A total of 29 past and present UTEP student-athletes will graduate from the university on Saturday.
The list includes 12 representatives from the football program (Vincent Czerniewski, John De La Rosa, Kelvin Fisher Jr., Jacob Garcia, Leon Hayes, Matthew Heard, Jeremiah Laufasa, Eric Lee, Jimmy Musgrave, Roy Robertson-Harris, Nathan Stukes, Jaquan White).
The remaining breakdown by sport is as follows: women’s basketball 3 (Starr Breedlove, Stacie Telles, Johnishia Welles), softball 3 (Samantha Alvillar, McKenzey Finley, Alanna Leasau), volleyball 3 (Dayana Acevedo-Rios, Talia Jones, Ashley Peak), men’s basketball 2 (Tevin Caldwell, Victor Mbachu), men’s golf 2 (Jere Pelletier, Martin Simonsen), women’s track & field 2 (Aisha Lee, Jallycia Pearson), soccer 1 (Sarah Dilling), and men’s track & field 1 (Roberto Camacho).
Seventeen of the graduates earned placement on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll (3.0 cumulative grade point average or better) over the course of their college careers.
Biographies follow on each of UTEP’s December 2015 graduating student-athletes.
December 2015 UTEP Graduating Student-Athlete Bios
Dayana Acevedo-Rios (Volleyball)
Dayana played two seasons with UTEP and saw action in 55 matches. The defensive specialist recorded 509 digs, 67 assists, 39 service aces and five kills. She was a two-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is a Psychology major.
Samantha Alvillar (Softball)
Samantha played in 134 games, making 123 starts for the Miners. The utility player scored 67 runs with 20 RBI, a home run and 19 stolen bases during her career. She is a Communication major.
Starr Breedlove (Women’s Basketball)
Starr is starting at point guard for UTEP this season after transferring from Louisville. She has the Miners off to a 7-0 start by averaging 12.0 points, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals in 27.4 minutes per game. She is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Tevin Caldwell (Men’s Basketball)
Tevin has appeared in 36 games for the Miners, tallying 46 points, 31 rebounds and 11 steals. After transferring from Cochise College, the El Paso native has filled a valuable role at UTEP with his high-energy play. He was a member of the 2014 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Roberto Camacho (Track & Field)
Roberto claimed silver in the 400m hurdles as a senior at the C-USA Championships with a personal-best time of 51.05 seconds. He competed at the NCAA West Preliminaries as a junior and senior in the 400 hurdles and 4×400 relay, respectively. He is a Criminal Justice major.
Vincent Czerniewski (Football)
Vince arrived at UTEP in 2013 as a walk on. He earned a scholarship in 2015 and played in 10 games for the Miners this season as a reserve defensive lineman. He was a two-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Management major.
John De La Rosa (Football)
John came to UTEP in 2013 and has seen action in nine games, making five starts at right tackle. The lineman was a part of an offensive unit that surrendered only 12 sacks this season. He has one year of eligibility remaining in 2016. He was a three-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and a recipient of a C-USA Academic Medal in 2013. He is a Kinesiology major.
Sarah Dilling (Soccer)
Sarah enjoyed a stellar career as a goalkeeper for the UTEP soccer team from 2011-14. She set school career records with 41 wins, 20 shutouts, 82 games played and 82 games started. She was an All-Conference USA first team honoree in 2014. She was a four-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is a Kinesiology major.
McKenzey Finley (Softball)
McKenzey played in 76 games, making 44 starts for the Miners. She started 42 games at the catcher position in 2014 and made a spectacular out at home plate, helping UTEP defeat rival NM State. She also hit .417 her sophomore season. She was a four-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is an Accounting major.
Kelvin Fisher Jr. (Football)
In his two seasons with the Miners, Kelvin recorded 39 tackles, five pass break-ups, one interception, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry. The defensive back produced five or more tackles in three games in 2015 while starting nine times. He was a member of the 2015 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is receiving his Master’s in Leadership Studies.
Jacob Garcia (Football)
Jacob came to UTEP in 2010 and worked with the scout team while appearing in three games at wide receiver. He was a two-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Criminal Justice major.
Leon Hayes (Football)
Leon arrived at UTEP in 2012 and has seen action in 32 games for the Miners. He has registered 18 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as a defensive back. He has one year of eligibility remaining in 2016. He is a Communications major.
Matthew Heard (Football)
A reserve linebacker, Matthew played on special teams in four games during the 2014 season. The former walk-on earned a scholarship for 2015 but missed the season after undergoing back surgery. He is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Talia Jones (Volleyball)
Talia came to UTEP in 2011 and saw action in 90 matches. She registered 868 kills, 226 digs, 85 blocks, 59 service aces and 24 assists. The outside hitter recorded a career-best 24 kills against Brown this season. She was a member of the 2013 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is a Finance major.
Jeremiah Laufasa (Football)
During his two seasons with the Miners, Jeremiah recorded 606 all-purpose yards and led the Miners in rushing with 381 yards on 102 attempts as a senior. He spurred the Miners to a 24-21 victory over Rice this season, rushing for 92 yards on 18 carries. He was a member of the 2015 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Alanna Leasau (Softball)
Alanna played in 97 games, starting 94 in two seasons with the Miners. The infielder hit three grand slams in 2013, while setting a school record with eight RBI in a single game. Her 16 home runs rank 10th in program history. She was a member of the 2013 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is a Human Resources Management major.
Aisha Lee (Track & Field)
Aisha was a member of the first women’s team in program history to win a conference title, achieving the feat indoors in 2015. She set personal bests in the discus throw, hammer throw and weight throw as a senior. She is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Eric Lee (Football)
Eric started 25 games at UTEP and was named to the 2015 watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the top center in the country. The Miners surrendered only 12 sacks in 2015. UTEP finished the season ranked first in Conference USA in fewest sacks allowed for the second consecutive year. He is a Finance major.
Victor Mbachu (Men’s Basketball)
Victor transferred to UTEP from Angelina College and played in five games for the Miners during the 2013-14 season. After redshirting a year ago, he has earned four appearances this year as a backup point guard. He is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Jimmy Musgrave (Football)
Jimmy played two seasons for the Miners and saw action in 25 games. He recorded 95 tackles, 12 tackles for losses, five quarterback hurries, four sacks, two pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, one interception and one fumble recovery. The linebacker was a team captain in 2015. He was a member of the 2015 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Ashley Peak (Volleyball)
Ashley arrived at UTEP in 2011 and participated in 83 matches. The defensive specialist was a force in the backcourt for the Miners, tallying 748 digs, 78 assists, 28 service aces and five kills. She is a marketing major.
Jallycia Pearson (Track & Field)
Jallycia was a member of the first women’s team in program history to win a conference title, achieving the feat indoors in 2015. The El Paso native is the school record-holder in the pentathlon and heptathlon, and won a conference title in each of those events during her career. She was a four-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is a Kinesiology major.
Jere Pelletier (Men’s Golf)
Jere played in 43 tournaments during his four years at UTEP and averaged a career-best 73.7 strokes per round as a senior. He racked up four-top 10 showings and was UTEP’s top finisher seven times during his career. He was a member of the 2012, 2013, 2014 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is an Accounting major.
Roy Robertson-Harris (Football)
Roy played in 47 games and made 33 starts in the Orange and Blue. The defensive lineman recorded 138 tackles, 25 tackles for losses, 16 quarterback hurries, 10.5 sacks, nine pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Martin Simonsen (Men’s Golf)
Martin was named the 2012 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was appointed to the 2015 All-Conference USA First Team. The three-time NCAA Regional participant recorded 15 top-10 showings and was UTEP’s top finisher 27 times during his career. He was a member of the 2013, 2014, 2015 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Finance major.
Nathan Stukes (Football)
Nathan played on special teams in 21 games for the Miners. The defensive back came to UTEP in 2014 and was recipient of the Thomas Howard Walk-On Award at “Dinner With the Miners” in 2015. He is a Criminal Justice major.
Stacie Telles (Women’s Basketball)
Stacie was a two-year starter for the Miners, helping them make a run to the 2014 WNIT finals. She played in 65 games, including 39 starts, and averaged 6.0 points, 2.4 assists and 24.4 minutes. She was a member of the 2014, 2015 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She is a Criminal Justice major.
Johnishia Welles (Women’s Basketball)
Johnishia played in 28 games, including one start, during her career with the Miners. She was a member of the 2014 WNIT runner up. As a senior she averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per contest. She is a Multidisciplinary Studies major.
Jaquan White (Football)
Jaquan has played in 26 games for the Miners and made major contributions in 2015. He led the team in receptions (38), receiving yards (471), touchdown receptions (seven), receiving yards per game (42.8) and total touchdowns (eight). The wide receiver has one year of eligibility remaining in 2016. He was a member of the 2013 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. He is a Criminal Justice major.
Author: UTEP Athletics
