Defending state champion Riley Randall turned in a time of 18:13.56 to win the inaugural Bulldog Invitational cross country meet by 12 seconds Thursday.
The meet was held at Camp Gruber at Sparks and was run on a scenic course under hot, muggy weather.
“Riley came out really well,” said Meeker coach Brady Dukes. “I thought he managed the conditions really well, because it was very humid and the type of terrain. He came out and ran a good race and found some separation at some point.
“It was his first win of the season. We’re very proud of him and hope he continues with that.”
Riley dueled with Jack Lindley from Norman North for most of the race,but Corbin Galt from Perkins came on to finish second while Lindley took third.
Josh Wood from Stroud and Ethan Harkness from Prague finished in the top 20, with Wood taking 14th and Harkness 16th.
Leah Brannon and Cassie Wright from Chandler were the top two area finishers in the girls’ race. Brannon was 11th, Wright was 13th and Laura Solar from Prague was 20th.
Randall’s win was the second of the season for Meeker, after teammate Braxton Bussell’s win at the season opening meet in Stroud.
“He’s been on a mission this year,” Dukes said of Randall. “His conditioning is better than last year. He’s gotten stronger as a runner, strength wise.
“He’s continuing to work harder and harder each day, doing extra running after we run.”
It was the first-ever cross country meet for Meeker and was held at Camp Gruber because the Bulldogs campus isn’t conducive to laying out a cross country course.
The Gruber course included a couple of loops around two ponds and some quiet woods.
“We were extremely happy,” Dukes said. “It raised a lot of money for our program and was a big day for the community of Meeker.
“We got a lot of great feedback from other teams. They loved the atmosphere.
“W had 20 teams, which was a shocking surprise for our first meet.”
Dukes said more than 20 volunteers, most of them parents, made the meet successful.
“That’s what’s amazing about being in Meeker, everyone being willing to help out,” he said.