EL PASO, Texas – Paul Ereng, who was extremely successful as UTEP’s cross country head coach and track & field associate head coach for over 20 seasons, has left the program to accept a position at Texas A&M.
Ereng tutored four NCAA champions, 47 NCAA All-Americans, 106 conference champions and four NCAA regional champions. He also had 11 athletes who were named Conference Athlete of the Year and 11 that gained conference Freshman of the Year honors. He had two runners earn conference Newcomer of the Year honors and five Conference USA Outstanding Seniors.
In addition, Ereng had 34 individuals qualify for the NCAA track and field championships and 26 individuals qualify for the NCAA cross country championships. Following the 2006 season, the Kitale, Kenya, native was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year for distance by the USTFCCCA. In 2017, Ereng was named Mountain Region Track Assistant Coach of the Year.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank [Paul Ereng] for years of service at the university and for the program,” UTEP Head Coach Mika Laaksonen said. “He set the bar very high for our next distance coach. This is a big move up for him professionally as a coach, and it’s a tremendous opportunity for his family. We plan to honor Coach Ereng’s legacy here by hiring a dedicated and committed professional as his replacement moving forward. Texas A&M and coach Pat Henry got themselves a keeper.”
Most recently, Victor Kibiego was named the CUSA Male Track Athlete of the Year, and was honored as the CUSA Michael L. Slive Male Athlete of the Year. Kibiego was also named the 2022 CUSA Freshman of the Meet at the CUSA XC Championships.
Kibiego concluded the 2022-23 campaign with a first team All-American in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a third-place showing (8:32.49) at the NCAA DI OTF National Championships on June 9 in Austin, Texas.
Kibiego also advanced to the NCAA cross country national championships in Stillwater, Okla., placing 102nd out of 255 runners in the men’s 10K race on Nov. 19.
Ruth Jerubet won the women’s CUSA cross country championships in Denton, Texas, on Oct. 29, clocking in a 20:42.9 in the women’s 6K event out of 78 competitors. Jerubet was named the CUSA XC Female Athlete of the Year.
Ereng coached one of the greatest runners in NCAA history in Anthony Rotich. The four-time national champion competed at UTEP for four years (2012-2015) and concluded his collegiate career as an 11-time All-American and four-time CUSA Athlete of the Year.
Under Ereng, Rotich racked up 19 conference titles and won a total of 63 races in the Orange and Blue. Rotich captured three straight NCAA titles in the 3000m steeplechase and one in the indoor mile.
Ereng, prior to his successful coaching career, became a hometown hero after winning a gold medal in the in the 800-meter race, clocking in a 1:43.45 at the Olympics in Seoul, Korea, on Sept. 26, 1988.
