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ISHPEMING -- Houghton's numbers were a factor here Thursday as it won both ends of the Tracy Strom Invitational cross country meet.
The Houghton boys scored 28 points, followed by Painesdale Jeffers 52, Ishpeming Westwood 73 and Negaunee 74 in the second WestPAC Conference meet this season.
Houghton's girls finished with 27 points. They were followed by Negaunee 42 and Calumet 57.
"We have 43 runners total in our program," Houghton coach Traci Welch said. "We definitely have some depth. Our jayvee boys are running with our varsity and the girls are strong runners."
Houghton junior Brandon Van Karsen won the boys' race, covering the hilly 3.1-mile course in 17 minutes, 51.1 seconds on this sunny and warm afternoon at the Al Quaal Recreation Area.
He was followed by Westwood sophomore Calvin Carlson at 17:53.3, Houghton freshman Tyler Rule (18:45.2), Jeffers junior Branson Anderson (18:47.8) and Houghton sophomore Cole Ceane (18:58.4).
"The weather was brutal," Van Karsen said. "It was hotter than I'd prefer. This is really a big boost. This is also a tough course, but there was a lot of downhill. I tried to stride it out on the downhills. The Marquette meet (Dale Phillips Invitational) was a big motivator. There was pretty tough competition over there, but it helped me set my goals for the rest of the year."
Negaunee freshman Julia Plaxco, who also plays volleyball, won the girls' race in a personal-best 20:32.9.
"I was runner-up in the first WestPAC race (at Hancock)," she said. "This is a pretty big boost. I'm looking forward to seeing what the season brings. We did a lot of stuff at practice to help us prepare for this. I shortened my stride on the uphill and strided it out on the downhill. I was a little nervous before the meet, but I think that might have helped me. A lot of that carried over once we got into the race."
Houghton junior Holly Cooke placed second (21:00.2), followed by freshman teammate Emma Jukuri (21:49.5) and senior Norah Woodruff (22:39.1) and Ishpeming sophomore Sophie Mahoski (22:54.3).
"It was close for a while, then she pulled away in the woods," Cooke said. "I had to fight through the hills. There's never anything you shouldn't work on. It's always a good day when you finish. It was a great thing to see our whole team do well."
Jukuri's game plan was to stay with the top five.
"I tried not to go harder than I should on the uphills and use the downhills to gain some speed," she said. "Sometimes the hard things can be helpful. I think this is a confidence builder. The weather conditions were perfect and the breeze helped."
The Gremlins are running without sophomore Brooke Hoppe, who's out with a stress fracture in her foot.
"They ran tough," Welch said. "Everybody rose to the occasion. Kalvin beat Brandon in the last (WestPAC) race, but Brandon ran smart in the end today."
Next up is Tuesday's Negaunee Invitational, which is the third WestPAC race.
Boys
Houghton 28, Painesdale Jeffers 52, Ishpeming Westwood 73, Negaunee 74. Calumet, Ishpeming, Hancock, Gwinn and West Iron County NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Brandon Van Karsen, Houghton, 17:51.1; 2, Calvin Carlson, Ishpeming Westwood, 17:53.3; 3, Tyler Rule, Houghton, 18:45.2; 4, Branson Anderson, Painesdale Jeffers, 18:47.8; 5, Cole Ceane, Houghton, 18:58.4; 6, Kemper Gearhart, Ishpeming, 19:05.3; 7, Noah Randell, Painesdale Jeffers, 19:29.5; 8, Tyler Rautiola, Negaunee, 19:36.1; 9, Liam Kinnunen, Painesdale Jeffers, 19:39.7; 10, Alex Rodriguez, Calumet, 20:10.1.
Girls
Houghton 27, Negaunee 42, Calumet 57. Ishpeming, Painesdale Jeffers, West Iron County, Hancock, Republic-Michigamme, Gwinn NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Julia Plaxco, Negaunee, 20:32.9; 2, Holly Cooke, Houghton, 21:00.2; 3, Emma Jukuri, Houghton, 21:49.5; 4, Norah Woodruff, 22:39.1; 5, Sophie Mahoski, Ishpeming, 22:54.3; 6, Bethany McParlan, Calumet, 23:29.6; 7, Elli Harju, Calumet, 23:32.1; 8, Eliza Sicotte, Negaunee, 24:15; 9, Eva Inal, Houghton, 24:16; 10, Riley Conklin, Negaunee, 24:43.8.