Coppell Cross Country split up for two meets Saturday, with the team’s top 16 runners traveling to College Station for the Nike South Invitational while the rest of the Cowboys and Cowgirls competed at the Byron Nelson Invitational.
Across both meets, Coach Wren saw plenty to be encouraged about as the team moves closer to the District Meet.
“Overall, I believe this was the best week we've had as a program,” Coach Wren said. “I am extremely pleased with the results.”
Individual and Team Highlights
Nike South — Varsity Elite Boys, 8th Place
The Varsity Elite Boys finished eighth at Nike South, with Sidharth “Sid” Kerthipati leading Coppell with a 15th-place finish in 15:34.
The course measured a little longer than a standard 5K at approximately 3.2 miles, but the Cowboys handled it well. Tanish Neelapu, Itsuki Pena, Alesh Khowala, Abishek Suresh, Isaiah Assefa and Sam Meier all finished within 30 seconds of one another.
“We talked this week of running together more as a team, and we were able to execute that plan on the Nike course,” Coach Wren said.
Top Performers:
- Sid Kerthipati — 15th, 15:34
- Tanish Neelapu — 56th, 16:23
- Itsuki Pena — 84th, 16:41
- Alesh Khowala — 94th, 16:47
- Abishek Suresh — 99th, 16:49
- Isaiah Assefa — 102nd, 16:51
- Sam Meier — 109th, 16:53
Nike South — Varsity Elite Girls, 14th Place
Maya Easterwood returned to competition for her first 5K of the season and finished seventh in 18:05.
Bishakha Sinha, Mirabelle Sagel, Rachel Stumm, Anusha Patki and Angie Nguyen also worked closely together, with all five finishing within 15 seconds of one another.
“It was great to see her back on the course competing again,” Coach Wren said of Easterwood. “I absolutely loved seeing them work together as a team. The competition that is taking place on our girls' team is really pushing each girl to run well on race day.”
Nike South — Varsity Boys, 13th Place
Cannon Stehly led Coppell’s Varsity Boys with a 40th-place finish in 17:19. Ahan Kothalkar and Rigved Nehere followed closely, both finishing in 17:31. Marco Noyola and Vihaan Sharma rounded out Coppell’s top five.
“I enjoyed watching these young men attack the course and run intelligently,” Coach Wren said.
Nike South — Varsity Girls, 18th Place
Shrriya Bedse led the Varsity Girls, finishing 78th in 22:13. Adeline Mendola ran a personal best, while Hannah Stumm and Anandi Dhulipalla finished as Coppell’s third and fourth runners. The three finished within four seconds of one another.
“I really love the improvement I'm seeing from this group,” Coach Wren said.
Byron Nelson Invitational
Varsity Elite Boys
Diego Morales returned from injury and competed in his first 5K of the season, finishing 29th in 16:44.
“He ran a good time, but most importantly, he was able to complete his first 5K,” Coach Wren said. “It'll be nice to get Diego back in the mix with the other guys.”
Varsity Open Girls — 10th Place
Vanini Agarwal led the Varsity Open Girls with a 10th-place finish in 21:17, recording a season-best time. Avery Arthur finished 54th in 23:12.
Varsity Open Boys — 7th Place
Sandre Houdier led the Varsity Open Boys with a 31st-place finish in 18:32. Vihaan Sapkota, Austin Shelby, Baron Schott and Vihaan Chodisetti rounded out Coppell’s top five.
“They did a great job of representing us today,” Coach Wren said. “I love seeing their growth.”
JV Girls
Amy Achim led Coppell’s JV Girls, finishing 61st in 24:54.
JV Boys — 7th Place
Alexander Marks and Noah Law led a strong showing by the JV Boys, finishing 12th and 19th, respectively. Calvin Wolf, Jesiah Resnowski and John Udovich also ran well.
“These kids continue to show up, put in the work, and it's beginning to show,” Coach Wren said.
Looking Ahead
Coppell will compete at the Jesuit XC Classic next week, the team’s final meet before District.
“I look forward to seeing the kids improve a little more this week heading into championship season,” Coach Wren said.
With one regular-season meet remaining, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will look to build on what Coach Wren described as their best week of the season as they prepare for the championship portion of their schedule.
We’re proud of their efforts, and we’ll keep pushing forward until the next race!
Contact Information
For more details or to support Coppell High School’s Cross Country program, please contact:
Patricia Chi
chi.patricia@gmail.com
(469) 831-3709