Texas Teen Collapses, Dies at Cross-Country Meet After Breaking Personal Record

A Texas high school athlete died after coming in first at a cross country meet where he broke his personal record. 

Friends and family of Angel Hernandez, 16, a sophomore who attended Chisholm Trail High School in Fort Worth, say the teen collapsed on Oct. 13 moments after crossing the finish line, reported KHOU.

Hernandez had just run a 5K at a district track meet in Haltom City, less than 10 miles from the teen's school. The teens friends told the outlet that they helped him over to a water station, but he collapsed again. He was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital where he died an hour later.

A cause of death is under investigation by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.

"He was the kind of student-athlete you wanted," Brent Brevard, Hernandez’s former track coach told the outlet. "He worked hard and cared about his teammates. But then he also acted right in school and took care of his grades."

On Friday, the same day he was buried, the teen was voted "Athlete of the Week," of which head cross country coach Joseph Gifford shared his condolences.

“Angel was a Sophomore on our team. He worked hard and was an amazing teammate. We lost Angel at the District XC Meet and 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. Rest in Peace Angel Hernandez,” he wrote. 

At the teen’s funeral, his family was presented with a varsity letter jacket, the outlet reported. The school also had a moment of silence during the homecoming football game in honor of Hernandez.

In addition to running, Hernandez also had a passion for martial arts and was a skilled student at the Texas School of Karate. The studio canceled classes this week and asked the community keep the Hernandez family in their prayers in a Facebook post.

"Every one of us cried, every one of us has comforted each other," Ashley Wood, the teen’s karate coach, said. "It’s really hard. We'll never get over it. We’ll never forget him. He’s going to be missed here, but he’s going to be loved always."

Wood told the outlet that the teen lived up to his Angel name.

"He made you love him with his personality," she said. "“It’s really hard. We’ll never get over it. We’ll never forget him. He’s going to be missed here, but he’s going to be loved always,” she said.

Hernandez's karate classmates have been wearing T-shirts with the hashtag "#LiveLikeAngel" all week, she told the outlet.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by Wood to help Hernandez’s family cover funeral costs has garnered more than $12,000.