Nashville, Tn. – UTEP’s sophomore Michael Saruni claimed the fastest time in program history when he clocked a nation-leading time of 1:45.92 on Saturday afternoon.
“Saruni’s performance stands out, a school record is always special,” said head coach Mika Laaksonen. “We had a hand full of other good performances, but as a team we still have a long way to go before we are ready for the conference meet.”
Saruni earned 2017 All-American honors in the 800m and competed at both NCAA Indoor and Outdoor championships. The sophomore now holds the facility record at the Vanderbilt Commodore Invitational previously set by his former teammate Emmanuel Korir (1:46.50). Junior Jonah Koech finished third overall with a time of 1:50.31.
Three Miners competed in the men’s 400m, Asa Guevara lead the pack with a time of 47.87 notching a third-place finish. Alejandro Alcazar (50.76) and Carvellion Horn (51.50) finishing 12th and 14th overall, respectively.
Frederic Williams earned a fourth-place showing in the 60m, running a qualifying time of 6.99 before lowering that down to 6.95 in the final. Shakeem Smith garnered a third-place showing in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.09, followed by David Rivera (8.47) in ninth-place.
In the mile run, Cornelius Kapel made his debut for the Miners running a time of 4:17.51 to earn ninth overall. Antony Kosgei (8:30.17) and newcomer Boaz Ronoh (8:38.06) competed in the 3,000m finishing 10th and 20th, respectively.
In the field events, Donivan Ortega landed a mark of 13.70m (44-11.50) in the triple jump to finish in fourth-place. Freshman Benjamin Coronado finished 10th place in men’s shot put.
The men’s 4x400m relay team of Guevara (48.0), Ortega (48.9), Williams (49.7) and Horn (49.9) notched a third-place finish with a time of 3:16.88.
On the women’s side, Lilian Koech lead the team in her performance in the mile run clocking a winning time of 4:45.62 marking the fifth-fastest colligate time in the nation this year. The senior was trailed by newcomer Carolyne Chepkosgei running a time of 5:04.26 to finish ninth overall.
In the 3,000m Winny Koech took home the win with a time of 9:47.23, putting her in the top-15 in the nation. The junior was followed by teammates Linda Cheruiyot (9:57.41) and Sarah Mwangi (10:10.88) finishing third and ninth overall, respectively.
Three Miners competed in the 400m, Dreshanae Rolle lead the group with a time of 57.05 taking home ninth overall. She was followed teammates Annette Bolomboy (58.44) and Imani Adams (59.10) finishing ninth and 14th overall, respectively.
Rebecca Oshinbanjo earned a spot in the 60m hurdles final clocking a time of 8.70 taking home fifth-place. Trailing Oshinbanjo was Danielle Trought (8.91) finishing ninth overall. Johna Diggs (8.17) and Madeline Jones (8.24) competed in the 60m, both making their UTEP debut.
In the field events, Cierra Chenault tossed the shot put a distance of 12.23m (40-1.50) to finish in seventh-place.
The women’s 4x400m relay team comprised of Madison Gibson (57.5), Lucia Mokrasova (55.9), Bolomboy (57.5), and Rolle (56.5) clocked a time of 3:47.50 to take fourth place overall.
The Miners will return to action on Jan. 19-20 for the New Mexico Chery & Silver. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and UTEPTRACK on Instagram for live updates and breaking news.
