The first 5K meet on the Coppell cross country schedule took place at the Marcus I Invitational at North Lakes Park in Denton on Saturday, September, 1.  This meet has the reputation of being one of the best early season tests over a 5K course in the state.  Coppell was able to match up against district 6 contenders, as well as many of the best cross country teams in Texas. 

The cowgirls’ team placed 2^nd in the Elite Varsity Girls division, demonstrating that the 2 mile results from last week translated to the 5K.  The cowgirls were led once again by junior Shelby Spoor, she finished 16^th overall with a time of 18 minutes, 59.6 seconds.  Rowan Hassman (17^th, 19:02.9), Maddie Hulcy (29^th, 19:23.1) Natalie Fleming (30^th, 19:23.4), and Chloe Hassman (31^st, 19:23.6) scored for the cowgirls this week.  

The Boys’ team took 7th place overall in the Boys Varsity Elite division, only one point behind district 6 contender Marcus.  Sophomore Evan Caswell led the cowboys, he finished 35^th with a time of 16 minutes, 20.4 seconds.  Marcos Bohn (44^th, 16:28.5), Justin Chow (51^st, 16:31.8), Jackson Walker (52^nd, 16:32.2), and Nathaniel Leach (79^th, 16:51.2) rounded out the point scorers for Coppell.

Coppell girls also competed in the Open Varsity division, as well as the JV Elite division.  Coppell’s Open Varsity girls’ team was led by Sophomore Bernice David (59^th, 21:57.32).  Jimena Benavides (21:59.8) and Elizabeth Miller (22:23.1) ran hard for Coppell as well.  In the JV Elite division the girls placed 5^th overall.  Avery Hancock (16^th, 22:36.8), Paola Hernandez (22:49.9), and Reezon Eke (23:28.9) all ran with heart. 

The boys likewise competed in the Open Varsity division and the JV Elite division.  In the Open Varsity the cowboys placed 8^th overall.   The lead runners for Coppell in this division were Riley Warner (35^th, 17:47.5), Tomas Olivas (17:59.8), and Andrew Nester (18:01.7.6).  In the JV Elite division, Coppell placed 5^th overall.   Senior Grant Evans (5^th, 17:32.7) led Coppell followed by William Heatherington (18:29.7) and Ray Aguirre (19:15.2).

Head Coach Nick Benton thought Coppell had a good showing.  “The main competition for district 6-6A was in attendance,” Benton said.  “Both the girls’ and boys’ teams have their work cut out for them.  Our district is likely to be one of the toughest in the state.”  Next on the schedule is the Southlake Invitational at Bob Jones Park in Southlake on Saturday, September 8.