Aug. 26, 2009
CROSS COUNTRY
Upcoming: The Miners will run in the Lobo Invitational on Sept. 5 in Albuquerque to christen their season.
2009 Preview: After picking up a second-place finish at the 2008 Conference USA Championships, the UTEP men's cross country team returns to action this fall with a handful of new faces. Meanwhile, the women's team will take to the course with its strongest squad since head coach Paul Ereng arrived in 2003. Seniors Nicodemus Ng'etich and Aggrey Chirchir will team with four newcomers as the UTEP men look to reclaim the league title from defending champion Tulsa. Prior to the 2008 season, the Miners had captured three consecutive C-USA titles. Ng'etich concluded his junior year with a top-30 finish at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American status. Replacing departed All-Americans Japheth Ng'ojoy, Patrick Mutai and Dominic Tanui are freshmen Justice Chirchir, Elkana Rotich and Felix Maritim and El Paso Community College transfer Robert Menjo. Native Kenyans Chirchir and Elkana are expected to be impact newcomers capable of elevating the team back into contention for a league title.
The women's team has three experienced runners returning and has added four newcomers to the mix. Two of the newcomers -- Karina Garcia and Gladys Chumba - are expected to make immediate contributions. They will join Kathya Garcia, Risper Kimaiyo and Jepchirchir Kigen as the Miners look to challenge conference powers Rice and SMU.
FOOTBALL
Upcoming: UTEP kicks off the `09 slate at home versus Buffalo on Sept. 5. Special pricing is in effect for this game - $15 reserved seats and $10 general admission. Tickets are available by calling 747-5234. Season tickets are also available at 747-6150. Pepsi will have a tailgate at the Buffalo game, and UTEP schedule magnets will be presented to the first 10,000 fans.
2009 Preview: UTEP has averaged 32.3 points and 403.2 yards per game since Mike Price came on board as head coach for the 2004 season. The Miners rank seventh nationally in passing offense, 20th in scoring offense and 32nd in total offense during that five-year span.
If UTEP can develop a championship defense to go along with its title-worthy offense, the Miners will not only be looking at their third bowl appearance of the Price era, but a run at the Conference USA title as well.
This year's squad has the potential to be very good, but the Miners will need to navigate a difficult schedule that has them taking on six '08 bowl teams in their first seven games.
If UTEP can survive that treacherous seven-game stretch, it will have a chance to finish with a flourish. Four of the last five contests are versus teams that posted a losing record a year ago.
Returning to direct the offense is Trevor Vittatoe, who has posted eye-popping numbers in his first two years with the Miners. Vittatoe has thrown for 6,375 yards with 58 touchdowns and only 16 interceptions, and enters his junior campaign listed as one of 38 candidates for the Manning Award, presented to the nation's top quarterback.
UTEP has one of the nation's top receiving tandems in Kris Adams (14 career touchdown catches) and Jeff Moturi (22 career TD catches). There's plenty of depth behind them in Tufick Shadrawy, Evan Davis and Donavon Kemp - all of whom saw extensive action last season.
The ground game is in capable hands with Donald Buckram (348 rushing yards in '08) and Vernon Frazier (176 rushing yards), along with Jason Williams, who returns after missing all of last season with an ankle injury. They will operate behind a veteran offensive line that features eight players who have started games at the collegiate level.
The Miners have a lot of experience on defense too, as the preseason two-deep lists eight seniors in starting assignments. The secondary, in particular, is chock-full of mainstays like Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith (77 tackles in '08), Braxton Amy (injured in '08 but the team's leading tackler in '07), Melvin Stephenson (38 tackles in '08) and Cornelius Brown (seven career interceptions).
UTEP has some holes to fill at linebacker with the departure of two senior starters including Adam Vincent, the team's leading tackler a year ago.
It all starts, however, with the defensive line, which will be looking to raise its sack production again this fall. UTEP had 23 sacks as a team in 2008 after registering only 16 in 2007.
The anchor of the line is former Chapin High School standout Steve Riddick, who dropped 15 pounds over the summer and enters his senior season in the best shape of his career.
MEN'S GOLF
Upcoming: UTEP's first tournament of the season is the William H. Tucker Invitational Sept. 11-12 in Albuquerque.
2009-10 Preview: The UTEP men's squad is relatively brand-new, with nine freshmen joining two letterwinners in junior David Murray and senior Tanner Taff. The fresh faces include El Paso natives Fili Cruz (Cathedral HS), Johnny Duncan (home schooled), Devin Miertschin (Hanks HS), David Persons (Franklin HS) and Ross Rotwein (Coronado HS). The headliner of the group is Miertschin, a transfer from the University of Texas who won 24 individual tournament titles during his prep career.
UTEP also adds Albuquerque products Chris Ortiz and H.J. Roberts to the mix. Roberts redshirted last season. Rounding out the roster are Jerry Castrellon (Torréon, Mexico) and Ryan Fioretti (Midland, Texas).
Murray has played in four tournaments at the collegiate level. Taff was a regular in the lineup during the 2008-09 campaign and fashioned a 76.8 stroke average in nine tournaments.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Upcoming: UTEP will participate in the Ptarmigan/Ram Classic Sept. 14-15 in Fort Collins, Colo.
2009-10 Preview: The Miners return intact from last season and will be looking to build on a fifth-place showing at the league tournament. The Miners have a couple of All-Conference USA selections in Deborah Martinez and Teresa Nogués, who was one of the league's top freshmen last season.
Martinez (77.8) and Nogués (77.7) had nearly identical stroke averages during the 2008-09 campaign, with Martinez recording three top-20 individual showings and Nogues finishing in the top 10 at three events.
Samantha Garza, Rosana Gomez, Stephanie Herrera, Shang-Fan Huang, Ana Pastor and Liz Sobczak all have extensive college playing experience, giving head coach Jere Pelletier as many options as he has had in his 16 years with the Miners.
RIFLE
Upcoming: UTEP will host the Great Southwest Invitational Sept. 4-27.
2009-10 Preview: After finishing ninth nationally a season ago, the Miners come into the 2009-10 campaign loaded with ammunition. All-American Andrea Palafox and teammate Josie Burzynski look to lead the program to prominence once again after participating in the NCAA Rifle Championships last season. Also returning is UTEP's only senior, Morgan Glenn, and sophomore standout Alix Moncada, who stormed onto the scene at midseason as a freshman and shot an average of 585 in air rifle. Two new faces have been added to the roster -- Hanna Muegge and Xentri Garza.
SOCCER
Upcoming: UTEP will host the Miner Classic this week at University Field. The Miners will take on Stephen F. Austin on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Texas Tech on Sunday (2 p.m.).
Looking Back: The Miners opened their season with a 1-0, overtime win over first-year program NM State on Friday at University Field. Although the final score was close, UTEP dominated the game, taking 19 shots on goal to the Aggies' two. Brittany Vacca buried the game-winning goal after a wild scramble in the box before a school-record crowd of 1,610 fans. The match-winner came in the 95th minute and was initiated by a corner kick. Freshman midfielder Tess Hall played a beautiful ball into the area, where Tamika Sumter elevated above the pack and hammered a header in on net. Aggie goalkeeper Katie Graul -- who finished with seven saves -- knocked the try away. The ball went right back to Sumter, who once again was turned away on a header. The loose change came to freshman forward Skye Shultz, whose point-blank shot was stopped by Graul. The ball bounced back loose into a sea of players. Vacca navigated through the commotion, and one-timed it home with her left foot to set off a celebration.
TENNIS
Upcoming: UTEP will host the Miner Fall Invite Sept. 18-20 in Las Cruces, N.M.
2009-10 Preview: UTEP's tennis program has made plenty of strides in recent years under the direction of head coach Jamie Campbell. UTEP will feature a young but talented squad in 2009-10, with senior Marina DeLuca stepping to the forefront. She will take aim at concluding her career with a third successive 20-win season in singles, something that has been accomplished by only one other player in program history.
Ximena Fuentes, who has been a steady player in her two years in the Sun City, will assist in the leadership department as the only other returning upperclassman.
Martina Trierweiler and Carolina DeLuca, the younger sister of Marina, both showed signs of greatness during their freshmen seasons. Each finished with winning records despite holding down the No. 2 and No. 3 slots in singles. El Paso product Carla Murguia returns as well.
Campbell also inked three quality players to national letters of intent over the summer. Austin Lavallii (Mason HS/Mason, Mich.), and Veronika Makashov (Thornhill HS/Richmond Hill, Ontario,Canada) will enroll as true freshmen, while Alexandra Glebova will have two years of eligibility after starring at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Fla.
VOLLEYBALL
Upcoming: UTEP launches its 2009 season by hosting the Sun Bowl Invitational this week. Matches on the docket for the Miners are versus Texas Southern (Friday, 7 p.m.), Norfolk State (Saturday, noon) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Saturday, 7 p.m.).
2009 Preview: After a productive spring season, head coach Ken Murphy and his UTEP volleyball team are looking forward to a very successful 2009 campaign. The Miners came out of their version of spring training with quality wins over Arizona, New Mexico State and Texas Tech, setting the tone for the upcoming season.
The Miners are loaded experience-wise with five starters returning, and three freshmen will come out of redshirt to bolster the team depth. Middle Blockers Cassandra Burruel and Kelsey Moore and outside hitter Bridget Logan are the newcomers.
Miner fans will have a chance to watch El Paso's own Amy Sanders as she closes out her UTEP career this season. Sanders joined the 1,000-kill club last year. She currently ranks fourth in UTEP history with 1,086 kills. The Burges High School product needs 96 kills to move into third place, 133 to take over second place and 425 to dethrone UTEP's all-time leader Jennifer Abbruzzese.
Also looking to climb up the school charts is junior setter Patty Jarmoc. Jarmoc's 1,112 assists last season were the fourth-most in a season in UTEP history. With a career total of 2,217 assists, Jarmoc is 31 short of etching her name into the top five of UTEP's career list.
Returning at full strength to the Miner lineup is outside hitter Catherine Chavez. Prior to suffering a knee injury that kept her out of most of the 2008 Conference USA schedule, Chavez was the league leader in kills and hitting percentage. The Eastwood High School graduate is healthy now and gives the Miners a strong and experienced option on the attack. Jenny Nolasco has been named the starting libero.
