Under a beautiful blue November sky, the best of the best in Texas High School Cross Country gathered at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock for the UIL State Championships last Saturday. The top 16 teams in each boys and girls division 1A through 6A competed for state titles along with individual qualifiers from various teams across the state.
The Coppell High School Girls team finished their season on a high note, reaching their goal to make it into the top 16 to compete with the fastest runners in the state. While they finished in 15th place overall, they only have great expectations for the future as the top five scorers for the Cowgirls are only freshmen and sophomores. Sophomore Maddie Hulcy was Coppell’s top finisher on Saturday, coming in 49th place in a time of 18:56.57, just a few seconds shy of beating her personal record. She was followed by the three freshmen standouts Izzy Iseley in 77th place, Sydney Rowe in 98th and Shelby Spoor in 135th. Sophomore Jimena Benevides finished next in 138th with Ardi Saunders and Miranda Dickson close behind in 141st and 142nd.
The girls 6A State Championship Title went to Keller High School, with Southlake Carroll in 2nd and The Woodlands in 3rd.
Coppell Senior Alan Huo also capped off his four year career with the Cowboys with a trip to the State Championships as an individual qualifier finishing in 91st overall in a time of 16:26.04. After the race, Coach Nick Benton told the runners how proud he was of their efforts, emphasizing the teamwork and support that the runners give each other and that building a winning program does not happen overnight. Finishing the season at the State Championships is certainly a step in the right direction.