The UTEP Miners held their only home track meet of the season amid unusually cold and wet conditions which caused havoc on the Saturday schedule with many events being run early.
Through the unfortunate conditions the Miners found success in various events.
Junior Sean Bailey completed a sweep of the 200 meters and 400-meter dash. The NJCAA indoor record holder in the 400m posted his best time of the season, 47.36 time in the 400 meters and bested Eric Cray of the Philippines among others in the 200m with a personal best time of 21:10 in a very close race. Bailey’s time was the 3rd fastest 200 meter of the college season nationally.
Senior Lilian Koech won the 400 meters run with a time of 56.12 besting her 4th place finish and time of last year’s springtime meet. Freshman Aphiniti Crupper won her 200-meter dash by .07 of a second over her closest finisher.
Crupper was the 2017 New Mexico state high school champion in the 100 and 200-meter dash. Sophomore and 2018 indoor 2nd team all-conference USA Carolyne Chepkosgei took the 800-meters run with a time of 2:14.16. Junior Winny Koech who was all-conference in 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters lead from start to finish to easily win the women’s mile at 5:12.90.
The Utep Men’s track and field team ran one, two and three in the 800 meters run with freshmen Michael Sims and Isaiah Page along with sophomore Cornelius Kapel finishing with a third of second of each other. The winning time of 2:05.71 was Sims personal best, nearly beating his winning time of 2:00.87 in last year’s meet.
Kapel also finished second in the 3000 meters run to Rodgers Korir who registered a time of 8:57.74. Junior Shakeem Smith won the 110-meter hurdles and in the women’s 100-meter hurdles freshman Maribel Caicedo was the winner.
In the field events, freshman Chantoba Bright matched her personal best and best jump as a Miner at 6.30m. Her dominance of the field was evident on every attempt as she had the five best jumps of the day all over 6 meters.
Sophomore Devin Mungro won the men’s long jump with a 6.80 jump. Sophomore Karol Koncos easily dominated in the men’s hammer throw with all five of his throws outdistancing the competition for winning throw of 62.48m.
Eastlake High School graduates won the Men’s and Women’s high jump as freshman Emilio Rios cleared 1.93m and junior Melanie Crittenden cleared 1.60m.
UTEP track and field’s next meet will be on March. 27 at the Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.
