MARQUETTE — Expectations for Hancock girls’ cross country are high this year.

The Bulldogs didn’t disappoint here Friday as they placed third in the Queen City Invitational at Presque Isle Park.

Marquette won with 32 points, followed by Houghton 56 and Hancock 112.

“We’re thrilled with that,” said Hancock coach Jen Smith. “We took third without one of our top runners. Most girls were faster than they were here last year which is a real good sign for the rest of the year and some of the boys ran their best times at this meet. We’re right up with the top runners from our area.”

The Marquette boys grabbed the top nine places and posted a perfect score (15 points). They were followed by Houghton 77 and Negaunee 102.

Ishpeming junior Lola Korpi retained her title by covering the 3.1-mile course in 20 minutes, 13.5 seconds, followed by Marquette sophomore Ella Fore (20:43.6) and senior Abby Karma (20:55.9).

“I’m actually happy with that,” said Korpi. “We usually run at Munising first where I’ve been in the 21s. Last year, I ran a 20:40 in this race. I started to pull ahead on the first hill (at 1 1/4 miles). I’ve really bumped up my mileage and ran in the Queen City Half-Marathon (July 29). I know I can cut my time down. This is a good place to start. Laynie (Lola’s sister) had a good race, too. I’m proud of her.”

Houghton sophomore Tessa Rautiola placed fifth (21:50) and junior Lily Ross took sixth (21:59.2).

“Overall, everything went fine,” said Rautiola. “I’m happy with where our team finished and the weather conditions were pretty good. This is a good starting point.”

Junior Ella Keranen placed seventh (22:05.7) and classmate Rayna Towles was 10th (22:29.6).

“That’s about the same time I ran in the U.P. (Division 2) Finals last year,” said Keranen. “This was kind of a tune-up for what’s ahead. We’re pretty excited about our taking third as a team. It’s always a big meet here. Marquette and Houghton have strong teams. Running against D-1 schools right now is going to help us.”

Towles said the Bulldogs followed a conservative game plan in Friday’s opener.

“We always try to make sure we’re not going out too hard and try to pick people off during the race,” she said. “The conditions weren’t too bad. It was comfortable running. There’s a lot of bigger schools in this meet. Third place, that’s awesome. This is a confidence builder for us.”

Marquette junior Seppi Camilli was crowned boys’ champ at 17:09.6. He was followed by sophomore Peter Argeropoulos (17:20.5) and junior Chase Thomsen (17:20.7).

“I just wanted to get out with the guys on our team,” said Camilli, who runs 60-70 miles a week. “We worked hard on the hills in the second mile and I opened up my stride on the downhills in the third mile. We worked together as a team and kept running strong. Last year, I was a little under 19:25 (as the jayvee winner) in this meet. I started building up my mileage after cross country last year.”

Houghton sophomore Birk Seagren placed 10th (18:45.5), followed by Ironwood junior Joey Lauzon (19:00.5).

“We don’t usually take much stock in the first meet,” said Houghton coach Traci Welch. “We look at this as a practice. This is an opportunity to get some of the jitters out. I think we can be competitive with their (Marquette’s) girls. I don’t think anybody up here can compete with their boys. Perfect scores are hard to come by. That just doesn’t happen all the time. The Hancock girls definitely looked good and it’s nice to see they have a full boys’ team.”

Ironwood’s effort was pleasing to coach Ben Schmandt.

Junior Aubrey Smith led the Red Devils in the girls’ race by taking eighth at 22:08.9.

“We didn’t do too bad,” he said. “We’re a young team with no seniors. This was a chance to test the waters and both teams did a pretty good job. Aubrey ran a nice race and the boys had some solid places. This was certainly a learning experience. These kids are building the foundation right now.”

Boys

Marquette 15, Houghton 77, Negaunee 102, Kingsford 111, Ironwood 135, Westwood 162, Lake Leelanau St. Mary 170, Hancock 193, Stephenson 198. Ishpeming, Menominee, Manistique and Gwinn NTS.

Top 10 — 1, Seppi Camilli, Marquette, 17:09.6; 2, Peter Argeropoulos, Marquette, 17:20.5; 3, Chase Thomsen, Marquette, 17:20.7; 4, Evan Blake, Marquette, 17:33.6; 5, James Kraeg, Marquette, 17:58.1; 6, Cullen Papin, Marquette, 18:04.2; 7, Ben Kuhl, Marquette, 18:33.2; 8, Mathew Tripp, Marquette, 18:42.3; 9, Lucas Ballard, Marquette, 18:45.4; 10, Birk Seagren, Houghton, 18:45.5.

Girls

Marquette 32, Houghton 56, Hancock 112, Negaunee 125, Stephenson 128, Westwood 134, Ironwood 156, Lake Leelanau St. Mary 164. Manistique, Gwinn, Ishpeming, Kingsford, Menominee NTS.

Top 10 — 1, Lola Korpi, Ishpeming, 20:13.5; 2, Ella Fure, Marquette, 20:43.6; 3, Abby Harma, Marquette, 20:55.9; 4, Marlee Plaxco, Negaunee, 21:48.3; 5, Tessa Rautiola, Houghton, 21:50; 6, Lily Ross, Houghton, 21:59.2; 7, Ella Keranen, Hancock, 22:05.7; 8, Aubrey Smith, Ironwood, 22:08.9; 9, Claire Muskart, Marquette, 22:17.5; 10, Rayna Towles, Hancock, 22:29.6.