Kenneth Talavera is an anomaly on the UTEP cross-country team, and indeed in the entire Miner athletic program.
Across the board UTEP loads up with locals, stocking programs with athletes from El Paso and nearby spots in New Mexico.
Talavera had a short trip when he came here in 2019, but it crossed a river. He's one of two UTEP athletes to come to El Paso straight from Juárez, along with golfer Naomi Ramirez, and one of three Mexicans currently in Miner athletics. (That doesn't count Juárez native Katia Gallegos on the basketball team, who moved to El Paso when she was 9.