The UTEP women's basketball team finally earned some respect from Conference USA.
After a season when the Miners didn't produce a player of the week, they received the defensive player of the year in Elina Arike, C-USA announced Tuesday.
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Coach Kevin Baker was co-coach of the year along with Rick Insell, the coach of league-champion Middle Tennessee, while UTEP's Jazion Jackson was named to the first team.
The third-year sophomore Arike is the first Miner to win the conference defensive player of the year award.