UTEP’s Juan Leal just won his first championship.
The Franklin alum and sophomore for the Miners track team claimed the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships gold medal in the Mile with a time of 4 minutes, 7.50 seconds Saturday. The meet was held at Liberty’s indoor complex in Lynchburg, Virginia.
It was Leal’s first collegiate individual victory and came two years after he was a Region I-6A runner-up in the 800 meters for Franklin. He also led the Cougars to two state appearances in cross country.
Leal’s victory came down to a last-lap sprint, as the top four finishers were within 2.5 seconds of each other. Liberty’s Michael Long was second in 4:08.15.
Leal’s 10 points accounted for a third of UTEP’s final total of 30 in the men’s championships, where they were seventh out of seven teams.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Franklin alum Juan Leal wins CUSA indoor track title for UTEP
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
