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The brand-new “Picks Up Podcast” made its debut Thursday on UTEP Athletics’ official website.

The “Picks Up Podcast” takes an inside look at UTEP Athletics, offering perspectives and analysis not available anywhere else.  Hosted by long-time “Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher, “Picks Up Podcast” kicks off with a visit from Jim Senter who, like his fellow collegiate Athletic Directors, is navigating unique and challenging times due to the onset of COVID-19.

“I look forward to sharing additional Miner content in a new form with those who enjoy UTEP Athletics,” Teicher said.

The “Picks Up Podcast” will air weekly online, with special guests including Miner coaches, staff, student-athletes and alumni.

To go directly to the podcast landing page, click here.

Mara Rouse returned to action, leading UTEP (4576) with an 1163 aggregate versus Ohio State (4661) Saturday afternoon at the UTEP Rifle Range.

“Today was our first match back at home,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “We competed against a hard team, and worked for all of our points. We have time before our next match to work on trouble areas. We will focus on getting our mental game hardened for our next one.”

Rouse missed last week’s meet against TCU due to injury. The team captain came back and dominated with the highest aggregate (1163) for the Miners all year. Rouse posted a career high in smallbore (579) and a season-high 584 air rifle score.

Jonna Warnken followed Rouse with an 1141 aggregate. The freshman locked in a 564-smallbore mark and a 577 air rifle tally.

Morgahn Warner posted the third highest aggregate (1138) and Amoret McCartney was right behind her with an 1137 aggregate on the day.

Samantha Miller (1127) and Jennie Windle (1122) rounded out the group.

Next up, the Miners will host Alaska on November 22 at the UTEP Rifle Range.

The UTEP rifle team will be shooting against TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, this Saturday, Nov. 2 for its fourth match of the season.

“We focused on what held us back this past weekend,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “We worked on our mental and physical game. We just need to go into the match thinking the only think ahead of us is the target.”

You can follow along with the action with live stats via this link.

Sophomore Morgahn Warner led the Miners in their previous match at Air Force, scoring the highest in smallbore (571) and registering an aggregate of 1147. She ranked third on the squad in air rifle (576) behind freshman Jonna Warnken (587) and junior Samantha Miller (581).

Redshirt freshman Jennie Windle scored third on the team with an aggregate of 1129. Amoret McCartney posted the second-best smallbore score (554) for the Orange and Blue in Colorado last weekend.

Senior Casey Lutz, junior Liz Marsh and sophomore Kristen Hemphill will be leading the way for TCU. Lutz (1177), Marsh (1176) and Hemphill (1166) finished as the top three individuals in 2019 versus the Miners.

TCU is the defending national champion and is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation after posting a 4708 aggregate against West Virginia (10/26).

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. – Morgahn Warner turned in the top score for the Miners (1147), leading UTEP rifle (4560) against Air Force (4659), Nebraska (4636) and Kentucky (4686) at the Falcon Rifle Range on Saturday.

“Today did not go as planned,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “But what match ever does? We just need to strengthen our mental fortitude, and get back to the range before this next weekend. We have to go at it thinking it is just us and the target.”

Warner locked in the best smallbore score (571) for the Miners at the meet. The sophomore also recorded a 576 in the air split, coming second for UTEP.

Freshman Jonna Warnken produced a career-high 587 in air rifle. Warnken nailed 39 Xs, helping her achieve that career best.

Samantha Miller also notched a solid air rifle score with a 581. Miller, in the fifth air split, shot a perfect 100 from the line. Mara Rouse posted the second best aggregate for the Orange and Blue with an 1138 mark on the day.

Next up, the Miners will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU next Saturday, Nov. 2.

The UTEP rifle team will head to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday, Oct. 26 to face Air Force, Nebraska and Kentucky.

“This team has been putting in the work after the Alaska match,” Head coach Austin Litherland said.  “They have been tightening the shot groups and keeping their focus on making every shot count. We are excited to be going and competing against all the teams at the Air Force this weekend. ”

“We have been training very hard and are ready to give it all we got,” said Senior Mara Rouse. “We just have to keep our mental game in check.” The team captain posted an aggregate of (1154), leading the Miners (4583) at their pervious match against Alaska.

Air force will be opening its season this weekend at home. Nebraska is coming off a loss to West Virginia, where it posted a 4642 aggregate. Kentucky (4713) defeated Murray State (4645) and Morehead State (4643) in its last outing.

You can follow along with the action with live stats via this link.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Mara Rouse turned in the top aggregate score for the Miners (1154), leading UTEP Rifle (4583) against Alaska (4659) at the Tanana Valley Sportsmen’s Association on Sunday.

“Our scores today showed improvement from yesterday,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “which shows that we used what we learned. That doesn’t mean we are done improving though. We will hit the range with a better strategy to turn any weaknesses into strengths.”

Rouse locked in a 575 in smallbore, and produced the second-highest air score (579) for the Orange and Blue. Morgahn Warner also shot a 575 in smallbore, including a 199 split in the prone position.

Freshman Jonna Warnken registered a team high and career-best 581 air score, and turned in an 1142 aggregate mark. Amoret McCartney notched the fourth-highest aggregate score (1141) on the team.

Jennifer Windle and Samantha Miller both shot 572 in air, and scored 1135 and 1126, respectively.

Next up, the Miners will travel to the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs to take on Air Force on Oct. 26.

Isabel Brooks has signed a national letter of intent and will attend UTEP and compete with the Miner rifle team starting with the 2019-20 scholastic year, UTEP head rifle coach Austin Litherland announced Monday.

“I could tell when I first met Isabel that she wanted to be a Miner. She has worked hard as a student and as an athlete. I know her hard work and dedication will make her a great fit for the UTEP Rifle family,” said Litherland

Team captain of the Northwest Shooters 4-H rifle team, Litherland was introduced to rifle shooting through the club’s BB gun team during her freshman year, she then eventually moved to sporter air rifle.

Litherland has been shooting precision for just over a year and loves both the mental and physical sides of shooting … has competed at multiple local and national USA shooting, NRA and CMP competitions and has individually qualified for 2019 CMP Regionals.

She has been very involved in 4-H, serving as president (2016-2018) and parliamentarian (2018-2019); additionally, she is a certified 4-H rifle coach, active in Trinity Bible church’s youth group and serves in the church’s children’s ministry

Litherland maintained a cumulative GPA of 4.0 and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and made the President’s list as a dual credit student at Lone Star College and plans to major in mechanical engineering at UTEP.

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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The UTEP rifle team produced its best team aggregate (4610) when competing in the Patriot Rifle Championships by adding a solid score in air rifle (2320) to its season-high smallbore sum (2290) on the final day of competition at the event on Sunday.

The tally of 4610 is one point shy of the Miners’ campaign best while also easily surpassing the team’s previous top score (4594, 2016) in what is now their fifth year of shooting at the event.

“The focus it takes to come to a second day of a match and shoot at peak performance is unreal,” UTEP head coach Austin Litherland said. “The team laid it all out and the scores back it up. The amount of talent this team shows makes me excited to come work with them at the range every day. Now our aim is at NCAA Qualifiers.”

Sophomore Jessica Boyce notched a score of 586 in air rifle to conclude the championships with a team-best aggregate of 1159 (573-586). Freshman Morgahn Warner shot 579 on the day to wrap up the competition with an aggregate of 1158 (579-579).

Junior Mara Rouse checked in with an air rifle effort of 576 to put her PRC aggregate at 1147 (571-576). Sophomore Samantha Miller registered 578 in air rifle en route to a two-day total of 1145 (567-578).

Senior Maranda Nelson shot 577 in air rifle to cap the competition with an aggregate of 1134 (557-577). Freshman Josephine John finished at 568 in air rifle to compile an aggregate of 1129 (561-568).

Air Force took home the PRC crown with an aggregate of 4708 (2333-2375), followed by TCU at 4695 (2324-2371), Nevada with 4665 (2304-2361), Ohio State at 4661 (2301-2360), Alaska-Fairbanks with 4660 (2311-2349) and the Miners at 4610 (2290-2320).

UTEP will get back to work on the range in preparation for its NCAA Qualifier match at the UTEP rifle range with Nevada and Alaska-Fairbanks on Feb. 16.

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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Three different Miners eclipsed 570 to help the UTEP rifle team produce a season-high 2290 in the smallbore portion of the 2019 Patriot Rifle Conference Championships at Alaska Fairbanks Saturday.

The effort surpasses the prior campaign best (2285) by five and ties as the second-best score in the discipline in the past six years at the school. Additionally, it serves as the program’s highest smallbore score at the championships in the Miners’ fifth year as a member of the conference. UTEP’s previous highwater mark for smallbore at the PRC championships was 2275 in 2016.

“We showed up today,” UTEP head coach Austin Litherland said. “I’m super proud of the team, but we cannot forget that there is still another day of competition. Our sights will now be for tomorrow’s air rifle portion. Go Miners!”

Freshman Morgahn Warner paced the squad by firing 579, which was just three points shy of earning her a spot in the finals for individuals. Sophomore Jessica Boyce shot a 573 while junior Mara Rouse registered a 571.

Sophomore Samantha Miller shot her best score of the season (567), which also matched her career high that was set during the 2017-18 campaign. Freshman Josephine John recorded a 561 while senior Maranda Nelson finished at 557.

The second and final day of the championships will be held on Sunday, with the air rifle competition taking center stage.

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Jonna Warnken has signed a national letter of intent to attend UTEP and compete with the Miner rifle team starting for the 2019-20 season, head coach Austin Litherland announced earlier this week.

UTEP head coach Austin Litherland talked about the addition of Warnken to an already strong squad.

“Jonna will be a great addition to the UTEP Rifle family. She is extremely competitive and has a great attitude. I also believe her match experience and her great attitude will be an asset to the team when we compete.”

A brief bio on Warnken  follows below.

Jonna Warnken – Superior HS – Superior, Mt.

Was sporter champion in the U14 age group in 2015, and placed seventh in the American Legion tournament … switched to precision shooting in 2016 … garnered runner-up honors in the 2017 NRA Precision Championship … shot just one point shy (560) of the state record in Montana … helped her team take third place at the 2017 Junior Olympic 3P Championships …

Received the junior distinguished badge at the event … took home the title in the 2018 Montana Junior Olympic Smallbore Qualifier … finished in second place at the 2018 CMP Regionals, which helped her squad grab second place at the event for the second straight year … boasts personal bests of 569 in smallbore and 588 in air rifle …

Very involved in 4H program and Honor Society … appreciates the mental side to the sport of rifle … loves mentoring and teaching younger shooters on how to improve … has helped run after-school programs with a local elementary school … plans to major in elementary education at UTEP.

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The UTEP rifle team will wrap up the fall part of its 2018-19 schedule when it plays host to Air Force at 8:30 a.m. MT Saturday. Admission to the match is free.

“Even though this is the last match of the semester, every shot still counts,” UTEP head coach Austin Litherland said. “Tomorrow the team’s focus will be to make every shot count. We are also very excited for the Air Force Academy to come down to compete at our home range.”

UTEP has surpassed 4600 in aggregate for three straight matches. It marks the fourth time that the Orange and Blue have done so in the fall portion of the schedule since the NCAA adopted its current scoring system for the 2004-05 campaign. The Miners also achieved that feat in the fall of 2016 (four straight), 2011 (seven in a row), 2010 (three consecutive).

The Orange and Blue have been consistent as a squad in air rifle (2316), while making tremendous strides in smallbore (2270 avg). The smallbore average would be the best at the school in three years (2273, 2015-16).

Furthermore, UTEP has posted back-to-back smallbore scores of at least 2284 for the first time since a three-match streak in 2011-12. Overall UTEP has topped 2284 in the discipline in three different outings, the most such efforts also since 2012-12 (eight).

With the progression of the squad, it is only natural that individuals have been making strides as well. The returnees have all improved their aggregate average from a year ago. Sophomore Samantha Miller has added 10 points (1125 to 1135), junior Mara Rouse (1137 to 1145) and sophomore Jessica Boyce (1144 to 1152) have both increased by eight points and senior Marana Nelson has tacked on two points (1136 to 1138).

Growth is also evident among the pair of newcomers. Freshman Morgahn Warner is averaging an aggregate of 1159 over the last four matches, a huge uptick from the first five (1135). Fellow classmate Josephine John is averaging 1132 the past three matches, a nice bump from her first four (1121).

For fans unable to make it to the match, there will be live stats available online.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The UTEP rifle team fired a season-high aggregate (4611) in a match at fellow Patriot Rifle Conference member Ohio State (4651) on Saturday.

The Miners shot a season-high tying 2284 in smallbore before also matching their campaign best in air rifle (2329).

“Today was an exciting day,” UTEP head coach Austin Litherland said. “The team showed the hard work they have put into the range the past two weeks. A coach cannot ask any more from their athletes than to put their maximum effort into their sport. The girls also know that we still have two more matches left until the fall semester is up so we will continue to work on improving at the range.”

Freshman Morgahn Warner produced an aggregate of 1160, registering 575 in smallbore and a career-high 585 in air rifle.

Junior Mara Rouse fired a career-high tying aggregate of 1156, relying on a personal-best 577 in smallbore and 579 in air rifle.

Sophomore Jessica Boyce notched an aggregate of 1149, using 563 in smallbore and 586 in air rifle.

Senior Maranda Nelson compiled an aggregate of 1143, recording 568 in smallbore and 575 in air rifle.

Sophomore Samantha Miller checked in with an aggregate of 1141, tallying 564 in smallbore and 577 in air rifle.

Freshman Josephine John shot a career-high aggregate of 1134, using a personal-best 562 in smallbore and 577 in air rifle.

The Miners will look to build on the effort when they return home against Alaska-Fairbanks at 8:30 a.m. MT Thursday at the UTEP rifle range. Admission is free.

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The UTEP rifle team will compete at fellow Patriot Rifle Conference member Ohio State in a match beginning at 11:30 a.m. MT (1 p.m. ET) Saturday.

The Miners are coming off a season-high aggregate (4602) in a two-day match at Nevada (Oct. 27-28). UTEP registered 2273 in smallbore before firing a campaign-best 2329 in air rifle.

“We are excited to compete against Ohio State,” UTEP head coach Austin Litherland said. “The team had a weekend off from competing to make improvements to their shot process and positions. Our focus has been staying in the zone and one 10 at a time.”

Sophomore Jessica Boyce has paced the team in the fall, producing the top average on the squad for smallbore (569), air rifle (583) and aggregate (1152). Junior Mara Rouse follows in aggregate (1144), but freshman Morgahn Warner has come on strong of late to lift her aggregate average to 1142.

Warner has established career highs in each of the past two matches, with the most-recent performance (1165) serving as the top aggregate on the season for any Miner.

Senior Maranda Nelson checks in with an average aggregate of 1138, including a season and career-best 1161. That was achieved on Oct. 13, in a tri-angular meet with Air Force and Nevada.

Sophomore Samantha Miller has posted back-to-back career efforts, including an 1152 at Nevada (Oct. 27-28). The push has propelled her aggregate average to 1134. Freshman Josephine John has an aggregate average of 1122, aided by a career-high tying 1128 at Nevada (Oct. 27-28).

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RENO, Nv. – The UTEP rifle team fired a season-high aggregate of 4602 in a match that spanned two days with Nevada (4662). The Miners registered 2273 in smallbore on Saturday before notching a campaign-best 2329 in air rifle Sunday.

Freshman Morgahn Warner was locked in across the board. She finished with a personal-best aggregate of 1165, aided by career highs in both smallbore (581) and air rifle (584). Additionally, the scores in smallbore and aggregate are the best by any Miner this year.

Sophomore Jessica Boyce posted an aggregate of 1153, carding 569 in smallbore and 584 in air rifle.

Sophomore Samantha Miller made it a memorable match. She recorded a career-best aggregate of 1152, including a campaign-high tying 565 in smallbore and a personal-best 587 in air rifle.

Senior Maranda Nelson produced an aggregate of 1141, tallying 558 in smallbore and 583 in air rifle.

Junior Mara Rouse turned in an aggregate of 1131, accumulating 556 in smallbore and 575 in air rifle.

Freshman Josephine John concluded with an aggregate of 1128, scoring 553 in smallbore and 575 in air rifle.

UTEP will vie to continue to progress as a unit when it competes at Ohio State on Nov. 10.

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Freshman Morgahn Warner (1152) and sophomore Samantha Miller (1141) each set career highs in aggregate during a solid day on the range for the UTEP rifle team (4583) in a home match with Nevada (4647) on Saturday.

The Miners shot 2268 in smallbore and 2315 in air rifle to wrap up the day with an aggregate eight points better than their seasonal average coming into the contest.

“A coach can’t ask for anything more than give it your best,” UTEP head coach Austin Litherland said. “The team came in and showed what they are capable of. They are leaving today more motivated to keep breaking their personal best.”

Warner had herself a day to remember. She turned in a career-best aggregate of 1152, aided by personal highs in both smallbore (572) and air rifle (580).

Sophomore Jessica Boyce fired an aggregate of 1147, tallying a personal-best tying 573 in smallbore and 574 in air rifle.

Junior Mara Rouse produced an aggregate of 1144, registering 560 in smallbore and a season-high tying 584 in air rifle.

Miller carded a career-high aggregate (1141), posting her second-best score (563) of the season in smallbore and a campaign-best 578 in air rifle.

Senior Maranda Nelson compiled an aggregate of 1129, notching 559 in smallbore and 570 in air rifle.

Freshman Josephine John finished with an aggregate of 1110, shooting 531 in smallbore and a career-high 579 in air rifle.

UTEP will look to build on the performance when it ventures to Nevada. The Miners will shoot twice in as many days, competing on both Oct.ober 27 and 28.