UTEP cross country coach Paul Ereng leaves for Texas A&M after 20 years in El Paso
UTEP cross country coach Paul Ereng is headed to Texas A&M after 20 years with the Miners.
When Ereng came to UTEP in 2003 he was the first Kenyan to land a job as an American college coach and in those 20 years he coached four NCAA champions, 47 NCAA All-Americans, 106 conference champions and four NCAA regional champions. UTEP won seven conference championships during his tenure.
His 20 years at UTEP made him the second most tenured coach in the athletic department after head track coach Mika Laaksonen.
He is the coach for Emmanuel Korir, the reigning Olympic and world champion at 800 meters. Ereng was Kenya's first Olympic gold medalist in the 800, which he won in 1988.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank (Ereng) for years of service at the university and for the program,” 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.”
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Henry agreed.
"I am very pleased to announce the hiring of Paul Ereng to our coaching staff,” Henry said. “He will be coaching our middle distance athletes and work alongside me with the 400 meter athletes.
"Paul joins us from UTEP where he has coached many of the best athletes in the world, including former collegiate 800 meter record holder and Olympian Michael Saruni, 2017 NCAA 800 meter champion Emmanuel Korir and four-time NCAA champion Anthony Rotich.
“I feel Paul adds a degree of expertise that we need to continue the excellence of our middle distance program. He will complement me with our 400 meter runners and I believe his background will also pay dividends to the job coach Wendel McRaven is doing with our distance runners.”
UTEP cross country opens the season Sept. 2 in Las Cruces and hasn't given word yet on a timeframe to replace Ereng.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP cross country coach Paul Ereng leaves for Texas A&M
