By Mike Pankonien
Staff Writer
The Coppell Cross country girls varsity team qualified for state last weekend by placing in the top three at the regional championships. Junior Kim Kirby also qualified for region individually by placing third at the overall regional meet.
The team will travel to Old Settlers Park in Round Rock this Saturday where they will go up against approximately 12 other teams and roughly 80 other kids. Coppell will be represented by ten girls, seven of them runners and three of them understudies.
“We have a good shot at top five,” Cross Country coach Roxanne Farris said. “Anything above that is just icing on the cake.”
The team has done consistently well this season, placing first in five of their races this season and second in the other three races. Plus, this year the team has an edge on the competition.
“We already got to run the regional course at the Lubbock meet and that’s going to help us all a lot by letting us be familiar with the course,” Kirby said. “It makes a big difference.”
Earlier in the season, the team sent their top seven runners to the Lubbock invitational where they ran the same course that the team will be running for state. The team placed first in that meet, with three of its runners placing in the top five.
Kirby herself has been no slacker at the state competition the past two years. Placing 11th individually her freshman year and eighth her sophomore year, Kirby is definitely looking to place high this year. Kirby has not placed lower than third in any of her races this season and is a regular for first.
Filling out the team will be regional qualifiers sophomore Kaleigh Ervin (third), freshmen Katie Sandfort (fifth place), freshmen Jenna Hernandez (seventh), freshmen Natalie Sisk (tenth), junior Tyler Vender (22nd) and freshmen Alyssa Shelton (30th).
