BELFAST – Mount Ararat of Topsham, Ellsworth, Sumner of East Sullivan and Shead of Eastport captured Eastern Maine cross country girls championships Saturday under conditions almost ideal for runners – temperatures in the high 40s with little wind.

The Ellsworth Eagles held off Penobscot Valley Conference foes John Bapst of Bangor and Hampden Academy to take the team crown in Class B, 42-66 over the runner-up Crusaders. The Broncos (69), Old Town (129), Mount Desert Island (152) and Belfast (166) rounded out the teams heading to the state meet.

Individual honors went to Ellsworth freshman Shauna Lynch, who toured the Troy Howard Middle School 5-kilometer loop in 19 minutes, 50 seconds.

“She’s worked hard this year, and did a good job for a freshman,” said Ellsworth coach Andy Beardsley.

Beardsley’s Eagles tucked four runners in the top 10, with Lacie Dow (3rd), Jana Piazza (7th) and Jessica Buckingham (10th) joining Lynch.

“The girls worked together. They came ready to run,” Beardsley said.

Old Town sophomore standout Cassie Hintz will miss the remainder of the season, according to coach Rod White. She was ordered by a doctor to take the rest of the season off, White said.

In Class A, Mount Ararat junior sisters Jesse and Beth Wilcox finished first and third, respectively, and Rose LeBel placed eighth to help the Eagles outdistance runner-up Bangor, 67-90. Waterville (92), Mt. Blue of Farmington (107), Brunswick (109), Edward Little of Auburn (141) and Leavitt of Turner Center (153) rounded out the state-meet qualifiers.

Jesse Wilcox broke former Mt. Blue standout Erin Archard’s course record with a 19:18 clocking, but the Eagles’ midpack runners stepped up.

“Our 5-6-7 did well,” said Mount Ararat coach Diane Fournier. “It was an awesome performance,” she said of Wilcox.

Meanwhile, coach Patricia Craig’s Rams had a good day of their own, with sophomore Jolene Belanger finishing second and junior Casey Dunn taking fourth.

“They all had PR’s, and they’re real excited,” Craig said. “They’ve worked really hard, and they deserve it. They ran their hearts out.”

In Class C, the Sumner Tigers, who have been running against the likes of Hampden, John Bapst and Ellsworth this season, finally got to pick on someone their own size.

They certainly did, using a 2-3 finish from Kelsey Linscott and Vanessa Brunton to score 44 points and edge Foxcroft Academy (52) and George Stevens of Blue Hill (56). Washington Academy of East Machias scored 108 to pick up the final state-meet slot.

“The ultimate goal was to win regionals,” said Sumner coach Becky O’Keefe. “It was tougher for the girls, but we knew we could win if they had their best races.”

O’Keefe likes facing the large schools but wishes the Tigers could see more of the likes of teams like the Ponies.

“Running against the large schools helps, but I wish we ran against Foxcroft more,” she said.

In Class D, the Shead Tigerettes’ 1-2 punch of Helen Pottle and Randi Smith was too much for runner-up Greenville to overcome.

“Randi [Smith] had a super day,” said Shead coach Paul Theriault. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. The girls kicked it up when they needed to.”

Woodland, Narraguagus of Harrington and Lee Academy will join the Tigerettes and Lakers in the state meet.

Western Maine winners were Sanford in Class A, Cape Elizabeth in Class B, Freeport in Class C and Monmouth Academy in Class D.