MARQUETTE — The Marquette Senior High School boys and girls cross country teams welcomed six teams to Presque Isle Park for the Marquette Earlybird Invite and the first competition for the 2020 season. Both the boys and girls teams competed well in the 5K races and showed off a solid training base to start the season.

No team scores were kept at this friendly competition and offered participating schools a chance to evaluate runners early in the season. Schools in attendance were Escanaba, Gladstone, Ishpeming, Kingsford, Marquette, Negaunee and Westwood.

Kingsford girls had three runners finish in the top 15: Melanie Wenzel finished fourth overall with a 22:07; Sarah Kulas finished right behind Wenzel with a 22:09. Gabby Carey finished 12th overall with a 23:22.

“I’m really happy we’re getting to have a season,” said Wenzel. “It was warm in the beginning, then it cooled off nicely. It’s usually not like that. I was afraid it’d be too hot. We’ve been practicing hard. It can only go up from here.”

The co-op, co-ed Kingford team has Iron Mountain team members on it also. The return to Marquette on Friday for their next competition.

The Kingsford boys had no runners finish in the top 15 overall.

Top 10 Girls Varsity Finishers:

Lola Korpi, Ishpeming – 20:19; Olivia Moffitt, Marquette – 21:42; Heidi Meglathery, Westwood – 21:49; Melanie Wenzel, Kingsford – 22:07; Sarah Kulas, Kingsford – 22:09; Endla Harris, Negaunee – 22:27; Lillian Weycker, Marquette – 22:37; Elizabeth Williams, Westwood – 22:43; Taylor Longtine, Ishpeming – 23:04; Jordann Stephenson, Marquette – 23:13.