NEW RICHLAND – There was some debate this year about whether the host squad could dethrone the three-time defending champion Albert Lea girls’ track and field team in the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panther Invitational.

The Tigers just had too much firepower.

Albert Lea won the nine-team meet for the fourth year in a row Tuesday, collecting 11 first places while defeating the second-place Panthers by 29 points. The Tigers totaled 170.5 points, NRHEG 141.5, St. Clair 57, Medford 55, Maple River 47, Alden-Conger 43, Glenville-Emmons 36, Minnesota Academy for the Deaf 6 and Lyle/Austin Pacelli 2.

“I was very pleased,” said Tigers coach Margo Wayne. “We had a lot of personal bests that I couldn’t believe happened in that kind of wind. Some of the times and marks were unbelievable, considering the wind.”

Emily Bartusek was the Tigers’ top scorer. She won the 200 and 400 meters and the triple jump while anchoring the first-place 4×400 relay team that also included Amy Ravenhorst, Angie Schuhmacher and Jasey Porter.

Chelsea Olchefske won the discus with a toss of 110-3, more than 10 feet better than her previous best. The other individual firsts were by Steph Overgaard, long jump; Schuhmacher, 800; Katie Stenseth, 3200; and Beth Kolling high jump.

Schuhmacher, Tiffany Truesdell, Ellen Vandersyde and Stenseth won the 4×800 relay while Overgaard, Porter, Ravenhorst and Kolling took the 4×200. Kelly Schreiber, Shawna Griffith, Krista Horejsi and Becky Birkhofer were third in the 4×100.

Other Albert Lea places: Kolling, second, 100 and fifth, 200; Ashley Olson, third, triple jump and third, 100 hurdles; Stacy Busch, fourth, shot put and fifth, discus; Overgaard, fourth, 100 hurdles and fourth, 300 hurdles; Truesdell, fourth, 1600; Ravenhorst, fourth, high jump and fifth, 100; Sierra Anderson, fifth, long jump; Megan Levisen, fifth, 3200; Olchefske, sixth, shot put; Schreiber, sixth, 100 hurdles; Vandersyde, sixth, 1600; Porter, sixth, 400; Frances O’Donnell, sixth, 3200.

“I give a lot of credit to New Richland,” said Wayne. “They have a nice team and I think they’ll have a very good season. This is a well run meet and we very much enjoy competing there.”

The Tigers host their only home meet of the season next Tuesday at Hammer Field.