The Coppell Cowboys and Cowgirls traveled to Myers Park Saturday for the McKinney Boyd XC Stampede, giving the team an important opportunity to race on the same course they will return to for the District Meet in October.
It was a beautiful morning for cross country, but once the races got underway, the runners said the conditions still felt quite hot. The course also had its challenges, with dry, uneven ground and rocky hills along the way.
More important than the results alone, Saturday gave Coppell a chance to learn the course firsthand and begin thinking about how to approach it when they return in October.
“Our team got the opportunity to run on the same course as they will be running on at District,” Coach Wren said. “Our goal was to learn as much as we could about the course and gain experience by running it so that we are better prepared for the race in October.”
Individual and Team Highlights
Varsity Elite Boys — 5th Place Overall
The Varsity Elite Boys finished 5th out of 22 teams despite competing without several of Coppell’s top runners.
Sidharth Kerthipati led the Cowboys with a 10th-place finish in 16:01. Alesh Khowala, Itsuki Pena and Abishek Suresh also finished among Coppell’s top performers.
Top Performers:
- Sidharth Kerthipati — 10th, 16:01
- Alesh Khowala — 39th, 16:59
- Itsuki Pena — 43rd, 17:03
- Abishek Suresh — 48th, 17:06
“We were missing a few of our top runners this week, but I feel like many of our other runners filled in admirably,” Coach Wren said. “I love the fact that we have so many younger runners that are gaining valuable experience in varsity races every week. It is going to pay dividends for us later on.”
Varsity Elite Girls — 8th Place Overall
The Varsity Elite Girls were also shorthanded this week, competing without three of their top runners. The Cowgirls rose to the occasion and finished 8th out of 17 teams while gaining valuable experience on the District course.
Finleigh Sanders led Coppell with a 37th-place finish in 20:38. Mirabelle Sagel, Charlotte Baade, Angie Nguyen, Avery Arthur and Rachel Stumm all finished within just 24 seconds of one another, while Sabrina Wright rounded out Coppell’s top seven.
“Our Varsity Elite Girls were a little shorthanded this week missing three of our top runners, but the girls that ran rose to the occasion,” Coach Wren said. “We attacked the course well and learned a lot about how we can perform even better at District.”
“This group is super youthful, and we benefit from every race that we are able to run,” he added. “I'm anxious to see them continue to grow as a team.”
Varsity Open Boys and Girls
The Varsity Open Boys finished 8th, with several Coppell runners placing well in a field of 246 runners.
Top Boys:
- Allan Ramirez — 28th
- Ahan Kothalkar — 44th
- Colten Karstendiek — 52nd
The Varsity Open Girls finished 14th. Shrriya Bedse was Coppell’s top girl finisher in the division, placing 75th out of 146 runners.
JV Boys and Girls
The JV Boys finished 11th, while the JV Girls finished 13th.
In a large field of 377 runners, Vihaan Chodisetti led Coppell’s JV Boys with a 16th-place finish.
Top JV Boys:
- Vihaan Chodisetti — 16th
- Noah Law — 37th
- Nikhil Pande — 64th
On the girls’ side, Mackenzie Flournoy finished 29th out of 266 runners.
Looking Ahead
Next week will take Coppell Cross Country in two different directions.
Many of the JV runners will compete Thursday at the Ray Braswell Invitational at North Lakes Park in Denton, while the Varsity runners will travel to Round Rock for the HOKA/McNeil Invitational, where they will have an opportunity to race on the state course.
“Many of our JV runners will be running at the Ray Braswell Invitational at North Lakes Park in Denton on Thursday, and our Varsity runners will be running at the Hoka/McNeil Invitational in Round Rock on the state course,” Coach Wren said. “I'm excited to see our kids compete again this week.”
The experience at Myers Park should help the Cowboys and Cowgirls when they return for District in October. This time they were learning the course; next time, they'll know more about what to expect.
We’re proud of their efforts, and we’ll keep pushing forward until the next race!
Contact Information
For more details or to support Coppell High School’s Cross Country program, please contact:
Patricia Chi
chi.patricia@gmail.com
(469) 831-3709