News
How to help recycle on campus P. 4
Entertainment
Uncaged Art P. 7
Sports
El Paso Rhinos win Thorne Cup P. 9 VOL. 103, NO. 26 APRIL 16, 2019
TH E U N IVERSIT Y O F TE X AS AT EL PASO W W W.T H EPROS PEC TO RDA I LY.CO M
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opinion
EDITOR IN CHIEF CLAUDIA FLORES, 747-7446
APRIL 16, 2019
New trend: BYOP parties BY CLAUDIA HERNANDEZ
For The Prospector Normally, on party invitations you see “BYOB,” which means Bring Your Own Beverage. When I posted online that the party I was planning was a “BYOP” (Bring Your Own Plate) party, people got confused. My family hosts a barbeque every other Sunday, and it was all fun and games until I was the last one there and had to help clean up. For the 20 people that were invited, every Sunday there would be a total of three big trash bags filled with plastic cups, plastic plates, napkins, foam coffee cups, chip bags, plastic silverware and food leftovers. At first, I thought that throwing the trash where it belonged was the right thing to do. I didn’t know where that trash was going to end up, or if it would be disposed properly. I guess the older I get, the more conscious I become. And it is something good, because I am aware of the issues, but my mind suffers because I realize how bad my habits have always been. I started a fun dynamic for my family parties. I told them that it was a BYOP party, but everybody ended up confused. Explaining to my uncles that I was trying to make the party a little bit eco-friendlier was a joke to them. For weeks, nobody would listen to me. They would laugh at my initiative and make jokes about it. But I didn’t give up and eventually they started listening to me. Some would stop attending. Some would eat without any plates so they would not have to wash the dishes, and some would bring their own plates. I was so proud of myself because
our waste reduced from three big trash bags to barely one. It was a little bit more work but it’s worth it. Since it worked, I decided to plan parties where people would bring reusable cups to serve their drinks and because we are all millennials, it wasn’t hard at all. Now our parties are plastic-free and it turns out it’s cheaper that way. This means less trash, less money and more fun. I know it is a small step, but change starts with a little effort. Changing to a plastic-free home is so satisfying. The cleaning is easier as long as everybody does their part and washes their dishes. I have also been trying to have more ecofriendly habits. I have changed my diet and I have even been composting in my backyard for about a year now. However, bad habits die hard. El Paso isn’t the easiest city to be eco-friendly. The weather forces you to have air conditioning or heaters, and sometimes the public transportation isn’t reliable. But it has improved in so many ways. There are a lot of sustainable and vegan restaurants. Many of them are starting to leave plastic behind. Some restaurants are even using biodegradable utensils. It gives me hope that change is happening and not only in my house. Claudia Hernandez may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com
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STAFF V O L . 1 0 3 , N O . 2 6 Editor in Chief: Claudia “Gigi” Flores Web Editor: Daniel “Curly” Mendez Layout Editor: Christian Gutierrez Copy Editor: Brianna Chavez Sports Editor: Isaiah Ramirez Entertainment Editor: Catherine Ramirez Photo Editor: Claudia Hernandez Multimedia Editor: Ashley Johnson Staff Reporters: Alexia Nava, Oscar Avila, Valeria Olivares Photographers: Priscilla Gomez Contributors: Carolina Alvarez, Glenda Elena Avalos, Cynthia “Teddy” Baylon, Michael Cuviello, Eliott Luna, Jaqueline
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The Prospector is published by the Student Media and Publications Board, 105 Union East, 500 W. University Ave. El Paso, Texas, 79968. The Prospector appears in print once per week on Tuesdays during the fall and spring semesters. The newspaper is not printed during holidays and when classes are not in session. The Prospector does provide news online at www.theprospectordaily.com. The Prospector is provided to students through student fees. First copy is free. Any additional copies, if available, must be purchased for $1 through the Department of Student Media and Publications. The Prospector is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. Additional policy information may be obtained by calling The Prospector at 915-747-5161. Opinions expressed in The Prospector are not necessarily those of the university.
APRIL 16, 2019 NEWS
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
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High 92/ Low 49 Hot/Windy
High 76/ Low 49 Dusty
High 72/ Low 46 Windy
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High 68/ Low 45 Partly Sunny/20%
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High 80/ Low 50 Mostly Sunny
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‘ByAimeeOh’
Entrepreneur changes the straw game in El Paso BY CLAUDIA FLORES The Prospector
For Aimée Carrillo, changing her lifestyle to live an eco-friendly life was crucial to support the cause of helping the environment. Her journey led her to start her own business through the sale of stainless steel, bamboo and glass straws, as well as reusable bags. “ByAimeeOh” was founded more than eight months ago. Carrillo, a 25-year-old entrepreneur and UTEP alumna, started her business after a close friend inspired her to reduce the use of plastic and waste to save the planet. “She (my friend) educated me about what’s going on and how all the trash, not only plastic straws, but plastic bottles and other kind of stuff affect the oceans,” Carrillo said. “She gave me my first reusable straw and I was so inspired that I decided to buy more to give to my friends and family. Once I got the straws I posted them on my personal Instagram and people asked me ‘Where did you get those?’ ‘I want one’ and that’s how it started.” According to an article by National Geographic, just in the U.S. alone, one estimate suggests 500 million straws are used every single day. And in a recent study according to Science Advances, 8.3 billion plastic straws have polluted the world’s beaches in 2019 alone. Part of her goal is not only to help the environment, but also the local economy. Her reusable bags and eco-friendly packaging are handmade and produced in Cd. Juárez. “At the beginning I was giving the straws in pa-
per bags because I didn’t want to use plastic, but still I wanted not to use the paper bags, so I was trying to look for something where my clients could bring their straws with them,” Carrillo said. “I remember a friend of mine used to make pouches and makeup bags when I was in high school, and I was like ‘I’m going to ask her’ because I wanted to do something that can support local.” For Carrillo, selling straws is not the only goal. Aside from growing her business and introducing other products in the future, helping change the mentality of the community is one of the goals in her list. “One of the comments that always gets me is when (people) say, ‘We’re not going to make any change, we live far away from the ocean,’ but what they don’t know is that our trash goes to the ocean and not only the oceans, but our landfills and mountains,” Carrillo said. In an attempt to help the local landscapes, Carrillo said every time she goes hiking to the Franklin Mountains, she takes with her a bag to pick up the trash she finds along the way. “The things we’re doing now are affecting the people, the animals, the fields and mountains here in El Paso, and this will also have an impact in the future for our children,” Carrillo said. “Right now, we’re in a situation we can’t ignore, because it’s getting to a point where it’s getting bad.” For Carrillo, the next step is to introduce new products once a month, shampoo bars – to avoid the use of plastic bottles – and bamboo toothbrushes are some of the items she is working on at the moment.
CLAUDIA FLORES/THE PROSPECTOR
Aimée Carrillo, owner of ‘ByAimeeOh,’ sells reusable straws and handmade reusable bags. “Some other things I will start doing are campaigns and events to share my experience on how this transition has been for me and just try to give people tips on what they can do to make their homes eco-friendly,” Carrillo said. “I want other people to be inspired. I didn’t know anything about business and I want other women to start their own
business and become their own boss.” The products by “ByAimeeOh” can be found at local coffee shops such as Savage Goods, 1201 N. Oregon St., and Global Coffee, 1513 N. Zaragoza Road, and on Instagram at @ByAimeeOh. Claudia Flores may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com
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4 NEWS APRIL 16, 2019
Take Back the Night
UTEP celebrates 25th anniversary with candle vigil BY OSCAR AVILA The Prospector
Next week, UTEP will celebrate 25 years of the annual Take Back the Night, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at the Union Building East, inside the Union Cinema. The event is part of a larger, international event that combats sexual and domestic violence against women. The event is free and open to the public, and aims to identify the danger signs of a non-healthy relationship, seek/share information regarding issues of sexual abuse and violence and identify the role that individuals play in ending violence against women, according to organizers. At UTEP, Take Back the Night is hosted by the Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education department (CARE) in collaboration with other university organizations such as Campus Violence Prevention, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Center Against Sexual and Family Violence, Do One Thing-Bystander Intervention, Military Student Success Center, Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR), Psi Chi, Student Engagement and Leadership Center (SELC) and the UTEP Police Department. The event will feature the personal experiences of UTEP students and community members, a keynote speaker and a T-shirt project followed by a candlelight vigil. The keynote speaker will be Rape Prevention Education Coordinator Juliette Grimmett from North Carolina State University. Master of Ceremony will be Christian Clarke, a UTEP alumna who started Take Back the Night at UTEP 25 years ago. She will return to her alma mater to lead the event during its anniversary. Madeline Diaz, a sophomore majoring in political science, believes this event will do a lot of good for the community. “Sexual violence often is birthed from ignorance and misinformation, and so any event to bring awareness and education is something I can see as necessary or beneficial,” Diaz said. The TBTN Foundation helps communities
hold various events like, “Bike for the Night” and “Yoga for Healing,” marathons like the 5K, “Glow Runs.” They also host international and regional training conferences to spread awareness. Nationally, TBTN started under the leadership of Katie Koestner, the first woman in the United States to come forward nationally and publicly as the victim of campus “date” rape. The primary goal was to form a hub for information sharing, resources and support for both survivors and event holders. Now, the TBTN Foundation collects anecdotes, photos, memorabilia and oral histories from participants in past and current events around the world. Evelyn Torres, a senior majoring in engineering leadership, and her friend Christopher Herrera, a graduate student studying electrical engineering, have attended the event before and they agree it left them very humbled. “Take Back the Night has really come to show me that it is possible to see the sunlight after a night full of darkness. Much respect for those that have been able to open up about their story as much as these people have, a true admiration,” Torres said. “Take Back the Night made me realize how much of a story every single one of us carries on our shoulders, we are so prompt to judge a book by its cover without realizing how impacted they have been by another individual of our own,” Herrera said. An organization called the Vancouver Rape Relief held TBTN marches from 1980 to 1985. In 1981, the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centers declared the evening of the third Friday of September as the annual time for TBTN marches nationwide. Currently, hundreds of communities throughout the country hold events in September. Today, the TBTN foundation has supported the addition of more than 300 event holders in the last 10 years with more communities joining each year. For information, visit takebackthenight.org or www.utep.edu/student-affairs/care. Oscar Avila may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com
UTEP Students get 10% discount* Get your car ready for the El Paso heat! Free AC check ups! 2920 N Mesa St, El Paso, TX 79902
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SPECIAL TO THE PROSPECTOR
Earth Week on campus will kickoff April 15 and run through April 18 with various events and activities.
How to help recycle on campus
BY JUAN CORRAL The Prospector
With Earth Day around the corner, UTEP’s Waste Management Program has high hopes to inform the campus community on recycling and how students can contribute to make the Earth a little greener. The UTEP Waste Management Program started back in 1998. Since then, the program has tried to implement better ways of recycling. “In 2012, we made an attempt to implement the multi-stream recycling program which is a cleaner recycling program,” said Jesus Licona, assistant director for custodial and grounds. “(In) places like the Union and COBA (the College of Business Administration) you can find containers with four different bins – one for plastic, paper, trash and aluminum. This is multi-stream recycling.” The buildings with multi-stream recycling were essentially testers to help promote this new, polished, way of recycling with an ultimate goal of implementing it across the whole campus. According to UTEP’s waste management website, if 40,000 pounds of paper products are gathered each month through the help of students and faculty, 340 trees are saved. According to Bloomber.com, recycling markets were upended in 2017 when China, as part of an anti-pollution crackdown, announced it would stop importing most used plastic and paper. This made recycling notably more expensive. For instance, plastic cannot be recycled separately unless it is shredded and baled. “At that point, we ran into a few challenges, and recycling would have been expensive to implement a multi-stream level. Because of that, we decided to continue our single-stream system,” Licona said. Single-stream recycling is a system where all types of recyclables such as plastics, paper, metals and glass are put into a single bin by consumers, which are then transported to a Material Recovery
Facility (MRF) where they are sorted and processed. “We still recycle. Although we mix the items, they are still recycled,” Licona said. An observer on campus may believe that custodians do not separate the recycled items from the trash because they have one cart. But within that cart, there are two bags – one for trash and one for recyclables. The largest problem waste management tackles is avoiding cross-contamination – the mixing of non-recyclable items with recyclable items. “For example, if we have a container full of paper or bottles and someone throws food in that container, all of that must go to the landfill. Once something is contaminated, we have to throw the whole container to the landfill because it will not qualify as recyclables. Often times we find a lot of cross contamination and then we have to send it to the landfill,” Licona said. One item that can no longer be recycled is shredded paper. Companies that recycle demand that shredded paper be baled which, unfortunately, UTEP’s campus does not have a baler. Bringing a baler onto campus is on waste management’s wish list. “We usually try to educate everyone every Earth Week by doing different activities and putting up various booths, to try and inform people about everything that is going on,” said Shiela Awalt, assistant to the Facilities Management. Earth Week on campus will kickoff April 15 and run through April 18 with various events, giveaways, interactive games and activities. With something to look forward to students and faculty should keep in mind that waste and recyclables contribute to this largely. For information to learn how to recycle correctly visit utep.edu/vpba/facilities-management Juan Corral may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com
25
th
ANNIVERSARY
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
APRIL 2019
april Break The Stigma:
11
Be Good To Yourself 3:00pm-3:30pm UNION EAST BLDG. DESERT ROOM 102D
#SAAM2019 # I A S KYO U D EC I D E #MINERSASK #IASK
It’s OK to Report Q&A UNION EAST BLDG. CACTUS FLOWER ROOM 102C
april One Word, Seven Letters:
17
CONSENT
M UNION WEST BLDG., ROOM 202
Break The Stigma: Be Good To Yourself MILITARY RESOURCE CENTER
april Denim Day
24
ADVOCACY FAIR FASHION SHOW UNION PLAZA
Take Back the Night
april
17 april
23
UTEPCARE
STOP THE VIOLENCE
APRIL 24, 2019 6:30 PM- 8:30 PM UNION CINEMA
UTEP students and community members share their powerful stories, followed by candlelight vigil. JOIN SURVIVORS, SUPPORTERS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS IN SAYING NO TO DOMESTIC & SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY Please contact us one week prior to the event if special accommodations are needed.
UNION CINEMA UNION EAST BLDG.
For more information, visit us @ utep.edu/CARE
SHATTER THE SILENCE
(915) 747-7452 Utep.edu/care care@utep.edu
(915) 747-7452 utep.edu/care care@utep.edu
6 NEWS APRIL 16, 2019
WIN WITH
Project Move 10th anniversary
Get ready for our biggest Giveaway of the semester! From April 2 - April 30, our readers will look through the ads in and find a special symbol ( ) hidden in one of the ads for every issue in April. 1
All entry forms must be submitted by Friday, May 3 before 5 p.m. In order to be eligible for the drawing, you must find the special symbol in all five issues of April and complete the entry form in its entirety. You must be a currently enrolled UTEP student with a valid Miner Gold Card to claim your prize.
PRIZES INCLUDE TacoTote Gift Cards Planet Fitness Passes Neon Desert Music Festival Tickets
2
In order to enter the drawing you will need to tell us in which ads you found the special symbol by submitting the entry form below to our office at 105 Union East. Please write the name of the advertiser where you found the hidden symbol for each issue date of
April 2 April 9 April 16 April 22 April 29
Name: Classification: Major: Phone number: Email:
*Giveaway winners will be selected at random through a drawing of all eligible entries.
Prizes brought to you by:
3 CLAUDIA HERNANDEZ / THE PROSPECTOR
1) UTEP Project Move at Rescue Mission Saturday April 13, 2019. 2) Students particpating in UTEP Project Move help sort through clothing donations at Rescue Mission 3) Students and faculty participate in UTEP Project Move in El Paso.
EDITOR CATHERINE RAMIREZ, 747-7446
APRIL 16, 2019
‘Uncaged Art’
7
e n t e rta i n m e n t
collection by the children in Tornillo BY CLAUDIA FLORES The Prospector The UTEP Centennial Museum hosted a special reception Saturday, April 13, for its most recent exhibition “Uncaged Art,” an art collection created by the children who were held in the immigrant detention center in Tornillo, Texas. In June 2018, the Trump administration built a detention center for immigrant children in Tornillo, located 40 miles away from El Paso. At the beginning of June, close to 300 minors were held in detention and during the following months the center held more than 3,000 children and adolescents as part of President Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. In January, the detention center in Tornillo closed its doors. UTEP President Dr. Diana Natalicio, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Denis O’Hearn and a 17-year-old Honduran migrant who lived in the detention center in Tornillo (who goes by Freddy) were among the special guests at the reception. The exhibition showcases 29 art pieces out of a 400-piece collection the children created as part of a four-day art project according to Dr. Yolanda Chavez Leyva, director of the Institute of Oral History and curator of the exhibit. “This is the children’s creations from their experience. It started with 400 pieces of art and then, from those 400, the staff chose 40 and they built an exhibit for the staff within the camp. Out of those 40, we got 29,” Chavez Leyva said. Paintings of birds, drawings and 3D sculptures
CLAUDIA HERNÁNDEZ / THE PROSPECTOR The “Uncaged Art” exhibition will run untill Oct. 5 at the Centennial Museum. representing places from their hometown, are some of the works featured in the exhibition. The exhibit was housed in a plastic tent with a barbed wire fence in an attempt to recreate the appearance of the detention center. “We know very little about this project. It was over a four-day project. There were teachers there and they wanted to have the kids to do something that would raise their spirit,” said Daniel Carey-Whalen, director of the Centennial Museum. “And one of the dominant things is the Quetzal. There’s a saying one of the children had said that a Quetzal cannot be caged. So apparently if you try to put the bird in the cage it will die. “‘Uncaged art,’ we have this idea that it’s just the perfect symbol for these children that even though they were in this detention camp – they rose above it, to some extent, then you can see the human spirit come out in these works of art,” Carey-Whalen said. According to Carey-Whalen, putting up an exhibition takes about a year in advance of the opening date. The museum had “Uncaged Art” ready in a span of three months. “I saw it as a great opportunity. Museums are al-
ways talking about being relevant and this exhibit, I think is going to be a great opportunity for the community,” Carey-Whalen said. “I thought we had to do it. We even talked about it, three months isn’t enough time to do an exhibit. So we thought to postpone it until later in the next year and it was like ‘no, this is relevant now’ and I think is very important for museums to take on current issues.” Sacred Heart Catholic Church’s priest Fr. Rafael Garcia was one of the priests that gave mass at the detention center and after the center was ready to close down, he called Chavez Leyva in an attempt to preserve the art made by the children. “They were going to throw away all this art. (Fr. Garcia) asked a staff member ‘If I can find someone that can preserve It and show it, can you donate it to them?’ and they said yes, so within two days they brought me all this art,” Chavez Leyva said. Freddy was held at detention centers for more than three months. He spent two months in the Tornillo detention center and one more in a detention center in Arlington, Texas. “I decided to come to the U.S. because I noticed the situation of violence and hunger crisis in my
country and I decided to risk my life and risk everything. It was a hard trip with a lot of difficulties along the way, but thank God I made it,” he said. During his testimony, Freddy spoke about his days in the detention center. “It was a difficult time for me because I didn’t have my parents with me. They made me go through things no one should have to go through,” he said. “I was 16 at the time and I was desperate and anguished. There were children who were five, seven or eight years old at the center and I can’t imagine how they could’ve felt.” Even though he was released before the art project at the center took place, he shared his experience of seeing the artwork by the children. “I’m proud and sad at the same time, to know that the children painted great representations from their home countries. Even when their paintings represent joy, behind that painting there’s a desperate child, a child who wants to be set free,” Freddy said “Uncaged Art” is located on the first floor of the Centennial Museum and will run through Oct. 5. Claudia Flores may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com.
8 ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 16, 2019
Neon Desert Music Festival 2019 Series
Profile three: Jordan Taylor BY CATHERINE RAMIREZ The Prospector
Local solo artist Jordan Taylor is set to perform at the ninth annual Neon Desert Music Festival on Sunday, May 26 in Downtown El Paso. Taylor is a solo singer and considers the genre of her music as a mixture of R&B and pop. “I suppose I would describe my music as like, my second heart. It’s honest and carries a little bit of every aspect of myself in it,” Taylor said. “The artist that I am would not exist if I did not have that variety or the ability to have the variety of genres to sing.” The El Paso singer began singing and per-
forming at a young age but has been creating her own music for two years. “I was brought up in a very musical household, whether it was instruments being played, music blaring, voices singing or learning through songs,” Taylor said. When creating music Taylor said she becomes inspired through art like poetry, inanimate objects, nature and other artists. “I see inspiration through a lens, one that may not make sense to a lot of people but it speaks volumes to me,” Taylor said. “There’s just so much that life shows you and I basically take it all in and give something back through it (music) I guess you could say.” Throughout her music career Taylor has
PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN TAYLOR Local artist Jordan Taylor will perform at Neon Desert Music Festival Sunday, May 26.
worked with numerous artists such as The Swell Kids, Irie Lee, Yung Pablo and Blvkkhvrt and said she works hand-in-hand creating her music with her mentor and producer Leo Castellanos. “Every artist I’ve worked with is part of my music making,” Taylor said. “That’s just a few from current and more to come.” In total, Taylor has written and released 18 songs through her EP titled “The Soul” and her newly released album “SEXBLUSH.” Taylor has performed her EP and cover sets at local El Paso venues such as the El Paso County Coliseum and Lowbrow Palace but has also traveled to California and New York where she performed
at places like Disneyland and Carnegie Hall. Taylor will make her first-time appearance at the ninth annual Neon Desert Music Festival and said she is thrilled to be surrounded by all music lovers and those who have supported her through her music journey. “I’m extremely excited and honored to have the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome event,” Taylor said. For information about Jordan Taylor visit her on Instagram @jordanntaaylor and to listen to her new album “SEXBLUSH” visit soundcloud.com/jordaantaaylor. Catherine Ramirez may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com.
EDITOR ISAIAH RAMIREZ, 747-7446
APRIL 16, 2019
sports
9
Thorne Cup Champions El Paso Rhinos capture 2019 Championship in Utah PHOTO COURTESY / SPECIAL TO THE PROSPECTOR The El Paso Rhinos captured its fourth Thorne Cup Championship in team history, after going 3-0 in the round-robin portion of the Thorne Cup Finals, then defeating the Ogden Mustangs 2-0.
BY ISAIAH RAMIREZ The Prospector For the fourth time in team history and the second year in a row the El Paso Rhinos are Thorne Cup Champions after defeating the Ogden Mustangs 2-0 in Ogden, Utah. Last season the Rhinos defeated the Mustangs for the Throne Cup Championship 3-2 at the El Paso County Special Events Center for their third Thorne Cup trophy in program history. The Rhinos have now captured the Thorne Cup Championship in 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2019. After going undefeated in the round-robin portion of the Throne Cup Finals against the Oklahoma City Blazers, Long Beach Bombers, and Ogden Mustangs. In their matchup against the Blazers in the round-robin portion of the championships the Rhinos earned a 6-0 shutout win. The Rhinos tallied 42 shots on goal and six
different forwards earned a goal-Sam Robinson, Martin Dubsky, Sam Sykes, Max Kamper, Easton Easterson, and Jonas Burman. Following that game, the Rhinos earned a 4-2 win against the Long Beach Bombers with the Rhinos having 21 shots on goal. Defenseman JC Dubecky scored two goals for the Rhinos as well as forwards Adam Stalzer and Max Kamper. Goalie Nils Velm recorded well needed saves for the game and stopped 26 of the Bombers 28 shots. The final matchup in the round-robin portion of the Throne Cup pitted the Rhinos against their familiar foes in the Ogden Mustangs. The Rhinos would earn a 3-2 overtime win over the Mustangs as Kamper scored the game winning goal. The Rhinos would go on to have 43 shots on net. Forwards Dillion Manchester and Martin Dubsky would add goals for the Rhinos. Velm would have the clutch gene in the
overtime portion of the game recording 25 saves in the extra period. For a spot in the Thorne Cup Championship game, the Rhinos would go up against the Oklahoma City Blazers in what was anything but a competitive match up cruising to a 7-2 win. Goalie Richie Parent stopped 33 of the 35 shots by the Blazers and Easterson would have two goals and an assist for the game. In the end, it was deja vu for the Rhinos as the only obstacle on their path to capturing a Thorne Cup Championship for the second year in a row was the Ogden Mustangs. After two periods, the Rhinos would lead 1-0 after a goal by Dubsky and in third period Kamper would put a stamp on the win with a goal in the final minutes of the third period. When it was all over, the Rhinos would earn a 2-0 win and the championship would remain in El Paso. Defensemen JC Dubecky, Donald Alchin,
forwards Martin Dubsky, Sam Sykes, and goalie Richie Parent were named to the 2019 Thorne Cup All-League Team. Since the inception of the Rhinos in 2006, the team has earned 10 western division championships, four Thorne Cup Championships, and a silver medal in the 2011 USA Hockey Tier III Jr. Nationals. A fan party hosted by the El Paso Rhinos will take place at 6 p.m. April 16 at the El Paso Special Events Center. Fans can meet and celebrate with the players, coaches, and staff, and bid on Rhino warm-up jerseys and win raffles. Isaiah Ramirez may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com.
WHAT: El Paso Rhinos Championship Celebration WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday April 16 WHERE: El Paso County Special Events Center
10 SPORTS APRIL 16, 2019
El Paso Chihuahuas look to extend five-game winning streak BY MICHAEL CUVIELLO The Prospector The Chihuahuas (5-6) opened the season losing four out of their first five home games versus the Las Vegas Aviators, in a less than auspicious start for the defending division champs. Coming into this season this squad has been hit with high expectations considering the amount of talent on the roster, consisting of numerous highly touted prospects. Now the Chihuahuas are on a four-game winning streak behind power on the plate and stellar play on the mound. El Paso hosts two non-division opponents this week in the Reno Aces and Tacoma Rainiers. The Chihuahuas are also coming off a suspended game against the Reno Aces on April 15. The game was suspended in the 11th inning because of a Pacific Coast League travel
curfew. The game will resume on July 15, during El Paso’s next visit to Reno. At the time of the suspension the score was tied at 5-5 and the game will leave off at the beginning of the 11th inning. Third baseman and former Cincinnati Reds minor leaguer of the year Seth MejiasBrean, leads the Chihuahuas in batting average at .400, which ranks 9th in the Pacific Coast League. Left fielder Jose Pirela, has two home runs and leads the team in runs batted in with 15, while batting .364 in 11 games. First baseman Ty France is batting .362 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in. Overall the Chihuahuas are third in the league in batting with a .293 average as a team, but overall lack speed on the bases and is tied for worst in stolen bases– a metric in which they trailed the entire league last year. On the pitching side, El Paso is near the bottom of the league in earned run average and has only one starting pitcher that has an earned run average under five. Jerry Keel,
PRISCILLA GOMEZ / THE PROSPECTOR
Infielder Luis Urias was moved up to play with the San Diego Padres on April 15.
PRISCILLA GOMEZ / THE PROSPECTOR
Second baseman Esteban Quiroz has 12 hits and two home runs on the season. has been the team’s most consistent starting pitchers so far and yet sits with an earned run average of 4.91, one win, and 10 strikeouts in 14 innings. Top prospect Logan Allen, has started two games and barely lasted five innings combined, giving up 11 earned runs while having control issues giving up seven walks. The team so far has only one save from the bullpen, and that has come from Luis Perdomo, who has a 1.35 earned run average to go with four strikeouts. Another top prospect for the Chihuahuas, infielder Luis Urias, was recently moved up to the San Diego Padres, and started at second base in their game Monday against the Colorado Rockies. The Tacoma Rainiers come to face El Paso with a 4-7 record. The Rainiers are batting .280 as a team and are led by catcher Austin Nola, with a batting average of .433, one home run and 11 runs batted in. Nola is coming off a game where he reached base every time at bat versus Albuquerque with two hits and three walks in five at-bats. Tacoma features recently acquired top 10-second base prospect Shed Long, who is currently batting .372 with one home run and five runs batted in. Long has been played all over the diamond in multiple positions that include outfield, second and third base. In 2018, Long struggled defensively against the Cincinnati Reds. The Rainiers feature the Mariners 7th ranked prospect center fielder Braden Bishop, who is batting .333 for them. Tacoma is ranked last in earned run average with 7.51 runs per game. Ryan Garton,
leads the team with 11 strikeouts in ten innings with 4.50 runs given up per game. The Rainiers have the top prospect in the Mariners organization pitching for them in former first-round pick Justus Sheffield who currently sports a 5.29 earned run average in two starts. Coming to town Friday, April 19, will be the Reno Aces (3-8) who have lost all three games to El Paso this season, giving up 24 runs in three games with one more game to play at home in the series. Reno has been equally inept in pitching with an earned run average just over seven a game. Pitcher Taylor Clarke, has been their workhorse with three starts, but has an abysmal 7.52 earned run average with one win and one loss. Anthony Vasquez has been their best pitcher in two starts with a 4.50 earned run average. The Aces feature the secondranked player in the Diamondbacks organization in right-hander Jon Duplantier, who has pitched three innings of scoreless ball with four strikeouts. Reno has been middle of the pack batting with a team batting average of .265. Left fielder Travis Snyder, is batting .500 in 30 at-bats leading the team in that category. Returning to El Paso will be former Chihuahua fan favorite, first baseman Cody Decker. Decker currently is the all-time Chihuahuas home run leader with 48 home runs in his two seasons here along with making the league allstar team in 2015. The Chihuahuas seven-game homestand starts Tuesday, April 16 at Southwest Univerisity Park. Michael Cuviello may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com.
APRIL 16, 2019 SPORTS
UTEP women’s golf tees off in Florida for the Conference-USA Championship BY DANIEL MENDEZ The Prospector The UTEP women’s golf team is looking to build on their momentum from a first-place finish last week at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, as they get set to tee off for the Conference USA Championship April 15-17 in Fort Myers, Florida. UTEP looks to close out one of its greatest campaigns in program history, where the Miners have won a total of four tournaments, including three straight in the fall. UTEP women’s golf Coach Jere Pelletier likes the level at which his team is performing. Pelletier said his team had a slow start to the spring season, but with the win in the final tournament before conference, he feels that his team is back to where it was at during the fall season by taking advantage of course management. “We just got away from some of the things we’ve been doing well, such as our course management and decision making,” Pelletier said. “We’ve been stressing that for the whole year. We got away from it. Kind of the last tournament of the fall, and then the first three here in the spring. But talking about it and working at it in practice, we finally got back to what I felt (was)
better course management and decision making.” For the last and final tournament, UTEP enters ranked seventh in the league (No. 100 nationally by Golfstat). The highest-ranked teams in the field are No. 40 Old Dominion, No. 57 Charlotte and No. 60 UTSA. “There’s six teams ahead of us that are ranked better than us,” Pelletier said. “But golf is if you get hot at the right time. Anybody can beat anybody. So I think we’re in good shape. Right now, we’re playing well and making good decisions. So I think we’ll be really competitive here at the championship.” Lone senior Lily Downs has been what Pelletier describes as a “rock” for his team for the past four years. Downs looks to close out her Miner career on a high note. “She’s worked hard, just keeps improving every year and hopefully she can win this conference championship this year,” Pelletier said. Sophomore Valeria Mendizabal, has stepped up her play recently. In the last two tournaments, she has gradually improved on the green. In the Fresno State Classic, she and Downs tied for 16th place. Just recently in the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, Mendizabal led the way earning a fourth-place finish.
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SERGIO MUNOZ / THE PROSPECTOR Sophomore Valeria Mendizabal tied for 16th place in the Fresno State Classic, and fourth in the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. Mendizabal acknowledges that freshman to sophomore year was a weird adjustment for her, but as of late she feels she has gotten a better understanding of her game, course management and mastered some of the mental aspect of the game. “I feel this year has been a lot better than last year,” Mendizabal said. “... It was hard to adapt from moving to Guatemala to here.” Pelletier’s championship lineup will consist of senior Lily Downs, junior Crystal WU, and sophomores Valeria Mendizabal, Audrey Haddad and Tay-
cure
lor Stone. Pelletier views Downs and Mendizabal as the team’s solid base to be competitive. “Our goal has always been to win conferences, the beginning of the year,” Mendizabal said. “So we’ve been preparing ourselves to do that. I think we have a fair chance to make it possible.” Stay up to date with the Prospector as we provide updates as the UTEP women’s golf team competes in the C-USA Championship. Daniel Mendez may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com.
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12 SPORTS APRIL 16, 2019
UTEP football concludes spring practices, strives to improve BY MICHAEL CUVIELLO The Prospector In front of approximately 550 UTEP fans, Coach Dana Dimel and staff put the upcoming season’s team on display for the loyal fans. The annual orangeblue spring game is now a thing of the past replaced with what is just the last practice of the year to celebrate spring preparation. The key to spring is getting players familiarized with the playbook, honing their skills and staying injury free. With few exceptions, they accomplished this goal. Much of this can be attributed to no tackling for the whole spring practice as a concerted effort to reduce injuries. Injury wise, the team did lose starting running back senior Quadraiz Wadley about halfway through the spring practice to an ankle injury and were down to their fourth-string center. Junior Josh Fields took the bulk of the carries as the starting back – along with senior Treyvon Hughes playing the role of the power back. Fields, who looked comfortable in the offense, was making nice cuts on the field and should be in a three-way battle for the starting job with Wadly and incoming freshman Deion Hankins. Senior Kai Locksley entered the spring as the unquestioned starting quarterback and put forth the
effort to lead the team and learn the offense. Locksley was not a fan of the tackle-free practice, but he understood the reasoning and said he would have preferred a harder-hitting spring. However, he got the point and understood the logic of the coaches. Locksley, when asked about his recovery from his previous injury said, “This spring is all about gaining confidence in my cutting and I felt good in moving around.” The defensive line stood out versus the secondstring offense and will be a strength of the team led by all-conference honorable mention senior Chris Richardson. Richardson continually exerted pressure wherever he was lined up along with fellow senior and defensive lineman Derek Chukwueklu and both should be in the running for all-conference this upcoming season. The secondary, which was struck by graduation, seems to have found some excellent answers going the transfer route. Junior transfer cornerback Josh Caldwell had a positive practice showing solid coverage skills and an ability to fight for the ball as he has done throughout the spring. Earlier in spring, he had dropped a few sure interceptions in practice but focused on getting better. “I just want to take my next stage in development and be a competitor on every play,” Caldwell said. Coach Dimel announced the team captains for the year based on teammate vote. Captains on offense
are Locksley and fellow quarterback senior Brandon Jones. Offensive lineman Derron Gatewood and Wadley. The defensive captains are defensive back Justin Rogers and Michael Lewis as well as defensive end Richardson. Mitchell Crawford and Keynan Foster are team captains for special teams. “I told the coaches that was something I wanted to work on, to take on that responsibility,” Locksley said. Dimel said the practice, rather than the annual spring game, is good for fans. “For people who really like football, this is better. They get to see all aspects of a practice,” he said. Dimel said dilution of players in a game is an issue for the spring and commented that Locksley seemed much further ahead than a year ago. When asked about promising redshirt sophomore transfer tight end Luke Laufenburg, Dimel only stated that his status was not good and would comment no further. Laufenburg has not been present for spring practice and is a cancer survivor who is currently back with his family. UTEP will now focus on conditioning until fall practices start up. Their first game of the season will be against Houston Baptist on Aug. 31 in a battle of one-win teams. Michael Cuviello may be reached at theprospector1@gmail.com.
PRISCILLA GOMEZ / THE PROSPECTOR
Senior quarterback Kai Locksley
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