stripe Friday at Drake Stadium.

A fourth straight title for Mid-Prairie in the distance medley relay at the Class 2A girls’ state track and field meet hung in the balance — and as the heat’s final seconds ticked off the Golden Hawks exulted, knowing their blazing-fast time of 4:07.96 would hold up.

“It was amazing,” said anchor Danielle Hostetler, who also struck gold Thursday in the 3,000-meter run for the second year in a row. “It was nerve-racking watching that whole race.”

Until the very end. Hostetler, Mitzi Evans, Amara Jones and Madeline Schrader smiled, shared hugs and jumped up and down as the magnitude of Friday’s feat sunk in.

“I think that’s a school record,” Hostetler and Evans said in unison.

It is. And no quartet — even the previous three title winners for Mid-Prairie — has run the distance medley relay that fast since Tipton capped its own four-year win streak in the event in 2007.

“Just being able to watch those distance medleys before and to be part of one, it’s just exciting,” said the Golden Hawks’ Amara Jones, who ran the second leg.

Hostetler said some of those past Mid-Prairie winners in the event were in the stands, counting down to victory just like she and her current teammates were.

“It’s special for them to watch us carry it on,” Hostetler said.

As for the tension that turned into triumph in the final seconds?

“I’m trying to decide if I was more nervous watching that, or right before I started (running),” said Mid-Prairie’s Madeline Schrader, who ran the first leg.

The three-time defending champion Golden Hawks ended day two atop the standings with 35 points. KP-WC and Van Meter stood second and third, respectively, with 26 and 22 points.

Cascade notched a pair of top-five finishes in the girls’ 400-meter hurdles. Devin Simon surged to second in a time of 1:03.69 and Elizabeth Gibbs placed fifth, finishing in 1:05.50. Both were personal records — and achieved for one very good reason.

“Just happy, and also happy for my teammate,” Simon said. “We ran with each other all year and she’s always the hardest working in practice. That’s what pushed us to be good.”

Other area girls’ top-eight finishers in 2A on Friday:

Friday’s results: Class 2A girls

Top 10 teams (through 10 events): 1. Mid-Prairie 35, 2. Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central 26, 3. Van Meter 24, 4. Denver 20, T-5. West Lyon 19, T-5. Clear Lake 19, T-7. Williamsburg 14, T-7. Underwood 14, T-7. Northeast 14, T-10. New Hampton 12, T-10. Sheldon 12, T-10. Cascade 12

Distance medley relay: 1. Nashua-Plainfield (Foelske, Carpenter, Hyde, Huck) 4:13.08; 2. Calamus-Wheatland 4:18.19; 3. Lawton-Bronson 4:21.24; 6. Lisbon 4:22.91; 8. North Linn 4:23.03.

400-meter hurdles: 1. Ellie Rickertsen (Northeast Goose Lake) 1:03.44; 2. Devin Simon (Cascade) 1:03.69; 3. Taylor Kvale (Dike-New Hartford) 1:05.16; 5. Elizabeth Gibbs (Cascade) 1:05.50.

800-meter relay: 1. KP-WC (Bowman, Kuntz, Goodwin, Bell) 1:44.36; 2. Okoboji Milford 1:45.78; 3. Underwood 1:45.91; 4. Williamsburg 1:46.07.

Discus: 1. Jana Ter Wee (West Lyon) 131-00; 2. Allie Schweitzberger (KP-WC) 125-07; 3. Mackenzie Grady (South Hamilton) 125-06; 5. Maddie Fischer (Anamosa) 122-06.