The UTEP track and field teams will send 18 individuals and one relay to the NCAA Midwest Regional in Des Moines, Iowa, from May 25-26.

The Miners will be looking to advance this group on to the national meet held in Sacramento, Calif., from June 6-9. The top-five individuals and top-three relays automatically earn a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

UTEP enters the weekend with seven individuals currently ranking in the top five.

Dominic Kiprono Tanui (1:47.79) and Elias Koech (1:47.82) hold the top two spots in the region in the men’s 800-meter run.

Javelin throwers Alex van der Merwe and Erma Gene Evans have the top-two throws in the event this season. Van der Merwe has a season-best of 224-8 (68.49). Evans, who set the Saint Lucia national record at the C-USA Championships, has a best of 185-2 (56.45).

Oludamola Osayomi, who ranks fifth nationally, has the second-best mark entering the regional meet in the 100-meter dash. She has charted a time of 11.25 this season.

All-American Nelly Tchayem expects to be one of the top contenders in the triple jump. She ranks third in the region with a jump of 44-0 (13.41).

Patrick Mutai will be seeking his third trip to the NCAA Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He has run the region’s fourth-best time of 8:48.11. Mutai has been an All-American in the event the last two years.

Other men competitors include Hans Eriksson (hammer), Nicodemus Ng'etich (5,000-meter run), All-American Daniel Ward (200-meter dash) and the 1,600-meter relay (John Alipio, Ward, Kiprono Tanui and Koech).

Ward is a two-time All-America in the indoor 200 and gained honors as part of the 400-meter relay outdoors last year.

The women will also compete Halimat Ismaila (400-meter dash), Alina Joaca-Bine (hammer), Fatimoh Muhammed (800), Olatunde Okusanya (400), Nina Schvedoff (hammer), Keisha Walkes (shot put, discus) and Kelly Young (1,500-meter run).

Muhammed is a two-time NCAA All-American in the 800. She was fifth last year outdoors and eighth during the 2007 indoor season.

The NCAA Midwest Regional runs Friday and Saturday. The complete schedule follows:

Friday, May 25
12:00 p.m. - Women’s Javelin FINAL - Erma Gene Evans
12:30 p.m. - Men’s Hammer FINAL - Hans Eriksson
1:50 p.m. - Women’s 1,500 Prelims - Kelly Young
2:45 p.m. - Women’s Shot Put FINAL - Keisha Walkes
3:10 p.m. - Women’s 100 Prelims - Oludamola Osayomi
3:50 p.m. - Women’s 400 Prelims - Halimat Ismaila, Olatunde Okusanya
4:10 p.m. - Men’s 800 Prelims - Elias Koech, Dominic Kiprono Tanui
4:30 p.m. - Women’s 800 Prelims - Fatimoh Muhammed
5:30 p.m. - Men’s 200 Prelims - Daniel Ward
6:10 p.m. - Men’s 5000 FINAL - Nicodemus Ng'etich

Saturday, May 26
12:00 p.m. - Men’s Javelin FINAL - Alex van der Merwe
12:30 p.m. - Women’s Hammer FINAL - Alina Joaca-Bine, Nina Schvedoff
2:30 p.m. - Women’s 1,500 FINAL
3:00 p.m. - Women’s Discus FINAL - Keisha Walkes
3:00 p.m. - Women’s Triple Jump FINAL - Nelly Tchayem
3:10 p.m. - Women’s 100 FINAL
3:20 p.m. - Women’s 400 FINAL
3:25 p.m. - Men’s 800 FINAL
3:30 p.m. - Women’s 800 FINAL
4:00 p.m. - Men’s 200 FINAL
4:15 p.m. - Men’s 3,000 Steeplechase FINAL - Patrick Mutai
5:05 p.m. - Men’s 1,600 Relay FINAL - Alipio, Ward, Kiprono Tanui, Koech

All Times Mountain