Tag Archives: Cornelius Kapel

Provo, Utah – Juniors Linda Cheruiyot and Winny Koech earned a spot at the NCAA Championships on Friday after finishing in the top 15 at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Mountain Region Championships.

“I am very proud of both the men and women’s teams for competing at the regional championships,” head coach Paul Ereng said. “The women’s team again performed very well, managing to advance Cheruiyot and Koech, who will represent our institution at the national championships.”

Cheruiyot clocked in a personal best of 20:05.1 in the 6K, finishing 10th in the competitive field. This marks the first time that the distance runner has advanced to the NCAA Championships.

Koech punched her ticket to the national meet for the third straight year. The last Miner to make three appearances at the national meet was Risper Kimaiyo (2009-2012). Koech finished 13th out of 136 runners with a time of 20:10.1.

Carolyne Chepkosgei was the third Miner to cross the finish line, taking 33rd place with a time of 20:57.0.

Rounding out the women’s team were sophomore’s Andrea Lucero and Destiny White.

The young men’s team finished three runners in the top 70 out of 120 competitors.

Sophomore Cornelius Kapel was the Miners’ top runner, posting a personal-best time of 30:55.0 in the 10K.

Freshmen Boaz Ronoh (30:57.4) and Rodgers Korir (31:10.8) followed, finishing 59th and 67th overall, respectively.

Also taking the course was senior Antony Kosgei (32:32.6), freshman Isaiah Page (34:28.8), freshman Michael Sims (35:50.1) and freshman Daniel Maes (37:03.7).

Both teams finished 13th overall at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships.

Cheruiyot and Koech will close out the cross country season at the national meet in Madison, Wisconsin, on November 17.

The Miners are headed to Boca Raton, Fl., to compete in the 2018 Air Force Reserve Cross Country Championships at the Burt Aaronson South Country Regional Park on Saturday.

The women’s team will be competing in the 5K, starting at 6:30 a.m. MT. The men’s team will follow in the 8K at approximately 7:15 a.m. MT.

Winny Koech, heads into the race ranked 22nd in the 2018 FloXC Women’s Individual Rankings. The junior has claimed three meet titles this season and earned a trio of C-USA Female Athlete of the Week honors. She clocked in a personal-best time of 20:00.9 in the 6K at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. Koech registered a season best of 16:53.25 at the Joe Piane Invitational in the 5K.

Also highlighting the women’s team is junior Linda Cheruiyot. She rates 23rd in the FloXC rankings. Cheruiyot crossed the finish line with a personal-best 16:51.54 at the Joe Piane Invitational, earning C-USA Female Athlete of the Week recognition.

Rounding out the squad is Carolyne Chepkosgei and Lilian Koech. Chepkosgei posted a personal best of 17:08.36 at the Joe Piane Invitational, taking fourth overall. Koech registered two second-place finishes at the Lobo Invitational and Lori Fitzgerald Open.

On the men’s side, Rodgers Korir had a stellar showing at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. The freshman notched C-USA Male Athlete of the Week with a personal best of 24:12.9 in the 8K.

Cornelius Kapel and Boaz Ronoh will look to continue improving. Kapel posted a personal record of 24:24.6 in the 8K run at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. Ronoh garnered C-USA Male Athlete of the Week honors after crossing the finish line third at the Joe Piane Invitational.

The women’s team has never won a conference title. The closest the Miners have come is second in 2009. The men’s team claimed back-to-back conference titles in 2015 and 2016.

For live results follow @uteptrack on Twitter.

Freshman Cornelius Kapel captured the Conference USA Cross Country Male Athlete of the Week after winning gold in his collegiate debut, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon.

Kapel was victorious in his first collegiate meet and won gold at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational with a time of 20:05.6. The newcomer finished the 6.4K 30 seconds before the next competitor, and led UTEP to a second-place finish on Sept. 8.

The Miners will return to action on Saturday, September 16, for the Kachina Classic hosted by New Mexico State University.

For live updates be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and Instagram.