by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP’s Lucia Mokrasova finished day one of the heptathlon in first place with 3,474 points at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on Thursday night.
Mokrasova, the school record holder, ran the second-fastest time of any athlete in the competition in the 100m hurdles to kick off the first day of the conference meet. The junior clocked in a personal best of 13.78.
She followed that by clearing 1.64m in the high jump for 783 points. The junior concluded the field events launching a first-place finish in the shot put with a mark 13.53m. The Slovakia native, closed out the night with a second-place finish in the 200m with a time of 24.66 for 918 points.
Mokrasova holds a 37 point lead over Elizabeth Dadzie of Middle Tennessee, who won this event last year, after day one of the heptathlon. She will continue competing in the heptathlon tomorrow starting at 4:30 p.m. MT.
Also competing tomorrow will be Fayon Gonzales, Abedola Akomolafe and Cierra Chenault in the women’s hammer throw in the first event of the day at 10:00 a.m. Kevin Rincon and Karol Koncos will compete in the men’s hammer throw starting at 12:30 p.m.
Winny Koech and Gladys Jerotich will run the 10,000m final at 8:00 p.m. On the men’s side, Evans Kiprono and Antony Kosgei will compete in the 10,000m final set to start at 8:45 p.m.
For live updates and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The UTEP football team has recorded the second-best Academic Progress Rate (APR) among all FBS programs in the state of Texas, according to the latest figures released by the NCAA on Wednesday.
“We take great pride in the fact that every single player in our program is on point to get their degree and be successful in life,” UTEP coach Sean Kugler said.
The Miners’ APR for the four-year period ending in 2015-16 is 980.
Rice tops the field with an APR of 984, followed by UTEP, North Texas (979), Texas (978), Baylor (973), UTSA (965), Texas A&M (962), TCU (955), SMU (951), Texas Tech (947), Houston (942) and Texas State (940).
The APR measures eligibility and progress toward graduation for student-athletes. The average football four-year APR released on Wednesday is 962.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Related Articles
The UTEP track and field team will compete over the next four days as it hosts the Conference USA Championships. The Miners, along with the other 12 league members will take Kidd Field May 11-14.
The UTEP women�s team will be looking for its first outdoor conference title in program history. The women�s team has won three consecutive indoor championships. The men�s team will be seeking is first outdoor conference championship since they took home the hardware in 2013.
Tickets can be purchased online. A four-day pass can be purchased for $20 or a daily ticket can be purchased for $8 for adults or $4 for kids. Students are able to attend the championship free with their Miner ID.
The Fastest Kid in El Paso race will be taking place on Sunday, May 14. Kids ages 5-13 are invited to participate in the 100m dash at 3 p.m. at Kidd Field. To sigh-up for the race please, contact UTEP Marketing at (915) 747-6065.
For information about parking, tickets and live results please visit, C-USA Championship Central. �For live updates and breaking news follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.
Events to Watch:
Thursday, May 11
Heptathlon (begins at 2:45 p.m.)
Junior Lucia Mokrasova will lead things off in the heptathlon. Mokrasova is a two-time defending indoor conference champion in the event.
Earlier this year she set the school record at the Texas Relays scoring 5,671 points and heads into the championship ranked tied for eighth nationally.
Friday, May 12th
Women�s Hammer Throw (Begins at 10:00 a.m.)
Fayon Gonzales and Abedola Akomolafe will be competing in the women�s hammer throw, set to start at 10:00 a.m.Gonzales ranks 11th in the league with a toss of 52.58m set at the UTEP Invitational. Akomolafe will compete in the hammer throw for the fourth time this season.
Women�s 10,000m Final (8:00 p.m.)
Winny Koech and Gladys Jerotich head into Friday�s final ranked second and fourth in the conference, respectively. Koech set a time of 33:51.31 at the Mt. SAC Relays finishing in third place.
Men�s Hammer Throw (12:30 p.m.)
Newcomer Karol Koncos and Senior Kevin Rincon will lead the miners in the hammer throw. In his first year competing in the orange and blue, Koncos ranks third in the league with a mark of 63.43m set at the UTEP Invitational. Rincon will compete for the last time for the Miners.
Men�s 10,000m Final (8:45 p.m.)
Antony Kosgei and Evans Kiprono will close out the day with the 10,000m final starting at 8:45 p.m. Kosgei ranks fourth in C-USA with a time of 30:25.77 set at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Saturday, May 13th
Women�s Discus Final (1:00 p.m.)
Senior Samantha Hall heads into the competition favored in the event. The thrower holds the school record with a toss of 58.50m set at the NCAA Regional meet last year. Hall ranks first in C-USA and 17th in the nation. Hall returns to the track on Sunday for the shot put competition where she ranks eighth with a toss of 14.30m registered at the UTEP Invitational.
Women�s Long Jump Final (3:30 p.m.)
Senior Isreal Ramsay (5.89m) and Sophomore Tobi Amusan (5.83m) hold the seventh and ninth best marks in conference this year.� This is the first of four events for Amusan.
Men�s Long Jump Final (3:30 p.m.)
Brandon Moss heads into Saturday�s competition with the eighth best mark in the league with a leap of 7.32m set at Brutus Hamilton Challenge.
Women�s 1,500m Prelims (5:00 p.m.)
Sophomore Lilian Koech and freshman Linda Cheruiyot (4:23.60) hold the third and fourth-fastest times in C-USA this year, respectively. Koech clocked in a time of 4:22.12 at the Texas Relays. Cheruiyot posted a time of 4:29.91 at the UTEP Invitational.
Koech will also compete in the 800m prelim at 7:20 p.m. The sophomore ranks third in conference and 20th in the nation with a time of 2:04.68.
Men�s 1,500m Prelims (5:15 p.m.)
Jonah Koech, Cosmas Boit and Michael Saruni will compete in Saturday�s race. The Miners rank third, fifth and seventh in the league respectively. Koech posted a time of 3:44.96 at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge.
Saruni and Koech will also run in the 800m prelim set for a 7:30 p.m. Saruni ranks fifth in the nation and second in the league with a time of 1:45.82.
Women�s 100m Hurdles (5:35 p.m.)
Sophomore sensation Tobi Amusan comes into the championships ranked second in the nation and first in C-USA. The hurdler registered a personal-best 12.63, setting the school record at the UTEP Springtime.
The sophomore will also run the 200m prelim, starting at 8:25 p.m., where she ranks eighth in the nation and first in the league with a time of 22.60 set at the UTEP Invitational.
Women�s 400m Prelim (6:10 p.m.)
Senior duo Ada Benjamin and Florence Uwakwe rank first and second C-USA. Benjamin posted a time of 53.27 at the UTEP Springtime. Uwakwe clocked in a 53.33 at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge setting a season best.
Men�s 400m Prelim (6:25 p.m.)
Freshman standout Emmanuel Korir has caught the nations earning The Bowerman Watch List recognition. Korir set a personal best of 44.67 in the 400m at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge. The mid-distnce runner set the school record in the event and sits at the No. 3 nationally. This will be the second time the freshman competes in the 400m.
Women�s 400m Hurdles Prelim (7:50 p.m.)
Senior Yanique Bennett and Sophomore Dreshanae Rolle rank first and fourth in the conference, respectively. Bennett set a season-best 58.57 at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge. Rolle set a personal-best 1:00.19 at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge.
Men�s 3,000m Steeplechase (9:20 p.m.)
Daniel Cheruiyot clocked 9:31.31 at the Mt. SAC Relays and holds the fourth best time coming into the conference championships.
Sunday, May 14
Men�s Tripe Jump Final (3:00 p.m.)
Donivan Ortega will be jumping at his first outdoor championships and holds the seventh-best jump in the conference with a mark of 14.83m set at the UTEP Springtime.
*Running event times are tentative
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Related Articles
IRVING, Texas � �For the first time since 2008 and second time in program history, a trio of UTEP softball players were named to the All-Conference USA team.
Utility player Kaitlin Ryder, and infielders Taylor Sargent and Cortney Smith were announced to the second team as voted by the league�s 12 head coaches on Tuesday.
Ryder, Sargent and Smith each established career highs in respective categories during the 2017 campaign. Ryder set her career best with a .354 batting average, which ranked second on the team, while Smith led the Miners with career highs in batting average (.364), home runs (eight), slugging (.636) and on-base percentage (.438). Sargent led the squad with a career-high three triples, ranked fourth on the team with a career-best .326 average and recorded a career-high 19 RBI.
Ryder came up with big moments during the season as the junior racked up a career-high five RBI during UTEP�s 12-2 (5) triumph against Southern Miss. She also connected on a career-high two home runs at Incarnate Word to lead the Miners in an 11-3 (5) victory. The Chatsworth, Calif., native ranked second on the team in long balls (five) and RBI (28). She added 22 runs, seven doubles and a triple. Ryder played 31 contests in the outfield and 16 games behind the plate.
Sargent, who was hitting .250 after March 26, picked up the pace and finished with that career-high .326 average. The Albuquerque, N.M., native lit up the stat sheet the last 17 games of the season by hitting .429 (24-56) with 12 RBI, seven doubles, three triples, two stolen bags and eight runs. The junior set a career high with three RBI at UTSA (April 2) and crossed the dish a career-most three times during a 10-2 (6) win against WKU.
During UTEP�s epic 10-inning victory at UTSA, Sargent finished the 3-for-6 with a double and a RBI, along with 11 putouts at first base.
Smith returned her sophomore season, providing power to the lineup with her team-leading eight dingers. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native also established career marks in runs (26), hits (47), doubles (nine), triples (one) and RBI (22). Smith led the Miners past powerful Utah State, 8-5, when she connected on a career-best two home runs, a pair of solo shots. Smith recorded a career high three hits two times during the season, the first came on a 3-for-4 outing, while also tying her career most with three RBI at UC Riverside, and the second came on a 3-for-3 effort with a career-best three runs during a 12-2 (5) victory against Southern Miss.
Sargent and Smith were the backbone behind UTEP�s 30 double plays turned in 2017. Sargent led the team with 15 double play, while Smith ranked tied second with 12. Ryder contributed to one of the double plays behind the plate. The Miners� 30 double plays led C-USA and ranks tied third nationally. UTEP�s .63 double plays turned per game ranks second in the nation.
For Sargent and Smith, it�s their first accolade as Ryder was named to the All-C-USA Preseason team on Jan. 18. Ryder was also named the team�s MVP at Dinner with the Miners on April 27. The 2008 squad saw two first teamers in Camilla Carrera and Stacie Townsend, and second team pick Amber Bennett.
In 2015, a trio of Miners earned postseason awards as Kawehiokalani Netane was named first team, Ashley Eldridge was recognized to the second team and Courtney Clayton was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP track and field will be hosting the 2017 Conference USA Outdoor Championships from May 11-14 at Kidd Field.
The Miners women’s team will be looking to win its first outdoor conference title in program history. The women’s team comes into the competition full steam after claiming its third consecutive C-USA indoor title.
The Fastest Kid in El Paso race will be taking place on Saturday, May 13. Kids ages 5-13 are invited to participate in the 100m dash at 3 p.m. at Kidd Field. To sign-up for the race please, contact UTEP Marketing at (915) 747-6065.
Leading the way for the Miners will be sophomore Tobi Amusan. The All-American opened the outdoor season with the second-fastest time in the nation of 12.63 in the 100m hurdles registered at the UTEP Springtime. The hurdler has claimed six first-places finishes this season, including a stellar performance in the 200m that rates her eighth nationally with a time of 22.60.
Lucia Mokrasova will also highlight the Miners kicking off the championships on Thursday with the heptathlon set to start at 2:45 p.m. MTMokrasova enters the meet ranked eighth nationally with 5,671 points registered at Texas Relays.
Highlighting the distance races will be Middle Tennessee Agnes Abu. The senior comes into the championships ranked sixth in the nation in the 800m.
On the men’s side, freshman Emmanuel Korir will be the Miner to watch. The mid-distance runner was named to The Bowerman Watch List after posting the fastest time in the nation of 1:43.73 in the 800m. Korir also ranks third in the nation in the 400m with a time of 44.67.
Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. A four-day pass can be purchased for $20 or a daily ticket can be purchased for $8 for adults or $4 for kids. Students are able to attend the championship free with their Miner ID.
For additional athletes to watch at the championship, click here. For information about parking, tickets and live results, click here.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP softball head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk took her Senior Day lineup card and worked some magic as UTEP (12-36, 6-18 Conference USA) spoiled Florida Atlantic�s (35-20, 15-9 C-USA) bid for the no. 3 spot in the C-USA Tournament.
The Miners used three runs in the third that started with a Taylor Grohmann single to defeat the Owls, 6-4, in their final contest of 2017 on Senior Day at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
�The season hasn�t gone the way we wanted, but [the Miners] came out and they fought,� Echo-Hawk said. �That�s how we�ve been all year, we just keep fighting. It may not be pretty, it may not go the way we wanted it to but the team never quit. They just kept battling � even yesterday they were scrappy. Today they committed to each other, said they were going to show up and play with everything they have. As a whole, our entire team played a great game. And everyone contributed.�
One the of magical moves was when Grohmann, a senior pitcher, was inserted as pinch hitter in the no. 2 spot for junior Courtney Clayton in the third inning. Grohmann�s first career at-bat produced a single on a 2-1 pitch to left with junior Kaitlin Ryder on and two outs.
�It was nice because [Grohmann�s] mom last night asked me if I can give her an at bat and I said �absolutely�, this day is about [the seniors] and that�s the most important thing,� Echo-Hawk said. �She got up there and singled. We worked on some things this past week and, man, when she hit it, it was so exciting. You couldn�t ask for a better moment.�
Continuing the third frame, sophomore Cortney Smith reached after being hit by a pitch to load bases for Kiki Pepi who connected on a two-run single to right that plated Ryder and Grohmann to give the Miners a 2-0 lead. Smith would eventually cross the dish in the frame on an error to put her squad up, 3-0.
Pepi then used her third RBI of the game to put the Miners up 4-1 on a single to right that scored Clayton. In the sixth, sophomore Brianna Red led off with a bunt single, senior Miranda Gutierrez and Ryder each drew walks that set up a Clayton sacrifice fly to center to plate Red. Pepi then gave the Orange and Blue a 6-1 lead another sac-fly to center that scored Gutierrez.
The Owls, however, would not go down easily as they scratched out three runs in the seventh with two outs, but senior hurler Kaitlin Fifield would not let her team come out on the losing end. Fifield earned her third save of the season after throwing 2.2 frames and it was only fitting that Delaney Rickey grounded out to the pitcher to end the Senior Day contest. Fifield ended her career with five saves to rank no. 2 on UTEP�s all-time list.
Grohmann (2-2), whose bat was lit, earned the win after throwing an inning and tallying a strikeout. Senior Erika Harrawood made the start, her staff-leading 17th of the season. Harrawood pitched 3.1 innings, striking out three and walking none.
�It feels great to see our senior pitchers end their careers the way they did,� Echo-Hawk said. �It was a perfect ending for Grohmann to get her last career strikeout. For them to come out and pitch some of their best innings was just a great thing. I think it just shows they have a lot of heart and play for the love of the game.�
Back to the offense, the Miners registered seven big hits on the day, led by Pepi�s 3-for-3 outing. She also finished with four RBI to rank no. 7 with 103-career RBI on the program�s all-time list. Pepi, who was stuck at 99 RBI for the past few weeks, finally broke into the 100-RBI club; the seventh Miner to accomplish the feat. She also finished as the team leader in 2017 with 36 RBI.
�[Kiki] had a great weekend,� Echo-Hawk said. �We worked a little bit on scoring runners this week in practice and changing our mentality. She executed that plan and looked for the pitches we asked her to. To end her career on a RBI was pretty awesome.�
Clayton recorded her seventh double of the season in the fifth, while it was her 38th-career double to rank tied no. 4 with Stacie Townsend. Clayton will enter her senior campaign with 180 hits (ranked fifth) and 101 runs (ranked sixth). Clayton�s .349-career batting average is ranked fourth.
Ryder didn�t have a hit on the day, but did draw a pair of walks and scored run. She hit .455 this weekend and will enter her senior season ranked sixth with a .329-career average. Taylor Sargent finished her junior season with a career highs in RBI (19) and batting (.326), while leading the squad with three triples, also a career best. Sargent will enter her senior year with 650 putouts, ranking fifth on the school�s all-time list.
Smith singled and finished as the team leader in batting with a .364 average. Sophomore Lindsey Sokoloski only struck out once in 136 at bats as one of the national leaders in toughest to strikeout in 2017. She finished her second season with a .316 average. Sokoloski hit .625 (5-8) against FAU to lead the team.
�It�s always nice to know your team is going to play for these seniors to make sure they go out on a good note. It�s also good for our team for next year to end on a positive note,� Echo-Hawk said. �They showed what they�re capable of and moving into next year, we can ride that a bit.�
Photo courtesy UTEP Athletics
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Related Articles
Several well-known Miners have formed an alumni basketball team and, with the support and votes from UTEP fans, hope to make a national tournament that pays the winners $2million for the win.
The team, known as the �Glory Road Boys�, is made up of five former players: Omar Duran, Earvin Morris, Brent Murphy, Ioana Tofi and Jason Williams. �The team is looking to make the The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a national basketball tournament to be held this summer, similar in structure to the NCAA�s annual college basketball tournament.
The main difference, according to the TBT website, is�64 teams (with 16 in each region) are either selected based on their fan vote totals or play their way into the tournament.
The top nine (9) vote-getters in each region as of June 1 @ 12p ET get in automatically. Six (6) additional teams in each region will be chosen at-large.
The final team in each region will play-in through the TBT Jamboree in Philadelphia, set for June 17th and 18th.
The winner-take-all $2 million purse is divided among the team, their coach, a booster, a top fan and 99 other fans who voted their team into the 64-team tournament.
The bio for the �Glory Road Boys� reads as follows:
�We are very excited for the opportunity to represent our University and the great city of El Paso. Our identity comes primarily from our school�s great basketball tradition. The fact that UTEP is the only school from Texas to win a National Championship is astonishing considering all the great Universities and tradition of great players from Texas. Also for the fact that the Disney movie Glory Road demonstrated how the 1966 team broke color barriers and changed basketball is very appealing to some who might not know the story behind it. We also have a strong competitive players that are elite on their teams overseas and want to represent a great basketball alumni group of UTEP.��Omar Duran, GM
Should the team get the required number of fans signed up and voting, the team would be part of the West Region. �To sign up to vote and support the team, click HERE.
