UTEP honors top athletes at awards banquet

EL PASO, Texas – Cross Country and Track & Field’s Anthony Rotich was named the UTEP Male Athlete of the Year for the fourth consecutive time at the 42nd annual “Dinner With the Miners” banquet on Tuesday night at the Wyndham El Paso Airport. Women’s Basketball’s Cameasha Turner was appointed the Female Athlete of the Year.

Rotich also received the Golden Miner Award, presented to UTEP’s top all-around senior student-athlete based on athletics, academics and community service. Former Miner football player Mark McDonald was recipient of the Silver Anniversary Award.

Rotich concluded a spectacular UTEP athletics career over the last year. It started in the spring of 2015, when he became only the third athlete in NCAA history to win three straight national titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He totaled 33 points in the event at NCAA’s over the course of his career, a total which rates second all-time. Rotich’s final track outdoor season produced 11 first-place finishes in 13 races, including preliminaries. In the fall of 2015, Rotich was named the C-USA Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year for the fourth straight time, the only individual to be so honored. He also became the third Miner to garner four All-American honors in cross country. Rotich took 15 th place at the NCAA Championships, helping the Miners to an 11 th -place team showing. He was appointed the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Athlete of the Year. His career accomplishments are staggering … four-time national champion, 11-time All-American and 19-time Conference USA champion.

Outside of athletics, Rotich completed a combined 71.7 community service hours.

A first team All-Conference USA performer and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team, Turner spearheaded the Miners’ drive to a school-record tying 29 victories in 2016. They also claimed their third C-USA regular season title and reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT. Turner averaged 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, two steals and 1.5 assists. She shot a team-high 49.5 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the line. Turner scored in double figures on 24 occasions, including a season-high 20 points five times. Her top performance came versus UAB when she tallied 13 points with 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals. She ranks fourth in school history in games played, fifth in victories, sixth in free throws made, sixth in steals, seventh in scoring and ninth in three-pointers made. A criminal justice major with a 4.0 grade point average, Turner was named a second team CoSIDA Academic All-American, Academic All-District and to the Conference USA Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team. She also received the Conference USA Spirit of Service Award for her work in the community.

The Silver Anniversary Miner Award is presented to an individual who had a distinguished college athletic career, and has continued to contribute to UTEP and the El Paso community.

Mark McDonald was a football letterman at UTEP in 1970 and 1971, playing offensive tackle, before enjoying an award-winning journalism career. He is a former staff writer at the El Paso Times, Abilene Reporter-News, Dallas Times Herald, Dallas Morning News and San Antonio Express News. Mark has a passion for the great outdoors and has founded numerous publications and a website devoted to hunting, fishing, conservation and adventure travel. His publishing team, Dust Devil Books, has produced eight non-fiction titles. Mark is a regular contributor to UTEP Athletics’ Circle of Champions program, helping to raise funds for student-athlete scholarships. He has also served as a valuable resource looking to reconnect former student-athletes and alumni to UTEP. In particular, McDonald publishes “Miners Are Forever,” a quarterly newsletter that provides an inside look at the UTEP football program.

The grade point average award was presented to the tennis team, and the community service award went to volleyball.

In addition, team MVP awards were presented to Dominic Artis (men’s basketball), Starr Breedlove & Cameasha Turner (women’s basketball), Jonah Koech and Anthony Rotich (men’s cross country), Lilian Koech (women’s cross country), Jonah Koech (men’s indoor track & field), Anthony Rotich (men’s outdoor track & field), Nickevea Wilson (women’s indoor track & field), Samantha Hall (women’s outdoor track & field), LaQuintus Dowell (football), Frederik Dreier (men’s golf), Alisa Rodriguez (women’s golf), Rachael Schoenrock (rifle), Angela Cutaia (soccer), Courtney Clayton (softball), Vivienne Kulicke (tennis), Lindsey Larson (volleyball), Aleah Davis, Carnell Horn & Jimmy Musgrave (strength & conditioning) and Rico Moran (athletic training).

“Dinner With The Miners” is made possible by the El Paso Downtown Lions Club. The event was inspired by past Lion president John Phelan. In 1979, a $10,000 memorial endowment was established. Due to the overwhelming community support of the event, the memorial fund was raised to $100,000 in 1983. A second endowment has already been established and continues to grow each year. These two endowments provide funds annually to offset the cost of student-athlete scholarships.