Linn’s varsity girls won the team championship at the Belle XC Invitational, while runners throughout the lineup turned in personal records during one of the Wildcats’ strongest meets of the season.

The Lady Wildcats scored 40 points to edge Belle, which finished with 44.

Lily Baker led Linn with a 14th-place personal-record time of 24:25.31, followed by Kylie Messenger (17, 25:23.11), Charli Lenger (18, 25:28.93), Adalyn Brandt (24, 26:33.01), Elyse Brandt (28, 27:10.53), Allie Hackmann (29, PR 27:46.92), and Enslee Stevenson (43, PR 33:21.75).

Coach Tasha Haslag said the varsity girls continue to show the ability to stay together and race as a group.

“I am incredibly proud of this team,” said Haslag. “The temperatures were great at Belle, the times were fast, and our kids took advantage of the opportunity. We had PRs all over the place, but what makes me most proud is seeing how far this group has come since the beginning of the season.”

Jackson Hamburg led Linn’s varsity boys with a 13th-place finish in 19:34.89, followed by Vince Tschappler (36, 21:50.00), Emmit Mehmert (60, 24:37.53), and Samuel Heckman (66, 25:28.52).

Linn’s middle school runners also posted personal records throughout the lineup.

Kensington Kramer led the girls with a sixth-place finish and a personal-record time of 14:32.39, followed by Grace Hall (41, PR 16:56.47) and Daphne Baker (44, PR 17:10.96).

For the boys, Landon Engelhardt finished 15th in a personal-record 13:09.75, followed by Thatcher Gray (53, PR 14:55.43), Collin Kempker (96, PR 19:14.75), and Jagger Maasen (108, PR 22:23.38).

Haslag said the results are beginning to show the cumulative effect of the team’s daily work.

“We keep talking about getting 1% better every day, and right now you can actually see those little improvements stacking up,” she said. “They are becoming better runners, better racers, and an even stronger team.”