UTEP sophomore Ruth Jerubet crossed the finish line first on the women’s side, while Yusuf Mohamud placed second to lead the men in the 2022 season opener at the 36th Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open on Saturday morning at NM State Golf Course.
“It was a good start for both the ladies’ and men’s teams. We now do know where we stand as a team and what we need to do as the season progresses,” UTEP Head Coach Paul Ereng said. “The women finished third. They were led by Jerubet, who finished in first position overall with a time of 17:40.74. The men’s team finished second one point behind EPCC. They were led by Mohamud in second place. He also posted a personal best time of 15:00.91. We look forward to competing at the Texas Tech Open in a few weeks.”
The men’s team finished in second place (32 points) behind winner El Paso Community College (31 points). Host NM State finished third (66). The women’s squad placed third (59 points) behind EPCC (49) and winner NM State (26).
Jerubet clocked in a 17:40.74 in the women’s 5K, and Mohamud turned in a personal-best 15:00.91 in the men’s 5K. Mohamud surpassed his previous best 16:03.7 at last year’s Lori Fitzgerald.
Rounding out the men’s race, freshman Victor Kibiego placed third (15:08.59), sophomore Juan Olmos finished ninth (15:46.19), senior Michael Sims finished 10th (15:51.67), junior Titus Cheruiyot finished 11th (15:56.77), sophomore Maxwell Kipkosgei finished 15th (16:01.63) and senior Rodgers Korir finished 16th (16:17.54).
Finishing the women’s side, junior Joan Kimaiyo placed 12th (20:00.27) and sophomore Victoria Ovalles placed 16th (20:18.53). Freshman Angie Calderon (20th – 21:50.10) and Alexa Rangel (21st – 22:34.67) made their UTEP debuts. Valerie Gonzalez, who recently rejoined the squad, finished 22nd (23:05.80).
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