Midland High distance coach Hil Ochoa said Hoppel was cool and calm during the weather delay, listening to music to pass the time. I think I could have ran better.”ĭespite the third-place showing, Hoppel said he was elated to glance up at the video board and see that he beat his personal record by roughly five seconds. During the race, I was trying to pass to get up there with them, but I kind of got boxed in. They went out hard and I didn’t have the endurance to stay up there with them. “Hopefully I would have the kick to outkick them. “The original strategy was to keep on Sam’s and Reed’s backs, try to stick it to the end,” Hoppel said. Both just fell short of the meet record of 4:03.27.

After being caught in a pack, the future Jayhawk runner made a move on the second lap to take firm control of the third spot, but he could never gain enough ground on the top two runners, New Braunfels Canyon’s Samuel Worley (4:04.59) and Southlake Carroll’s Reed Brown (4:04.82). In the 1,600, Hoppel topped his previous best time by nearly five seconds. “That was my strategy was to get out there in front and don’t let anybody pass me.” “It was definitely a competitive field so my strategy was just to get out there in front and stay out there in front so I wouldn’t have to deal with the pushing and shoving in the back,” Hoppel said. Hoppel was in firm grasp of first over the final 600 meters of the race. Hoppel didn’t waste any time showing the field that they were going to have run the 800 at his pace to beat the 2015 state runner-up. 1 seed and favorite heading into the race after entering the race with a time of 1:50.89, the previous best season time in the state. Hoppel, a University of Kansas signee, was the No. “I really can’t explain how it feels to finally do it for Midland and Midland High.” “It’s awesome to have my name above the title of state champion,” Hoppel said. Hoppel also became the first Midland ISD boys or girls runner to win the state championship in the 800.

With his dominant victory in the 800, Hoppel became the first MHS boys athlete to win gold at the state track meet since David Simmons claimed the discus title in 1980 and was the first Midland High athlete to finish first since Victoria Lucas won the girls high jump in 2007. Later in evening, Hoppel placed third with a personal record of 4:10.51 to earn a bronze medal in the 1,600 meters, departing the University of Texas at Austin campus with two medals. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.” “Wet conditions is definitely better than hot and dry conditions,” Hoppel said. Hoppel cruised to a first-place finish and gold medal with a personal record and the best time in the state this year, 1 minute, 49.67 seconds, nearly three seconds of ahead of runner-up Tristen McNeal of Spring Branch Smithson Valley (1:52.42). Hoppel soared ahead of the pack on the first lap in Saturday’s Class 6A 800-meter championship race and never gave up ground on a puddle-filled track.

Bryce hoppel age