May 1, 2008

Basketball's Stefon Jackson and Jareica Hughes were chosen the UTEP Male and Female Athlete of the Year respectively at the 34th annual "Dinner With The Miners" banquet on Thursday night at the Wyndham El Paso Airport.

Track and field's Mickael Hanany received the Golden Miner Award, and Jim Bowden was honored with the Silver Anniversary Award.

Jackson led Conference USA and ranked seventh nationally in scoring last season, averaging 23.6 points per game. He was a first team All-Conference USA honoree and was also tabbed to All-District teams by the NABC and the USBWA. He ranks fourth on the Miners' all-time scoring list with 1,548 points. Jackson scored 778 points in 2007-08, second-most in a season by a Conference USA player. He also set school records for free throws made (221) and attempted (303), and the free throw attempts were a C-USA standard as well. Jackson is first in UTEP annals with forty-one 20-point games.

Hughes was the catalyst for the greatest season in UTEP women's basketball history, as the Miners posted a 28-4 record in 2007-08. UTEP was undefeated in Conference USA regular season play, earned rankings in both top-25 polls and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Conference USA Player of the Year, Hughes averaged 14.6 points and dished out a school-record 171 assists. She is already third in career steals, fourth in assists, seventh in three-point field goals and 13th in points after only two seasons with the Miners. Hughes has led UTEP to 50 wins in two years.

Hanany has earned seven All-American honors at UTEP, and currently ranks first in the NCAA in both the high jump and the long jump. He is a 12-time conference champion. He was appointed the 2006 USTFCCCA Mountain Region Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. He has also excelled academically, earning a spot on the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll every year with the Miners. Hanany earned Academic All-America honors by the USTFCCCA in 2006. He has already earned his bachelor's degree in Biology/Chemistry and is pursuing a master's degree.

The Silver Anniversary Miner Award is presented to an individual who had a distinguished college athletic career, and has continued to contribute to UTEP and the El Paso community.

Bowden led Eastwood High School in El Paso to the Texas state basketball championship in 1976 before playing for UTEP from 1976-80. He served as the school's director of athletics during the 1970s, and is a member of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame. Bowden has also been a champion of philanthropic causes, working with non-profit organizations devoted to raising funds for leukemia research and assisting underprivileged children.

The team grade point average award went to women's golf. The community service award was presented to the softball program.

In addition, team MVP awards were presented to Quintin Demps, Jose Martinez and Marcus Thomas (football); Jackson (men's basketball); the entire team (women's basketball); Katy Crabtree (rifle); Herbert Day and Roger Sloan (men's golf); Deborah Martinez (women's golf); Christie Murphy (volleyball); Jami Tullius (soccer); Stacie Townsend (softball); Patrick Mutai (men's indoor track and field); Elias Koech (men's outdoor track and field); Blessing Okagbare (women's indoor track and field); Erma Gene Evans (women's outdoor track and field); Stephen Samoei (men's cross country); Kelly Young (women's cross country); Vicky Michaud (tennis); Carina Flores and Christopher Munoz (cheerleading); Tullius (women's strength & conditioning); Oniel Cousins (men's strength and conditioning); and Bernadette Nunez (athletic training).

"Dinner With The Miners" is made possible by the El Paso Downtown Lions Club. The event was inspired by past Lion president John Phelan. In 1979, a $10,000 memorial endowment was established. Due to the overwhelming community support of the event, the memorial fund was raised to $100,000 in 1983. A second endowment has already been established and continues to grow each year. These two endowments provide funds annually to offset the cost of student-athlete scholarships.