UTEP Miners

Miner Nuggets: Two-time NCAA All-American in the 3,000 steeplechase, taking eighth in 2006 and fifth in 2005 ... has the sixth-best time (8:31.93) in the 3,000 steeplechase in school history ... C-USA cross country champion in 2005 and 2006 ... 2005 Conference USA Freshman of the Year in cross country ... 2005 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year during the outdoor season. 2007 (Junior): Cross Country: C-USA Athlete of the Week after placing first at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational, clocking a season-best 7k time of 23:20 ... second at the C-USA Championships, helping the Miners to a conference title in record-breaking fashion as they scored a perfect 15 points ... part of a cross country team that earned an automatic bid to the national meet ... placed 37th at the NCAA Championship and fourth at the Mountain Regional ... tenth at the Pre-National Invitational as part of the blue race meet title ... top-three Miner finisher at every meet during the season. Outdoor: Posted NCAA regional time in the steeplechase three times during the season ... steeplechase champion at the C-USA Championships, helping the Miners to a second- place finish ... finished fourth at the NCAA Regional on May 26 (8:52.32) ... third at the Texas Relays and eighth at the Cardinal Invite with respective regional times of 8:59.89 and 8:48.11 ... finished sixth at the conference meet in the 1,500-meter run and fifth in the 5,000-meter run ... second in the 1,500 at the Springtime Invitational on March 31. Indoor: Placed fourth at the C-USA Championship in the 3,000-meter run (8:25.12) and seventh in the 5,000-meter run ... fourth-place at the Lobo Invite on Jan. 19 ... third-place finisher in the 5,000 at the Husker Invitational on Feb. 2 ... 11th in the 3,000 at the Tyson Invite on Feb. 10. 2006 (Sophomore): Cross Country (2006): Defended C-USA title, winning the 8k race in 24:31.96 ... led UTEP to five meet titles during the 2006 season, including perfect scores of 15 at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational and the Kachina Classic ... All-Region by finishing 12th at the NCAA Mountain Regional on Nov. 11 ... 14th out of 288 runners, helping UTEP defeat Arkansas and win the Chile Pepper Invitational on Oct. 14 ... earned the C-USA Athlete of the Week award after winning the Kachina Classic on Sept. 23 ... third at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational on Sept. 15 ... opened the year taking fifth out of 110 runners at the Lobo Invitational on Sept. 9. Outdoor: USTFCCCA Academic All-American ... NCAA All-American by taking eighth in the 3,000 steeplechase (8:44.29) at the NCAA Championships ... ranked 120th in the world in the steeplechase during the 2006 season ... silver medalist in the steeplechase (8:53.72) at the NCAA Midwest Regional on May 27 ... C-USA champion in the steeplechase (9:11.16), fourth in the 5,000 (14:50.03) and fifth in the 1,500 (3:50.81) at the conference championships ... fourth in the steeplechase with a season-best time of 8:35.97 at the Cardinal Invitational on April 30 ... runner-up in the steeplechase at the Texas Relays with a time of 8:54.38. Indoor: Limited to only three indoor meets while recovering from an injury he sustained during the cross country season ... first as part of the distance medley relay, second in the 3,000 (8:17.81) and fourth in the mile (4:13.50), helping UTEP win the C-USA indoor title ... placed 11th in the 3,000 (8:10.45) at the ISU Classic on Feb. 11 ... runner-up in the mile (4:08.33) at the Husker Invitational on Feb. 4. 2005 (Freshman): Cross Country (2005): C-USA Freshman of the Year ... threetime C-USA Athlete of the Week during the season ... won meet titles at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational, the Lobo Invitational and the C-USA Championship ... set the course record at the C-USA Championships, running 23:35.26 ... ran injured at the NCAA Championships, taking 126th which helped the Miners finish 14th as a team ... 14th out of 102 runners at the NCAA Mountain Regional ... finished the 10k in 31:13.2 ... fourth out of 245 runners at the Chile Pepper Invitational on Oct. 15 ... also third at the Kachina Classic on Sept. 17. Outdoor: NCAA All-American by taking fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships ... ran a personal-best 8:31.93, which ranked 85th in the world in 2005 ... NCAA Midwest Regional champion in the steeplechase, running 8:45.67 ... WAC champion in the steeplechase (8:38.43) ... also second in the 5,000 (14:02.27) and third in the 1,500 (3:53.63) ... runner up in the 5,000 at the Drake Relays in 14:02.53 ... steeplechase champion at the Texas Relays in 8:49.45, earning WAC Athlete of the Week for his performance ... third in the 1,500 at the Springtime Invitational (3:48.08). Indoor: Ran the leadoff leg of the WAC champion distance medley relay squad, which finished in 10:10.18 ... also fifth at the WAC in the mile (4:14.03) and 3,000-meter run (8:32.01) ... sixth in the DMR and fifth in the mile at the ISU Classic on Feb. 12 ... 12th in the mile at the Husker Invitational ... third in the 1,000-meter run at the Texas Tech Six Way Invitational. Before UTEP: Ran track and cross country for coach Muhia Makau before coming to UTEP ... came to UTEP with personal bests of 8:48 in the 3,000 steeplechase, 3:52 in the 1,500 and 24:43 in the 8,000. Personal: Full name is Patrick Kipkemboi Mutai ... majoring in health science with a minor in biology ... son of Martin and Helen Mutai ... has five brothers and three sisters ... brother Paul ran track at Tulane University ... born Dec. 31, 1983, in Eldoret, Kenya.