File Photo

Runners compete in the 100 meter hurdles at the 2023 Coppell Relays. Coppell hosts this year’s relays on Thursday at Buddy Echols Field.

After a series of road tests, the Coppell track and field team hosts its first and only home meet of the season today. 

Field events start at 10 a.m. and running events at 2 p.m. In addition to Coppell, Plano, Plano East, Hebron and Allen are competing.

According to Coppell track coach Eric Hill, Allen is Coppell’s primary competitor in today’s meet, as Coppell finished behind Allen the past two years in the area meet. However, specifically in sprints, Coppell’s main competitors will be Plano East and Hebron. 

On Saturday, Coppell placed first in the Plano ISD Invitational, finishing with 166 total points, 59 points ahead of the second place finishers. 

On the girls side, junior Angelina Raicu placed first in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal record of 24.96 seconds and sophomore Ainsley Bramer finished first in shot put at 41-09.00. On the boys side, senior Aidan McFarlane finished first in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles, senior Cole Stehly finished first in the 800-meter, Matthew Maldima finished first in the 200-meter and senior Kyle Sudderth placed first in pole vault. 

Alongside last week’s top finishers, Hill is hoping for sophomore pole vaulter Noah Schuller and junior high jumper Bryson Patten to add more points to Coppell’s total in today’s meet. 

“When those guys are on their game and both hitting their PRs, that’s another 20 points that we can add to our total that we didn’t have this past week,” Hill said. “We’ll need every point we can get with Allen here.”

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