Tag Archives: utep track and field

UTEP’s Lilian Koech captured the first Conference USA Athlete of the Week award of 2017 for her performance at the Lobo Invitational the league office announced Tuesday morning. 

Koech marked a 5K time of 17:32.2 on Saturday at the Lobo Invitational to become the first female and second overall athlete to cross the finish line. Her time improved drastically from last season, which saw her run a 19:07.6 in that race.

The performance followed a stellar 2016 slate in which the junior earned NCAA Division I Cross Country All-Region and All-C-USA first team honors. The weekly award is the fourth of her career.

The Miners will return to action on Friday, September 8, for the Lori Fitzgerald held at the Chamizal Memorial National Park. The men’s race starts at 5:30 p.m. M.T. followed by the women’s race at 6:15 p.m.

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

The now former UTEP track and field star Emmanuel Korir has decided to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and start competing professionally after signing a pro contract with Nike.

“Emmanuel started running well at the start of the indoor season, that’s when talks of turning pro came up”, said associate head coach Paul Ereng. “He’s ranked number one in the world in the 800m and top 10 in the 400m so he has the tools to become another house hold name for Kenya.”

Korir made his debut for the Miners at the Vanderbilt Commodore Invitational. The native of Kenya competed indoor for the first time in his career and claimed gold in the 800m with an impressive 1:46.50 time. The mid-distance runner went undefeated in each race he took part in including setting a world record 600m time of 1:14.97 at the New Mexico Cherry and Silver.

Wrapping up the indoor season, Korir became the first Miner to win the NCAA National Indoor title in the 800m clocking a time of 1:47.48.

“The decision for him to turn pro not only benefits him but also the program”, stated Ereng. “We want the best for our athletes and if we can help them achieve the goals they want and help further their education we will do everything we can to help them.”

During the outdoor season, Korir broke the school record in the 400m at the UTEP Invitational setting a time of 44.67 previously held by Bert Cameron (1981). The All-American is just one of three athletes in the world to run a sub-45 second 400m (UTEP Invitational) and a sub-1:44 in the 800m (1:43.75; Brutus Hamilton Challenge). He captured his second national title in the 800m (1:45.03) at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., the Mecca of track and field.

Making his professional debut back on July 21, Korir demolished a quality field with a world-leading 1:43.10 at the Herculis Monaco Diamond League in France. He captured the gold at the Kenyan trials running 1:43.86 in Nairobi to solidify his spot on the Kenya national team and a spot in the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships. Korir made the trip to London, England, where he reached the semifinal round of the 800m before narrowly missing out of the final.

Korir will return to the Sun City to continue his studies and train with Ereng.

Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for breaking news and live updates.

LONDON – UTEP’s Tobi Amusan made her debut at the IAAF (International Athletic Association Federation) World Championships in the 100m Hurdles Friday afternoon.

Amusan (Nigeria) clocked a time of 12.97 in the final heat of the 100m hurdles qualifiers early this morning. The All-American returned to the track just eight hours later to run in the second of three semifinal heats. Amusan finished fourth (13.04) and took 14th overall.

Also competing with Amusan was former Miner Greta Kerekes (Hungary), where she stopped the clock at 13.15 in the qualifying heats to finish 26th overall.

In the women’s long jump, former Miner Blessing Okagbare finished in eighth place with a mark of 6.55m (21-6). Okagbare has one event left to compete in as part of the Nigerian 4x100m relay team running on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 3:35 a.m. M.T. and the finals of the relay event running at 2:50 p.m. M.T.

The remainder of the World Championships are being streamed across the NBC family of networks with coverage for each day. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for live updates.

LONDON – Former UTEP Miner Blessing Okagbare qualified for the women’s long jump final at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships on Wednesday afternoon.

Under rainy conditions, Okagbare notched a second-place finish with a mark of 6.51m (21-3.5). The Nigeria native qualified for her third World Championship final. She garnered a silver medal in 2015.

Heading into the final, Okagbare recorded the eighth-best jump of the 32 competitor field and will look to make another podium appearance on Friday, Aug. 11 at 12:10 p.m. M.T.

Making their first appearance at the World Championships on Friday will be junior Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) and Greta Kerekes (Hungary) in the 100m hurdles. Amusan clocked the seventh-fastest time (12.57) in the world this year when she captured her first NCAA title in the 100m hurdles. Kerekes notched a qualifying time of 13.10 earlier this year.

Both athletes will take the track on at 3:45 a.m. M.T. where the top three athletes from each heat qualify to the semifinal round set to run at 12:05 p.m. Should Amusan and Kerekes earn a spot in the semifinal they will need to finish in the top two of their heat with the next two best times making the final, set for Saturday, Aug. 12 at 1:05 p.m.

The World Championships are being streamed across the NBC family of networks with coverage each day. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for live updates.

LONDON – UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir wrapped up his experience at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships Sunday afternoon as he bowed out of the semifinal round.

Korir ran in lane five of the second heat in the men’s 800m semifinal where he clocked a time of 1:46.08. The Kenya native finished with the eighth fastest time of the semifinal round but still misses out of Tuesday’s final.

The NCAA All-American adds the World Championships experience to his list, which includes two NCAA titles, a Kenya 800m title and a first-place finish at the Herculis Monaco Diamond League with a personal-best time of 1:43.10.

Former Miner Blessing Okagbare also missed out in the women’s 100m final, as she clocked a time of 11.08 to finish fourth in her heat of the semifinal round. Okagbare just missed out of the final by .01 seconds. She will continue her competition at the World Championships in the long jump beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 12:10 p.m. M.T.

Another former Miner Churandy Martina (Netherlands) will compete in the men’s 200m qualifying round Monday, Aug. 7 at 11:30 a.m.

The World Championships will be streamed across the NBC family of networks with coverage of each day. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for live updates.

LONDON – UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir and former Miner Blessing Okagbare advanced to the semifinal round of their respective events Saturday morning at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) World Championships.

Korir made his debut for at the World Championships a success, winning heat four of five with a qualifying time of 1:47.08. The Kenyan advances to the semifinal round which will run on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. M.T.

The top two athletes from three heats of the semifinal round qualify for Tuesday’s final at 2:35 p.m.

Okagbare showed her experience in the 100m qualifying round, clocking a time of 11.22 to

notch a second-place finish behind American Tori Bowe (11.05).

The UTEP track and field program will be well represented with five Miners punching their ticket to the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Championships held in London, England, starting Friday, August 1-13.

Emmanuel Korir and Tobi Amusan will be making their first appearance at the world stage. Korir will compete in the 800m on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 5:45 a.m. M.T. The Miner clocked the third fastest time in the world this year at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational (1:43.73). The All-American won back-to-back NCAA titles in both the indoor and outdoor 800m and claimed gold at the Kenyan Trails with a time of 1:43.86.

Competing on the biggest stage is nothing new for Amusan, having competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she placed 11th overall in the 100m hurdles (12.91).  The Nigerian native clocked the seventh-fastest time (12.57) in the world this year when she captured her first NCAA title in the 100m hurdles.

The UTEP All-American will be joined by former Miner Greta Kerekes (Hungary), as she clocked a qualifying time of 13.10. Both athletes will take the track on Friday, Aug. 11 at 3:45 a.m.

Making her fourth appearance at the IAAF flagship event, Blessing Okagbare (Nigeria) will compete in the 100m, long jump and the 4x100m relay team. The six-time Nigeria champion won gold in the 100m, silver in the long jump and bronze in the 200m four years ago in Moscow, Russia. Okagbare is a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the long jump and a two-time NCAA champion in the 100m and long jump (2010).

Okagbare is one of UTEP’s most decorated athletes holding six school records. The sprinter will be the first to take the track on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 4:45 a.m.

Competing in the men’s 200m will be former Miner Churandy Martina representing the Netherlands. Martina qualified for the 200m with a time of 20.27 and has a personal-best 19.81. The Dutchman is a four-time gold medalist at the Central American and Caribbean Games (2006, 2010) and a three-time gold medalist at the European Championships (2012, 2016). Churandy hold the school record in the 100m with a time of 9.95.

The World Championships streamed across the NBC family of networks with coverage for each day. Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for live updates.

UTEP led all Conference USA athletic programs in the final 2016-17 Division I Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, released this week.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup measures performance in NCAA Championship competition.  The Miners scored a total of 242.5 points for a no. 83 national finish.  The second-highest rated program in C-USA was Middle Tennessee with 217.5 points (91st), while Rice scored 142.5 points to rank 121st.

A total of 293 Division I athletic programs were ranked.

The Miners scored their points from men’s indoor track & field (50 points), men’s outdoor track & field (50 points), women’s outdoor track & field (50 points), men’s cross country (45 points), women’s indoor track & field (25 points) and men’s golf (22.5 points).

The UTEP men’s track & field team finished tied for 22nd at the NCAA Indoor Meet and tied for 23rd at NCAA Outdoors.  Women’s track & field tied for 47th at NCAA Indoors and tied for 21st at NCAA Outdoors.  Men’s cross country took 29th place at NCAAs.  Men’s golf reached NCAA Regionals as a team for the first time since 2004.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today.  Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports in Division I — 10 men’s and 10 women’s.

UTEP’s freshman Emmanuel Korir had a phenomenal year and was awarded the Conference USA Athlete of the Year, announced by the league office on Friday afternoon.

Opening up the 2016-17 season, Korir clocked a world record 600m at the New Mexico Cherry and Silver meet with at time of 1:14.97. It was his first time ever running on a 200m banked track. At the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships, the freshman captured his first title in the 800m running a time of 1:47.48.

During the outdoor season the Kenyan native ran a school record time of 44.67 in the 400m at the UTEP Invitational. Seven days later Korir clocked 1:43.73 in the 800m at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge. He is just on of three athletes in the world to run sub-1:44 and sub-44 in the 800m and 400m respectively.

At the C-USA Outdoor Championships Korir claimed the 400m title (44.53) and set the meet record at the NCAA West Region Preliminaries in the 800m with a time of 1:45.88. The mid-distance runner won his second NCAA title in the 800m (1:45.03) at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Korir was named the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Athlete of the Week twice during the indoor season, garnered four C-USA Athlete of the Week awards and made The Bowerman Watch List three times during the season.

He joins a list of Miners who have been named C-USA Athlete of the Year:

Anthony Rotich (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15/ Track and Cross Country)

Camilla Carrera (2011-12/Softball)

Blessing Okagbare (2009-10/Track and Field)

For more information on UTEP track and field, follow the Miners on Twitter (@UTEPTrack) and on Instagram (uteptrack).

Emmanuel Korir has been named a semifinalist for college track and field’s highest individual honor, The Bowerman Award, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Thursday.

Korir wrapped up his freshman season with a sweep of both 800m national titles. The Kenyan is the first Miner to win the 800m NCAA title since Peter Lemashon outdoors in 1978, and the first to achieve the feat at both NCAA Indoors and Outdoors in the same year.

The All-American holds school records in the indoor 800m (1:46.75), the outdoor 800m (1:43.73) and the outdoor 400m (44.53). Korir is one of three athletes in the world to run a sub-45 400m and a sub-1:44 in the 800m.

Three finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 22 from the following list of semifinalists:

KeAndre Bates, junior, jumps, Florida

Edward Cheserek, senior, distance, Oregon

Christian Coleman, junior, sprints/jumps, Tennessee

Grant Holloway, freshman, hurdles/jumps, Florida

Fred Kerley, senior, springs, Texas A&M

Josh Kerr, sophomore, mid-distance, New Mexico

Emmanuel Korir, freshman, mid-distance, UTEP

Ioannis Kyriazis, junior, throws, Texas A&M

Filip Mihaljevic, junior, throws, Virginia

Lindon Victor, senior, combined events, Texas A&M

For more information on UTEP track and field, follow the Miners on Twitter (@UTEPTrack) and Instagram (uteptrack).

EL PASO – UTEP’s Tobi Amusan has been named one of 10 semifinalists for The Bowerman Award, announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday afternoon.

In her second appearance at the NCAA Championships Amusan, the 2016 runner-up in the 100m hurdles, captured the 2017 title with the fourth-best performance in the event in collegiate history.  Her time was 12.57 seconds. The last Miner to win the event at the NCAAs was Kim Turner (1984). Amusan edged defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.58).

The Nigeria native broke the UTEP school record in the event earlier this year at the UTEP Springtime Meet, stopping the clock at 12.63. Her time of 12.57 demolished that record and set a personal best.

Amusan is the first UTEP female on The Bowerman Watch List since Blessing Okagbare on May 7, 2010.

Be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram for everything track and field.

Eugene, Or. – Tobi Amusan finds redemption as she won her first NCAA title in the 100m hurdles at historic Hayward Stadium on the final day of the NCAA Championships, Saturday evening.

“Amusan is another special talent. She executed her race very well and all the hard work she put in this season paid off,” head coach Mika Laaksonen said. “This was her closest race yet and she stepped up to the challenge.”

The freshman exploded out of the blocks and held onto a narrow lead over the defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Kentucky). In the closing moment of the race Amusan leaned over the finish line to clock a time of 12.57, while Camacho-Quinn was close behind at 12.58.

The Nigerian native broke the UTEP school record in this event earlier this year at the UTEP Springtime stopping the clock at 12.63. Her time of 12.57 demolished that record and sets a personal best.

The last time UTEP track and field had multiple individual NCAA Champions was back in 1978 (Peter Lemashon, 800m, Michael Musyoki, 10,000m, Jennifer Smit, Shot Put and Ria Stahlman, Discus).

Korir and Amusan add to UTEP’s total of NCAA Champions to 107. Korir becomes just the second Miner to ever win the 800m NCAA title, while Amusan is the first to ever achieve the NCAA crown in the 100m hurdles.

Two other Miners competed on Saturday evening. Samantha Hall in the women’s discus throw and Lucia Mokrasova completing the final three events in the women’s hepthathon.

Hall showed poise in the first flight of two in the discus event. The senior launched the discus out to 54.66m (179-4), placing 10th overall and just narrowly missing out of the top nine who advance to the event’s final. The Jamaican native finishes her career at UTEP ranking fifth on the all-time list for the indoor shot put (14.90m), fifth in the outdoor shot put list (14.77m) and holds the school record in the discus throw (58.50m). Hall is a two-time Conference USA Champion in the discus throw. Hall garnered All-American second team honors.

In just her second appearance at the NCAA Championships, Mokrasova finished in 17th place with a total of 5,172 points. The junior started the day off by leaping 5.34m (17-16.25) in the long jump for 654 points. She followed that up with a javelin heave of 37.10m (121-9) and closed out the event with an 800m time of 2:13.46 (915 points). The Slovakia native finished the season with a new school record in the event, when she scored 5,671 points earlier this year at the Texas Relays.

The UTEP track and field team close out the 2017 campaign with two women conference titles both indoor and outdoor. The 2017 C-USA Outdoor Championship title was the first outdoor conference title in women’s program history. The Miners finish with three outdoor All-Americans, Michael Saruni, Korir and Amsuan and a second team All-American (Hall).

For live results and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.

Eugene, Or. – It was a bittersweet victory for the Miners as UTEP’s freshman Emmanuel Korir captured his second NCAA title in the 800m at the historic Hayward Stadium on Friday evening.

Running in the 800m final were both freshman Michael Saruni and Korir, who were favored to finish the event No. 1 and No. 2. Korir, a bit shaken up, narrowly held onto his lead and finished the race in a time of 1:45.03. It marks his second NCAA track and field title (800m indoor and outdoor).

“It was very unfortunate that Michael went down in the 800m, it would’ve been a very exciting finish to see who would be the national champion had he not fallen,” head coach Mika Laaksonen stated. “Emmanuel should feel very fortunate, Michael would have really challenged him at the end. He [Korir] is such a talented runner this may have been his last race for us.”

Saruni, having taken a hard fall, showed great determination and strength to finish the race with a time of 2:15.56. The Kenya native still earned All-American honors for his performance.

The only female competing for the Miners on Friday was junior Lucia Mokrasova. Under difficult weather conditions, she tallied a total of 3,178 points through the first four events of the women’s heptathlon.

She started the day off with a time of 14.49 in the 100m hurdles for 910 points. She followed that up by clearing 1.54m in the high jump accumulating 666 points. Her best event was undoubtedly the shot put. The Slovakia native heaved the ball out to 13.36m (43-10) garnering 751 points; the throw was the enough to place her first in the 24-athlete field.

She closed out the night with a time of 25.93 for 851 points in the 200m.

Mokrasova will conclude the heptathlon Saturday with the long jump (12:30 p.m. MT/espn3.com), javelin throw (1:45 p.m./espn3.com) and the 800m run (6:30 p.m./ESPN).

Saturday will feature the women’s final day of competition with sophomore sensation Tobi Amusan running in the 100m hurdle final for the second time in her career. Amusan qualified with the fastest time of 12.79. The Nigerian native will take the track at 5:10 p.m. live on ESPN.

Senior Samantha Hall will make her final appearance in the Orange and Blue as she competes in the women’s discus throw. Hall comes into the competition ranked 7th among the 24-athlete field. The discus throw starts at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN3.com.

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

Eugene, Or. – UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni make history by being the first freshman duo from the same school to make the 800m final in meet history at the NCAA Championships on Wednesday night.

Running at their first ever NCAA Championships, All-American duo Korir and Saruni did not disappoint. Korir won the first of three heats in the men’s 800m semifinal with the fastest qualifying time of 1:46.38. Saruni’s time of 1:46.63 was enough to win the final heat of the 800m and the third-fastest qualifying time.

Korir and Saruni will run on Friday’s 800m final set to start at 7:45 p.m. MT.

In a valiant effort running the 4x400m relay, Saruni, Korir, Asa Guevara and James Bias clocked 3:18.65. Saruni and Korir had just 90 minutes to recuperate and compete in the mile relay.

Day two of the NCAA Championship will see Tobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles set to start at 6:25 p.m., Lilian Koech in the 800m set for a 7:10 p.m. start and Winny Koech to close out the night in the 10,000m final running at 8:05 p.m.

You can watch the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships live on the ESPN family of networks. Both the final day of the men’s championship and women’s championship will be aired in prime time on ESPN.

For live results and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.

The UTEP track and field team will be sending nine student-athletes to compete at the 2017 NCAA Championships this week in Eugene Ore., starting Wednesday June 7 through Saturday, June 10.

Wearing the Orange and Blue for the women’s team will be Tobi Amusan (100m Hurdles), Samantha Hall (Discus Throw), Lucia Mokrasova (Heptathlon), Winny Koech (10,000m) and Lilian Koech (800m).

On the men’s side, Emmanuel Korir (800m and 4x400m relay), Michael Saruni (800m and 4x400m relays) and the 4x400m relay ream of Korir, Saruni, Asa Guevara and James Bias will represent the Miners at the NCAA Championships.

Tobi Amusan | Sophomore | Hurdles

The Sophomore makes her return to the NCAA Championships after taking runner-up last year. Amusan heads into the championships with the fastest qualifying time, when she clocked 12.57w at the West Region Prelim. The Nigerian native has yet to lose a 100m hurdles in five races thus far.

The school record holder will compete in the semifinals for the 100m hurdles on Thursday at 6:32 p.m. MT on ESPN2. A total of eight runners out of the 24 will advance to the finals. Three heats will be held (eight athletes in each heat) and the top two finishers from each heat plus the next best two fastest times will advance.

Samantha Hall | Senior | Discus

The senior will make her final appearance in the Orange and Blue at the national stage for the second time in her career after earning 13th overall at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Hall holds the school record in the discus throw with a mark of 58.50m and qualified for the NCAA Championships tossing for 56.50m at the West Region Prelims.Hall will compete on Saturday’s final starting at 4:05 p.m. on ESPN3.

Lucia Mokrasova| Junior | Heptathlon

Mokrasova will take the track in the heptathlon on Friday and Saturday morning for the Miners. The junior broke her previous school record earlier this year at the Texas Relays, she scored 5,671 points.

That point total for Mokrasova ranks her 12th nationally headed into the competition. The Slovakia native will take the track on Fridayat 1:30 p.m. on ESPN3.

Winny Koech | Sophomore | 10,000m

Koech will compete in the 10,000m Final on Thursday night at 8:08 p.m on ESPN2. Koech has clocked a personal-best 33:51.31 when she ran at the Mt. SAC Relays earlier this year. The C-USA champion ranks 17th among the 24 student-athletes competing, after running a qualifying time of 34:39.41. This will be the first trip to the national stage for Koech.

Lilian Koech | Sophomore | 800m

Making a her first appearance at the national stage, the Kenya native will run in the 800m semifinal on Thursday at 7:14 p.m on ESPN2. Koech clocked her personal best earlier this year with a time of 2:04.68 at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge. The sophomore earned one of the automatic qualifying spots from the West Region Prelim with a time of 2:07.68.

Emmanuel Korir | Freshman | 800m

The Kenya native has taken track and field by storm this year. Breaking numerous meet records and school records, including the indoor 600m world record (1:14.97). Korir is undefeated in the 800m through three races. The freshman clocked the fastest-time in the 800m earlier this year with a time of 1:43.73 at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge. Korir is just one of three athletes in the world to run sub-1:44 in the 800m and sub-45 in the 400m.

The All-American will take the track on Wednesday in the 800m semifinal starting at 7:14 p.m on ESPN2.

Michael Saruni | Freshman | 800m

Saruni has been just as spectacular as his teammate Korir. Saruni clocked a personal best 1:45.92 at the Texas Relays beating the 2012 Olympic silver medalist (Leonel Manzano) and the collegiate record holder (Donavan Brazier). Saruni heads into the championships ranked sixth in the nation.

Men’s 4x400m Relay Team

The Men’s 4x400m relay team will consist of both freshman 800m runners, senior James Bias and junior James Bias. The team registered the second-fastest time in program history with a time of 3:03.15 and ranks as the fourth-fastest qualifying time to the NCAA Championship. The team will compete on Wednesday in the 4x400m relay semifinal with the final set for Friday at 8:51 p.m. on ESPN.

You can watch the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships live on the ESPN family of networks. Both the final day of the men’s championship and women’s championship will be aired in prime time on ESPN.

For live results and breaking news be sure to follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter and uteptrack on Instagram.