UTEP's surest bet heading into the 2022 season was the looming emergence of long sprinter Jevaughn Powell.
The third-year sophomore dealt with personal tragedy in the death of his mother shortly after he enrolled at UTEP in 2019, got through the 2020 COVID wipeout in one piece and set himself up with a Conference USA title in the 200 meters his redshirt freshman season in 2021.
Powell followed up with silver in the North American U-23 championships over the summer, his physical fitness was heading to a good place when indoor season dawned.
Then he got COVID, suffered a quad injury and those great expectations gave way to an eventually solid indoor season that if anything showed how much better he could be.