Nov. 9, 2009
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Upcoming: UTEP tips off the 2009-10 season on Friday at 7:05 p.m. versus Texas Southern in the Don Haskins Center. The Miners are 64-24 in season openers (3-0 under coach Tony Barbee), including 45-3 in their last 48. UTEP has won 10 consecutive season openers dating back to the 1999-00 season. UTEP leads the Texas Southern series 10-1. The Miners are 36-4 all-time versus SWAC schools.
Looking Back: Christian Polk scored a team-high 15 points in his UTEP debut, as the Miners defeated New Mexico Highlands, 80-55, to open the 2009-10 season at the Don Haskins Center on Saturday. Arnett Moultrie recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Randy Culpepper (13 points) and newcomer Jeremy Williams (12 points, six rebounds) also reached double figures in scoring. UTEP dominated the boards to the tune of 49-33 and the bench was responsible for more than half of the Miners' points with 42. The Miners went into the break with a 36-24 lead and cruised down the stretch, scoring 44 points in the second half and shooting 45.3 percent from the floor on the night. UTEP held New Mexico Highlands to 30.8 percent shooting.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Upcoming: The Miners open their season by participating in the preseason NIT. UTEP will take on Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers, Fla. on Friday at 5 p.m. The Eagles return all five starters from last year's 26-5 squad that won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title. The Miners are guaranteed to play three games in the preseason NIT.
Looking Back: UTEP defeated St. Mary's (Texas), 57-44, in its 2009-10 exhibition opener on Saturday in El Paso. Jareica Hughes scored a team-high 11 points to lead the Miners. Hughes also finished with seven assists and six steals in 32 minutes of play. Freshman Kristine Vitola made her debut with eight points, six rebounds and a team-high five blocks. Dietra Caldwell also contributed eight points and junior transfer Ashley Milian picked up six boards while adding five points. Knotted at 22 at the break, the Miners dominated the second half, outscoring St. Mary's 35-22 to secure the victory.
CROSS COUNTRY
Upcoming: The Miners will run at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Saturday in Albuquerque.
Looking Back: The UTEP men edged Tulsa by one point to reclaim the Conference USA title on Oct. 31 in The Woodlands, Texas. The Miners also claimed the women's individual title after Risper Kimaiyo dethroned last year's champion, Silje Fjortoft of SMU. Kimaiyo, the Conference USA Female Freshman of the Year, clocked in at 17:46.3 to earn the first women's individual title under UTEP coach Paul Ereng. The Miners also had the Conference USA Male Freshman of the Year as Elkana Rotich placed fourth, finishing the 8K race in 24:33.1. Ereng picked up his fourth Conference USA Coach of the Year honor after leading UTEP to its fourth men's title in five years. Tulsa's John Beattie repeated as the men's individual champion. All-American Nicodemus Ng'etich was the top finisher for the Miner men, taking second with a time of 24:26.7. Golden Hurricane runners finished third and fifth, with Rotich fourth and Robert Menjo sixth (24:22.1). Justice Chirchir crossed the finish line in eighth place (25:02.1). Aggrey Chirchir (11th, 25:16.1) and Felix Maritim (12th, 25:17.8) rounded out the UTEP scorers. SMU runners placed second, third and fourth as the Mustang women defended their title, scoring 28 points to UTEP's 42. Gladys Chumba was the Miners' second finisher, placing fifth with a time of 18:22.1, and Kathya Garcia was seventh in 18:26.7. Jepchirchir Kigen and Karina Garcia placed 13th (18:43.8) and 14th (18:46.2), respectively.
FOOTBALL
Upcoming: UTEP (3-6, 2-3 C-USA) will play at SMU (5-4, 4-1 C-USA) on Saturday at 1 p.m. Time Warner Cable MetroSports Southwest Channel 24 will have television coverage in El Paso. SMU leads the series 9-7, although UTEP has won five of the last six matchups between the state rivals including three straight. The Mustangs hold a 5-2 advantage in games played in Dallas. The Miners won at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in 2003 (21-19) and 2007 (48-45 in overtime).
Looking Back: Tulane drove 86 yards for the game-tying score in a little over a minute late in regulation, and Andre Anderson's seven-yard run in overtime propelled the Green Wave to a 45-38 win over UTEP last Saturday in New Orleans. The loss spoiled one of the great individual performances in school history by Donald Buckram, who amassed 343 all-purpose yards -- 234 rushing and 109 receiving. Buckram is only the fourth player in NCAA history to have 200 yards rushing and 100 receiving in the same game. UTEP outgained Tulane in total yardage, 486-445. The Miners led 10-0, 17-14, 31-24 and 38-31, but couldn't hold on. The triple threat of Anderson (29 carries-105 yards), Ryan Griffin (24-for-36, 278 yards, three TDs) and Jeremy Williams (10 catches-139 yards) carried Tulane to its third win of the 2009 season.
MEN'S GOLF
Upcoming: Fall season complete. The Miners return to action at the Arizona Invitational Feb. 1-2 in Tucson.
Looking Back: UTEP took 16th place at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate Oct. 26-27 in Las Cruces. The Miners had a 54-hole score of 876 with rounds of 289, 293 and 294. UNLV was champion of the 17-team field (829). UTEP's Tanner Taff and Devin Meirtschin each tied for 47th place with a five-over-par 218.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Upcoming: Fall season complete. UTEP opens its spring season at the Islander Invitational Feb. 28-March 2 in Corpus Christi.
Looking Back: The Miners claimed an 11th-place showing at the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate Oct. 19-20 in Greenville, N.C. The Miners posted rounds of 308, 301 and 301 for a total of 910 at the two-day tournament. Georgia State was champion of the 15-team field (879). UTEP's Rosana Gomez earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after shooting a five-over-par 218 (74-72-72) to tie for fourth place, seven strokes back of champion Tara McFadden of Elon University (211).
RIFLE
Upcoming: The Miners will host Nebraska on Saturday.
Looking Back: UTEP edged Ole Miss by one point, 4584-4583, on Saturday in Oxford, Miss. With the match tied at 2257 following the smallbore competition, Andrea Palafox fired a career-best 593 to lead the Miners to a 2327-2326 edge in air rifle. Alix Moncada followed Palafox, firing 587. Moncada led the Miners in smallbore, gunning a 575, with Palafox second (569).
SOCCER
Upcoming: Season complete. The Miners finished 13-6-1 overall and 7-4 in Conference USA play.
Looking Back: UTEP battled UAB to a 1-1 tie through 90 minutes of regulation and a pair of 10-minute OT sessions before ultimately being edged on penalty kicks, 3-0, in a Conference USA quarterfinal match in Dallas last Wednesday. The Miners enjoyed a 1-0 lead at halftime thanks to Skye Schultz's goal (41:14), but UAB notched the equalizer early in the second stanza on a strike from Carolyn Polcari (49:07). Tiffany Turpin, Laura McCalla and Marie Yempuku all scored on penalty kicks to give the Blazers the win.
TENNIS
Upcoming: Fall season complete. The Miners' spring opener comes versus North Florida in Jacksonville on Jan. 29.
Looking Back: Veronika Makashov rolled to a perfect 4-0 singles mark to highlight play for the Miners at the Southwest Collegiate Invite over the weekend in Albuquerque. The tournament was the fourth of the fall for the Miners, who will now turn their attention towards preparation for the 2010 dual match season. Last year UTEP won a school-record tying 16 matches.
VOLLEYBALL
Upcoming: UTEP (11-17, 4-11 C-USA) concludes its season at Tulane on Saturday at noon.
Looking Back: The Miners beat Houston 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-8) on Friday at Memorial Gym, but a four-set loss to Rice on Sunday eliminated UTEP from contention for a spot in the Conference USA Tournament. Catherine Chavez and Amy Sanders posted 15 and 10 kills, respectively, versus the Cougars. The senior tandem also combined for 20 digs. Patty Jarmoc added 33 assists, five digs and seven blocks. The Miners won the first set from the Owls (25-20) before Rice finished off UTEP by claiming the final three frames (25-18, 25-22, 25-17). Chavez (10 kills, 10 digs) and Sanders (10 kills, 11 digs) both registered double-doubles. Aidan Mooney paced the Miners with 12 kills.
