UTEP Track & Field
ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 13 ranked UTEP track and field women got a boost from Kathya Garcia on Friday night at the 2010 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Miners kick competition into full gear at the UCF Track and Field Complex.
“We needed that from Kathya and Karina Garcia tonight,” head coach Bob Kitchens said. “We needed a jump start and they gave us that to head into the next two days and do what we came here to do.”
Kathya Garcia took silver in the women’s 10,000 meters crossing the finish line with a personal best of 35:11.08 for eight point; it was the first time Garcia ran the event this season. Sister Karina Garcia finished sixth to add three more points and a total of eleven for the UTEP women posting a time of 36:17.07.
Hammer throwers Dimitrios Fylladitakis and Hans Eriksson teamed up for the first 14 points for the men’s squad taking silver and bronze on the medal stand. Fylladitakis posted his best toss of the day, 65.68m (215-0) in his second attempt. Eriksson’s third place mark of 63.23m (207-05), achieved in his fifth throw, is a season best for the senior.
Junior Terran Alexander was edged out of medal stand in the women’s hammer by SMU’s Lauren Kihner during the fifth round. Alexander maintained her third place with her initial attempt of 55.78m (183-00) and despite three straight fouls. Kihner’s 56.40m (185-00) throw pushed Alexander to a fourth-place finish.
In the women’s heptathlon, newcomer Marine Menez came back from fifth place after four events to win her first C-USA medal. The sophomore from Lesquin, France, began day two with a third-place finish in the women’s long jump, 5.60m (18-4 ½) to add 729 points to her 2914 first-day total. She was sixth in the javelin throw, but closed out the heptathlon competition with a second place and 776 points in the 800 meters. Menez scored a total of 4894 points in the heptathlon and six points for the No. 13 UTEP women.
“Marine did a really good job of coming back today to finish third,” Kitchens added. “We lost a couple of points today, but we’re good.”
Robert Menjo and Solomon Gardea combined for five points in the men’s 10,000 meter race placing sixth and seventh respectively. Gardea improved his previous time of 34:23.64 ran at Drake Relays this season to a 32:00.23. Friday’s race marked the first time Menjo, a transfer from EPCC, competed in the event this season.
“The men did a good job,” Kitchens said. “Our hammer did just as we thought, we could have done better in the men’s 10,000 meters, but we have two big days ahead of us.”
The Miners are slated to begin action on the track at 3:30 p.m. (EST) with Amanda Pulido on the discus, running events for UTEP begin at 6 p.m. with the men’s 1,500 meters.
