It's Time to Go Bowling The Road to Albuquerque
Men’s Basketball Looking to Tame the Wildcats El Paso to Host 2015 C-USA Track & Field Championship
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COMING OUT WITH A BANG The Miners came out in full force against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29 in the Sun Bowl. UTEP defeated the Blue Raiders, 24-21.
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ALL SMILES ON THE COURT
The men’s basketball team shared smiles in their win over Xavier at the Wooden Legacy Tournament on Nov. 28th. The Miners beat the Musketeers 77-73 in Fullerton, CA.
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Miner Athletic Club
Brumbelow Bldg., Room 109 500 W. University Ave. El Paso, TX 79968 www.minerathleticclub.com
Jeff Darby
Senior Associate A.D. / Communications
Chris Park
Senior Associate A.D. for External Relations & Development
Jon Teicher
Assistant A.D./ Director of Broadcasting
Omar Cruz
Assistant Director for Development
Denise Mata
Director of Media Relations
Mark Brunner
Associate Director of Media Relations
Drew Bonney
Assistant Director of Media Relations
Contributors
John Dankovich, Bryan Gates, Genevieve Gomez, Audrey Westcott
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Fall Edition - 2014
PUT ON THE BOWLING SHOES
The UTEP football team makes an appearence in the New Mexico Bowl against Utah State for the first time since 2010.
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TRANSITION GAME
Senior Guard CJ Cooper talks about his role on the court while facing adversity to overcome many obstacles since his freshman year at UTEP.
MINERS IN THE COMMUNITY
The El Paso community embraces student-athletes as they take part in making a difference one memory at a time during the holidays.
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THE PARTY OF THE YEAR
Orange Fever Fiesta has another record year as the sold-out event raises more than $192,000 for student-athlete scholarships.
STORIES 8
TEICH’S CORNER
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OVERCOMING ODDS
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SENIORS LEAD THE WAY
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BLOCK, SPIKE, ACE
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TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
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FACES IN THE CROWD
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TEICH’S CORNER Jon Teicher - The ‘Voice of the Miners’
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iscipline, commitment, pride, work ethic, and doing the right thing both on and off the field. Those and plenty more are attributes that Head Coach Sean Kugler brings to the UTEP Football program. This past spring, 42 football studentathletes posted grade point averages of 3.0 or better, more than twice as many as the number just the spring before. Why you ask? It’s the expectation. It’s at the insistence of Coach Kugler that that’s the way it’s going to be if you’re to play football at UTEP. There is no grey area. It’s all black and white. If you wish to play football at UTEP, here’s the way it’s going to be done. It’s symptomatic and eventually will translate onto the field for a Miners program that has won as many as 6 games only once and hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2005. On the field, the Miners appear to be bigger, stronger, deeper and more experienced in many areas as they get ready for the December 20 bowl game against Utah State. Offensively at the skill positions, UTEP returns a good quantity of 8 › Miner Pride › Fall Edition 2014
veterans in quarterback Jameill Showers, running backs Nathan Jeffery and 2013 freshman sensation, El Pasoan Aaron Jones, plus senior tight end Eric Tomlinson and 6 foot 5 inch wide receiver Ian Hamilton. Up front, the only seasoned performer is senior left tackle Jerel Watkins, a three-year starter at guard. The other four projected starters include a pair of talented redshirt freshman and two juniors, none of whom has started a Division I game. The development of the youthful offensive line and keeping Showers, limited to 7 games a year ago, healthy, look to be the keys for the Miners on that side of the football. Defensively, UTEP appears to be much deeper and more experienced in the back 7 and in somewhat of a transition up front. 9 individuals that saw extensive action in the secondary a year ago have been bolstered by the arrival of a pair of Division I transfers in Kelvin Fisher Jr. (Arkansas) and Damian Payne (Houston). At linebacker, the Miners feel good about senior Anthony Puente, juniors Trey Brown and transfer Jimmy Musgrave plus redshirt freshman El Pasoan Alvin Jones manning the two spots. Roy Robertson-Harris, an 8-game starter headlines a defensive
line that boasts only one other that has started a collegiate game. However, juco transfer Alex Villarreal, who signed with Oklahoma out of high school, is being counted on to provide some muscle in the middle of the line. Improved tackling, stopping the run and rushing the passer plus the ability to create more than the 12 turnovers of 2013 are keys in that aspect of the game. 2013 was certainly a year of transition in the kicking game for the Miners. Jay Mattox and Mike Ruggles, now sophomores, claimed the place kicking and punting chores and should become more consistent this fall. Autrey Golden, one of the more accomplished kick returners in the nation, seeks a fifth career touchdown to sit alone on top of the school record book. Payne, who handled the duties at Houston, should improve UTEP’s production returning punts. Seven wins, including the chance to win a bowl game for the first time in over 50 years plus a promising future for our football program should make for an exciting season for all Miner fans. See you at the game and let’s make some history!
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UPCOMING HOME SCHEDULES Fall Edition - 2014
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Dec. 19 Dec. 21 Dec. 22 Dec. 30 Jan. 8 Jan. 10 Jan. 29 Jan. 31 Feb. 12 Feb. 14 Feb. 21 Mar. 5 Mar. 7
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Dec. 20 Dec. 28 Jan. 2 Jan. 4 Jan. 17 Jan. 22 Jan. 24 Feb. 5 Feb. 7 Feb. 26 Mar. 1
Prairie View A&M 2 p.m. Alcorn St. 2 p.m. North Texas 7 p.m. Rice 2 p.m. UTSA 2 p.m. Western Kentucky 7 p.m. Marshall 2 p.m. Florida Atlantic 7 p.m. FIU 2 p.m. Lousiana Tech 7 p.m. Southern Miss 2 p.m.
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Arizona 9 p.m. Alcorn St. 7 p.m. Kent St./ND St. TBD Sul Ross St. 7 p.m. Lousiana Tech 7 p.m. Southern Miss 7 p.m. UAB 7 p.m. Middle Tennessee 7 p.m. Charlotte 7 p.m. Old Dominion 7 p.m. UTSA 7 p.m. North Texas 7 p.m. Rice 2 p.m.
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Get to Know Your Miners! What are your favorite winter holiday traditions? TAYLER O’HAYRE - SOCCER “My favorite holiday traditions are going to look at Christmas lights with my family and Christmas Eve dinner at my grandma’s. Upon gathering, we stop by a nearby neighborhood where every street shares a different holiday theme. It’s so pretty! Enjoying my family’s company is also one of the best parts as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.”
JAMEILL SHOWERS - FOOTBALL “ This year I am looking forward to giving UTEP its first bowl victory in awhile. Our team is proud to represent El Paso as we hope to have started a winning tradition in football.”
AMY BOCK - RIFLE “I always look forward to going home and spending time with family. Dinner, laughs and memories always surround the holiday season amongst us. Every year we have a holiday tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve while the young family members fall asleep waiting for Santa Claus.”
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MINERS TAKE BIG LEAP FORWARD UTEP Secures a Bowl Bid For the First Time Under the Direction of Coach Kugler Few outside the team’s inner circle could have anticipated what the UTEP football team would accomplish in 2014. The Miners were coming off a 2-10 season and in major rebuilding mode under second-year head coach Sean Kugler. The schedule was daunting, particularly late, with six of the last seven games versus teams that won seven games or more in 2013. The Miners had major question marks on offense with a largely rebuilt line, and even more questions on defense after allowing 39.3 points per game the year before. Still, Kugler liked his team in preseason drills. He liked its senior leadership, its character and its resolve. The Miners’ moxie was on full display in the season opener at New Mexico on Aug. www.MinerAthleticClub.com ‹ 15
30. UTEP stood poised to blow out the Lobos, leading 24-7 at halftime. But New Mexico stormed back with 17 unanswered points, tying the game on a 35-yard field goal with 8:10 remaining. It was a game the Miners would have lost the previous year, and in many years past. But this time they persevered, they fought, and they won, 31-24, as Aaron Jones scored on a threeyard run in the final minutes following a fumble recovery. Later, with the Lobos driving for another score, Adrian James picked off UNM quarterback Clayton Mitchem to preserve UTEP’s first season-opening victory in three years. It was a harbinger of things to come. This Miner team, like its coach, was no-nonsense, tough bunch, ready to tackle whatever form of adversity was thrown at it. The Miners faced plenty of adversity in their first five games. They rebounded from a heartbreaking 30-26 loss to Texas Tech to top Interstate 10 rival NM State the following week, 42-24. Then they hit the road for matchups against teams that were a combined 10-2 at home in 2014 – Kansas State and eventual C-USA West Division champion Louisiana Tech. The Miners stumbled 58-28 in Manhattan and 55-3 in Ruston, and it was a season that could’ve gone in different directions with a 2-3 record. It turned out that UTEP wouldn’t lose again for five weeks.
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“It turned out that UTEP wouldn’t lose again for five weeks.”
UTEP started its march to three consecutive victories by running wild versus Old Dominion. The Miners piled up 334 yards on the ground in dispatching the Monarchs, 42-35. Heading into a bye week, UTEP was 3-3, 1-1 in league play, and with all of its goals still firmly in front of it. At this point, the Miners knew they were better on defense. They didn’t know just how improved they were until they invaded the Alamodome to battle UTSA on Oct. 25. In one of the most startling performances in school history, UTEP blanked the Roadrunners 340, holding them to two first downs and 70 yards of offense while forcing three-and-outs on seven consecutive drives to open the game. A week later the Miners took care of business, knocking off Southern Miss in the Sun Bowl (3514), and could smell a bowl bid, needing one victory in their final four games to get eligible. UTEP’s sixth win, however, would have to wait a couple of weeks. The Miners had Western Kentucky on the ropes on Nov. 8 in Bowling Green, Ky., but couldn’t finish the deal, as the Hilltoppers rallied from a 27-14 deficit late in the third quarter to prevail 35-27. Once again UTEP answered the call, trouncing North Texas 35-17 at home as Jones rushed for 177 yards and Nathan Jeffery reached the end zone three times in the first half. The Miners were bowl eligible at 6-4, but not guaranteed a postseason bid unless they could find a way to win one of their last two games. It wouldn’t be easy with two other bowl-eligible squads (Rice and Middle Tennessee) looming. UTEP stumbled on its first attempt, 31-13, to the Owls. Then the Blue Raiders came to town, like the Miners 6-5 and desperately in need of a victory. As expected, it was a back-and-forth dogfight. The Miners took a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter when Jameill Showers completed a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a five-yard scoring run. But Middle Tennessee wasn’t done, moving inside the UTEP 10-yard line in the final minutes and on the verge of scoring the game-winning TD. It was a game UTEP would have lost in past years … but this year’s team was different. And with the season on the line, Jameel Erving made a spectacular play, getting his hand on Austin Grammer’s pass attempt, then scooping it up for a one-handed interception. The Miners have a winning overall (7-5) and conference (5-3) record for the first time since 2005, and they head to the New Mexico Bowl looking to overcome more adversity and create more magic moments in what has been a truly inspiring 2014 campaign.
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TRANSITION GAME Cooper Adjusted on the Fly During Eventful Junior Season UTEP’s 2013-14 season was more or less going according to plan heading into the month of January. The Miners had survived a grueling early-season schedule and, at 10-5, were seemingly rounding into form entering conference play. Then a meteorite obliterated the lineup, as three players were lost for the season for violating NCAA rules. It left the Miners with a gaping hole in their backcourt, and put the onus on C.J. Cooper to produce at a high level, game in and game out, the remainder of the season. Cooper had scored in double figures twice in the first 15 games. Averaging just 26 minutes in the first 15 contests, Cooper had no choice but to become the Miners’ iron man. He was on the floor for 36 minutes or more in 13 of the last 17 games. It was a season of change for the Miners, and nobody felt it more than Cooper, who was forced to take over as the team’s floor general. “I was more of a combo guard. I played both shooting guard and point guard,” he said. “It was a tougher transition playing straight point guard, facilitating more for my teammates and not just worrying about scoring. But after a couple of games, it was easy for me. I got used to it.” Cooper excelled as the primary ball handler, dishing out 102 assists on the year, but was also able to score more for a UTEP team that suddenly needed all of the offense that it could get. He posted 10 points or more in 11 of 18 conference games, including a career-high 20 in the regular season finale at UTSA. 18 › Miner Pride › Fall Edition 2014
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Cooper’s scoring always seemed to come at the right time, too, a key factor in the Miners posting 23 wins and coming within a whisker of a C-USA title despite going to battle with a severely depleted roster. His penchant for making big buckets shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. He did it in high school, leading Lutheran High School (Chino, Calif.) to consecutive state championships. He did it earlier in his UTEP career as well, starting as a freshman. He shot 55.6 percent from three-point range in three Diamond Head Classic games and, later in the year, nearly single-handedly sparked the Miners to a 76-68 upset of Southern Miss with all 16 of his points coming after halftime. Cooper came on strong late in his sophomore season as well, averaging 10.9 ppg over the final seven outings. Pressure? Cooper says bring it on. “I think my whole life, that’s the moment I’ve always liked to be in,” he said. “As a kid you’re in the backyard playing and you want to hit that game-winning shot, the clutch shot. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do and my whole life I’ve pretty much done that, from high school until now.” With Cooper hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, the Miners were able to exceed all expectations a year ago. But the minutes finally caught up with him down the stretch, as he shot 5-for-29 from the field in UTEP’s three postseason games. “Towards the end of the season, I just got tired and worn down a little bit,” Cooper said. “It just hit me. I started getting tired physically and mentally. It was tough.” This year the Miners have a lot more weapons in the backcourt, and as newcomers Omega Harris, Earvin Morris and Lew Stallworth continue to develop, perhaps Cooper will be able to take a breather a little more often.
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He has picked up where he left off as a junior, averaging 7.4 points (through nine games) while shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three-point range. He is still hitting big shots, as he did at the Wooden Legacy when he scored 24 of his 34 points in the second half against Princeton, Xavier and Washington. But what stands out in Cooper’s stat line is his assist/turnover ratio, a sparkling 37-14. “I think [last year] taught me how to be more under control and lead the team,” he said. “It helped me learn the spots on the floor, where to be, and where to tell my teammates to go. “Playing all those minutes, I figured out I have to take care of the ball and the team has to take care of the ball. I try to limit my turnovers, value every possession, and help us get as many possessions as we can during a game.” The soft-spoken Cooper is a leader, just not a vocal one. “I don’t talk a lot like coach Floyd wants me to, but I try to lead more by example -- go out there and play hard and have the younger guys see what I’m doing,” he said. Cooper’s leadership will be pivotal as the Miners chase their second Conference USA championship and their first NCAA Tournament berth in five years. The game against Arizona (Dec. 19) is just another step, but one the players and fans will eagerly anticipate as the perennial national power Wildcats return to El Paso for the first time in 20 years. “It’s really exciting,” Cooper said. “It’s probably one of the most exciting games that I’ve looked forward to since I’ve been at UTEP, having a top-five team coming into the Haskins Center. I know the fans are going to be crazy and they’re waiting for this game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and I just want to come out with a win.”
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FIGHTING BACK AGAINST ALL ODDS Time to Fill In Big Shoes After Last Year’s WNIT Championship Run
The old saying goes that Rome wasn’t built in a day, though in today’s society it seems to be a forgotten concept. Instant gratification is the norm, especially it seems in the world of sports. In some cases, though, such as the 2014-15 UTEP women’s basketball team, there is a need to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. The Miners, who have peeled off three straight and five 20+ win seasons in the past eight years, have a youth-laden squad this year. Part of it is due to natural attrition through graduation, while extenuating circumstances have also played a role in the team standing at 3-4 through seven games on the year. The 2014-15 season was destined to be one of transition to begin with, given the Miners graduated first team All-Conference USA Kayla Thornton (19.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg), Kristine Vitola (11.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Kelli Willingham (7.5 ppg, 1.9 apg) while it was revealed in the summer that junior Jenzel Nash (11.5, 3.6 rpg) would sit out this year due to a pregnancy. The circumstances have been made even more challenging, with senior leader Chrishauna Parker (six games), junior reserve Anete Kirsteine (three games), junior starter Agata Dobrowolska (three games) and junior transfer Lawna Kennedy (one game) all missing action due to respective injuries.
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“The Miners, who have peeled off three straight and five 20+ win seasons in the past eight years, have a youth-laden squad this year.”
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This isn’t to imply that 3-4 is a bad record, but given that it’s been four years since the Miners lost as many nonconference contests, it is something that the Orange and Blue faithful are not accustomed to. But growing pains, while never fun to experience, are essential to any team or program which hopes to do something special one day. Consider the 2010-11 season, which marked the last time UTEP had three or more setbacks in non-conference play and didn’t hit the 20-win plateau. That squad finished 16-14 overall, including 9-5 in non-league action, with a single-season school record 12 setbacks by single digits. That year the Miners relied heavily on relatively unproven players and injuries were also rampant. Three newcomers were in the starting lineup, including freshmen Thornton and Willingham, and only one senior (Ashley Milian) played in more than half of the contests.
“...this could be the start of a new exciting chapter in the history of UTEP women’s basketball. ”
But the squad battled and young players made leaps and bounds of improvement as a result of carrying an extra burden. The true payoff came in 2011-12 (29-4, 15-1 C-USA, NCAA Tournament appearance), which marked the start of three straight 20+ win seasons for the first time in program history. The fact that Thornton, Vitola and Willingham, who graduated last year as the most successful class in program history, had stumbling blocks early in their career doesn’t mean that history will repeat itself. But it is worth noting that freshmen (Lulu McKinney and Marta Miscenko) are starting while sophomore Sparkle Taylor has shown flashes of big-time potential. Senior Guard Stacie Telle has been a steadying influence with 8.0 points per game and an 18-10 assist/turnover ratio, while fellow classmate Johni Welles has already scored more points (36) than she did in 20 contests last year (32). Junior Cameasha Turner is almost tripling her scoring average (4.9 to 14.3) from a year ago, while Irene Gari is doubling up (3.8 to 7.6) in the same category. As far as what the future holds, only time will tell. If the past is of any indication, though, this could be the start of a new exciting chapter in the history of UTEP women’s basketball.
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UTEP Soccer Overcomes Adversity What It Takes To Leave It On The Field Every Night
The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said “winning is not everything-but making the effort to win is.” The UTEP soccer team won plenty of contests in 2014 (12-5-4, 6-2-2 Conference USA), but its lasting legacy will be of a team that put forth tremendous effort every time out. Perhaps no greater indication of the Orange and Blue’s heart can be found in the fact that a singleseason school record 10 contests went to overtime, and they forged a mark of 4-2-4 in such games. At one point UTEP had four straight-also a recordand six of seven matches go to overtime. Another way to measure the character of a team is to see how it reacts to adverse circumstances. UTEP was in a world of hurt after falling 1-0, on a penalty kick, at home in overtime to North Texas on Oct. 3. The loss dropped UTEP to 7-5-1 on the year, including 4-3-1 at University Field. With the outcome of the season hanging in the balance, the Miners showed a steely resolve in dropping Rice, which was on a nine-match unbeaten streak, 1-0 in overtime two days later. The win ignited a season-closing eight-match unbeaten surge (5-0-3) for UTEP, helping it finish with 12 wins and in third place in C-USA for the second consecutive year.
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“Another way to measure the character of a team is to see how it reacts to adverse circumstances.”
The exciting season, which came to a close in the C-USA quarterfinals against Louisiana Tech in a tie game that used penalty kicks to determine which squad would advance on Nov. 5, was also one for the record books. The Miners set single single-season school records for fewest goals allowed (15), goals against average (0.67) and first-team All-League honorees (three). UTEP’s overall achievements aren’t unprecedented for the program, especially under head coach Kevin Cross. The Miners have now finished fourth or better in league action for 10 of his 14 campaigns, including six within the top three. It also marked UTEP’s 13th consecutive year with 10+ triumphs, but this team has special meaning to Cross. “This was one of the best years in UTEP soccer history,” Cross said. “This team left it all out on the field, and gave everything that they had to get results. I have never coached a team that has worked so hard, and fought so hard to win games. I am very proud to be their coach! Even though we ended in penalties, we have a lot to be proud of. We represented this great university in its Centennial year proudly!”
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Volleyball Wraps Up 2014 The Miners Have a Promising Future
UTEP fell short of its own expectations for the 2014 season, as the Miners ended the year without a trip to the Conference USA Championships. However, the season presented a promising outlook for the future of the program. Early in the season, the Miners faced no. 2 Texas in the Lobo Classic, No. 7 Colorado State and No. 11 BYU in the UTEP/ NMSU Invitational, and Conference USA leaders UTSA and Western Kentucky. With the demanding schedule and having to replace four starters, the team’s underclassmen stepped up to the net and played with the maturity of veterans. Leading the underclassmen was Coline Coessens. A native of Belgium, Coessens tallied a team-high 10 double-double performances and chipped in with 224 digs, 43 total blocks and 16 assists. The freshman also registered two matches with 20 or more kills and led UTEP in kills in 13 matches this season. The outside hitter saw action in 95 sets and started in 26 matches. Playing all six rotations, she led the Orange and Blue in points (325), kills (279) and service aces (19). Coessens recorded a career-high 25 kills against UAB (10/10/14), the 10th most kills in a C-USA match this season, in leading the Miners to victory. Defensively, she secured a career-best 18 digs versus FIU (11/7/14). Her all-around efforts on the court garnered her a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Coessens was the first Miner to accomplish the feat since Jeane Horton and Melissa Toth in 2010. This was also the first All-Freshman honor in head coach Holly Watts’ tenure. Also settling into a leadership role on the court was Lindsey Larson. As the starting setter for the Miners, the sophomore led the team with 920 assists to rank ninth overall in conference. She also registered 11 double doubles, including 15 matches with 30 or more assists, and three with 50 or more assists. Larson collected a career-best 55 assists against FIU, serving the Miners their first home victory of the season.
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“With a demanding schedule, the team’s underclassmen stepped up to the net and played with the maturity of veterans.” Efficient on the court and in the classroom, Larson was named to the 2014 Conference USA All-Academic Volleyball Team. Also excelling on the court was Krystal Ejesieme. Standing at 5’10”, the Miners’ shortest middle blocker became UTEP’s strongest defensive player along the net with 94 blocks (8s/86a). Averaging .90 blocks per set, the freshman rated in the top-10 in blocks in Conference USA for 10 straight weeks. She registered 11 blocks (2s/9a) in her Miner debut at the Lobo Invitational. As a whole, the underclassmens’ strengths deemed 2014 the year of the rookies. Their spirited starts in D-I competition make the future bright for UTEP Volleyball.
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UTEP Looks Forward to Epic Year El Paso Welcomes the 2014 C-USA Track & Field Championships When it comes to making history, the UTEP track and field team is never short of glorious. One of the original sports introduced at UTEP in its early years, it has become the most successful program in Miner athletic history. Continuing its tradition of success, the Miners secured 70 crowns, 19 NCAA West Preliminary qualifiers, five All-Americans, two national titles and a Conference USA Indoor Championship during the 2014 season. Going the distance for the Orange and Blue was three-time national champion Anthony Rotich. The All-American captured the NCAA title in the mile, leading the men’s team to an eighth-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
“The All-American captured the NCAA title in the mile ... at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.” 30 › Miner Pride › Fall Edition 2014
Rotich only elevated his performance in the outdoor season, as he defended his title in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2014 NCAA Championships. The Kenya native’s back-to-back titles garnered him the 2014 C-USA Track Athlete of the Year. Rotich, 39 veterans and 16 newcomers will look to maintain the Miner dominance this upcoming season, while opening their home stadium to league opponents when the 2015 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship comes to El Paso. For the third time since joining Conference USA, UTEP will play host to the championship at Kidd Field May 14-17. “We are extremely excited about the opportunity to host the 2015 C-USA Outdoor Championship,” said head coach Mika Laaksonen. “We only have positive experiences of being a host in the past and it means a lot to us to be trusted with this honor. I know coaches, administration and our officials’ organization will put their absolutely best effort forward and this championship will be a great success. “Our track facility is in excellent shape, and we will see some unbelievable performances during the championship.” The last time UTEP hosted the event was in 2008. That meet featured an electrifying finish. The Miner men swept the top spot in the last two events, edging out Houston for the title. UTEP first hosted the league outdoor championship in 2006, when the men’s team claimed its first C-USA title by winning the final event of the day (4x400m relay) to score 222 points. The 2015 event will be held at historic Kidd Field. Built in the early 1930s, Kidd Field has been home to numerous All-Americans, national champions, national record-holders and Olympians. Named after UTEP (then Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy) professor and athletic booster John W. Kidd, the facility was shared with the UTEP football team until 1962, when the facility became sole home to the track and field team. The eight-lane track was made possible by generous donations from Wayne and Russ Vandenburg of EPT Management and Mark Fry. The track was dedicated in former Miner legend Larry K. Durham’s name for his contribution that allowed Kidd Field to get a makeover in 2011. A state-of-the-art Daktronics video board was added in January of 2008. The 9x15-foot LED video display plants fans right into the action on the track, providing graphics and video elements that display real-time highlights throughout a meet.
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Orange Fever Fiesta
And They Keep Raising The Bar Higher and Higher
UTEP Athletics and the Miner Athletic Club held the annual Orange Fever Fiesta on Aug. 23 at Grace Gardens Ballroom to benefit UTEP student-athlete scholarships. This year’s major sponsors included Western Refining, Sportman’s Elite and Tropicana Homes. The event began with a large silent auction and cocktail hour sponsored by Glazer’s that featured donated packages as well as experiences. UTEP student-athletes also attended the event to greet fans and take pictures with guests. Afterwards, the UTEP pep band and cheer team performed an exciting pep rally for all attendees that was followed by dinner before this year’s entertainment, speed painter Tim Decker, began. Decker astounded the crowd as he engaged guests by painting three unique art pieces and capped his performance by unveiling a tribute piece dedicated to the late Coach Don Haskins. The pieces were later auctioned off. Overall the event raised more than $192,000 for UTEP student-athlete scholarships, while a record crowd of over 550 attended the event. UTEP Athletics would like to thank the following sponsors for their major contributions to this year’s Orange Fever Fiesta: Western Refining, Sportman’s Elite, Tropicana Homes, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Neal Luther, Price’s Creameries, NHCW Family Partnership, Grace Gardens Ballroom, Sun Travel, Dede Rogers, Glazer’s and Sierra Providence Health Network. 32 › Miner Pride › Fall Edition 2014
“Overall, the event raised more than $192,000 for UTEP student-athletes...”
BRONZE SILVER
GOLD
A Big Thank You to This Year’s Event Major Sponsors!
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Faces in the Crowd Orange Fever Fiesta, Hoops Tip-Off Luncheon,Century Club Golf Tournament, Team Fund Drive and Centennial Team Weekend Celebration
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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO Miner Athletic Club I Brumbelow Building, Room 109 I 500 W. University Ave. I El Paso, TX 79968 mac@utep.edu I 915.747.8759 facebook.com/minerathleticclub I twitter.com/UTEP_MAC I Linkedin.com/in/minerathleticclub www.minerathleticclub.com
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