The North cross country team was prepped and ready for the season-ending Meet of Champions held Wednesday evening at Andy Brown West in Coppell. And it was a fitting finish, especially as the legendary rock and roll band Queen rolls into Dallas this week, that North was able to bring home the championship banner; not once- but TWICE!
Singing, "We Are the Champions" as a theme song, the 8th grade Lady Cougars didn't waste any time taking on the stacked field consisting of the top runners from each of the 7 schools in the district. Even though Cross Timbers Middle School pushed hard, Coppell North held on to win by 4 points with 48 points total. Leading the way were Delanee Mullen (3rd overall), Addison Hamm (4th), and Morgan Proctor (6th) to pace North and bring home the title!
Not to be outdone, the 7th grade ladies from North also had championship aspirations of their own. And as the gun started the race, they didn't wait to see what would happen... and took off! In an even tighter battle with Cross Timbers, North needed every point possible to hold on to first place by a margin of 46-48. Laurel Storey placed first to be the Overall District Champion with Finleigh Sanders-Burk (3rd) close behind. But it takes a team, and North finished with 4 runners in the Top 11 to seal the deal and earn the District Championship.
On the boys side, North's 7th grade boys team knew what challenges lay before them and set out to continue upon both personal and team improvements from the recent weeks. With all 7 runners placing in the top half of the field, the Cougars definitely showed some grit and finished on the podium in third place to cap off a terrific season. And even though they came up just 4 points shy of their rivals from East, they will look forward to another opportunity to face off next fall.
To cap off the season, North's 8th grade boys also looked to boost their performance and demonstrate their growth this fall during this final event. Led by Raaghav Muralidaran (12th), Colin McGrath (14th), and Ridham Babel (17th); all three ran well under 12 minutes each on the 2 mile course. Final results showed the Cougars in 5th place at the end of the night with eyes on the future running track for North this spring and hopefully XC at Coppell High next fall.
And that's a wrap! What a fantastic season overall for North. The Cougars certainly appreciated all of the support from students, families, and friends who came out and encouraged their performances each week!
#GoCougars
