Feb. 19, 2008

IRVING, Texas - With outstanding performances from this past weekend, Conference USA has respectively named UTEP's Elias Koech and Blessing Okagbare Male and Female Indoor Athletes of the Week, marking the first time this season a school has swept the awards.

Both student-athletes turned in automatic qualifying performances for the NCAA Championships in their respective events as well as holds C-USA's top marks.

C-USA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD NOTEBOOK & TOP PERFORMANCES

CONFERENCE USA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MALE
ELIAS KOECH, UTEP
Senior, Iten, Kenya
800-meters
Koech posted the nation's top time of 1:46.77 in the 800-meters at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa on Saturday.

Koech won the event with a school record and NCAA automatic qualifying performance.

FEMALE
BLESSING OKAGBARE, UTEP
Sophomore, Sapele Kenya
Long & Triple Jumps
In her first meet for the Miners, Okagbare won the triple jump (13.64m, 44'9") and took fourth place in the long jump (6.36m, 20'10 1/2") at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., last weekend

Okagbare met the NCAA automatic qualifying standard in both events, while achieving a school record in the triple jump.

She currently has the third-best triple jump and the seventh-best long jump in the country this season.

2008 INDOOR ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
January 15
Male - Ivan Diggs, Houston
Female - Seun Adigun, Houston

January 22
Male - Aaron Whetstone, Memphis
Female - Ashley May, Southern Miss & Genoah Collins, UAB

January 29
Male - Chris Carter, Houston
Female - Charlotte Abrahamsen, Memphis

February 5
Male - Elias Koech, UTEP
Female - Gloria Asumnu, Tulane

February 12
Male - Aaron Whetstone, Memphis
Female - Genoah Collins, UAB