by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
Running in Nairobi, Kenya, Korir qualified to the 800m final with a time of 1:45.50 in the first heat
Staff Report June 27, 2017 206 Views
Emmanuel Korir, Michael Saruni and Mickael Hanany qualified to the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships over the weekend.
Running in Nairobi, Kenya, Korir qualified to the 800m final with a time of 1:45.50 in the first heat, Saruni followed with a time of 1:46.10 in the second. In the men’s final, Korir (1:43.86) notched the crown and Saruni took third with a personal best of 1:44.61.
The All-Americans garnered a spot on the Kenya national team which heads to London, England to compete at the World Championships on August 5-8.
Also making his way to London will be former UTEP track and field star Mickael Hanany (France). Hanany took gold at the 2017 Euro Superleague with a leap over 2.26m (7-5) in the high jump. The seven time All-American will compete in his fourth IAAF World Championship.
The Nigerian trails will take place on July 7-8.
For more information on UTEP track and field, follow the Miners on Twitter (@UTEPTrack) and on Instagram (uteptrack).
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by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP’s freshman Emmanuel Korir had a phenomenal year and was awarded the Conference USA Athlete of the Year, announced by the league office on Friday afternoon.
Opening up the 2016-17 season, Korir clocked a world record 600m at the New Mexico Cherry and Silver meet with at time of 1:14.97. It was his first time ever running on a 200m banked track. At the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships, the freshman captured his first title in the 800m running a time of 1:47.48.
During the outdoor season the Kenyan native ran a school record time of 44.67 in the 400m at the UTEP Invitational. Seven days later Korir clocked 1:43.73 in the 800m at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge. He is just on of three athletes in the world to run sub-1:44 and sub-44 in the 800m and 400m respectively.
At the C-USA Outdoor Championships Korir claimed the 400m title (44.53) and set the meet record at the NCAA West Region Preliminaries in the 800m with a time of 1:45.88. The mid-distance runner won his second NCAA title in the 800m (1:45.03) at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Korir was named the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Athlete of the Week twice during the indoor season, garnered four C-USA Athlete of the Week awards and made The Bowerman Watch List three times during the season.
He joins a list of Miners who have been named C-USA Athlete of the Year:
Anthony Rotich (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15/ Track and Cross Country)
Camilla Carrera (2011-12/Softball)
Blessing Okagbare (2009-10/Track and Field)
For more information on UTEP track and field, follow the Miners on Twitter (@UTEPTrack) and on Instagram (uteptrack).
by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
Emmanuel Korir has been named a semifinalist for college track and field’s highest individual honor, The Bowerman Award, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Thursday.
Korir wrapped up his freshman season with a sweep of both 800m national titles. The Kenyan is the first Miner to win the 800m NCAA title since Peter Lemashon outdoors in 1978, and the first to achieve the feat at both NCAA Indoors and Outdoors in the same year.
The All-American holds school records in the indoor 800m (1:46.75), the outdoor 800m (1:43.73) and the outdoor 400m (44.53). Korir is one of three athletes in the world to run a sub-45 400m and a sub-1:44 in the 800m.
Three finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 22 from the following list of semifinalists:
KeAndre Bates, junior, jumps, Florida
Edward Cheserek, senior, distance, Oregon
Christian Coleman, junior, sprints/jumps, Tennessee
Grant Holloway, freshman, hurdles/jumps, Florida
Fred Kerley, senior, springs, Texas A&M
Josh Kerr, sophomore, mid-distance, New Mexico
Emmanuel Korir, freshman, mid-distance, UTEP
Ioannis Kyriazis, junior, throws, Texas A&M
Filip Mihaljevic, junior, throws, Virginia
Lindon Victor, senior, combined events, Texas A&M
For more information on UTEP track and field, follow the Miners on Twitter (@UTEPTrack) and Instagram (uteptrack).
by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP claimed two superlative Conference USA track and field honors as Emmanuel Korir and Tobi Amusan were named C-USA Male and Female Track Athletes of the Year, announced by the league office on Friday afternoon.
“Both athletes are very special and talented. He [Korir] was the best candidate for our league and would most likely do very well other top conferences as well,” head coach Mika Laaksonen stated. “A lot of work goes into these things and Tobi worked incredibly hard over these past two years and she absolutely deserves this award, they both do.”
Korir ran a world best 1:14.97 in the 600m earlier this year at the New Mexico Cherry & Silver meet, which was his first race on an indoor 200m banked track. The freshman followed that up by capturing the NCAA title in the 800m (1:47.48) at the same track in Albuquerque, N.M., with a time of 1:47.48. The freshman is one of three athletes in the world to run an outdoor sub-45 400m and a sub-1:44 in the 800m.
The Kenyan native won the NCAA outdoor title in the 800m (1:45.03) and is the first Miner to win both titles in the same year.
Amusan was the leading scorer for the Miners with 25 points at the C-USA Indoor Championships and notched a meet record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.01. The sophomore helped her team win its third consecutive conference title. Amusan qualified to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles where she notched a sixth-place showing.
The outdoor season started with a bang, as she set a school record (12.63) in the 100m hurdles at the UTEP Springtime meet. She followed that with a first-place finish at the 2017 Clyde Little Field Texas Relays in the 100m hurdles, setting a meet record time of 12.72. The Nigerian native scored 24.5 points at the C-USA Outdoor Championships leading the women’s team to its first ever outdoor conference title.
Both athletes were named semifinalists for college track and field’s high individual honor, The Bowerman Award. The women’s three finalists will be announced on Wednesday, June 21 and the men’s finalists will be announced Thursday, June 22.
For more information on UTEP track and field, follow the Miners on Twitter (@UTEPTrack) and on Instagram (uteptrack).
by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
Eugene, Or. – UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni make history by being the first freshman duo from the same school to make the 800m final in meet history at the NCAA Championships on Wednesday night.
Running at their first ever NCAA Championships, All-American duo Korir and Saruni did not disappoint. Korir won the first of three heats in the men’s 800m semifinal with the fastest qualifying time of 1:46.38. Saruni’s time of 1:46.63 was enough to win the final heat of the 800m and the third-fastest qualifying time.
Korir and Saruni will run on Friday’s 800m final set to start at 7:45 p.m. MT.
In a valiant effort running the 4x400m relay, Saruni, Korir, Asa Guevara and James Bias clocked 3:18.65. Saruni and Korir had just 90 minutes to recuperate and compete in the mile relay.
Day two of the NCAA Championship will see Tobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles set to start at 6:25 p.m., Lilian Koech in the 800m set for a 7:10 p.m. start and Winny Koech to close out the night in the 10,000m final running at 8:05 p.m.
You can watch the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships live on the ESPN family of networks. Both the final day of the men’s championship and women’s championship will be aired in prime time on ESPN.
For live results and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
Eugene, Or. – It was a bittersweet victory for the Miners as UTEP’s freshman Emmanuel Korir captured his second NCAA title in the 800m at the historic Hayward Stadium on Friday evening.
Running in the 800m final were both freshman Michael Saruni and Korir, who were favored to finish the event No. 1 and No. 2. Korir, a bit shaken up, narrowly held onto his lead and finished the race in a time of 1:45.03. It marks his second NCAA track and field title (800m indoor and outdoor).
“It was very unfortunate that Michael went down in the 800m, it would’ve been a very exciting finish to see who would be the national champion had he not fallen,” head coach Mika Laaksonen stated. “Emmanuel should feel very fortunate, Michael would have really challenged him at the end. He [Korir] is such a talented runner this may have been his last race for us.”
Saruni, having taken a hard fall, showed great determination and strength to finish the race with a time of 2:15.56. The Kenya native still earned All-American honors for his performance.
The only female competing for the Miners on Friday was junior Lucia Mokrasova. Under difficult weather conditions, she tallied a total of 3,178 points through the first four events of the women’s heptathlon.
She started the day off with a time of 14.49 in the 100m hurdles for 910 points. She followed that up by clearing 1.54m in the high jump accumulating 666 points. Her best event was undoubtedly the shot put. The Slovakia native heaved the ball out to 13.36m (43-10) garnering 751 points; the throw was the enough to place her first in the 24-athlete field.
She closed out the night with a time of 25.93 for 851 points in the 200m.
Mokrasova will conclude the heptathlon Saturday with the long jump (12:30 p.m. MT/espn3.com), javelin throw (1:45 p.m./espn3.com) and the 800m run (6:30 p.m./ESPN).
Saturday will feature the women’s final day of competition with sophomore sensation Tobi Amusan running in the 100m hurdle final for the second time in her career. Amusan qualified with the fastest time of 12.79. The Nigerian native will take the track at 5:10 p.m. live on ESPN.
Senior Samantha Hall will make her final appearance in the Orange and Blue as she competes in the women’s discus throw. Hall comes into the competition ranked 7th among the 24-athlete field. The discus throw starts at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN3.com.
For live results be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | UTEP (Local) RSS
Eugene, Or. – Tobi Amusan finds redemption as she won her first NCAA title in the 100m hurdles at historic Hayward Stadium on the final day of the NCAA Championships, Saturday evening.
“Amusan is another special talent. She executed her race very well and all the hard work she put in this season paid off,” head coach Mika Laaksonen said. “This was her closest race yet and she stepped up to the challenge.”
The freshman exploded out of the blocks and held onto a narrow lead over the defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Kentucky). In the closing moment of the race Amusan leaned over the finish line to clock a time of 12.57, while Camacho-Quinn was close behind at 12.58.
The Nigerian native broke the UTEP school record in this event earlier this year at the UTEP Springtime stopping the clock at 12.63. Her time of 12.57 demolished that record and sets a personal best.
The last time UTEP track and field had multiple individual NCAA Champions was back in 1978 (Peter Lemashon, 800m, Michael Musyoki, 10,000m, Jennifer Smit, Shot Put and Ria Stahlman, Discus).
Korir and Amusan add to UTEP’s total of NCAA Champions to 107. Korir becomes just the second Miner to ever win the 800m NCAA title, while Amusan is the first to ever achieve the NCAA crown in the 100m hurdles.
Two other Miners competed on Saturday evening. Samantha Hall in the women’s discus throw and Lucia Mokrasova completing the final three events in the women’s hepthathon.
Hall showed poise in the first flight of two in the discus event. The senior launched the discus out to 54.66m (179-4), placing 10th overall and just narrowly missing out of the top nine who advance to the event’s final. The Jamaican native finishes her career at UTEP ranking fifth on the all-time list for the indoor shot put (14.90m), fifth in the outdoor shot put list (14.77m) and holds the school record in the discus throw (58.50m). Hall is a two-time Conference USA Champion in the discus throw. Hall garnered All-American second team honors.
In just her second appearance at the NCAA Championships, Mokrasova finished in 17th place with a total of 5,172 points. The junior started the day off by leaping 5.34m (17-16.25) in the long jump for 654 points. She followed that up with a javelin heave of 37.10m (121-9) and closed out the event with an 800m time of 2:13.46 (915 points). The Slovakia native finished the season with a new school record in the event, when she scored 5,671 points earlier this year at the Texas Relays.
The UTEP track and field team close out the 2017 campaign with two women conference titles both indoor and outdoor. The 2017 C-USA Outdoor Championship title was the first outdoor conference title in women’s program history. The Miners finish with three outdoor All-Americans, Michael Saruni, Korir and Amsuan and a second team All-American (Hall).
For live results and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
