UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir & Tobi Amusan return to El Paso after NCAA title wins

Two UTEP athletes are back in El Paso after grabbing gold at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in Oregon.

The team arrived at the El Paso International Airport Sunday afternoon.

Tobi Amusan took home gold after a stunning performance in the 100m hurdles. She finished Saturday’s race with a time of 12.57 seconds.

That was good enough for first place.

Amusan, a sophomore, placed second last year in the same event but was able to claim the title this year.

“It feels great. It’s a dream come true from last season. I worked really hard to get this, this year,” Amusan said.

Amusan credits the win to the changes she made to her training this year.

She wasn’t the only UTEP star to take home a medal this weekend.

Emmanuel Korir took gold in the 800m run on Friday. His teammate Michael Saruni was in the lead, but fell with just 200 meters left in the race. Korir was able to finish in 1st.

When Korir was asked about the possiblity of him signing a contract with the pros, he had no comment. He said he loves UTEP and is enjoying his time here.

“I’m so grateful for my school and for my coaches.”

Saruni told ABC-7 after he fell in the race, he went straight to the hotel and didn’t talk to anyone until Saturday.

He’s confident he will rebound and learn from the experience.

“I’m still a freshman, so I’m still young and I know I can prove myself more,” Saruni said.