Jacob Garcia and Anderson Mutegi (left to right) seen here during the 2011 UTEP Invitational (Image: Michael P. Reese)

HOUSTON, Texas – The UTEP men scored 139 points to finish second while the women accumulated 74 points for fourth place at the conclusion of the 2011 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday night in Houston, Texas.

“Our men’s team had a great meet,” head coach Mika Laaksonen said. “Houston got us with their numbers. Our guys sacrificed by doing two, three and even four events each. We got all the points that we hoped for and more than we expected on some events. This is now a different team than what we were indoors (fifth). We are extremely proud of them.”

The men went into the final event of the night, the 4×400-meter relay, with 129 points, one point behind Tulsa. Suji Adeniyan, Anderson Mutegi, Curtis Kock and Leon Dillihunt easily breezed through to defend their title winning the sixth consecutive 1,600m relay crown with a time of 3:08.34. UTEP has dominated the event every year since joining the league in the fall of 2005. Tulsa scored just three points with their sixth-place finish in the event to give way for the Miners to take sole possession of second place.

UTEP’s foursome of Adeniyan, Mutegi, Dillihunt and Anthony Wright got the day started with a golden finish in the 4×100-meter relay recording a time of 40.21 to win the third-straight title.

Dillihunt, who also finished fourth in the men’s 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 47.25, was named the 2011 Conference USA Outdoor Male Freshman of the Meet.

Elkana Rotich was named the 2011 Conference USA High Point Scorer of the Meet following his performance during the weekend. Rotich claimed a pair of championships taking the 10,000-meter crown on Friday and claiming the 5,000-meter title on Sunday night with a time of 14:18.9. It marked the first time Rotich competed in the event in his career. Earlier in the day, Rotich took third place on the1,500m medal stand clocking in at 3:45.40.

El Paso native Solomon Gardea ran a very inspiring race for the Miners finishing fifth in the 5K with a personal best of 14:32.48 to contribute four points to the team total.

Also achieving a personal best was freshman Abel Koskey in the 1,500 meters running the event in 3:48.75 for sixth place and three points. Justice Chirchir was fifth crossing the finish line at 3:46.14 to add four points.
The UTEP men also relied on heavy performances from the sprints’ squad picking up 14 points each in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. Senior Anderson Mutegi took home silver in both events while posting a pair of season-best times, 45.95 in the 400m and 21.02 in the 200m.

Kock ran behind Mutegi in the 400 meters finishing third with a time of 47.06. Wright, 10.68, and Adeniyan, 10.73, were fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 100m. Wright also finished fourth in the 200-meter dash with a season best of 21.57 and Adeniyan was eighth at 21.81.

UTEP collected eight points on the last event on the field with Richard Olsson’s second-place finish in the javelin throw. Olsson threw for 67.94m (222-11) for the silver medal and eight points.

Senior thrower Justin Kepple concluded his collegiate career with a personal best in the shot put. Kepple’s mark of 16.08m (52-09.25) placed him sixth and earned the Miners three points.

“Our women had an alright meet,” Laaksonen said. “We got exactly the points we predicated prior to the meet. It was a rollercoaster ride for them gaining extra points in some areas and losing them back in others. We were never really able to keep the occasionally-gained momentum going, but we have to give it to our ladies because they left it all out there.”

UCF, currently ranked 17th in the nation, took the women’s team title by a landslide with 157 points.

The UTEP women scored the most points of the day in the 5,000-meter race adding 16 to the team total. All-American Risper Kimaiyo and Kathya Garcia teamed up for a two-three finish with times of 16:48.07 and 16:50.96. The hero of the event, however, was the younger Garcia twin, Karina, who suffered a fall at the end of the first completed lap. Garcia picked herself up to find herself at the end of the 24-woman race to push herself into a seventh-place finish with a personal best time of 17:25.22.

Kimiayo also scored points for the UTEP women in the 1,500m with a fifth-place finish and season-best 4:27.15.

Junior Kitria Stewart also ran a personal best in the 800-meter race clocking in at 2:10.38 for fourth and five points.

All-American Endurance Abinuwa was a one-woman show in the sprints. Abinuwa was third in the 400-meter dash, 53.06, and fifth in the 200m, 23.71.

Abinuwa was also the second leg in the women’s 4×400-meter relay that set a season best 3:44.89 finishing seventh.