Some things are better to come as a surprise than expected.

Princeton scored 12 top three finishes, including four first-place efforts, to win Friday’s Dillon Frosh/Soph Girls Indoor Invitational hosted by Sterling Newman. It was just the second time PHS had won the meet and the first time since 1995 in its debut, scoring the most points it ever has.

The Tigresses beat out runner-up Sterling by 23 points, 109-86 followed by Erie/Prophetstown (66), Oregon (50), Bureau Valley (49), Fulton and Newman (41), Riverdale (33), Amboy (20) and Stockton (19).

“I wasn’t particularly planning to win this, but I knew that we could place high, because we had enough quality athletes to cover most of the events,” PHS coach Pat Hodge said. “We had to do a few things that we haven’t done before, but the girls came through with some excellent performances.”

PHS scored firsts from Morgan Foes in the shot (35-6 3/4), Miyah Fox in the 60 HH (10.31), Paige Jesse in the 3200 (15:24.28) and the 4 x 800 relay of Sophia Oester, Emilee Merkel and twins Georgie and Scarlet Fulton in 14:19.49.

Jesse also finished second in the 1600m (6:37.08) and Morgan Richards was second in the shot (31-4 1/2)

Kelsea Klingenberg finished second in the 60m and third in the 200m (29.58).

Devin Dever placed third in the 800m (2:48.56) and 1600m (6:51.34)

PHS placed second in the 4 x 200 relay with Georgie Fulton, Oester, Mia Buccini and Ashlynn Weber (2:02.65) and third in the 4 x 400 relay with Georgie Fulton, Oester, Weber and Dever (5:07.04)

Bureau Valley was runner-up in the boys meet, finishing second out of 10 teams, with 94 points. Princeton was fifth.

Bureau Valley’s Eli Attig won both the 60m and 200m races. Max Horner won the 60m hurdles and finished fifth in the triple jump.

Also for the Storm, Brock Shane and Rhiley Pinter finished second and fourth in the long jump and Landon Hulsing and Evan Entas finished third and fourth in the high jump. Entas and Hulsing went fourth and sixth in the 400. Cameron Stodghill finished fifth in the 800.

Bureau Valley 4x200 relay finished second to Sterling while its 4x8 and 4x4 finished 3rd.

Princeton had two champions. Andrew Peacock won the pole vault (9-0) and Bennett Williams won shot (46-2)

Peacock also placed second in the triple jump (34-9) and fifth in the 60m (8.05).

Also for PHS, Jack May was second in shot (37-6) and Bennett Williams was fifth in the high jump (4-11).