It was a fun change of pace for the Coppell Cowboys and Cowgirls as they traded an early morning 5K for a two-mile race under the lights at McInnish Park. The Friday Night Hawk Invite is one of the kids’ favorite meets of the year. It’s close to home, the atmosphere is different, and getting the chance to race at night makes the meet a little more special.
Even with the shorter distance, the race came with its own challenges. With little breeze, warm conditions and uneven ground to navigate in the darkness, the runners still had to stay focused and race hard from start to finish.
Coppell competed across six divisions, with several strong team and individual finishes throughout the night. The Elite Varsity Boys came especially close to taking home the team title, finishing 2nd out of 10 teams, while the JV Boys earned 3rd place in a large field of 29 teams. On the girls’ side, many of Coppell’s younger runners continued to gain valuable racing experience.
“This is one of the kids' favorite meets of the year,” Coach Wren said. “It's close to home and getting to run at night is a really cool experience.”
Individual and Team Highlights
Elite Varsity Boys — 2nd Place Overall
The Elite Varsity Boys came within reach of winning the meet, finishing 2nd overall out of 10 teams. Alesh Khowala and Tanish Neelapu led the way, finishing just one second apart in 5th and 6th place.
Top Performers:
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Alesh Khowala — 5th, 10:24
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Tanish Neelapu — 6th, 10:25
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Vihaan Sahni — 17th, 10:42
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Marco Noyola — 19th, 10:48
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Isaiah Assefa — 20th, 10:49
With 77 runners in the Elite Varsity Boys race, Coppell placed all five of its top runners in the Top 20.
Coach Wren was happy with the effort, even though the team came just short of the top spot.
“I was really pleased with how they ran overall,” he said. “We just missed out on 1st place. The kids were prepared and competed hard.”
Elite Varsity Girls — 7th Place Overall
For the Elite Varsity Girls, this part of the season is also about gaining experience. The team is currently made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores, giving the younger runners an opportunity to learn with each race.
The girls finished 7th overall out of 11 teams in a field of 79 runners.
Top Performers:
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Finleigh Sanders — 28th, 13:02
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Rachel Stumm — 33rd, 13:17
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Bishakha Sinha — 41st, 13:26
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Mirabelle Sagel — 43rd, 13:30
Coach Wren sees each meet as another opportunity for this young group to develop.
“We have a lot of youth running on our Elite Varsity Girls team right now with only sophomore and freshmen runners,” he said. “They continue to compete hard and learn more and more every time they race. They'll continue to grow as the year moves on.”
Varsity Boys — 13th Place Overall
The Varsity Boys competed in a much larger field, with 213 runners and 27 teams taking part in the race.
Coppell entered a team of only six runners, all upperclassmen, and finished 13th overall.
Top Performer:
Suresh led the group with a Top 15 individual finish.
“It was only a team of 6 made up of upperclassmen,” Coach Wren said. “I was proud of their effort.”
Varsity Girls — 12th Place Overall
The Varsity Girls also faced a large field, competing against 179 runners and 24 teams. Like the Varsity Boys, this group was primarily made up of upperclassmen.
Top Performers:
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Shrriya Bedse — 35th, 14:11
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Avery Fishman — 66th, 14:45
The girls finished 12th overall as a team.
“This team was primarily made up of upperclassmen as well,” Coach Wren said. “These girls work extremely hard in practice, and it was fun to see them compete underneath the lights.”
JV Boys — 3rd Place Overall
One of the strongest team finishes of the night came from the JV Boys. With 366 runners and 29 teams in the race, it was the largest field of the night.
Coppell worked its way to an impressive 3rd-place team finish, with Ahan Kothalkar leading the group in 8th place.
Top Performers:
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Ahan Kothalkar — 8th, 11:50
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Colten Karstendiek — 17th, 12:02
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Jake Terry — 28th, 12:36
For Coach Wren, the result was encouraging not only because of the team placement, but also because of what he saw from the runners throughout the race.
“I loved what I saw from the JV boys last night,” he said. “Many of them ran really good races that will lead to more confidence in future races. Finishing 3rd out of 29 teams is a good accomplishment.”
JV Girls — 12th Place Overall
The JV Girls had an especially young group on the course Friday night—the entire team was made up of freshmen.
They competed in another large field, with 348 runners representing 28 teams, and finished 12th overall.
Top Performers:
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Adeline Mendola — 36th, 15:25
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Sehbin Lee — 38th, 15:32
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Mackenzie Fluornoy — 66th, 15:56
Coach Wren was encouraged by the progress he continues to see from this freshman group.
“This team was made up of all freshmen,” he said. “This class works extremely hard in practice, and it is beginning to show in the meets. They continue to get better each week.”
Looking Ahead
Next week, Coppell heads to Wylie for the DUBEast Invitational on Friday morning. The meet will primarily give the team’s younger and less experienced runners another opportunity to race, gain experience and continue building confidence.
“We run at the DUBEast Invitational in Wylie next Friday morning,” Coach Wren said. “This meet will primarily be for our younger and more inexperienced runners. The kids continue to show up every day and do the necessary things to get better. As a coach, it's fun to be a part of such a hardworking, coachable group. I'm excited to see us continue to grow as a team.”
With another race in the books, Coppell’s runners will keep working, learning and getting stronger as the season moves forward.
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