by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
A much-improved UTEP women’s golf team will look to surprise the field at next week’s Conference USA Championship, which tees off on Monday in Fort Myers, Fla.
“Because of the season we’ve had, we’ve got to win to continue on to regionals,” coach Jere Pelletier said on Thursday. “There are quite a few teams this year that are ahead of us. I think we are ranked sixth or seventh. But we have surprised them before, and I think the mindset is we don’t have anything to lose. We’ve just got to get out there and play and hopefully we can surprise them again.”
Six years ago, the Miners entered the C-USA Championship rated seventh among league teams but captured their first league title, overthrowing no. 13 Tulane and no. 42 Tulsa in the process.
UTEP has put together a strong season that included one tournament title and three runner-up finishes in the fall. The Miners appear to have regained their stride in the last two spring tournaments, tying for third place at the Little Rock/Arkansas State Invitational and tying for sixth at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic.
The Miners have strength at the top of their lineup in sophomore Lily Downs (75.2 scoring average), senior Alisa Rodriguez (75.4) and junior June Ting (75.7). Downs and Ting have both claimed tournament titles this season. All three have picked up six top-20 finishes in 2016-17.
“You’re hoping everybody is peaking at the same time and playing their best,” Pelletier said. “We seem to be playing pretty good right now. Alisa, Lily and June have been steady all year. The key for us in the conference is going to be to get one of the other two players to play well. My senior Sofia [Castiello] is starting to play good, and my freshman Abbie (Anghelescu) has shown some real signs of improvement this spring and I think she’s going to play well.”
A total of 11 teams will participate in the championship at the par-72, 6,194-yard Verandah Golf Club. Eighteen holes will be played each day, Monday through Wednesday. Old Dominion enters as the favorite with a no. 63 ranking by GolfStat. UTEP is rated no. 126. Live stats will be available at www.golfstat.com.
The tournament was also in Fort Myers a year ago.
“Alisa and Sofia played [the course] well last year,” Pelletier said. “Lily played pretty well. And right now Lily seems to be playing the best of all three of them. I think it’s going to be a dogfight to see which one comes in first.”
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The UTEP track and field team return to action as they head to the Golden State for the Mt. SAC Relays (May 13-14) and the Jim Bush Collegiate Invitational (May 15).
It will be the first action for the Miners since competing in the Texas Relays two weeks ago.
Mt. SAC
Heading to Torrance, Calif. will see the 5 distance runners for the Miners on Friday. Daniel Cheruiyot in the 3,000m steeplechase set for a 4:30 p.m. PT start. Cheruiyot earned a fifth-place finish at the Texas Relays on March 29.
Three Miners will compete in the 10,000m run, Winny Koech and Gladys Jerotich will set to run at 6:00 p.m., followed by Antony Kosgei in the men’s open at 6:40 p.m. Cosmas Boit will compete in the 5,000m run set for 7:40 p.m.
UCLA Invitational
The second destination will see the Miners compete at the UCLA Drake Stadium on Saturday. Starting the day at 8:30 a.m., will be Abedola Akomolafe, Fayon Gonzales and Cierra Chenault in the hammer throw. Lucia Mokrasova and Tyler Ragin will compete in the long jump set for 10:00 a.m. Israel Ramsay returns to the high jump after placing second at the C-USA indoor championships.
Sophomore sensation, Tobi Amusan will race in the 100m dash set for 3:20 p.m. Amusan holds the nation’s fastest time in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.63. Lilian Koech will run in the 800m, after posting the third-fastest time (2:08.51) in the C-USA this season registered at the Texas Relays. Competing in the 400m dash will be Ada Benjamin, Florence Uwakwe, Imani Adams and Madison Gibson.
On the men’s side, Emmanuel Korir makes his return to the track after winning the 800m NCAA Championship on March 10. The freshman has made an immediate impact on the track setting an indoor school record in the 800m (1:46.75). Korir also recorded a world best 1:14.97 during the indoor season in the 600m. The distance runner will compete in the 800m at 3:45 p.m., along with sophomore Jonah Koech.
Competing in the 1,500m run will be Michael Saruni and Evans Kiprono. Saruni had an outstanding performance at the Texas Relays where he set the second-fastest outdoor school time in the 800 (1:45.82). The mid-distance runner competed against the 2012 Olympic silver medialist (Leonel Manzano) and the collegiate record holder (Donivan Brazier) in Austin. Saruni and Kiprono will be set to run at 5:05 p.m.
For live updates follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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The UTEP women�s tennis team (0-1 C-USA, 4-12 overall) will look to end its regular season on a high note when it hosts Interstate-10 rival NM State (3-2 WAC, 8-12 overall) at the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club on Friday, April 14. First serve is 11 a.m.
For the first time since March 4, the Miners will have six players at their disposal. The team has been besieged by injuries and has played its last three matches with only four players.
It will also mark the last time seniors Daphne Visscher and Duda Santos, who will return from an injury, will play in front of their home crowd. The two will be honored before the event.
Defending their court alongside Visscher and Santos will be Milou Pietersz, Raven Bennett, Lois Wagenvoort and Maria Paula Medina.
Last Sunday, the Miners fell 4-0 to UTSA in the only Conference USA match of the season, but not easily. Bennett and Visscher were leading the Roadrunners� Sonia Medina Madronal and Denisa Ibrahimovic 5-3 before their match was called and left unfinished.
Pietersz battled with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association�s No. 99 ranked singles player in Miriam Rosell but fell short 6-1, 6-4. Wagenvoort was leading UTSA�s Charleen Tiwari 6-2, 4-3 before the match was called and Maria Paula Medina, who returned after being cleared from a concussion, took the first set from Linda Hallgren 6-3 and was playing in a 2-all set on court four before the match was called.
The Aggies boast the reigning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week in freshman Rebecca Keijzerwaard, who went 3-0 last week in NM State�s non-conference action against Western New Mexico and UTSA. Keijzerwaard has a team-best 4-2 record in dual action and teams up with fellow freshman Vanessa Valdez at the No. 1 spot in doubles. The duo has recorded a 5-2 record.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The UTEP men�s basketball team will look to blend a mix of returning talent with promising newcomers when it plays three preseason games in Costa Rica this August.
�The significance of this is that we have a terrific group coming in, seven new players that will be added to our core group of returners,� UTEP coach Tim Floyd said on Wednesday.� �This trip gives us a tremendous opportunity to bring these young guys along and get them better.�
The trip is slated for Aug. 15-20, and fans are invited to join the team in Central America.� Travel packages will be available for purchase, with details forthcoming.
Floyd said the teams the Miners face will be composed of professionals from Central and South America, as well as �the best players Costa Rica can offer.�
College basketball teams are permitted to take a foreign tour once every four years.� This will be the first foreign tour by a UTEP men�s basketball squad since the 2005-06 club traveled to Spain and the Canary Islands.
Perhaps the best thing about the tour, besides the cultural and game experience, is the fact that the Miners will get 10 days of practice in El Paso ahead of time.
�It gives our team a chance to get off to a better start than we had last year,� Floyd said.
The 2016-17 Miners rallied from a 2-13 start to finish 13-4 and tie for third place in Conference USA with a 12-6 mark.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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The UTEP softball team will travel to Ruston to take on Conference USA West Division foe LA Tech April 14-15. Friday�s doubleheader will start at 2 p.m. CT/ 1 MT, while Saturday�s series finale will start at noon CT/ 11 a.m. MT.
The Miners (11-28, 5-10 C-USA) are currently tied with Southern Miss (5-10), while standing one game behind UTSA (6-9) in the West Division. The Lady Techsters (26-14, 9-3 C-USA West) are in first place and currently the no. 2 seed behind Marshall (14-1 East). FIU (8-4 East), Florida Atlantic (7-5 East), North Texas (8-7 West), Charlotte (5-7 East), WKU (6-9 East) and UTSA round out the standings. Middle Tennessee sits in last place (3-9 East).
The top eight schools, out of 12, will advance to the C-USA Tournament in Hattiesburg, Miss, May 10-13. The top three teams from each division, while the next two schools with the best records will advance to the four-day championship. Seeds three and four will receive a bye, while the top two seeds earn a double-bye to advance to the second day.
UTEP won game one against WKU, 10-2 (6), while recording 30 hits during the weekend series. The Miners and Hilltoppers game two scoring fest ranks most runs (26) between both teams in C-USA. The Miners are ranked second in C-USA in team batting average (.307), while their 329 hits rank second. Lindsey Sokoloski is ranked no. 1 in the nation in toughest to strikeout after a K-less weekend and Taylor Sargent is ranked 17th in the C-USA with a .349 batting average. Sargent was hitting .250 after March 26.
In the 2015, LA Tech took care of UTEP in three games, while the Miners returned the favor by sweeping the Lady Techsters in El Paso last season. In 2014, during Tobin Echo-Hawk�s first season, her squad swept LA Tech in Ruston as it was the first ever sweep of a conference opponent in program history.
The Miners will have their bye week following the LA Tech series and will continue play at UAB April 29-30, while the regular season will conclude in El Paso against Florida Atlantic May 6-7 (Senior Weekend).
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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IRVING, Texas- For his efforts toward a share of eighth place at the prestigious 71st Annual Western Intercollegiate, UTEP men�s golfer Charles Corner was named the Conference USA Golfer of the Week for the first time on Wednesday.
�He�s [Corner] been playing great all spring, I�m very happy for him,� head coach Scott Lieberwirth said. �To get a top-10 [finish] in an event that strong, that�s a huge confidence boost to continue on through the rest of the season. His game is right there and I�m convinced he�s got all the capability to breakthrough and even win the conference individually. The state of his game is in a great spot, as good as it�s been in the three years he�s been here.�
Climbing three spots after the final round, Corner spearheaded the Miners� charge at the Intercollegiate, firing a two-over-par 212 (72-69-71) to top his team�s scorecard and help the Miners to a seventh-place finish. The team bested No. 17 Texas, No. 25 Arizona State and No. 32 San Diego State after shooting 1,084 (361-356-367) in the 15-team field, which included eight nationally-ranked teams.
�A third of the way through the final round I heard I was in fourth place at one point and I just stuck to my game plan and kept doing my thing,� Corner said. �It came down to a pretty good score on the final day. It�s good to get those results, especially this time of the year when we need to finish off strong before conference, so its defiantly really positive and good for the team.�
Of the 96 players in the tournament, only three shot under par. Corner�s score was better than 19 players ranked in the Golfstat Top 100, including six of the top-10 players.
A junior from Cayuga, Ontario, Canada has recorded a 72.5 scoring average, third-best on the UTEP squad. He has tallied three top-10 finishes this year in 10 tournaments, with his work at the Western Intercollegiate marking the first time he was the top finisher for UTEP this year.
Corner is the third Miner to earn the C-USA Golfer of the Week honor this season. Andreas Sorensen earned his first recognition the week of September 14 and Frederik Dreier got the nod on October 19.
�It gives me and the team a lot of momentum,� Corner said. �We finished pretty well [at the Western Intercollegiate], we beat a lot of good schools that are ranked better than us so that�s always nice.�
Corner and the rest of the UTEP squad will head to the Conference USA Championships April 23-26 in Texarkana, Ark.
�I think everyone is pretty pumped up that we beat Texas and some high ranked teams, that�s only going to carry over and do good things for us. Those are some big wins, so its good for us to know we can compete against those [ranked] schools going into conference play.�
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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UTEP Volleyball�s head coach Holly Watts announced the addition of Abby Adams for the 2017-18 campaign on Tuesday.
�I chose UTEP because of the competitive Biology academic program, and the Pre-Dentistry curriculum,� Adams said. �I am excited about all the courses they have to offer. UTEP is a beautiful campus, and a university full of tradition. I am looking forward to being a part of the University of Texas at El Paso and the volleyball program.�
Adams is 5�8 from Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., where she played at the defensive specialist position for three years.� During her time with the Eagles, Adams took the court in 157 sets as the starting libero while tallying 440 digs at 2.8 digs per set, 56 assists, 19 service aces and 14 kills.
The Valor Christian squad wrapped up the 2016 season by finishing in the Final Four of the 4A State Volleyball Tournament for the second time in school history. Adams finished her senior campaign earning accolades for her work in the classroom and on the court.
Her awards included being named to the�2016 CHSAA 4A First-Team All-League, CHSAA All-State First-Team All-Academic, CHSAA All-State Honorable Mention and 4A Honorable Mention All-Academic.
�We are excited to add Abby to our roster for the 2017 season,� Watts said. �Abby comes in with her experience as a defensive player and specifically libero, she will bring additional ball control and experience at a high level to our�gym.
�We are thrilled she has decided to come to UTEP and bring her back-row prowess with her. She is playing again this club season with a quality club and great coaches and she will continue to gain experience even before her arrival.�
Aside from high school volleyball, Adams played club volleyball since the age of nine. She plays for Colorado Juniors 18 Jess, who will play in the 18 Patriot Division of the 2017 Girls��Junior�National�Championships (GJNC) in Minneapolis this summer.
