MANISTIQUE — After finishing near the middle of the pack in their cross country opener, the Manistique Emeralds are hoping to move up during the course of the season.

The boys tied for fifth with Crystal Falls Forest Park and the girls shared fifth with Escanaba and Norway in Tuesday’s Larissa Vartti Memorial Invitational near Munising Tuesday.

Sophomore Kavin Jackson paced the boys in 11th place, covering the 3.1-mile course in 20:28.

The Emeralds, who are running in today’s Wildcat Open at Northern Michigan University, have nine boys and four girls on their roster.

“We have a very young team,” coach Rebekah Gilroy said. “There were a lot of nerves. Some kids had never run a 5-K at all. I thought we did all right. There was a different field of people running. The competition was a little stronger. Gladstone hadn’t been there in four years. Their teams look pretty solid.”

The boys have four seniors. They include Alex Harrison and Ashton Vincent and newcomers Spencer Miotke and Joseph Ho, an exchange student from Taiwan.

Junior Matt Clark, who was on a family trip to Alaska Tuesday, is expected to be in Marquette today.

Incoming freshmen are Kayden Smith, Trent Mason and Beckwith Maline.

“The kids are learning how to run efficiently,” Gilroy said. “They’re good athletes to work with and they push each other.”

Junior Jersie Marcella is the lone girls’ returner. She is joined by classmate Lily Knaffla and freshmen Kaina Hart and Laiana Deyo.

The schedule looks a bit different this year for the Emeralds, who are making more appearances in the Eastern Upper Peninsula than in the past. They resume in Tuesday’s Northwoods Invitational near Pickford at 1 p.m.

“We decided to change things up a little this year,” Gilroy said. “Our ultimate goal is to peak for the U.P. (Division 2) Finals. Otherwise, we treat every meet as a hard practice.”

Manistique is hosting its invitational Sept. 10 at Stony Point Golf Course.

The remaining schedule:

Aug. 22 — at Marquette; Aug. 26 — Pickford Northwoods Invitational.

Sept. 6 — Bay College Invitational at Flat Rock; Sept. 10 — Manistique Invitational; Sept. 13 — Superior Central Invitational; Sept. 20 — Rapid River Invitational; Sept. 22 — St. Ignace Invitational; Sept. 25 — Mackinaw City Invitational; Sept. 27 — Sault Ste. Marie Invitational; Sept. 30 — Mid-Peninsula Conference at Negaunee.

Oct. 2 — Escanaba Invitational; Oct. 6 — Norway Invitational; Oct. 11 — Rudyard Autumn Classic; Oct. 18 — U.P. Finals at Munising.