The Albert Lea boys’ and girls’ track and field teams won the Panther Invite Thursday at New Richland.

The boys’ won the meet by 73 points after earning eight first-place finishes. The Tigers tallied 173 points while Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton took second with 100 points. Maple River finished third with 72 while Waterville-Elysian-Morristown followed with 69, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva 59, Medford 40 and the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf finished with 9 points.

The 4×800-meter relay team of Trevor Rasmussen, Sean Laurie, Lars Gjersvik and Jack Sturtz won as did the 4×200 relay of Zach Battleson, Jake Jensen, Tayler Blake and Dylan Anderson, and the 4×400 team of Gjersvik, Laurie, Brody Sunblad, and Kyle Kriewall.

Alik Smed was a double-winner with victories in the long jump and the high jump. Smed cleared six feet in the high jump and won by four inches.

Bryce DeBoer won the shotput while Rasmussen won the 800.

“The guys came out firing,” said Albert Lea head coach Lisa Deyak. “They were ready to compete. They competed well the whole night.”

Kevin Klocek led NRHEG with three first-place finishes. Klocek won the 100 for NRHEG, the 200 and ran on the winning 4×100 relay team of David Lindell, Evan Ferber and Matt Young. Josh Schroeder took first in the 1,600 and Lindell won the discus.

The Albert Lea girls’ team held off the host Panthers to win the meet.

The Tigers scored 153 points while NRHEG took second with 112.5.

Chrissy Monson won the 1,600 and 3,200 while Alisa Allison won the 200 and Sarah Wenum the 800.

The 4×200 relay team of Bryn Woodside, Sarah Savelkoul, Karlie Kriewall and Sam Stanley also captured first place.

“We were pleased with where they were at, at this point in the season,” said Albert Lea head coach Margo Wayne.

Eighth-grader Carlie Wagner won three events for the Panthers and scored 38 points. Wagner won the 100, 400, and the high jump.

“Tremendous performance for an eighth grader,” said NRHEG head coach Duey Ferber.

NRHEG added first-place finishes with the 4×800 relay team of Abby Crabtree, Paige Overgaard, Hannah Lewison, and Danielle Krueger, as well as the 4×400 team of Jenika Jongbloedt, Raelin Schue, Overgaard and Krueger.