Houghton's Brayden Goudge takes off running in the 400-meter relay after receiving the baton from teammate Daniel Xiu Tuesday at the Dan Juntilla Track and Field Meet in Calumet. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

CALUMET — It was a tight race for top honors in the Houghton County Invitational track and meet Tuesday as the Calumet girls were crowned champions for the first time in 11 years with 114 1/2 points.

Houghton was runner-up at 103 3/4 and Dollar Bay placed third at 94 3/4.

The Houghton boys won comfortably with 224 points. They were followed by L’Anse 81 and Calumet 52.

Calumet’s girls were led by junior Alexa Hoffman, who ran personal-best times while winning the 100-meter dash in 13.1 seconds and 200 (26.89).

“The girls did it behind the strength of their team, which are the sprinters, and the depth of the team by scoring points in every event,” Calumet coach Steve Parks said. “The overall goal is to start winning conference and regional titles and with losing only four seniors to graduation, the opportunity looks promising for next season.”

Hoffman edged Ontonagon senior Violet Amos by just .02 second in the 200 and sophomore teammate Ava Rauvala by .09 second in the 100 and helped the Copper Kings take the 800 (1:53.97).

Houghton senior Tessa Rautiola ran in just one race, the 3200, but made the most of it by winning in a season-best 12:20.63.

“This was a good workout going into the U.P. (Division 1) Finals,” she said. “This was a little bit of a tune-up, but definitely a workout which helps me keep my competitive edge. The U.P. Finals is definitely a special meet.”

Junior Norah Woodruff provided the Gremlins with an additional first in the 400 (1:01.3), also a PB.

Hancock sophomore Alena Pietila ran PBs while winning the 800 (2:31.55) and 1600 (5:44.07) and classmate Tatum Sporalski captured shot put (32-5½).

“I thought our kids did amazing,” Hancock coach Jennifer Smith said. “Alena looked strong and Tatum did a nice job in shot. We’re also happy about Jasper Towles placing in (boys’) shot.”

Dollar Bay also had its shining moments with senior Kiera Isaacson taking high jump (5-4) and junior Laila Bell adding a first in long jump (16-8), with both girls helping the Blue Bolts win the 400 relay in a school-record 53.86.

“It was fun to do it today,” Bell said of the school record in the 400 relay. “We’ve been running against Lake Linden-Hubbell, but they’re not here today. We’ve been going after that record for quite a while.”

Bell’s effort in long jump was just two inches short of her school-record leap in the Copper Mountain Conference meet at Wakefield May 18.

Isaacson, who soared a school-record 5-6 in high jump three days later in the Ontonagon Invite, has her sights set on the U.P. record (5-5), set by Tabitha Graham of Brimley 15 years ago.

“It felt great to break the school record because it’s my senior year,” Isaacson said. “I know I can do it (set the U.P. record). It’s just a matter of having the confidence to do it on that day (Saturday at Kingsford). Laila and I run the 4×1 together and are very supportive of each other. Since we don’t have our own track, we go to Houghton to practice which I think helps us.”

Chassell sophomore Jordan Holombo, who also sometimes practices at Houghton, copped the 100 hurdles (16.36) and 300 (48.73) which are also personal-bests.

“After practicing in Houghton, I do some work on those at our school,” Holombo said. “I’m really nervous about the Finals, but I’m also excited. I’m a lot stronger than last year. I think I’ve learned that I have to work at it.”

Bell was runner-up in the 300s in a season-best 51.6 with senior teammate Aubrey Karppinen second in the 100s in a personal-best 17.86 and third in the 300s (53.56).

Baraga junior Elise Delene won pole vault (9-0) and Ewen-Trout Creek senior Emma Besonen took discus (91-7½)

Houghton junior Michael Solena captured boys’ disc with a school and meet-record toss of 151 feet, five inches and took shot at 53-7.

Classmate Sam Roth won the 100-meter dash in 10.95 seconds and anchored the Gremlins to school and meet-record 44.83 seconds in the 400 relay.

Houghton senior Ben Hemmer copped the 800 at 2:01.82 and freshman teammate Eli Garnell placed second at 2:03.62, both personal-best times.

“We did well considering we didn’t put everybody in their normal events,” Gremlins’ coach Erik Johnson said. “That gave them something to work on and some of the younger guys really stepped up. We’ve been chasing the 4×1 record for some time and Michael had nice tosses in the weight events.”

Senior Daniel Xie, also part of the record-setting relay, added a first in long jump (19-0).

L’Anse junior Connor Kempainen swept the hurdles races in personal-best times, taking the 100 (16.37) and 300 (42.79).

Houghton sophomore Brandon Van Karsen copped the 3200 (10:56.18) and Dollar Bay eight-grader Niko Reed took the 1600 in a personal-best 5:11.07.

Gremlins’ junior Cale Ollanketo cleared a personal-best high of 11 feet for first place in pole vault, edging Calumet junior Keith Koivisto on a tie-breaker.

Baraga senior Matt Rinkinen ran a trio of personal-bests, winning the 400 (54.09) and taking second in the 200 (24.19) and third in the 100 (11.64).

Dollar Bay junior Baron Colbert, who won high jump at 5-8, added PBs while taking the 200 (24.08) and placing second in the 100 (11.6).

Houghton County Invitational

At Calumet

Boys

Houghton 224, L’Anse 81, Calumet 52, Dollar Bay 44, Baraga 34, Calumet Copper Island Academy 28, Hancock 28, Ewen-Trout Creek 18, Chassell 4, Painesdale Jeffers 2.

3200 relay — 1, Houghton (Williams, Butler, Evans, Vendlinski), 9:23.07; 2, Ewen-Trout Creek; 3, Calumet; 4, Hancock.

110 hurdles — 1, Kemppainen, L, 16.37; 2, Ruonavaara, CIC; 3, Kim, Hou; 4, Connor, L; 5, Miles, E-TC.

100 — 1, Roth, Hou, 10.95; 2, Colbert, DB; 3, Rinkinen, B; 4, Koivisto, Cal; 5, Englund, Cal; 6, Spencer, Hou.

800 relay — 1, Houghton (Krings, Van Karsen, Lounibos, Cooke), 1:38.57; 2, L’Anse; 3, Calumet; 4, Hancock.

1600 — 1, Reed, DB, 5:11.07; 2, Moilanen, E-TC; 3, Crane, Hou; 4, Johnson, Hou; 5, Miller, Hou; 6, Beaudoin, Han.

400 relay — 1, Houghton (Xie, Goudge, Kocour, Roth), 44.83 (meet record); 2, Calumet; 3, L’Anse; 4, Hancock.

400 — 1, Rinkinen, B, 54.09; 2, Van Karsen, Hou; 3, Junttila, CIC; 4, Cadeau, L; 5, Martens, Han; 6, Roy, B.

300 hurdles — 1, Kemppainen, L, 42.79; 2, Hongisto, Hou; 3, Connor, L; 4, Grentz, L; 5, Miles, E-TC.

800 — 1, B. Hemmer, Hou, 2:01.82; 2, Garnell, Hou; 3, Rounavaara, CIC; 4, Holmes, Chas; 5, Loukus, Cal; 6, Pennala, Cal.

200 — 1, Colbert, DB, 24.09; 2, Rinkinen, B; 3, Spencer, Hou; 4, Krings, Hou; 5, Lypsinmaa, Cal; 6, Roy, B.

3200 — 1, Van Karsen, Hou, 10:56.18; 2, Hutchinson, Hou; 3, Reed, DB; 4, Livesay, Hou; 5, Kinnunen, PJ; 6, A. Hemmer, Hou.

1600 relay — 1, Houghton (Aho, Evans, Williams, Vendlinski), 4:01.65; 2, Hancock; 3, Calumet; 4, L’Anse.

High jump — 1, Colbert, DB, 5-8; 2, Laitala, L; 3, Cooke, Hou; 4, Nolan, Hou; 5, Marras, Hou; 6, Nagel, Cal.

Pole vault — 1, Ollanketo, Hou, 11-0; 2, Koivisto, Cal; 3, Ryynanen, Hou; 4, Hamlin, Hou; 5, Eskola, Cal; 6m Silvelet, Hou.

Long jump — 1, Xie, Hou, 19-0; 2, Ruonavaara, CIC; 3, B. Hemmer, Hou; 4, Matteson, Hou; 5, Lypsinmaa, Cal; 6, Gronlund, Cal.

Shot put — 1, Solena, Hou, 53-7; 2, Lewis, L; 3, Suh, Hou; 4, Smith, B; 5, Joyal, Hou; 6, Wiltanen, Han.

Discus — 1, Solena, Hou, 151-5 (school and meet record); 2, Lewis, L; 3, Matteson, Hou; 4, Smith, B; 5, Towles, Han; 6, Cima, Cal.

Girls

Calumet 114½, Houghton 103¾, Dollar Bay 94¾, Ewen-Trout Creek 50, Hancock 44¾, Baraga 36½, L’Anse 31¾, Ontonagon 34, Chassell 20, Painesdale Jeffers 6, Copper Country Christian and Calumet Copper Island Academy 0.

3200 relay — 1, Houghton (M. Lawson, Bastian, S. Lawson, Cooke), 10:33.82; 2, Ewen-Trout Creek; 3, Calumet; 4, Dollar Bay; 5, L’Anse; 6, Hancock.

100 hurdles — 1, Holombo, Chas, 16.36; 2, Karppinen, DB; 3, Tarnowski, O; 4, Koivisto, Cal; 5, Ferguson, E-TC; 6, Harmala, Cal.

100 — 1, Hoffman, Cal, 13.1; 2, Rauvala, Cal; 3, Amos, O; 4, Isaacson, DB; 5, Bowers, L; 6, Kentala, DB.

800 relay — 1, Calumet (B. Strom, Rauvala, K. Strom, Hoffman), 1:53.97; 2, Ewen-Trout Creek; 3, L’Anse; 4, Houghton; 5, Baraga; 6, Dollar Bay.

1600 — 1, Pietila, Han, 5:44.07; 2, S. Lawson, Hou; 3, McParlan, Cal; 4, Moyryla, Cal; 5, Hoppe, Hou; 6, Loukus, Cal.

400 relay — 1, Dollar Bay (Kentala, Nye, Bell, Isaacson), 53.86 (school record); 2, Houghton; 3, L’Anse; 4, Ewen-Trout Creek; 5, Baraga; 6, Calumet.

400 — 1, Woodruff, Hou, 1:01.3; 2, K. Strom, Cal; 3, Cooke, Hou; 4, DeCremer, E-TC; 5, Aho, Han; 6, Mechlin, Hou.

300 hurdles — 1, Holombo, Chas, 48.73; 2, Bell, DB; 3, Karppinen, DB; 4, Tarnowski, O; 5, Ferguson, E-TC; 6, Koivisto, Cal.

800 — 1, Pietila, Han, 2:31.55; 2, M. Lawson, Hou; 3, B. Besonen, E-TC; 4, E. Besonen, E-TC; 5, Williams, Hou; 6, McParlan, Cal.

200 — 1, Hoffman, Cal, 26.89; 2, Amos, O; 3, Bastian, Hou; 4, Kentala, DB; 5, Klein, Hou; 6, Froese, L.

3200 — 1, Rautiola, Hou, 12:20.63; 2, Halkola, DB; 3, McParlan, Cal; 4, Froese, L; 5, Lassila, Cal; 6, Almugabgad, Hou.

1600 relay — 1, Calumet (B. Strom, K. Strom, Stafford, Hoffman), 4:19.01; 2, Houghton; 3, Hancock; 4, Dollar Bay; 5, Baraga.

High jump — 1, Issacson, DB, 5-4; 2, Stafford, Cal; 3, Rich, Han and Nye, DB (tie); 5, Mikkola, Han, Pelland, DB and Sajdak, Hou (tie).

Pole vault — 1, Delene, B, 9-0; 2, Bell, DB and Williams, Hou (tie); 4, Aho, Hou; 5, Klein, B; 6, Loukus, Cal.

Long jump — 1, Bell, DB, 16-8; 2, Bowers, L; 3, Anderson, PJ; 4, K. Strom, Cal; 5, Dix, L; 6, Holm, B.

Shot put — 1, Sporalski, Han, 32-5½; 2, Delene, B; 3, Loukus, Cal; 4, Kemppainen, DB; 5, Holley, B; 6, Penfold, Hou.

Discus — 1, E. Besonen, E-TC, 91-7½; 2, Delene, B; 3, B. Strom, Cal; 4, Kemper, Hou; 5, B. Besonen, E-TC; 6, Tormala, Hou.