The Big Lake boys varsity cross country team won its first major meet of the season at the Monticello Invitational at Bertram Regional Park Saturday.

Led by individual champion Jack Leuer, the Hornets defeated 12 other teams, placing four runners in the top 12 spots.

Leuer led from the start and crossed the finish line in 16:10.4, almost 30 seconds ahead of Hunter Jacobson of Cambridge-Isanti.

The next three Hornets ran close to each other most of the race and finished together. Gavin Flavin took ninth in 17:28.9. Trent Erickson was 10th in 17:30.3 and Judd Layton placed 12th in 17:31.8.

Theo Johnson was the fifth Hornet finisher in 30th place in 18:30.4. Ninth-graders Max Baron (40th, 19:04.2) and Eli Henning (48th, 19:25.4) were Big Lake’s sixth and seventh runners.

Final scores were: Big Lake 62, Osceola 92, Sartell, 100, Cambridge-Isanti 112, Annandale 183, St. Cloud Apollo 200, Princeton 211, Monticello 211, Trinity 214, St. Francis 221, Math & Science Academy 225, Rogers 273, Hutchinson 273.

Eighth-grader Greta Layton ran an outstanding race and led the varsity girls, taking fourth place in 20:21.3. That was over a minute faster than her time a week ago at the Big Lake Invitational.

The Hornets had only four runners in the race and were not counted in the team standings. Big Lake’s three other finishers were Campbell Slattery (22:23.9), Erin Kjellberg (26:55) and Alayna Boe (30:20.4).

In other races, Logan Phillips placed sixth in the boy’s junior high 2400 meters in 9:24.9.

Hazel Guldseth and Elsie Jagusch finished 18th and 19th in the girls junior high 2400 meters in 11:24.4 and 11:25.6 respectively.

The Hornets competed in the Annandale Invitational Tuesday against 10 schools, results next week. They run in their biggest meet of the season so far at Cold Spring Sept. 19.