UTEP Miners

May 8, 2008

Thirty-one past and present UTEP student-athletes will graduate from the university this weekend.

The list includes seven representatives from the football program; five each from men's and women's basketball; three each from women's soccer, softball, men's track and field and women's volleyball; and two from women's track and field.

Headlining the list of football graduates are Micheal Comer, Robby Felix and Reagan Schneider.

Comer was a first team All-Conference linebacker at UTEP in 1995 and 1996. His 437 tackles rank sixth on the school's career list. Comer signed a free agent contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals in 1997 before nearly losing his life in a serious car accident. Now 33 years old, Comer will be receiving his degree in multidisciplinary studies on Saturday.

Felix will play his final season with the Miners as a graduate student this fall. Felix has started all 36 games over the last three years and is again on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy - presented to the nation's top center - entering his senior campaign.

Schneider ranks first in UTEP annals in kicking scoring (287 points), field goals (50) and points after touchdowns (137).

The list of men's basketball graduates includes a pair of regular starters from the 2007-08 season in Marvin Kilgore and Victor Ramalho. Kilgore averaged 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.0 steals as a senior, while Ramalho averaged 5.9 points and 4.7 boards.

Graduating from the women's basketball team are Kasia Krezel, Natasha Marisett, Izabela Piekarska and Claudia Porras, who all played key roles in the Miners' drive to a 28-4 record, Conference USA regular season title and NCAA Tournament appearance this past season. Piekarska is UTEP's all-time leading scorer.

Other standouts from this year's graduating class include Kaletia Roberts and Jami Tullius from women's soccer; Renee DiPuccio and Simone Holland from softball; John Alipio and Daniel Ward from men's track and field; Keisha Walkes from women's track and field; and Katie Smith from women's volleyball.

Roberts tallied 32 points in her UTEP career. The three-time all-conference honoree played on the two winningest teams in school history (2002 and 2005). Tullius left UTEP as the Miners' all-time leader in goals (47), points (112), game-winning goals (12) and games started (84). She was a member of the winningest class in school history, helping UTEP rack up 61 victories in four seasons.

A senior in 2008, DiPuccio has been with the Miner softball program since its inception in 2004. Holland owns every career hitting record at UTEP.

Alipio and Ward both earned All-America honors as members of the Miners' third-place 4x100 meter relay at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ward was also an All-American in the 200 meters at NCAA Indoors the same year.

Walkes currently has the 17th-best shot put in the country while leading the UTEP women's track and field team to a no. 10 national ranking.

Smith broke a 15-year-old UTEP single season assist record as a senior in 2006 with 1,356.

2008 UTEP Spring Graduates

Football