May 1, 2009
Track and Field's Mickael Hanany and basketball's Stefon Jackson were chosen co-winners of the UTEP Male Athlete of the Year Award, and track and field's Blessing Okagbare was selected the UTEP Female Athlete of the Year at the 35th annual "Dinner With The Miners" banquet on Thursday night at the Wyndham El Paso Airport.
Soccer's Cara Nordin received the Golden Miner Award, and Dr. Kenneth George was honored with the Silver Anniversary Award.
Hanany won the 2008 national title in the high jump with a career-best performance of seven feet, seven and a quarter inches. That performance ranked second on the French national list and ninth on the all-time collegiate list. He became the first male athlete in the history of Conference USA to capture a national championship. Hanany also won the high jump and the long jump at the 2008 Conference USA Outdoor Meet. He holds C-USA indoor and outdoor records in the high jump. He concluded his career as a 17-time conference champion and eight-time All-American. Hanany represented his native France at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Jackson closed out his brilliant collegiate career as UTEP and Conference USA's all-time leader for points (2,456), free throws made (726), free throws attempted (945), field goals made (810) and field goals attempted (1,807). He is also first in UTEP history in minutes played (4,091) and 20-point games (68), and rates second in 30-point games with 15. Jackson averaged 24.5 points this season to rate fifth nationally, and led the country in free throws made (312) and attempted (374). He was one of only two players in the NCAA to score 900 points during the 2008-09 season, joining Davidson's Stephen Curry. He earned first team All-Conference USA honors in 2008 and 2009.
Okagbare was a five-time All-American in her first season at UTEP in 2008. She finished second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Meet. She took second in the triple jump, third in the long jump and helped the 400-meter relay to a sixth-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Okagbare also won a bronze medal in the long jump as part of the Nigerian National Team at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. A four-time Conference USA champion in 2008, Okagbare holds league and school records in the indoor and outdoor long and triple jumps.
Nordin was a four-year letterwinner for the UTEP soccer team and was part of the second-winningest class in program history. Nordin ranks second at the school in assists (25), fourth in points (77) and sixth in goals (77). She captained the 2008 Miner squad. She has made the College of Science Dean's List for the past four years and was a four-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll as well. A member of the National Honor Society, she graduated in December with a degree in Psychology. An active member of UTEP's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Nordin has volunteered her time at numerous local schools and is a special needs volunteer at Independent Networking, Inc.
The Silver Anniversary Miner Award is presented to an individual who had a distinguished college athletic career, and has continued to contribute to UTEP and the El Paso community.
George was a three-year letterwinner and guard for the Texas Western football team from 1954-56, helping the Miners post three straight winning seasons. TWC was 8-3 in 1954, 6-2-2 in 1955 and 9-2 in 1956, while making a pair of Sun Bowl appearances.
George garnered first team All-Borderland Conference recognition in 1956. The Miners went 6-0 in the league that year on their way to claiming the program's first conference title. To this day, the nine wins rank as the second-most in school history, and the Miners have won only two conference titles on the gridiron.
The team grade point average award went to women's golf. The community service award was presented to the softball program.
In addition, team MVP awards were presented to Jose Martinez (football); Jackson (men's basketball); Jareica Hughes (women's basketball); Andrea Palafox (rifle); Roger Sloan (men's golf); Teresa Nogués (women's golf); Patty Jarmoc and Amy Sanders (volleyball); Cara Nordin (soccer); Amber Bennett and Camilla Carrera (softball); Dominic Tanui (men's indoor track and field); Mickael Hanany (men's outdoor track and field); Endurance Abinuwa (women's indoor track and field); Blessing Okagbare (women's outdoor track and field); Japheth Ng'ojoy (men's cross country); Jepchirchir Kigen (women's cross country); Marina DeLuca (tennis); Kaleena Roche and David Martinez (cheerleading); Daidre Mendenhall (women's strength & conditioning); Robby Felix (men's strength and conditioning); and Erica Romero (athletic training).
"Dinner With The Miners" is made possible by the El Paso Downtown Lions Club. The event was inspired by past Lion president John Phelan. In 1979, a $10,000 memorial endowment was established. Due to the overwhelming community support of the event, the memorial fund was raised to $100,000 in 1983. A second endowment has already been established and continues to grow each year. These two endowments provide funds annually to offset the cost of student-athlete scholarships.
