The Big Lake cross country teams started off the season in impressive fashion at the Battle at Liberty meet last week.

The conditions weren’t ideal, with hot, humid weather making it difficult for distance running. But it didn’t stop the Hornets from giving it their all.

The boys varsity placed four runners in the top 10 and cruised to victory. Jack Leuer pulled away from the pack in the second half of the 5000-meter race and won by almost a minute in 16:49.3.

His closest rival was teammate Judd Layton, a ninth-grader, who crossed the line in 17:47.3. Not far behind was Gavin Flavin who took third in 17:54.3. Trent Erickson was sixth in 18:14.3 and Gavin Vold placed 14th in 19:46.3 as the team’s fifth runner.

Theo Johnson (16th, 19:57.3) and Eli Henning (18th, 20:10.3) were Big Lake’s sixth and seventh finishers.

The girls varsity had an incomplete team, but senior Campbell Slattery and eighth-grader Greta Layton ran close to each other for most of the race and finished a step apart in second and third in 21:29.2 and 21:29.3 respectively. It was an impressive start to their cross-country season.

There were other good performances by the Hornets.

Ninth-grader Max Baron was second in the boys JV 5000 meters in 20:27.

Logan Phillips won the boys junior high race in 7:33.1, with Jamisen Nusbaum fifth in 8:07.4.

Aubri Judge and Elsie Jagusch finished seventh and eighth respectively in the girls junior high race in 9:14.5 and 9:15.2.

The Hornets compete in their first big meet this season at Bertram Regional Park in Monticello today (Saturday) at 9:30 a.m. against Monticello, Annandale, Cambridge-Isanti, Hutchinson, Kaleidoscope Charter, Math and Science Academy, Osceola, Princeton, Rogers, Saint Francis, Sartell, Sauk Rapids - Rice, St. Cloud Apollo and Trinity School at River Ridge.

They run in the Annandale Invitational 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at Southbrook golf course.