UTEP track and field head coach Mika Laaksonen announces retirement
EL PASO, Texas - UTEP Track and Field Head Coach Mika Laaksonen, who has led the program for 15 years, announced his retirement on Thursday.
Laaksonen has been a member of the Miner staff for 28 years, serving as an assistant coach from 1997-2011 prior to taking over the reins of the team.
Laaksonen was also a two-time NCAA champion thrower for the Miners in the early ‘90s.
His retirement marks the end of a distinguished three-decade run at UTEP.
"This is definitely the right time to make this decision," Laaksonen said. "It sets up a clear direction for me for tomorrow. I do appreciate the opportunity UTEP provided to me as a student-athlete, graduate assistant, assistant coach, and most recently as a head coach. It's been an honor to serve this institution for over a quarter of a century."
“Mika is a Miner legend, and we are so appreciative of his many years of service to UTEP Track and Field both as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach,” UTEP Vice President and Director of Athletics Jim Senter. “He wrote his own prolific chapter in the Miners’ illustrious track history. We are grateful to Mika, as well as the numerous national champions and conference champions who flourished under his tutelage. He is already a member of the UTEP Track and Field Hall of Fame, and you can certainly make a case that he is deserving of a spot in the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame down the road.”
With Laaksonen as head coach, the UTEP men’s track and field team finished as high as eighth at the NCAA Championships in 2014 (indoors), while the women notched their best showing of tied for 21st at nationals in 2017 (outdoors).
The Laaksonen era produced a total of 37 All-American honors – 21 on the men’s side and 16 on the women’s – with eight national champions and countless conference champions.
UTEP’s national champions under Laaksonen’s watch were Anthony Rotich (steeplechase outdoors 2013, mile run indoors 2014, steeplechase outdoors 2014, steeplechase outdoors 2015), Emmanuel Korir (800m indoors and outdoors 2017), Tobi Amusan (100m hurdles outdoors 2017) and Michael Saruni (800m indoors 2018). Korir won a gold medal in the 800m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Amusan won the 2022 World Championship in the 100m hurdles and is the current world record-holder in the event.
Laaksonen led the Miners to seven conference championships – two on the men’s side (one indoor/one outdoor) and five on the women’s side (four indoor/one outdoor). UTEP finished in the top-three at the conference championship 25 times during his leadership.
A national search will begin immediately to appoint Laaksonen’s successor.
