By Dana Agnew
It was very competitive day for CHS Track athletes, as twenty local teams converged on Buddy Echols field for the Coppell Relays held Saturday, March 3, 2012. The meet was hosted and run by the Coppell Track and Field Booster Club, coaches, student athletes and volunteers. Money raised at the event is earmarked for the purchase of a state-of-the-art electronic timing system that would link event timing on the track to the new scoreboard at the field.
The meet drew a record number of teams, resulting in intense competition throughout the day. With a contest of 30-40 athletes per event, runners and field event competitors needed to bring their very best performance to be one the top six finishers in order to earn points for their teams.
The Cowboys Men's Varsity team finished the day in Second Place. In the Triple Jump, Clay Ross brought home a First Place win, and a Sixth Place in Long Jump. In the the 110 Meter Hurdles, Derek Udeh won Second Place and Shane Gothman took Sixth. Udeh also won Second Place in the 300 Meter Hurdles, while teammate Jason Lister finished with a close Third. The 1600 Meter Sprint Medley team of Chris Bates, Merek Novosad, Andrew Khor and Shane Murray crossed the finish line in Second Place, as did the 4x200 Meter Relay team of Charles West, Omari Cole, Connor Wilson and Brandon Sanders. The 4x400 Meter Relay team of Chris Adkins, Sanders, Udeh and Jacob Logan came in Fourth, and the 4x100 Meter Relay team of Gavin McDaniel, West, Bates and Wilson finished Fifth. Other individual top six finishes included: Darian Lowe's Fourth Place in the 400 Meter Dash; Lister and Landon Grissett's Fifth Place finishes in the High Jump and Pole Vault, respectively; and Murray's Sixth Place in the 1600 Meter Run.
The CHS Women's Varsity team took home a Fourth Place finish. The 4x400 Meter Relay Team of Leah Yates, Chiamaka Ukoha, Sierra Andres and Valerie Osamor led the day's point total with a First Place win. Osamor also placed Second in the 400 Meter Dash. In Pole Vault, Haley Cook took Second Place, while Sarah Agnew took Third, and Rosemary Brinegar tied for Sixth. Anna Novosadova had a great day over hurdles, finishing Second in the 300 Meter and Sixth in the 100 Meter hurdle events. In other Relay events, the 4x100 Meter team of Maddie Butzer, Ukoha, Andres and Osamor placed Fourth, the 1600 Meter Sprint Medley team of Butzer, Ukoha, Yates and Grace Barden finished Fifth, and the 4x200 Meter team of Kate Rorhbough, Kelley Aubreay, Andrea Foster and Andres finished Sixth.
Contributing points to the Girls JV Second Place win were: Adaiwu Nwaiwu, Kyndal Runnels, Andrea Abel, Amber Johnson, Ashley Dicken AnnMarie Vincenzo, Megan Alberse, Bailey Bedichek, Nicole Francis, Alani Gant, Rebecca Jamerson, Kristin Anderson, Paola Lozano, Paskalina Bourbon, and Gabbie Blount. JV Boys earned Fourth Place with points from Chibuzor Osuji, Dominic Sharman, Brock Ethridge, Ryan Barlow, John Herubin, and Leo Fan.
Coppell Track and Field thanks local businesses Mercury Track Club, Baylor Healthcare System, Steele Dental, The YMCA, Frank J. Stich Orthodonics, Goddard Orthopedics and Sports Therapy, Rivechase Rehabilitation and Wellness, Right Choice Painting & Construction, OLE's TexMex, and Quesa-D-Ya's for their support and sponsorship of the 2012 Coppell Relays.