BANAT — It was a day of firsts for Escanaba here Tuesday as its boys’ and girls’ cross country teams got a chance to experience the thrill of victory for the first time this season.

Esky’s boys placed five among the top nine and scored 21 points. They were followed by Stephenson 47 and Menominee 82 in the Stephenson Invitational on the Dale Fountain Memorial course.

The Esky girls had 29 points, followed by Stephenson 47 and Kingsford 55.

Esky junior Matt Dykema earned his first varsity win, covering the 3.1-mile course in 19 minutes, 12.1 seconds. He was followed by Kingsford senior Luke Ruble (19:18.2), Esky junior Dan Smith (19:25.1), Stephenson junior Griffin Brown (19:48.3) and Esky junior Sawyer LaMarche (20:07.4) in his first cross country race on the sunny and mild day.

“I just focused on keeping a good pace and kicking it in at the end,” said Dykema, a first-year harrier. “We’ve been working on that in practice, and in the last 800 meters, I just picked up the pace. Getting our first win was huge for sure. It was awesome to win as a team. This was the first time I ran on this course. This season has been a learning experience.”

This was Ruble’s first meet after missing a week due to a cold.

“I was able to hang with him for a mile, then he took off,” said Ruble, who hopes to run track and/or cross country at Michigan Tech. “I’m feeling almost 100 percent and just getting back into the racing part. I think I set my bar a little high and was hoping to run about 18:30. I’m happy with my place, but a little disappointed in my time. I tried sprinting in the end, only both of us were going at about the same speed.”

Menominee senior Hayden Buck won for the first time this season at 22:34.8. She was followed by junior teammate Attica Brandt (23:02.1), Esky senior Ciara Ostrenga (23:28.7), Kingsford senior Gabby Carey (23:56.6) and Stephenson sophomore Kayela Putnam (24:13.1).

“I focused on my long strides and taking big breaths,” said Buck. “This is a pretty decent confidence builder. I’m pleased with my time. It was warmer than I thought it would be in the sun, but definitely more comfortable in the shade.”

Brandt decided to take a conservative approach to this race.

“I tried to pick up the pace as the race went on,” she said. “I’m trying to get into the 21s. I’m not pleased with today’s time but happy with the place.”

Ostrenga wished she had been more hydrated going into the race.

“I don’t think I drank enough fluids, and it kind of caught up with me,” she said. “My throat got dry. The course wasn’t too bad. There’s not too many hills. There were a couple roots, and it was uneven in a few places, but the downhill in the end definitely helped.”

Esky coach Scott Dykema was naturally happy for both teams.

“The girls ran some PRs (personal records), and Matt and Dan ran good times,” he said. “Sawyer did well for his first time running on a cross country course. We got two more guys, and they’re solid runners. Things are looking good. We’re up to 10 runners. We’re very excited about our first win. I could feel it on the bus ride down here. The kids were excited. This is a big confidence boost for them.”

Boys

Escanaba 21, Stephenson 47, Menominee 82, Norway 113, Rapid River 122, North Central 131. Holy Name and Kingsford NTS.

Top 10 — 1, Matt Dykema, Escanaba, 19:12.1; 2, Luke Ruble, Kingsford, 19:18.2; 3, Dan Smith, Escanaba, 19:25.1; 4, Griffin Brown, Stephenson, 19:48.3; 5, Sawyer LaMarche, Escanaba, 20:07.4; 6, Ethyn Lusardi, Stephenson, 20:17.7; 7, Nick Hamlin, Escanaba, 20:35.5; 8, Buckley Corey, Stephenson, 21:01.4; 9, Ben Smith, Escanaba, 21:07.5; 10, Brock Murphy, Menominee, 21:20.5.

Girls

Escanaba 29, Stephenson 47, Kingsford 55. Menominee, Norway, North Central, Rapid River NTS.

Top 10 — 1, Hayden Buck, Menominee, 22:34.8; 2, Attica Brandt, Menominee, 23:02.1; 3, Ciara Ostrenga, Escanaba, 23:28.7; 4, Gabby Carey, Kingsford, 23:56.6; 5, Kayela Putnam, Stephenson, 24:13.1; 6, Ava Gardner, Escanaba, 24:33.7; 7, Taylor Adams, Norway, 25:30.9; 8, Allie Simon, Escanaba, 26:08.5; 9, Sydney Scott, Kingsford, 26:16.7; 10, Madalynn Vista, Stephenson, 26:19.4.