The Coppell Cowboys’ Cross Country team finished third in the State UIL 6A Championship race. On November 4, the starting line in Old Settlers Park featured 16 of the best 6A cross country teams in Texas along with talented individual competitors. Head Coach Landon Wren was not surprised that the Cowboys ended up on the podium. “They have performed well at every single meet this year. I felt confident that this meet would be no different. With that said, it is an incredible accomplishment to finish in the top 3 at the State Meet. There are close to 250 schools in the 6A classification and to be one of the best 3 at the end of the season is quite the accomplishment,” said Coach Wren.
Coppell Boys’ claimed 3rd overall with a team score of 126; following Southlake Carroll (62) and Austin Vandergrift (81).
Senior Andrew Mullen led the podium charge finishing seventh overall with a time of 15 minutes, 56.7 seconds; earning an individual medal as well. Andrew wraps up his high school cross country career with three consecutive State Championship appearances, two top 10 State 6A finishes, two top 10 Region 1-6A finishes, and three top 10 District 6-6A finishes.
Senior Vedant Bhattacharyya was the next to cross the finish for Coppell. He finished 31st overall with a time of 16 minutes, 21.2 seconds. Juniors Henry Henze (43rd, 16:28) and Samarth Dubey (51st, 16:34) finished within steps of each other. Senior Samuel Martinson (76th, 16:49) was Coppell’s 5th man to cross the finish, rounding out the point scorers and clinching the trophy. Seniors Cameron Churchill-Dowd (17:17) and Kavin Chengavarayan (17:45) also competed for Coppell. Both have been the important 5th man this championship season as well.
“I felt like the athletes had to battle harder than they have had to at any meet this year. We were not in good position at the mile and 2-mile points of the race. Even with 800 meters left, I was not sure we were going to get to the podium. I think these young men knew it and pushed for an incredibly strong finish passing numerous runners down the stretch. To me, that proves what I already knew about them, they have a rarely seen determination. I am so unbelievably proud and happy that their season ended the way it did,” stated Coach Wren.
This is the conclusion of the UIL cross country season; however there is one more competitive cross country event on the Coppell Calendar. Top runners from both the Girls’ and Boys’ teams will travel to Bear Branch Park in the Woodlands to compete in the Nike South Regional meet on Saturday, November 19. The Nike South Regional Meet is a qualifier meet for the Nike National Meet in Oregon. The top 2 teams and top 10 individuals will qualify to run at the Nike National Meet.