Ishpeming captured the boys team title with 22 points, followed by Negaunee with 40 and Westwood with 115.

The Miners had 19 points on the girls side while the Hematites scored 36 and Patriots had 83.

Yesney came across the line with a time of 16 minutes, 19 seconds, beating out his previous course record by three seconds from last season.

He said all the trees along the course helped combat the higher-than-normal September temperatures.

Spencer Giroux finishes second to lead Ishpeming to the boys team title at the WIN meet in cross country on Tuesday afternoon at the Negaunee Township Hall. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)

“If it wasn’t in the shade it would have been miserable,” he said. “The fact it was in the shade made for pretty good running out there.”

The most challenging obstacle on the course was a large gradual hill that Yesney said he and other runners don’t stop thinking about, knowing it’s ahead.

“It’s always in your mind the entire race, just going up that and trying to mentally dig down and get up that hill. It’s not a fun one.”

Paupore, who finished in 19:27, said she enjoyed the course and the shade after running at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing last weekend on a wide-open golf course.

“It’s actually a really nice course and I was looking forward to this one,” she said.

Ishpeming had three runners right behind Yesney. Spencer Giroux, Jonah Broberg and Devin Tasson finished second, third and fourth, respectively, for the Hematites. Giroux had a time of 17:47.

Ishpeming head coach Paul Pruett said the boys team had a strong run.

“It’s been a long time since Ishpeming beat Negaunee in the WIN Meet,” he said. “The boys are working hard and they’re running together.”

Top finishers for Ishpeming on the girls side were Katie Loman in fourth place in 22:40, while Kayla Kaukola took sixth and Chyanne Gardner seventh.

Drew Dieterle was the top finisher for the Westwood boys in 13th place in 19:55. Elizabeth Williams topped the Westwood girls, also coming in 13th in 25:08.

Westwood head coach Eric Hill said the goal for his team is to keep getting quicker.

“All we’re looking at is just trying to get faster every race,” he said.

With the Upper Peninsula Finals just over a month away, all three coaches shared the sentiment that in the back of their minds.

“We are working toward that (U.P. Finals),” Negaunee coach Lisa Bigalk said. “We’re working on continuing to improve our times and get faster and mentally prepared to have a great race at finals.”

With that in mind, these three teams travel to Munising on Monday for the Munising Invitational at Pictured Rocks Golf Course, a preview for the U.P. Finals on Oct. 21.

Email Ryan Spitza at sports@miningjournal.net.