UTEP Miners

UTEP T&F’s Juan Leal Clocks in Personal Best in Mile, Places Second on Final Day at the Jarvis Scott Invite

2/14/2026 8:35:00 PM

DAY 2 RESULTS | COMPILED RESULTS

LUBBOCK, Texas – The UTEP track and field team recorded 11 more personal bests on the last day of the Jarvis Scott Invitational, hosted by Texas Tech, in the Sports Performance Center on Saturday.

Juan Leal clocked in a personal-best time of 4:09.50 in the men's mile, placing second. Leal's previous best was 4:11.30 at last year's conference championships. Leal was edged out by unattached runner Alex Kalmar.

"It was a strong way to finish the weekend. Day two brought more personal bests, giving us 24 for the meet, and that tells me our athletes are responding to the work and trending exactly where we want them to be," first-year UTEP Head Coach Francesca Green said. "What I like most is the confidence I'm seeing across the board. Our group is learning how to compete in big environments, trust their preparation, and deliver when opportunities show up. Now we recover, get back to training, and dial in on the details as we prepare for the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. We're excited about where we're headed and focused on putting ourselves in the best position possible at the conference championship."

In the men's 200-meter dash, Sebastian Avena (21.81), Joseph Gomez Whitten (21.87), Joshua Ford (22.18) and Zacarius Velasquez (22.49) turned in personal bests. Londyn Colon (24.31) and Madison Evans (25.80) did so on the women's side.

In the women's 600-yard event, Cailee Phillips (1:32.23), Samirah Avila (1:33.94), and Braela Sargent (1:36.75) set PRs.

Paul Rotich (4:23.46) set a personal best in the men's mile, while Nethaneel Taylor (4:24.11), who transferred before the cross country season, clocked a season best. Taylor's collegiate PR is 4:17.14, while competing at Southern Utah in 2023.

UP NEXT
The Miners will have a week off before returning to the action at the Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 27-28, in Lynchburg, Va., hosted by Liberty.

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