The Coppell Cowboys and Cowgirls kicked off their cross-country season with a strong showing in Waxahachie on Saturday, August 15. It was the first 5K of the season, and despite the hot August weather, the Waxahachie course—known for producing fast times—gave the runners a good opportunity to see where their summer training had taken them.
Even without the full team competing, Coppell came away with plenty to celebrate. Both the Varsity and JV Boys won their team divisions, while the Varsity Girls finished 3rd and the JV Girls earned a solid 4th-place finish overall.
With several runners needing more training time and others dealing with injuries, some of Coppell's younger athletes had an early opportunity to step up and compete at the varsity level. Coach Wren was pleased with what he saw from the group in their first 5K of the season.
“I was excited to see what many of these younger runners did with that opportunity,” Coach Wren said. “I was pleased with the way that the runners competed in their first 5K of the season. I’m looking forward to watching them grow as runners as the year goes on.”
Individual and Team Highlights
Varsity Boys — 1st Place Overall
The Varsity Boys started their season with a team victory, led by Sidharth Kerthipati’s 3rd-place finish.
Top Performers:
- Sidharth Kerthipati — 3rd, 14:44
- Tanish Neelapu — 9th, 15:15
- Samuel Meier — 11th, 15:31
- Alesh Khowala — 21st, 15:48
- Vihaan Sahni — 34th, 16:10
It was a good opening race for the boys, especially with Coppell not yet competing with its full lineup. The team still found a way to come away with the win while giving several runners valuable early-season racing experience.
Varsity Girls — 3rd Place Overall
The Varsity Girls also got their season off to a good start with a 3rd-place team finish. Finleigh Sanders-Burk led the group, followed by Rachel Stumm, Bishakha Sinha and Anusha Patki.
Top Performers:
- Finleigh Sanders-Burk — 22nd, 19:11
- Rachel Stumm — 29th, 19:38
- Bishakha Sinha — 32nd, 19:46
- Anusha Patki — 34th, 19:50
With some younger runners getting an opportunity to compete at the varsity level, this first meet gave the girls a good starting point for the season ahead.
JV Boys — 1st Place Overall
The JV Boys made it two team victories for Coppell. Isaiah Assefa led the way by winning the race, with Rigved Nehere joining him near the front in 3rd place.
Top Performers:
- Isaiah Assefa — 1st, 16:30
- Rigved Nehere — 3rd, 16:45
- Ahan Kolthalkar — 10th, 17:17
- Colten Karstendiek — 12th, 17:25
- Lukas Stumm — 15th, 17:28
Five Coppell runners finished in the Top 15, giving the JV Boys plenty to be happy about after their first race of the year.
JV Girls — 4th Place Overall
The JV Girls finished a respectable 4th overall, with two Coppell runners breaking into the Top 10. Hannah Stumm led the group with an 8th-place finish, followed just six seconds later by Shrriya Bedse in 10th.
Top Performers:
- Hannah Stumm — 8th, 21:33
- Shrriya Bedse — 10th, 21:39
- Avery Fishman — 23rd, 22:37
- Pragna Vykuntam — 38th, 23:16
- Anandi Dhuipalla — 39th, 23:17
Coach Wren also recognized several other runners who had good races on Saturday, including Charlotte Baade, Avery Arthur, Mirabelle Sagel, Cannon Stehly and Vihaan Sharma.
For the team, Saturday was about more than where everyone finished. With the full lineup not yet back together, the first meet gave Coach Wren and the runners a chance to see where they are and what they can continue working on in the weeks ahead.
Looking Ahead
Next up, Coppell will trade the traditional 5K for something a little different. The Cowboys and Cowgirls will compete at the Friday Night Hawk Invite, hosted by Hebron at McInnish Park. Instead of another 5K, the runners will take on a 2-mile course under the lights of the baseball and softball fields.
“We will be shifting gears a little bit and running a 2-mile course at the Friday Night Hawk Invite hosted by Hebron at McInnish Park this week,” Coach Wren said. “This is a fun meet that is run underneath the lights of baseball and softball fields. I look forward to seeing our athletes compete again on Friday.”
One race is in the books, and there is still a lot of season ahead. With two team wins, solid finishes from the girls and younger runners already stepping up when given the opportunity, Coppell has plenty to build on.
We’re proud of their efforts, and we’ll keep pushing forward until the next race!
Contact Information
For more details or to support the team, please contact:
Patricia Chi
Email: chi.patricia@gmail.com
Phone: (469) 831-3709