A Texas teenager collapsed and died shortly after crossing the finish line in a cross country race earlier this month.

Angel Hernandez, a sophomore, had completed his personal best time for the Chisholm Trail High School track team on October 13th.

“Witnesses remember seeing Hernandez collapse to the ground right after he crossed the finish line. Many of his friends were concerned as they helped him over to a water station, where he collapsed again,” KHOU 11 reports.

The high school athlete was rushed to Medical City Alliance and died about an hour later.

KHOU 11 reports:

“He was the kind of student-athlete you wanted,” said Brent Brevard, the retired Chisholm Trail High School track coach, who oversaw Hernandez’s efforts on the team last year. “He worked hard and cared about the teammates. But then he also acted right in school and took care of his grades.”

Brevard was deeply saddened after learning about Hernandez’s untimely death.

“It was tragic, it was terrible news,” Brevard said. “He’s such a great kid, a likable kid, a good student, and it was awful news.”

At his funeral on Friday, Oct. 20, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD athletic director Brent Barker said Hernandez’s family was presented with the teen’s varsity letter jacket meant to honor his hard work and dedication to the school.

“A lot of people attended [the funeral], a lot of his teammates made it, and they encouraged everyone to wear [the school color] purple,” said Brevard.

At the Chisholm Trail High School homecoming game hosted later that night, a moment of silence was held in Hernandez’s honor.

CBS News Texas added:

Sixteen-year-old Angel Hernandez died Friday, Oct. 13 after finishing first in a three-mile race at the district cross country meet, according to The Cinco Peso Press, Chisholm Trail High School’s newspaper. He reportedly collapsed after crossing the finish line and was subsequently taken to a local hospital where he passed away.

Hernandez was a sophomore at the high school, which is part of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD. On Friday, he was voted “Athlete of the Week,” of which head cross country coach Joseph Gifford shared his condolences.

“He worked hard and was an amazing teammate,” Gifford wrote. “Words cannot express our feelings for him and his family. Thank you, Angel, for all your hard work and determination. You will be extremely missed.”

In addition to running cross country, Hernandez was an experienced martial artist at the Texas School of Karate. The studio canceled classes this week, asking in a Facebook post that the community keep the Hernandez family in their prayers.

WFAA aired this video report:

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