Dec. 18, 2006

Irving, Texas - Nicodemus Ng'etich of UTEP and Nicole Mericle of Rice have been named Conference USA Male and Female Cross Country Newcomers of the Year as voted upon by C-USA head cross country coaches and released by the conference office Tuesday.

Ng'etich, the 2006 C-USA Male Freshman of the Year, placed fourth at the C-USA Championship to gain first team All-Conference honors and helped the Miners set the meet record with 21 points and their second-straight league title.

The Kasabet, Kenya, native had three other top-four finishes during the 2006 season. He placed second at the Lobo Invitational, finished fourth at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational and Kachina Classic. At the NCAA Mountain Regional, he was the 31st runner to cross the finish line. Ng'etich helped UTEP to a final team ranking of 20th in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.

Mericle was named the C-USA Female Freshman of the Year after finishing fourth at the C-USA championships in October. She clocked an overall 23rd-place finish at the NCAA regional meet, while being the Owls' second-best runner. The Houston, Texas, native also placed 54th at the Griak Invitational and third at the Islander Splash after a fifth-place finish at the Rice Invitational to open the season. Her season best 5K time was of 17:58 at the Islander Splash on Sept. 29.