Tag Archives: miners

What if Texas Western didn’t win the 1966 national championship? Which team would be the best team in UTEP basketball history?

Assuming you took the remaining UTEP NCAA Tournament teams, and pitted them against one another in a 16-team bracket, who would come out on top?

Would All-American Jim Barnes lead the 1964 Miners to the title?  Would the upset-minded 1992 Sweet 16 squad reign apparent?  Would one of the great UTEP teams from the 1980’s capture the crown?

Imagine if Nate Archibald, Tim Hardaway, Eddie Rivera, Filiberto Rivera and Randy Culpepper all had something to say about it, along with the 1967 defending champions.

There’s no March Madness this year.  But there is Miner Madness!

We’ve seeded the teams.  We’ve set the bracket.  Starting on Thursday (March 26), we’re letting the fans determine the winner.  Study the matchups on www.utepminers.com.  Then cast your votes on the UTEP Men’s Basketball Twitter beginning on Thursday.

View in-depth analysis for every matchup on www.utepminers.com

First Round

Thursday, March 26                         Game A: (1) 1963-64 Miners (25-3) vs. (16) 1987-88 Miners (23-10)

                                                            Game B: (3) 1983-84 Miners (27-4) vs. (14) 1974-75 Miners (20-6)

                                                            Game C: (5) 1986-87 Miners (25-7) vs. (12) 1962-63 Miners (19-7)

                                                            Game D: (7) 1985-86 Miners (27-6) vs. (10) 2003-04 Miners (24-8)

Friday, March 27                              Game E: (2) 1991-92 Miners (27-7) vs. (15) 1989-90 Miners (21-11)

                                                            Game F: (4) 2009-10 Miners (26-7) vs. (13) 1984-85 Miners (22-10)

                                                            Game G: (6) 1988-89 Miners (26-7) vs. (11) 1969-70 Miners (17-8)

                                                            Game H: (8) 2004-05 Miners (27-8) vs. (9) 1966-67 Miners (22-6)

Quarterfinals

Saturday, March 28                         Game I: Winner Game A vs. winner game H

                                                            Game J: Winner Game C vs. winner Game F

Sunday, March 29                            Game K: Winner Game B vs. winner Game G

                                                            Game L: Winner Game D vs. winner Game E

Final Four

Saturday, April 4                               Game M: Winner Game I vs. winner Game J

                                                            Game N: Winner Game K vs. winner Game L

Championship                                  Monday, April 6

KANSAS CITY  – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced UTEP’s Bryson Williams to the 2019-20 NABC Division I All-District team, as selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC in NCAA Division I Monday morning.

Williams earned a spot on the District 11 first team squad after averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game.

In his first season with the Miners, Williams started in all 32 contests. The transfer from Fresno State finished third in Conference USA in scoring and fifth in rebounding (7.2). Williams ranked 11^th in field goal percentage (49.9), 13^th in free-throw percentage (81.1), and ninth in blocked shots per game (0.9).

The Fresno, Calif., product registered three games of 30-plus points, the most by a Miner since the 2010-11 campaign. Williams scored a career-high 34 points during a comeback victory over UTSA on Jan. 15. Williams’s double-double (34 points, 10 rebounds) rallied the Miners from 24 points down to defeat the Roadrunners, 80-77, in overtime.

Williams recorded five double-doubles during the season. He posted 33 and 10 against East Central, 21 and 10 against North Carolina A&T, 13 and 10 at Florida Atlantic, and 26 and 10 against Middle Tennessee.

The redshirt junior’s efforts helped lead the Miners to a 17-win season and trip back to the C-USA Tournament. UTEP won nine more games than a year ago, while more than doubling its C-USA wins from three to eight this season.

Williams is the first Miner since the 2009-10 season to earn a spot on the All-District team. Williams also named to the All-C-USA first team, as he was the first UTEP basketball player since 2015 to be named first team. He was also named C-USA Player of the Week three times, the most by a Miner since the 2014-15 campaign.

Williams joins North Texas’ Javion Hamlet, UTSA’s Jhivvan Jackson, LA Tech’s DaQuan Bracey and WKU’s Taveion Hollingsworth on the first team.

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the UTEP Football Season Ticket Office is closed to in-person visits and football renewals/new sales will be conducted solely over the phone and online.

Regular business hours of Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. will continue to be in effect.  Fans can call (915) 747-6150 or email seasontickets@utep.edu to renew or request new season tickets, or they can do so online.

In addition, the 2020 UTEP Football Season Ticket Timeline has been updated.  The season ticket renewal deadline has been pushed back from April 10 to May 1.

The full timeline is available via the UTEP Miners ticket page.

Sun Bowl premium seating (indoor club boxes/loge boxes/outdoor club seats) information is available by calling (915) 747-8759.

The Miners will open the 2020 season at home versus Texas Tech on Sept. 5.

Head coach Ben Wallis and UTEP volleyball have announced the addition of Ava Palm, an outside hitter from Bakersfield High School in California, to the 2020 signing class.

“My staff and I are thrilled to receive the commitment from Ava,” Wallis said of the latest addition to the signing class. “She is a very skilled and talented outside hitter that has been playing some high-level volleyball for Jamba VBC in central California. She has played for some really good club coaches and already has a skill set that will allow for her to help us on either pin right away in 2020.”

Palm prepped at Bakersfield High School where she totaled more than 1,000 kills, 192 blocks and 161 service aces over four years. She also tallied 756 digs and nearly a 40 percent hitting percentage during her prep days.

As a senior at Bakersfield, Palm ranked first in hitting percentage in the South West Yosemite League, third in the California Central Section and seventh overall in California’s Division I.

“She is the prototypical outside hitter recruit that has lots of tools,” Wallis said. “She is long, fast, high, can ball handle already and is a solid blocker with range and arm speed as an attacker. The thing that sold me on her, however, was that she is very competitive and wants the ball all the time. Front row and back row, she is ready to attack and has the skill to do it already. She is going to have a small adjustment to the collegiate game physically, but she is going to grow a lot in the weight room once she gets here on campus.”

Palm served as a four-year starter and two-time captain in high school, while she was twice named MVP and a three-time SWYL First Team All-League recipient. She earned First Team All-Area Central Section honors twice at Bakersfield and was a KHSD “Achieve” Inaugural First Team selection.

“Ava was in the running for selection in the prep volleyball ‘Soph 79’ as a 10th grader, but has flown under the radar in recruiting since then, so we are ecstatic to get a commitment from a skilled athlete like this that is normally not available this late in the process,” Wallis continued. “Folks in El Paso are going to love watching her play as she has a great personality and spirit to go along with her talent.”

Palm played her club volleyball for Club Jamba in Bakersfield.

For complete coverage of UTEP Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPVB (Instagram) and @UTEP_VB (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.

The UTEP football team is facing a number of questions this spring.  Who is the starting quarterback?  How will a host of junior college transfers be integrated into the defense?  Will the defense be significantly better this fall?  One question that isn’t being asked, however, is if the Miners have a reliable field goal and extra point kicker.

The answer is a resounding ‘yes.’

Gavin Baechle has been nothing short of sensational in his first two years in the Orange and Blue.  As a freshman in 2018, he handled kickoffs and rated second in Conference USA with a 63.9 average.  Then, a year ago, he added field goals and PATs to his list of responsibilities and fared well.  He converted 13-of-16 field goal tries and was automatic (8-for-8) from inside 40 yards, as well as a perfect 22-for-22 on point after attempts.

“I was really happy with what I did on field goals,” he said.  “We went from the bottom of Conference USA [in 2018] to fifth or sixth, which was definitely a big improvement.  Last year I was a little affected doing both [kickoffs and field goals] because after the fifth or sixth game, I did something to my groin and my kickoffs weren’t as good as they were the year before.  I just had to work through that.  By the end of the season, I was basically back to where I was.”

Baechle finished the 2019 season with 42 kickoffs averaging 57.5 yards, and 22 touchbacks.

If there was a hole in Baechle’s game, he was 0-for-3 on field goals of 47+ yards (he was 13-for-13 from 46 yards or less).  He missed from 47 yards versus Texas Tech and NM State, and 50 yards against Rice.  He’s working on hitting consistently from distance this spring.

“The focus for me has definitely been longer field goals,” he said.  “We didn’t really do too many of those last fall.  Whenever we had a meeting, we talked about what I could work on.  And long field goals was one of the main points.  For kickoffs, it was basically about being more consistent and what I could do to stay healthy, which I wasn’t last year.”

One thing Baechle and his position coach, Joe Robinson, didn’t have to spend much time talking about was the punting game.  Mitchell Crawford was entrenched as the Miners’ punter the last two years, but he has left the program to use his final year of eligibility as a grad transfer at Michigan State.

You would imagine that Baechle taking over the punting duties this fall would not be an ideal situation.  But he’s ready for anything.

“I’m all for taking that role,” He said.  “You know what they say, if a man goes down, the next man has to step up and do it.  If it comes down to it, and even if [coach Dana Dimel] brings in a punter, I’m going to do my best to try to beat him out and take all three spots.”

Baechle is accustomed to doing it all – he handled every area of the kicking game as a prep at McKinney (Texas) High School.

“That’s pretty standard,” he said.  “So coming from there, I wanted to do all three [in college].  But, of course, we had a punter already.

“In high school, I punted every single year.  My freshman year, I was on the freshman team.  My sophomore year, I was on varsity.  I did all three and all three well.  For my junior and senior year, I got first team All-District for punting.  And then here [at UTEP], every year I’ve been Mitch’s backup.  So I’ve always had to be ready just in case anything was to happen.  I would still punt during practice, but not the games.  So I feel like if the time comes and I need to do it, I will be fine.”

Baechle punted 69 times in high school for 2,372 yards (34.4 avg.).  He averaged 36.5 yards on 31 punts as a senior in 2017.

Who knows if punting is in Baechle’s future.  But he’ll continue working hard this spring in order to be well prepared for the fall.

“I’m working on a lot of accuracy drills to make sure I still hit a straight ball and it goes through the uprights, whether it’s a long or short field goal,” He said.  “With kickoffs, I’m just trying to stay consistent, and be able to hit touchbacks like it’s nothing.  And if I have to punt this year, I just want to be able to put the ball wherever we need to, and help out the cover team as much as possible.”

Fans can renew their UTEP Football Season Tickets, or request new season tickets for the 2020 season now.  Renewals will be accepted online until April 10 here, by calling (915) 747-6150, or by visiting the UTEP Athletics Season Ticket Office, located in Room 109 of the Brumbelow Building next to the Don Haskins Center, Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, click here.

 The UTEP football team’s defensive struggles last season can be traced as much to who wasn’t on the field as to who was playing.

The safety position in particular was hard hit by injuries, as two projected starters entering fall camp, Broderick Harrell and Justin Prince, combined to appear in just four games.

Harrell hasn’t played in a game for the Miners since earning a start in the 2018 season finale against Southern Miss.  He suffered a torn Retinaculum in his ankle two weeks prior to the start of 2019 fall camp and missed the entire campaign.  Prince was on his way to a banner year (27 tackles in the first four games) last season before breaking his foot when it got caught in the turf on a goal line play at Southern Miss.

Following an intense rehab, Harrell and Prince are back this spring and have impressed the Miners’ new secondary and safeties coach, Josh Brown.

“Both of them are extremely hard workers,” Brown said.  “Both of them want to be great.  And when you want to be great and you have a work ethic, usually it turns out pretty good.”

Last year Harrell underwent surgery and was in a cast for eight weeks.  The ankle didn’t heal quite fast enough for him to return late in the season.

“It was hard on me because mentally I wanted to play,” he said.  “I had never missed a season like that.  I wanted to play with my brothers and I felt like I could help them out a lot.”

Prince had a wicked premonition that playing on the M.M. Roberts Stadium turf would bring disaster.

“I prefer grass but the crazy thing is, at the Friday walkthrough the day before the game, I said the field was pretty bad,” he said.  “So I wished a little bad luck on it and I paid the price.”

Prince managed to avoid surgery, but the recovery process was no less grueling and he’s still not quite at 100 percent (though he’s close).

“I spent a lot of time in the training room,” he said.  “That was basically my second home.

“I’ve played through injuries before, but this one really set me back.  I just knew I had to trust the process.”

Fortunately, Harrell and Prince could lean on one another during their year without football as both teammates and roommates.

“We’re similar; we like a lot of the same things,” Prince said.  “We look the same, we have the same stature [Harrell is 5-11, 210 pounds; Prince is 5-10, 200 pounds].  He got hurt first last year.  And then I got hurt.  It’s weird.  It was probably meant to be that we’re both on the field at the same time.”

“We both had a good spring last year and we both got hurt, so that brought us a little bit closer,” Harrell said.  “He’s my brother off the field.  I love him.”

Now, Harrell and Prince find themselves in the odd position of returning to the field and being thrust into the role of elder statesmen in the UTEP secondary.

“We’re basically the older guys with J. Rog [Justin Rogers] and Champ [Michael Lewis] out of the program now,” Prince said.  “So we have to bring the young guys up and set the example every day in the meeting room and on the practice field.”

Last year Harrell and Prince were understudies to Rogers, who became the first Miner to post an interception in four separate seasons since Quintin Demps (2004-07).

“He taught us how to be 100 percent accountable every day, and how to lead,” Harrell said.  “He studied the game like it was homework, like it was a book.”

“He’s really football smart and he was always teaching me the game,” Prince said.  “Just sitting next to him in film, asking questions all of the time and seeing what he saw on the field was huge.”

While they’re taking on more of a leadership role this year, Harrell and Prince are also continuing to learn from their new position coach Brown, who was formerly an accomplished defensive coordinator at Cal Poly.

“He’s a great guy,” Prince said.  “He’s trying to make things simpler for us.  He’s done a really good job with teaching us techniques that will make it easier in our coverages.”

“He’s taught me a lot in three weeks,” Harrell said.  “New techniques, but he also taught me to trust in myself more and believe that I’m a better athlete than the guy lined up across from me.”

Brown watched a lot of film on the 2019 Miners after accepting the job in early February.  It sounds like he’s got a good handle on his personnel after only five spring practices.

“As a secondary, the defensive backs in general, we need to improve on our man technique,” he said.  “I think they’re pretty good zone players, and we’ve gotten pretty good reactions and breaks off of the quarterback.  But our man technique has got to continue to get better, and we’ve got to continue learning how to play all the different combinations of man.”

Last year, UTEP’s pass break ups dropped from 41 to 33, and the Miners collected only five interceptions as a team for a second straight year.  Getting both of those numbers up will be paramount to an improved defensive effort in 2020.  Brown is fully aware of that, and he’s working on it.

“What we do every day before practice is we get out here and we do our wiffle ball drills,” he said.  “And all we’re working on is punchouts for 10 minutes with wiffle balls.  We’re up to 15 or 20 punchouts and five or six interceptions from just the safeties in five practices.  We’re keeping track of them and we’re making an emphasis of getting the ball out.  Pass breakups and interceptions are key to our success as a defense.”

The Miners are counting on vast defensive improvement this fall.  And if that happens, Harrell and Prince are sure to play a big part in it.

“No limits,” Harrell said.  “There aren’t any expectations and there are no limits.  We’re trying to blow it out of the water next year.”

Fans can renew their UTEP Football Season Tickets, or request new season tickets for the 2020 season now;  renewals will be accepted online until April 10, by calling (915) 747-6150, or by visiting the UTEP Athletics Season Ticket Office, located in Room 109 of the Brumbelow Building next to the Don Haskins Center, Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, click here.

FRISCO, Texas – Bryson Williams scored 25 points and Jordan Lathon recorded a double-double on season-highs in points (22) and rebounds (11) while tying his career best with six assists, but Marshall pulled away from UTEP late to claim an 86-78 victory on Wednesday night in the first round at the Conference USA Basketball Championships.

The Miners (17-15, 8-10 C-USA) got within three points on a pair of occasions down the stretch, however the Thundering Herd (17-15, 10-8 C-USA) hit clutch baskets and made their free throws down the stretch to pull away.

“I’d like to give Marshall a lot of credit, those guys came out and worked the game for 40 minutes and I have a lot of respect for their program,” second-year UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry said. “I thought we were in good shape for the better part of the game, but we lost some separation toward the end of the first half, and that was the big difference in the game in terms of giving those guys some transition baskets.”

UTEP took a 15-10 lead on a Williams’s three-point bucket at the 14:07 mark. Marshall answered with an 8-2 run to take an 18-17 edge with 9:17 left in the first half and never relinquished the lead. The Herd built the lead to 13 points after a pair of free throws by Jannson Williams but Kaden Archie followed with a dunk on the other end to make it an 11-point game (43-32) going into the locker room.

Marshall was up by as many as 14 points (48-34) following a three by Jarrod West early in the second half, but the Miners battled to cut the lead the single digits. Souley Boum hit three three-pointers with under six minutes left in the contest. His third got the Miners within seven points, 77-70.

Williams followed with a hook shot in the paint, while an Edwards’s driving layup on a fast break at the 2:03 mark got his squad within three points, 77-74. But Mikel Beyers drew a pair of fouls and went 4-for-4 from the foul line to make the count 81-74 with 1:45 left in the game.

“I give my guys a lot of credit, they fought, they battled, and could’ve easily laid down and didn’t,” Terry said. “They put themselves in the position late in the ball game to have a chance to win the ball game.”

Williams, who scored 21 points in the second half, scored four points on consecutive possessions to make it an 81-78 contest with 53 seconds remaining. Kinsey was fouled on the following possession and made 1-of-2 from the line to up the lead to four points (82-78).

Williams missed a three on the other end and the Herd finished the game 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

UTEP outrebounded Marshall 43-42, as Williams grabbed nine boards and Boum recorded eight. Boum scored 11 of his 13 points during the second half, but shot 4-for-20 overall in the contest. Tydus Verhoeven recorded a season-high four blocks, while adding four points, five rebounds and a steal.

Edwards tallied five points on 2-of-6 shooting and dished out four assists, while Deon Stroud played over 16 minutes off the bench, tallying five points, and Archie played over 20 minutes with four points and a pair of assists.

UTEP shot 40.0 percent from downtown, led by Lathon’s 5-for-8 effort. Lathon shot 6-for-10 overall and went 5-of-7 at the foul line. Williams went 11-of-23 from the field, including a pair of threes.

Marshall held UTEP to 37.1 percent from the field, while shooting 46.0 percent itself.

The Thundering Herd outscored the Miners, 46-26, in the paint and 16-8 on fast-break points. Marshall’s bench also outdid UTEP’s, 24-9, led by Beyers’s 14 points in over 21 minutes of action. Taevion Kinsey played all 40 minutes, scoring 26 points, though he was held to five points in the second half.

The Miners finished with their first winning season since the 2015-16 campaign (19-14), while advancing to the C-USA Tournament for the first time in over a year. UTEP improved to 17 wins from eight last season, while improving from three league wins to eight during the 2019-20 campaign.

“There’s no disappointment this season and we’re building,” Terry said. “We still have a way to go in terms of what we’re doing. I’m excited with what we were able to do this year. We kept playing and battling all year long.”

FRISCO, Texas – Six different players hit double figures in scoring as UTEP soared past Florida Atlantic, 95-67, in a record-setting win on Wednesday in the first round of the 2020 Conference USA Women’s Basketball Championships.

“When we get off to a good start, we usually play really well,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “It was crucial the way these young ladies came out of the locker room today, and just played a great game from beginning to end. I couldn’t be more proud of them against a very good FAU team that is extremely well coached. It’s a great tournament win for our team.”

The Miners advance to face second-seeded Old Dominion at 12:30 p.m. MT/1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday. The contest will be streamed by Stadium, and broadcast locally in El Paso on 600 ESPN El Paso.

The Miners (16-14) broke school conference tournament records for margin of victory (28), points (95 and 3-pointers made (11), while tying the mark for field goals made (33), 3-point percentage (50.0 percent) and overall field-goal percentage (50.0 percent). The effort propels UTEP to the quarterfinals for the third straight year under head coach Kevin Baker, continuing the longest such streak to start a career at the school.

Additionally, the 95 points are the fourth-highest total by any program in C-USA tournament history.

Sabine Lipe (career-high 16 points), Katarina Zec (16 points), DeJaNae Roebuck (13 points), Avery Crouse (12 points) and Arina Khlopkova (10 points) all hit double figures in scoring for UTEP.

The Miners connected on 50.0 percent (33-60) from the floor, including 82.4 percent (14-17) during a dominant first quarter that resulted in them leading by 21 (36-15) through 10 minutes of action. The 36 points scored in the opening framed tied as the most in a quarter in program history. The Miners won the boards (38-31) and forced 22 turnovers that result in 22 points during the wire-to-wire win.

It marked the third time this year that the Orange and Blue have surpassed 90 points without having any individual player tally more than 16 points in a contest.

Crouse, Lipe and Zec all connected on shots to send UTEP out to a 7-0 lead 90+ seconds into the contest, forcing FAU to burn an early timeout. The Owls answered with a 5-0 push, but Zec ended that with her second triple of the tilt. It was a four-point differential (15-11) at the halfway point before UTEP kicked it into high gear.

The Miners ripped off 12 straight points to ignite a 21-4 surge to close the quarter.

The margin swelled to as many as 27 (44-17) with 5:38 to play in the half before the Owls managed to whittle the Miners’ advantage to 20 (48-28) heading into halftime. UTEP continued to control after the break, with FAU unable to get closer than 16 the rest of the way.

Katia Gallegos flirted with a double-double (eight points, eight assists), while Gill pulled down a squad-best seven rebounds. FAU was paced by Crystal Primm’s team-high 24 points.

Gallegos’s eight helpers tied as the second most in a conference tournament game by a Miner.

For complete coverage of UTEP women’s basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPWBB (Twitter), @utepwbb (Instagram) and visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.

KANE’OHE, O’AHU – The UTEP Women’s Golf team closed out play at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational on Wednesday afternoon with the Miners finishing in 12th place at the Kane’ohe Klipper Golf Course in Kane’ohe, O’ahu.

As a team, the Miners posted a total score of 915 (305-301-309), while individually, UTEP was once again led by Valeria Mendizabal, who finished tied for 13th place with a three-round total of 219 (72-73-74).

In the opening round on Tuesday, the Miners shot 305 (+17) as a team to end the first 18 holes tied for 12th place. Mendizabal led the charge for UTEP in the first round, shooting even par (72) to tie for eighth entering the afternoon.

UTEP shaved a few shots off their score total in the second round on Tuesday afternoon after the team posted a score of 301 (+13) to improve one spot on the leaderboard. The Miners were paced by freshman Sophie Delfosse, who shot 1-under 71 in the round to close out the day in the top 20 individually.

The third and final round saw UTEP post a team total of 309 (+21) to wrap up the event in 13th place after three rounds of play. Mendizabal was steady for the Miners after leading the way with a third-round score of 74 to end the weekend at 3-over par and tied for 13th place.

Arizona State took home the team and individual titles at this year’s Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational after shooting 12-under par as a unit with Linn Grant leading the way for the Wildcats with a score of 209 (-7) to finish in first place.

In addition to Mendizabal’s performance on the island this week, Delfosse was UTEP’s second-highest finisher with a three-round total of 224 (76-71-77) to finish tied for 29th place.

UTEP’s Audrey Haddad closed out the tournament with a total score of 237 (+21) after posting rounds of 80, 81 and 76 over three rounds. Taylor Stone finished the event with a three-round total of 242 (+26) after shooting 81, 79 and 82 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Abbie Anghelescu competed for the Miners on Tuesday, shooting 77 and 78 in the opening two rounds, but the UTEP senior was forced to sit out the final day of action due to illness.

Next up, UTEP returns to the links March 30-31 when the Miners travel to compete in the Fresno State Classic at Copper River Country Club in Fresno, California.

For complete coverage of UTEP Women’s Golf, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPwgolf (Twitter) and @UTEPwomensgolf (Instagram) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.

The University of Texas at El Paso has been named to the 2020-21 cohort of First-gen Forward Institutions by the Center for First-generation Student Success.

Vice President for Student Affairs Gary Edens, Ed.D., attributed UTEP’s placement in the cohort to the effectiveness of its programs and its mission of access, excellence and impact.

“UTEP is a national leader in creating a supportive environment in which our first-generation students can thrive,” Edens said. “Our inclusion in this cohort demonstrates the commitment of our faculty and staff in serving all students and our success in creating innovative and impactful programs that truly make a difference in the lives of our students. We are excited to join these peer institutions as we continue to innovate.”

The First-gen Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education that have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students.

Selected institutions receive professional development, community-building experiences, and a first look at the center’s research and resources. The cohort of 77 institutions includes Auburn University, Cornell University and Texas A&M University.

The Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation, drives higher education innovation and advocacy for first-generation student success.

At UTEP, 51% of graduating seniors in 2018-19 reported that they were first-generation college graduates.

The University has implemented programming meant to enhance the first-generation student experience, including the ¡Bienvenidos! campaign, which is designed to nurture positive, professional relationships between students and faculty; a formal ceremony in which first-generation students are given a commencement cord in recognition of their success; and recognition during the University President’s commencement speech.

The University has also participated in the annual National First-Generation College Celebration. UTEP has invited students, faculty and staff to attend a special event and exhibit celebrating first-generation student success.

Other key programs include the Entering Student Program, which focuses on helping first-year and transfer students successfully transition to UTEP; TRIO Student Support Services Program Center, which provides academic and professional assistance for first-generation students; the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence, which is a citywide collaboration of leaders that has worked to transform the educational pipeline to ensure academic success.

“The Center is so pleased to welcome UTEP into the 2020-21 cohort of First-gen Forward institutions,” said Sarah E. Whitley, Ph.D., senior director of the Center for First-generation Student Success.

“Through the application process, it was evident that UTEP is not only taking steps to serve first-generation students, but is prepared to make a long-term commitment and employ strategies for significant scaling and important advances in the future.”

As a First-gen Forward Institution, UTEP faculty and staff will have opportunities to engage with peer institutions that improve the experiences and outcomes of first-generation students. after a two-year program, institutions are eligible to apply for the Advisory leadership designation.

To learn more about first-generation efforts at UTEP, visit the resources webpage and Student Support Services page. To learn more about the Center for First-generation Student Success, visit firstgen.naspa.org.

UTEP was a solid defensive football team in 2018.  The Miners ranked fifth in Conference USA, allowing 198.9 passing yards per game.  Overall UTEP yielded 394.7 yards per contest, a number good enough to win with.

However, the defense fell on hard times in 2019 following the loss of playmakers like A.J. Hotchkins and Nik Needham.  UTEP surrendered 430.8 yards per game, the second-highest total in C-USA, and 35.9 yards per outing, last in the league.

“It was a combination of a lot of things,” UTEP defensive coordinator Mike Cox said.  “I didn’t coach good, we lost some key players, and we didn’t play right at times.  That’s the biggest thing that we’re emphasizing right now, to own up to our assignments and not bust ourselves.  We did that [in 2018].  We didn’t make our own busts, and we played ok.  That’s what we’ve got to get back to.  We’ve got to be very consistent.  And the emphasis this spring is to be consistent about our jobs, get off blocks and play with tenacity.”

If the Miners are going to improve their win-loss record in 2020, they’ll need to be able to stop people.  They struggled to do that a year ago, but they also lost some key personnel from that squad.

“In order to replace those guys, we went the junior college route and we were very lucky and very fortunate to get guys who could come right now rather than after the spring,” Cox said.  “So they’re all here and showing a lot of promise.  We needed these guys to get our depth back to where it needed to be.”

Specifically, the Miners brought in DB Dennis Barnes (Fort Scott CC), DB Verenzo Holmes (NW Mississippi CC), LB Tyrice Knight (Independence CC), DT Kelton Moss (Kilgore College), DT Keenan Stewart (Iowa Western CC), DE Jadrian Taylor (Kilgore College), LB Gary Theard (Chaffey College) and DE Deylon Williams (Independence CC).

“The thing that we liked about them, number one, is their character,” Cox said.  “We really emphasized the character of these guys, and then matched it with their athletic ability and the football playing side of it.  We really like all of the guys that we brought in.  First and foremost they’re great people, they’re hard workers and they can learn.  They’ve gone about all of this the right way.  And we’re proud of that.  The biggest thing that we’re trying to figure out is where they fit in with this defense.  That’s what we’re trying to do this spring, plug them in where they’re going to help us win.”

If the Miners are going to make major strides this fall, they’ll need several of their returning players to ramp up their production as well.  And Cox likes what he has seen from his core through two days of spring ball.

“The last couple of days, [cornerback] Duron Lowe has done a really nice job,” Cox said.  “He has really stepped up his game.  The same with [cornerback] Josh Caldwell.  I think having our two safeties back healthy means a lot.  We didn’t have two starters last year in [Broderick] Harrell and [Justin] Prince.  Getting them back has added some stability to that position.  [Linebacker] Stephen Forester is very consistent, and a great role model and leader for our team.  Those are the main guys, plus a couple of guys who played up front.  [Defensive Tackle] Josh Ortega brings great leadership.  So if all those guys continue to grow with the leadership part, we change our attitude on defense, play with a lot more tenacity and do things the right way, we’ll improve vastly.”

The Miners have also altered their approach to spring ball and their schematics to produce better results in 2020.  First of all, fans will see hitting and tackling in practice, something they didn’t a year ago at this time.

“Last year, we were concerned because we had been hit by injuries so much the year before.  That’s why I didn’t do it last year,” UTEP head coach Dana Dimel said.  “But this year, just watching how we tackled and our angles that we took on Saturdays, I thought it was better for us to get more live tackling.  I thought it would improve our tackling angles and our body positions on tackling.”

The Miners have also switched their base alignment from a 3-4 to a 4-3.

“One of our big goals is to create more pass rush and be able to get to the quarterback better,” Dimel said.  “We feel like by getting our guys spread out and covering up defensive linemen a little bit more, that we’re going to be able to create some pass rush angles for our defensive ends.”

All of this should add up to some spirited workouts this spring.

“I think coach Dimel decided that we’ve got to get more physical,” Cox said.  “We’re tackling and today you saw some 1’s versus 1’s [in practice].  The guys enjoy it I’m sure, and all we want to do is get better.”

Fans can renew their UTEP Football Season Tickets, or request new season tickets for the 2020 season now.  Renewals will be accepted online until April 10 here, by calling (915) 747-6150, or by visiting the UTEP Athletics Season Ticket Office, located in Room 109 of the Brumbelow Building next to the Don Haskins Center, Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit the UTEP Miners ticket page.

The seventh-seeded UTEP women’s basketball team (15-14) will lock up with 10th-seeded Florida Atlantic (13-16) at 12:30 p.m. MT/1:30 p.m. CT in the first round of the 2020 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Women’s Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star.

“It has been two months since we played FAU, and they have improved much. They will be a tough match-up for us because they are playing some really good basketball this time of year. They play a very similar style as us, and they are just as aggressive as we are as of late. We are looking forward to the tournament, and we believe we are built for a great postseason run,” head coach Kevin Baker shared.

The Miners blasted Florida Atlantic, 96-65, in the only meeting between the programs this year in El Paso back on January 4, 2020. It will be the first meeting between the programs in the league championships.

UTEP dropped its final two contests of the regular season, including a 68-58 setback last time out at North Texas on March 7. FAU split its final week of action, including besting Marshall, 68-50, on March 7. Wednesday’s contest will be the first neutral-site game on the year for both teams. The victor advances to face second-seed ODU in the quarterfinals.

The Miners lead the league in turnovers forced per game (19.9), and FAU is last in C-USA for turnovers committed per game (19.7). the Miners pace the conference for free throws attempted (608) and the Owls are last in the league for personal fouls per game (21.2).

C-USA All-Freshman team member Katia Gallegos (146 assists) has set the UTEP freshman record for a season. She needs five helpers to move into fourth on the program’s single-season list regardless of class and six to take over third place.Ariona Gill has hit double figures in scoring in 10 of the past 11 games.

Katarina Zec (All C-USA second-team) and Katia Gallegos (C-USA All-Freshman team) both picked up honors from Conference USA on March 9. Zec also was named to the league’s five-member All-Academic team, sporting a 3.72 GPA in biochemistry.

Gallegos became the first Miner to be named to an All-Freshman squad in five years after a sensational first year with the Orange and Blue. 

Wednesday’s game will be available on ESPN+. It will also be broadcast locally in El Paso on 600 El Paso with Steve Kaplowitz and Traci Miller on the call.

UTEP is back in postseason play at the 2020 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at the Star. No. 11-seed UTEP will battle no. 6 Marshall in first-round action on Wednesday, March 11 with tipoff set for 8 p.m. MT/9 CT in in Frisco, Texas.

The Miners (17-14, 8-10 C-USA) will put their four-game winning streak to the test against a Thundering Herd (16-15, 10-8) squad that has won four of its last five games.

The Miners were previously in the C-USA Tournament during the 2017-18 season, while their last win in postseason play came against Rice, in an 86-76 victory on March 9, 2017.

UTEP is 11-7 all-time versus Marshall. The two programs faced each other at the 2011 C-USA Tournament, with the Miners coming out on top, 77-65, on March 10 in El Paso.

UTEP’s last loss came against Marshall, 71-61, on Feb. 15 in the Haskins Center. The setback dropped the Miners under .500 for the first time during the season, but they’ve responded with a four-game winning streak after wins against Rice (68-62), Southern Miss (75-62), at Middle Tennessee (60-56) and at Rice (77-72). It’s the longest winning streak in league play since the 2016-17 campaign. The Miners’ back-to-back road wins in league play were also the first in three seasons.

In the first meeting on Feb. 15 in the Haskins Center, the Miners jumped out to an 11-3 advantage, but Marshall answered that with a 13-2 run and never looked back. UTEP was down by as many as 13 points, but cut the deficit to seven points on a pair of occasions with under 9:34 to play. However, Marshall answered with clutch jump shots to sustain the lead. Marshall, which entered the contest averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game, made 12 threes that Saturday afternoon.

Mikel Beyers came off the bench and scored 18 points behind 4-of-6 shooting from behind the line in 24 minutes of action. Bryson Williams paced the Miners with 23 points, while Souley Boum tallied his first career double-double (12 points, career-high 10 rebounds). Daryl Edwards recorded 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

Edwards has averaged 21.0 points his last seven games, while shooting 44.8 percent (26-58) from beyond the arc. Overall, he’s shooting 49.1 percent (56-114) and has added 17 assists and five steals. During UTEP’s four-game winning streak, Edwards is averaging 26.8 points per game behind 18-of-36 shooting from downtown.

Overall, he’s shooting 54.7 percent (41-57) during that span. The four-game performance commenced with a career-high 34 points as he helped UTEP erase a 19-point deficit against Rice, rallying the Miners past the Owls, 68-62, on Feb. 22.

Jordan Lathon currently ranks 12^th in C-USA, averaging 3.0 assists per game. He’s been one of the leading guards for the Miners, as the sophomore is averaging 4.3 assists during his last eight games.

Lathon, during that span, has tied his career high twice with six assists at Charlotte and another six against Southern Miss. He’s averaging 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 points per game during his last eight outings.

Bryson Williams was named to the All-C-USA first team earlier Monday afternoon, as he ranks third in conference in points per game (17.6) and fifth in rebounds per game (7.1).

Marshall is led by All-C-USA second team selection Taevion Kinsey’s 16.1 points per game and 131 assists. Jarrod West, a third team selection, ranks second at 14.4 points per contest and has 126 assists. Kinsey (4.2 apg) and West (4.1 apg) rank in the top five in C-USA in assists per game.

The Thundering Herd average 75.6 points per game, ranking fourth in C-USA, while they rank 11^th in scoring defense (72.9). Marshall ranks third in rebounds per game (38.6), while it ranks second in blocked shots per game (5.9) and steals per game (8.2).

The Miners and Thundering Herd can be heard on UTEP’s flagship station 600 ESPN El Paso with “The Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher and former UTEP basketball player Steve Yellen calling the action. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.

DALLAS – UTEP’s Bryson Williams was named to the 2020 All-Conference USA first team as announced by league officials on Monday afternoon. The redshirt junior transfer is the first Miner in five years to make the prestigious squad.

Following UTEP’s 77-72 victory at Rice on March 7, Williams ranks third in C-USA in points per game (17.6) and total points (546), and ranks fifth in rebounds per game (7.1). He ranks fourth in field-goal percentage (50.0), fifth in free-throws made (114) and sixth in free-throw percentage (82.0).

The Fresno, California product has also recorded five double-doubles, ranking fourth in C-USA. Williams leads UTEP with 27 blocked shots, while tallying 28 steals and 28 assists in the process. Williams was also named C-USA Player of the Week three times during the season.

Williams has registered a trio of 30-points games that included a career-high 34 points during a comeback victory against UTSA on Jan. 15. Williams led the Miners from 24 points down to defeat the Roadrunners, 80-77 in overtime. He’s recorded double figures in 25 games, including 11 games of 21 or more points.

Williams most recently tied his career-highs in blocked shots (three) and steals (three), while his efforts have surged the Miners to a four-game winning streak in league play, the longest since the 2016-17 season, after victories against Rice (68-62) on February 22, Southern Miss (75-56) on March 1, and a pair of road victories at Middle Tennessee (60-56) on March 4 and at Rice (77-72) on March 7.

Vince Hunter was the last Miner to be named first team, which happened during the 2014-15 season. Williams joins Hunter, Randy Culpepper (2011, 2010), Stefon Jackson (2008, 2007) and John Tofi (2006) to be named All-C-USA first team performers.

Williams and no. 11-seed UTEP will continue the 2019-20 campaign when the Miners take on no. 6-seed Marshall on Wednesday, March 11 at the 2020 Conference USA Air Force Reserve Men’s Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star.

The Miners and Thundering Herd will tipoff at 9 p.m. CT/8 MT.

ALL-CONFERENCE USA FIRST TEAM

DaQuan Bracey, LA Tech

Javion Hamlet, North Texas

Bryson Williams, UTEP

Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA

Taveion Hollingsworth, WKU

ALL-CONFERENCE USA SECOND TEAM

Osasumwen Osaghae, FIU

Devon Andrews, FIU

Taevion Kinsey, Marshall

Umoja Gibson, North Texas

Keaton Wallace, UTSA

ALL-CONFERENCE USA THIRD TEAM

Jahmir Young, Charlotte

Jordan Shepard, Charlotte

Jarrod West, Marshall

Carson Williams, WKU

Jared Savage, WKU

IRVING, Texas – Katarina Zec (All C-USA second-team) and Katia Gallegos (C-USA All-Freshman team) both picked up honors from Conference USA, the league office revealed Monday.

Zec, who was named to the league’s five-member All-Academic team on March 6, secured her second honor of the postseason.

“No one works harder or is more committed that Katarina Zec,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “So to see her become an all-conference player is not surprising at all. There is not a player that deserves it more than Kat. She has been an amazing player for us all season and put together a solid senior year. She is a top player in C-USA, and is proof that hard work and total dedication pays off.”

Gallegos becomes the first Miner to be named to an All-Freshman squad in five years after a sensational first year with the Orange and Blue.

“This has been a very unique year for freshmen on C-USA teams,” Baker said. “Many freshmen made huge impacts on their respective teams. Katia being selected to the All-Freshmen team is even a bigger accomplishment than usual. She has proven to be not only one of the top freshmen in C-USA, but also one of the best overall players in the league. She led the conference in assists and was one of the biggest reasons for our turnaround this season. Katia is a special player that will continue to be honored and set records in her career at UTEP.”

Zec turned in a banner senior season, leading the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), minutes per game (31.8), 3-pointers made (41) and 3-pointers attempted (116). She has been incredibly consistent, having reached double figures in scoring in 34 of the past 41 contests dating to last year.

The effort allowed her to become a member of the 1,000-point club at UTEP, with her total of 1,112 career points currently ranking eighth all time in program history.

The native of Serbia has displayed an all-around game, rating second on the squad in rebounding (5.1 rpg) and third in steals (34). She poured in a career-high tying 22 points against Old Dominion on Feb. 8, while netting 21 in the win at Southern Miss on Jan. 9. She has started every contest on the year, hitting at least three triples in five different contests.

Gallegos enjoyed a record-setting year for her hometown Miners. She has dished out a UTEP freshman single-season record 146 assists, which broke a 15-year old mark that was previously held by Shalana Taylor (142, 2004-05). She paces C-USA and is 34th nationally for assists per game (5.0). She is also third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).

Gallegos has stuffed the stat sheet across the board, topping the squad in steals (50), while ranking third on the unit for both scoring (9.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.7 rpg). She has started all 29 games on the year, earning the second-most minutes per game (30.0 mpg) on the roster.

Zec, Gallegos and the rest of the squad will open play this week at the 2020 Conference USA Air Force Reserve Conference USA Women’s Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star.

The Miners will be seeded seventh and will square off against 10th-seeded Florida Atlantic at 12:30 p.m. MT/1:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in the first round of the event. The winner will advance to face second-seeded Old Dominion.

For complete coverage of UTEP women’s basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPWBB (Twitter), @utepwbb (Instagram) and on Facebook or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.