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The work of UTEP alumna Nubia Zuverza-Mena, Ph.D., was mentioned in The National Nanotechnology Initiative Supplement to the President’s 2019 Budget, a report prepared for President Donald Trump by each federal agency.

The document highlighted Zuverza-Mena as part of a team working to boost the “immune system” of plants by supplying them with nanoscale micronutrients.

Her educational field is in nanotechnology — the study of the ultrafine particles of material that are the focus of emerging technology in agriculture.

Zuverza-Mena, a Juárez native, earned three degrees at UTEP – a B.S. in chemistry (2006), an M.S. in metallurgical and materials engineering (2009), and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering (2016).

As an undergraduate she conducted research on the use of plants to remove heavy metals from the environment. As a master’s student, she engaged in a tissue engineering research opportunity that was the precursor to the College of Engineering’s bioengineering program that is currently thriving on campus.

Her initial stint in the private sector came as a components engineer for Johnson & Johnson in Mexico after she earned her master’s degree. She helped oversee the manufacture of angioplasty balloons for use in medical procedures.

She returned to UTEP where she began to work with Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, Ph.D., the Dudley Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering.

Gardea-Torresdey is one of the preeminent names in the field of nanotechnology. Most recently, his work was published in the August 2018 edition of Nature Nanotechnology, one of the world’s leading monthly peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Under Gardea-Torresdey’s tutelage, Zuverza-Mena began her foray into the effects of nanotechnology.

She eventually parlayed her efforts into a postdoctoral assignment at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station as assistant scientist.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia – The UTEP men’s golf team (301-290—591) moved up two places to 13th after firing a 2-over-par 288 on Monday during round two at the Golfweek Conference Challenge played at Cedar Rapids Country Club (Par 72, 7,071 yards).

Aaron Terrazas (71-69—140) has been the top Miner thus far as the senior eagled his final hole on Monday to finish 4-under-par overall. Terrazas fired a 69 on Monday and is currently tied for fifth place with three other players.

Santiago Castilla (81-69—150) had a dramatic improvement on day two after the sophomore fired a 2-under-par 72. Castilla ranks tied for 56th. Freshman Nattapol Udomrat (80-74—154) is ranked tied for 74th, but lowered his score by six strokes from the day before. Oskar Ambrosius (75-78—153) is ranked tied for 72nd and Marcus Khaw (75-81-156) stands tied for 80th.

The Miners combined for 12 birdies, led by Terrazas’s and Castilla’s four birdies each.

Arkansas State (-23) has remained in first place after firing a 12-under par, while host school Iowa (-11) moved up a spot after shooting 5-under par on Monday. Campbell (-4) moved up two spots to third, while San Jose State (-3) and Jacksonville (-3) round out the top five programs heading into the final day on Tuesday.

Arkansas State’s Julien Sale (69-67—136) leads the individual field at 8-under, while Jacksonville’s Thomas Thuroway, Arkansas State’s Joel Wendin and Iowa’s Alex Schaake are tied for second at 5-under par.

Tuesday’s final-round action is set for a 9 a.m. CT shotgun start.

Live scoring may be followed via www.golfstat.com.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia – The UTEP men’s golf team finished the first day ranked 15^th after shooting a 13-over-par 288 at the Cedar Rapids Country Club (Par 72, 7,071 yards) on Sunday.

Senior Aaron Terrazas birdied the final hole to finish at 1-under and ranking tied for 14^th on the individual leaderboard with seven other players. Sophomore Oskar Ambrosius and true freshman Marcus Khaw each shot a 3-over, ranking tied for 49^th.

Arkansas State (-11) tallied 19 birdies and an eagle to put itself in first place on the overall team leaderboard, while Jacksonville (-7), Iowa (-6), San Jose State (-5) and Campbell (-1) round out the top-five rankings. Sacramento State (+17) ranks last.

Jacksonville’s Thomas Thurloway leads the leaderboard after firing a 6-under-par 72 and Gonzalo Leal of host school Iowa ranks second after registering a 5-under.

The Miners recorded 12 birdies on the day (nine on the front nine), as Terrazas, Ambrosius, Khaw and sophomore Santiago Castilla each registered a trio of birdies. Terrazas pared 13 holes, while true freshman Nattapol Udomrat had 11 pars and Khaw with 10.

Southern Illinois registered 21 birdies to lead the field.

Monday’s second-round action will have a 9:30 a.m. CT split tee time, while Tuesday’s final day will be a 9 a.m. CT shotgun start.

Follow live scoring via www.golfstat.com

MIAMI, Fl. – The UTEP soccer team opened league play with a dominating 2-0 win at FIU with goals from Lauren Crenshaw (3′) and Jojo Ngongo (40′) on Sunday afternoon.

“I am really proud of UTEP soccer getting a shutout on the road which is very tough to do in C-USA,” head coach Kevin Cross said. “FIU has a lot of athleticism and dangerous players with international experience, so getting a shutout was great. We did a great job playing as a team today. This young group learned a lot this week. We need El Paso’s support on Thursday when we play a tough Marshall team at home.”

The Miners dominated possession of the ball early in the first half, registering three corner kicks in the opening three minutes of the game. Nicole Pugsley nearly found the back of the net off a header that was put just wide of the post.

On the fourth corner of the game for UTEP, Carleigh Simmons played the ball into the box where Crenshaw connected from point-blank range to give the Miners an early lead. The junior leads the team with four goals on the season.

FIU registered four shots in the opening half, forcing senior GK Alyssa Palacios to make one save in the 20th minute. Palacios recorded two saves on the day to become the school record holder in shutouts (21). She passes Sarah Dilling (2011-14) with 10 games remaining in the 2018 regular season.

The Miners kept the momentum after the first goal, attempting seven shots at goal and earning six corner kicks. With five minutes before the break, sophomore Vic Bohdan played a well-placed pass to Ngongo. The freshman scored a sensational goal, her second of the season.

UTEP added nine more shots at goal in the second half, totaling 16 in the game. The Miners came inches away from extending their lead when Crenshaw took a crack at goal, forcing FIU’s Christin Velazquez to make a fingertip save in the 60th minute.

In the 75th minute, Ngongo tried to double her tally in the game with a shot that she put over the crossbar from just outside the penalty area. With 10 minutes left in regulation, Bohdan sent her second shot of the game wide of the post.

The Miners will host a four-game homestand starting on Thursday, Sept. 20, against Marshall at 7 p.m. MT, before turning their attention to 2018 FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 against NM State on Sunday, Sept. 23. at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

RIVERSIDE, Ca. – The UTEP volleyball team (3-9) split the final day of its Golden State road trip with a thrilling five-set victory over San Diego State (1-10) and a loss to California Baptist (9-3), 3-1, Saturday.

Match One
In the opening set UTEP began by distributing the ball, with five different Miners recording a kill in the first 12 points of the match. The Aztecs would string together six straight points, but UTEP would answer with its own run to get within one point, 18-17. The two teams would trade punches until the score was knotted up at 24-24. SDSU would seize the set, scoring the next two points.

An early 5-0 run in the second set by UTEP forced an Aztec timeout. SDSU would put together an answer in the form of a 4-0 run to make the score 10-8. Austin, late in the set, tallied back-to-back kills to tie the score at 21-21. The final points of the set were dominated by Jones and Austin, who combined for five kills to earn victory for the Miners, 25-23.

The Miners started out on fire in the third set behind service aces from Bustillos and Austin to form a Miner lead of 5-1. SDSU would force a timeout by UTEP when it gained control of the set, 12-11, after a 5-0 run.

Back and forth action would ensue and with the score tied, 26-26, for the second time in the match, Jones produced her third ace of the set and secured the victory for UTEP in the set.

The Aztecs raced out to a 15-8 advantage in the fourth set. The Miners chipped away at the lead, forcing an Aztec timeout with the score, 18-16. There was stellar play from Austin, who notched her 18th kill of the match in the set. SDSU locked in its focus and ended up taking control of the final stages of the game to force a fifth set, 25-19.

With the Orange and Blue leading the deciding fifth set, 11-7, SDSU made a push to cut the lead to one point. Briana Arellano halted the home-team momentum with a kill. Jones capped off her career performance, notching her 17th kill of the match as UTEP claimed victory, 15-13.

Watts’s Thoughts
“Every person contributed, whether from the court or from the bench. San Diego State pushed us and we responded well.”

Net Notes

• Cheyenne Jones recorded a career-high 17 kills
• Kristen Fritsche locked in her first 50+ assist performance (54)
• UTEP is now 2-0 in five-set matches this season
• This is the second victory over SDSU in program history
• First victory on an opponent’s home court since November 6, 2016 (FAU)
• Austin and Fritsche both named to SDSU Challenge All-Tournament Team

Match Two
UTEP was led by Macey Austin, who notched 13 kills for the Miners. Senior Ashley Grzebeniak and Martine Kragholm both added eight kills. Briana Bustillos paced UTEP with a career-high 22 digs and Mallory Yost posted three blocks. Kristen Fritsche locked in 37 assists for the Orange and Blue.

The Lancers jump out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and did not look back. Despite efforts from Cheyenne Jones, with three kills and a pair of blocks, CBU took the first set 25-11.

The second set was dominated by Grzebeniak, when she posted six kills and two blocks in the set. UTEP rode that momentum all the way to a set victory (25-19), evening up the set count at 1-1.

The Lancers came out firing to a 7-4 lead, forcing a UTEP timeout behind some efficient offense. CBU would then balloon the lead to 17-8, and seize the set 25-14.

The fourth set was tied at 3-3 but the Lancers went on a 5-0 run to gain the momentum. The Miners would stay within striking distance, but ultimately fell to CBU, 25-18, losing the set and match.

Watts’s Thoughts
“Ali (Vidali) and Ashley (Grzebeniak) went in there and did a really nice job for us. Our middle (blockers) Martine (Kragholm) and Mallory (Yost) also played great at the net. We are looking forward to starting Conference USA play with a clean slate. All of our goals are still ahead of us.”

Net Notes

Grzebeniak’s eight kills was a season high

Up Next
UTEP Volleyball will open up conference play at Rice (9-4), on Thursday (5 p.m. MT), before coming back home to take on Southern Miss (6-7), on Sunday, Sept. 23 (12 p.m. MT). Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids. For more information about the team day program call the UTEP marketing department at (915) 747-6065.

KNOXVILLE, TN. – Ty Chandler rushed for 158 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown burst in the third quarter, as Tennessee topped UTEP, 24-0, on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Jarrett Guarantano completed 12-of-16 passes for 168 yards for the Vols (2-1) in the first matchup between the teams in 28 years.

The defense kept the Miners (0-3) in the game until early in the fourth quarter, when Guarantano capped an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a four-yard TD pass to Jauan Jennings.

UTEP wasn’t able to get its offense untracked. The Miners finished with seven first downs and 134 yards, including 39 passing. Kai Locksley completed 9-of-22 passes for 39 yards, and rushed nine times for 24 yards.

UTEP fell just shy of 100 yards rushing (95) as Treyvon Hughes and Quardraiz Wadley tied for the team lead with 33 yards apiece.

“We had a really tough time moving the football,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said. “We really struggled offensively. Our execution wasn’t very good. I’m very disappointed with that. We had shown signs of improvement last week with our offense, and we just didn’t have anything today. The passing game wasn’t good. Third down conversions were bad. Our production was bad. It was just a bad offensive day for us.”

Tennessee picked up 345 yards on the ground and 512 total, but the Vols weren’t able to gain separation on the scoreboard until deep into the second half. The Miners registered four tackles for losses, a couple of sacks and recovered a pair of fumbles to stall Tennessee drives.

The Vols amassed 259 yards at the break but led just 10-0. A 38-yard field goal by Brent Cimaglia with 2:39 remaining in the first quarter opened the scoring. Early in the second quarter, the Vols took advantage of a short field and moved 36 yards on three plays, capped by a three-yard rushing TD by Tim Jordan.

The Miners got the ball to start the second half, but went three and out and on the next play, Chandler broke free for the 81-yard TD and a 17-0 lead.

UTEP senior DB Nik Needham recorded the 25th pass break-up of his career to tie Jahmal Fenner’s school standard. A.J. Hotchkins registered a game-high 10 tackles for UTEP.

With the offense ineffective, the Miners were forced to punt 12 times.

“We’ve just got to execute better and handle the environment better,” Dimel said. “We had some procedure penalties, but that just played a minor part in it. There were a lot of assignment busts, and that’s the thing we need to improve moving forward. We did lose a third offensive lineman [Jerrod Brooks] this week in practice, so we’re down three starters on the offensive line and I think that really showed up today for us big-time. Any team that takes three losses on their offensive line is going to have some improvement to make. We lost two, we meshed together pretty good last week and we lost a third one this week. So we’ve got to shore up those spots right now.”

UTEP and NM State will face off in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 next Saturday (Sept. 22) at 5:30 p.m. in the Sun Bowl. The first 1,000 fans will receive free rally flags, plus all fans receive first down cards compliments of FirstLight Federal Credit Union. The halftime show will feature performances by both the UTEP and NMSU marching bands, plus the 2018 UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame induction class will be recognized. Tickets are available by calling (915) 747-5234.

Las Cruces – The UTEP women’s cross country team finished first with a total of 38 points at the Lori Fitzgerald Open on Saturday morning.

The Miners crossed the finish line first, second, third and fourth. Winny Koech once again led the group, taking first with a time of 17:16.58 in the 5K. This is the second consecutive meet that the junior has won.

Teammates Lilian Koech and Linda Cheruiyot followed with times of 17:33.62 and 17:35.52, respectively.

Carolyne Chepkosgei snagged fourth place with a time of 17:40.47. The fifth Miner to clock in was Destiny White.

On the men’s side, freshman Rodgers Korir took second with a personal best of 22:00.41 in the 7K. This was Korir’s first meet of his collegiate career.

Teammate Cornelius Kapel registered a third-place showing with a time of 22:12.69. Freshman Boaz Ronoh finished 15th in the field with a time of 23:37.22. Freshman Isaiah Page posted a readout of 24:10.06.

The young men’s team finished fourth overall.

The Miners will be back on the course on Sept. 28 at the highly-competitive Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

SAN DIEGO, Ca. – The UTEP volleyball team (2-8) fell in three sets against Oregon State (7-2) in the first match of the SDSU Challenge Friday afternoon.

Macey Austin posted a match-high 16 kills with 5.33 kills per set. Kristen Fritsche locked in 25 assists and seven digs for the Miners. Libero Briana Bustillos posted 11 digs and Cheyenne Jones added three total blocks for the UTEP defense.

In the first set there were 13 ties between the two teams. Austin propelled the Miners with six kills in the set on a .500 hitting percentage. With the score knotted up at 22-22, the Beavers ran away with the final three points of the set.

The second set was captured behind an Oregon State 9-4 run that UTEP could not recover from. The Miners battled but could not close the gap, losing the set 25-18.

The third set was started by some stellar play at the net with Maddie Morgan and Jones assisting on a couple of blocks for UTEP. What ensued was a back and forth affair resulting in a 12-12 score. OSU tallied a 10-3 run, and then put the set away, 25-17, to capture the match.

Net Notes

Watts’s Thoughts

“We competed today against a tough Oregon State team. It was another match where our aggressive serving gave us chances to score. We need to be more consistent with our passing to have all of our offensive options.”

• Austin has now improved her kills per set this season to 4.14, and recorded the 2000^th attack attempt of her career
• Bustillos notched the eighth double-digit dig performance of the season
• Martine Kragholm recorded the 20^th block of her career
• Mallory Yost now has 25 blocks on the season

UTEP will take on host school San Diego State Saturday morning (10 a.m. MT) in the second match of the SDSU Challenge. The Miners will then travel to Riverside, Calif., to play California Baptist later that evening (8 p.m. MT) for the final match of the road trip.

The UTEP cross country team will head to Las Cruces, N.M. to co-host the Lori Fitzgerald Open on Saturday at the NMSU track and intramural fields.

The men’s team will open the meet in the 7K at 7:45 a.m. MT, followed by the women’s 5K race at 8:30 a.m. Also participating in the meet is New Mexico, NM State, Western New Mexico and El Paso Community College. The women’s team will go head-to-head for the second time this season against UNM. The Lobos claimed the 2017 NCAA Championship and rank first in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) national coaches’ poll.

The Miner women’s team comes into the race after claiming a first-place finish at the Lobo Invitational. Winny Koech led the team, clocking in a time of 17:42.7 in the 5K to finish first overall. Teammate Lilian Koech followed with a second-place showing, posting a time of 17:57.3.

Linda Cheruiyot took third, while Carolyne Chepkosgei notched a fourth-place result with a personal best of 18:05.9 at the Lobo Invitational.

Sophomore’s Andrea Lucero and Destiny White will also be competing for the Miners this weekend.

The men’s team opened the season with a second-place team finish. Sophomore Cornelius Kapel led the Miners with a seventh-place finish at the Lobo Invitational with a personal best of 16:00.3 in the 5K. Freshman Boaz Ronoh took eighth with a time of 16:07.4.

Also competing for the men’s team will be Rodgers Korir, Isaiah Page, Daniel Maes, Edgar Gonzalez, Allan Ortiz and Michael Sims.

Officials with The University of Texas at El Paso announced Thursday that for the 20^th consecutive year, enrollment at university has increased.

Fall enrollment figures for the 2018-19 academic year hit a new record of 25,151, compared with last year’s all-time high of 25,078 students.

“While it’s a smaller increase than in previous years, we are always excited to see enrollment go up,” said Gary Edens, Ed.D., vice president for student affairs. “The University had a record number of close to 5,000 students graduate during the 2017-18 academic year, and when that many students earn degrees, we know that it takes time to replenish.”

To date, UTEP has awarded more than 4,830 degrees for the 2017-18 academic year, a nearly 7 percent increase compared with 2016-17.

Edens added that when the economy is doing well and unemployment is low, students tend to work instead of going to school.

“In the enrollment world, professionals know that a strong economy and low unemployment tends to mean that students delay their education so that they can work and earn money,” Edens said.

Despite these factors, UTEP continues to attract more new students each year and retain those who are already enrolled. The student retention rate, a measure of how many students return to the University from one term to another, is 82.9 percent from spring to fall 2018, the highest since the historical high from spring to fall 2010 (83.3 percent).

Edens said the academic quality and the opportunities available for UTEP students, from undergraduate research to student employment, community engagement, leadership opportunities and study abroad experiences, help draw students to the University. The hard work of the faculty and academic advisers to make sure students progress successfully toward their degrees help keep them enrolled.

“We remain committed to providing the talented students of our region with an affordable education and the academic experience of a national research university,” he said.

Sophomores Erandi Martinez and Milena Baigorria as well as newcomers Kirsten Prelle and Vanessa Valdez will represent the UTEP tennis team in its opening tournament of the fall campaign by partaking in the Midland Racquet Club Intercollegiate Invitational Friday through Sunday.

UTEP will be competing alongside the likes of Penn State, Texas Tech, Arizona, Utah State, UT Arlington, UAB, Abilene Christian and Tyler Jr. College. It will be the first of five fall tournaments for the Miners, who will also take part in the NM State Aggie Invite (Sept. 21-23), the San Diego State University Invitational (Sept. 28-30), the ITA Mountain Regional Tournament (Oct. 10-14) and the GCU Invitational (Nov. 2-4).

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to take four players to this tournament that has a longstanding history of great participants,” UTEP head coach Ivan Fernandez said. “Erandi Martinez, Vanessa Valdez, Kirsten Prelle and Milena Baigorria will be making the trip with me and will be making the trip with me. It is great to finally get to see them compete after a couple of weeks of practice.

“The team has been working very hard to prepare for this tournament. I am looking forward to watching them compete against players from these established programs. This will give us a good idea of how we compare to them and how much more we need to work to build the successful UTEP tennis program that we aspire to be.”

Martinez paced the Miners in 2017-18 with a 20-10 overall singles record in her collegiate debut year, playing primarily the No. 3 position. Baigorria posted five total wins last year, including coming on strong in the spring by going 4-1 in dual-match play.

Valdez is a transfer from NM State, who thrived under Fernandez during the 2016-17 season. She was a first-team All-WAC performer after pacing the Aggies in singles victories (16). She will have two years of eligibility with the Orange and Blue.

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David Bishop (men’s golf), Camilla Carrera (softball), Jareica Hughes (women’s basketball), Willie Worsley (men’s basketball) and Barron Wortham (football) will be inducted into the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, September  21.

The 16th Annual UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center Hall of Champions.  Social hour begins at 6 p.m., with the dinner and program to follow at 7.

Individual tickets are $30, and a table of eight is $240.  Tickets are available by calling the Miner Athletic Club at 747-6787, or by e-mailing mac@utep.edu.

David Bishop (Men’s Golf)

David Bishop’s first love was basketball growing up, but at five feet nine inches he figured that his future in athletics was on the golf course. He grew up in the Fort Lauderdale area and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where he was All-State in golf for two years and four-time All-City.

Recruited to UTEP by coach Cricket Musch, he turned in a dominant effort over four years as a Miner from 1987-91. He was a four-time All-American, garnering honorable mention recognition in 1988 and 1990 and second team honors in 1989 and 1991. He was appointed the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1989 and 1991.

He won four tournaments at UTEP, helping the Miners finish second at the NCAA Championships in 1988 and ninth in 1991. His scoring averages were 73.9 as a freshman, 73.0 as a sophomore, 73.5 as a junior and 72.6 as a senior. Bishop traveled the world on many golf tours as a PGA Professional. He passed away on April 15, 2017 at the age of 48. But his legacy lives on as one of the greatest players in the history of the storied UTEP Men’s Golf program.

Camilla Carrera (Softball)

Camilla Carrera was a three-time All-Region player at Mountain Pointe High School in Tempe, Ariz. She traveled 400 miles down the road to resume her softball career in the west Texas town of El Paso, where she put up eye-popping numbers.

Carrera’s UTEP career produced numerous school records with a .401 batting average, 260 hits, 186 runs, 57 doubles, 61 home runs, 197 runs batted in and 504 total bases. As a senior in 2012, the catcher and utility player clubbed an NCAA-leading and Conference USA record 32 home runs.

She batted .447 that year while driving in 66 runs in just 53 games. Carrera was named the Conference USA Player of the Year for the second time; she also earned the distinction in 2009 after leading the league with a .412 batting average, 19 doubles, 13 home runs and 133 total bases.

Carrera garnered first team All-Conference USA accolades in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. She led the Miners to the C-USA Tournament championship game in 2009, and a school-record 31 victories in 2010.       

Jareica Hughes (Women’s Basketball)

Jareica Hughes helped put the UTEP women’s basketball program on the map, with the Miners winning a conference championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time during her star-studded career from 2006-10.

The 5-3 point guard arrived from Southfield, Mich., and promptly led the Orange and Blue to 22 victories in 2006-07. She was tabbed the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, but there was much more to come. The Miners piled up a school-record 28 wins in 2007-08 and peeled off 23 consecutive victories while reaching the second round of the “Big Dance.”

UTEP also ran the table at a perfect 16-0 in C-USA play – the first women’s program in league history to achieve the feat – with Hughes being voted the C-USA Player of the Year. She repeated the honor in 2009. Hughes owns school records with 599 assists, 277 steals and 3,777 minutes, while ranking second with 1,555 points and 359 free throws, and third with 527 field goals.

She led the Miners to 84 victories in four years and is a member of the UTEP Women’s Basketball Centennial Team.

Willie Worsley (Men’s Basketball)

He may have been the smallest player on the court, but Willie Worsley’s influence on the 1966 national champion Texas Western Miners was legendary. The 5-7 guard averaged eight points as a sophomore and was a major pest in the NCAA Tournament, putting up 14 points versus Oklahoma City, 12 against Utah and eight versus Kentucky in the historic national title game.

The win over the Wildcats put Texas Western on the map, but the game was significant for Worsley in another way as it marked the first time his working mother Julia was able to watch him play. Worsley’s role increased as a junior and senior as he was second on the squad in scoring both years, collecting 12.2 and 14.4 points per contest respectively.

He appeared in 78 games for the Miners, compiling 877 points and 252 rebounds while playing a key role on two NCAA Tournament teams. He was a two-time NABC All-District pick. Worsley later played for the New York Nets in the American Basketball Association during the 1968-69 season. He becomes the fifth starter from the 1966 NCAA champs to be inducted into the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame.    

Barron Wortham (Football)

One of the top linebackers ever to come through UTEP, Barron Wortham amassed a school-record 566 tackles and 45 tackles for losses from 1990-93. He joined Raymond Morris as the only Miners to lead the team in tackles four times.

Wortham racked up 129 stops as a freshman, 148 as a sophomore, 138 as a junior and 151 as a senior, when he was a first team All-American and the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a three-time first team All-WAC choice and was appointed the league Freshman of the Year in 1990. 

Wortham was chosen by the Houston Oilers in the NFL Draft and played seven seasons in the league. He appeared in a total of 108 NFL games with 62 starting assignments while playing for the Oilers, Titans and Dallas Cowboys.  His top season was 1999, when he tallied 81 tackles and three fumble recoveries and started for the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

In 2014, Wortham was named to the UTEP Football Centennial Team as one of 35 iconic players from the first 100 years of the program. The family legacy continues as his son, Barron Jr., is a sophomore linebacker with the Miners.   

The UTEP volleyball team will compete in two matches in the SDSU/USD Challenge on Friday and Saturday morning, and then it will hit the road to Riverside, Ca, to play California Baptist (8 p.m. MT).

The Miners will travel to San Diego for the first match of the weekend against Oregon State on Friday at 1 p.m. MT. The following day UTEP will take on host-school San Diego State at 10 a.m. MT.

The Orange and Blue will finish off the weekend traveling north up I-15 to Riverside, Ca, for a match against California Baptist on Saturday.

Live Stats SDSU/USD Challenge   |   Live Stream California Baptist   |   Live Stats California Baptist

OREGON STATE SCOUTING REPORT

Following the K-State Invitational, Oregon State has racked up a 6-2 record for the season. The Beavers are coming off of a strong offensive performance with a win over North Texas notching 50 kills and a .361 hitting percentage. Maddie Goings has a team-high 121 kills and Grace Massey leads the squad in digs (151).

OREGON STATE SERIES INFO

The Miners first and only meeting with the Beavers took place during the 1997 season at the Wyoming Classic where the Miners fell to Oregon State in four sets. UTEP will look to even up the series this weekend at the SDSU Challenge.

First Meeting: 09/12/1997 UTEP 1 SDSU 3

SAN DIEGO STATE SCOUTING REPORT

The Aztecs head into the weekend’s challenge on a seven-loss streak (1-8) after a loss to Hawai’i, with their sole win this season against Seattle (8/25). Ashlyn Dunbar boasts a team-best 126 kills this season, while Sam McGrath leads the team in digs (100).

SAN DIEGO STATE SERIES INFO

The Aztecs and the Miners have squared off 13 times since 1991, when the two teams were members of the WAC. The last time UTEP was victorious against SDSU was in the 1998 season when the Orange and Blue won a thrilling five-set match.

First Meeting: 10/18/1991 UTEP 0 SDSU 3

Last Meeting:  09/13/2008 UTEP 2 SDSU 3

CALIFORNIA BAPTIST SCOUTING REPORT

The California Baptist Lancers have entered Division 1 for the first time in program history with a record of 7-3. Two weeks into their induction to the Western Athletic Conference, Nicole Abreu was named the WAC Defender of the Week. Abreu ranks fifth in the WAC in digs per set (4.19) with a season-high 20 versus American University.

CALIFORNIA BAPTIST SERIES INFO

This will be the opening match in the UTEP versus California Baptist series.

Setting It Up

Freshman setter Kristen Fritsche has been the model of consistency for the Miners this year. She has amassed a team-leading 316 assists and 112 digs (second on squad). Fritsche has earned six double-doubles this season and has the most assists per set (9.58) by a freshman in Conference USA.

She had a career match against UIC (8/31), when she recorded 46 assists and 27 digs. She was an All-Tournament selection for the Omaha Challenge, where she totaled 108 assists and 48 digs for the weekend.

Libero Time

Sophomore transfer Briana Bustillos has led the way for the Miner defense this season She has tallied the most digs (114) on the team, which has helped her solidify her spot as the premier libero on the squad. Her career high in digs (18) came against UMKC (8/31). Bustillos has seven double-digit dig performances on the year, with the last coming against Montana (9/8).

Miners At The Net

Mallory Yost leads the Miner defensive effort at the net with 24 total blocks ranking 10th in Conference USA. The sophomore also rates seventh in conference in blocks per set (1.00). Yost is not the only Miner protecting the net, Martine Kragholm pitches in a team-high six solo blocks and ranks second on team with 19 total blocks.

Serena Patterson (12), Cheyenne Jones (11) and Kristen Fritsche (10) all contribute double-digit blocks to the Miners 56 total blocks as a team.

2018 Schedule Breakdown

The 2018 UTEP volleyball schedule features nine home matches, including seven in the Sun City against Conference USA opponents. The Miners will also host the 2017 Conference USA postseason champion WKU.

Before conference play begins, the team will be traveling to places from the bayou of New Orleans, La., to the beaches of San Diego.

The Miner C-USA schedule will prove to be a battle every night. The Miners open conference play versus Rice (Sept. 21). The Owls are currently third in conference (6-3) and boast a victory over South Carolina. UTSA leads the conference (7-3) and is coming off of a big win over Houston. UTEP will play the Roadrunners Sept. 30 at Memorial Gym.

Academic Culture

UTEP head coach Holly Watts’s hard work on the court and in the classroom culture that she has instilled in her team yielded 12 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll recipients. These students maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better last season.

Among these honor roll students Macey Austin and Cheyenne Jones were also honored with securing Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medals for maintaining a GPA of 3.75 or better. Due to the team’s stellar academic performance in the classroom they were honored as a recipient of the AVCA team academic award.

New Faces

The Miners add eight new faces to the UTEP family this season. These new Miners come from a variety of different parts of the world from junior transfer Erika Sianez (El Paso native) to Martine Kragholm (Kristiansand, Norway). Freshmen Kenidy Howard, Alex Torres and Serena Patterson are all from the Lone Star State.

El Paso native Briana Bustillos brings in college playing experience as a junior transfer from the New Mexico Military Institute. She helped the Broncos to a third place finish in the 2017 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. Two new setters round out the roster for the Miners. They are Hayley Meshay from Phoenix, Ariz. and Kristen Fritsche from Torrance, Calif.

Home Sweet Home

UTEP recorded all six of its victories in Memorial Gym during the 2017 season. The home crowd atmosphere boosted the Miner team to some of their best performances of the campaign, including an upset win over Rice (9/22) in a five-set thriller where All-Conference USA performer Macey Austin had a career-high 27 kills.

Setting the Bar

Premier player Macey Austin has already left her mark on the 2018 season. Her 23-kill performance against UIW (Aug. 24) ranks third for kills during a single match in Conference USA. Austin has gotten off on the right foot posting two double-digit kill performances. She also ranks sixth in C-USA in kills (43).

Austin has also stepped up her production on defense this season. She recorded 50 digs her sophomore season and 42 digs her freshman year. Austin has already surpassed those numbers with 76 on the year and 2.30 digs per set. Her skills in all facets of the game helped earn her a spot on the 2018 All-Tournament Team for the Borderland Invitational, when she locked in 43 kills, 4.30 kills per set and 18 digs for the Invitational.

Austin On Top

Junior outside hitter Macey Austin found a way to improve in almost every single statistical category during her sophomore campaign. She accumulated career highs in kills (359), total attempts (876), kills per set (3.65) and points (379.0).

Austin’s on the court success garnered her an All-Conference USA second-team selection. She also finished ranked ninth in conference for kills last season.  The league announced near the beginning of the 2018 campaign that Austin was named to the 2018 C-USA Women’s Volleyball Preseason Team.

Serving The Community

Macey Austin’s excellence is not limited only to the court. For the second straight year Austin received the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal for maintaining a GPA of above a 3.75. Austin has proven to be an incredible example of an all-around student-athlete, earning the C-USA Spirit of Service Award where she totaled 21.75 hours of community service.

She contributed time with the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso, UTEP Volleyball Camp and the Game Change Volleyball Camps.

Baumgartner Making Her Mark

Kylie Baumgartner is looking to place her name in the UTEP record books by the end of her final season. Baumgartner ranks seventh all-time in total block assists (282). She needs seven block assists to surpass former teammate Lindsey Larson for sixth all-time.

Baumgartner is also poised to pass some major milestones in career total blocks. She only needs two total blocks to rate seventh all-time in program history. She is on pace to become only the second player in Miner history to have 300+ block assists and 400+ total blocks in a career.

International Miners

Senior Ashley Grzebeniak and junior Niki Cebak represent the great nation of Canada. They combined for 458 digs during the 2017 season and played in 188 sets. They are now joined by another international player, Martine Kragholm of Kristiansand, Norway.

Kragholm will be called upon to contribute quickly, and is a four-time Norwegian Youth National Championship gold-medalist with Kristiansand Sand Volleyball Klubb. The 5,169 miles is a long way from home for the talented middle blocker, but Grzebeniak and Cebak will surely show her the ropes to help acclimate her to life in the Sun City.