Habtom Samuel, Nicola Jansen Sweep MW Athlete of the Week Awards
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After big races last Friday at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn., New Mexico Cross Country swept the Mountain West Athlete of the Week awards on Tuesday, with Habtom Samuel named Men’s Athlete of the Week as well as Freshman of the Week and Nicola Jansen earning Women’s Athlete of the Week honors.
The two runners – both making their UNM debuts – anchored the Lobos’ first meet against national competition. Samuel is a true freshman, and Jansen is a junior transfer.
This is the first time that UNM has swept both the Men’s and Women’s Athlete of the Week awards in the same week since 2014, when Adam Bitchell and Charlotte Arter both won the award for the week of Oct. 7. Samuel is the first UNM men’s runner to earn the honor since 2014.
In his collegiate debut, Samuel put down the fastest winning time at Griak since 2011 – when Lawi Lalang of Arizona finished in 23:15.5 – in beating second-place finisher Wil Smith of Gonzaga by 24 seconds to become UNM’s first-ever Griak champ. His time ranks as the second-fastest in the event’s 37-year history. Later on Tuesday, Samuel was named the NCAA Men’s Runner of the Week for his big debut.
👟 RUNNER OF THE WEEK 👟
Habtom Samuel is this week's Runner of the Week after winning the 8K race at the Roy Griak Inivitational by 24 seconds! 🤯#NCAAXC x @UNMLoboXCTF pic.twitter.com/57fWNq4RYh
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) September 27, 2023
Samuel remained in position for the top spot the entire race along with fellow Top-5 finishers Lukas Kiprop (3rd, 24:02.5) and Evans Kiplagat (5th, 24:14.1), holding on to the No. 1 spot for the final 3 kilometers as he built a commanding lead on the rest of the field.
UNM – at that point ranked No. 9 in the Mountain Region – finished third behind Cal Baptist and Gonzaga in the team score, outracing No. 9 Portland as well as three Mountain West foes in Boise State, Colorado State and Wyoming. UNM jumped up to No. 6 in the Mountain Region in Monday’s updated rankings.
In the women’s race, Jansen pushed individual champion Greta Karinauskaite of Cal Baptist – the national runner-up in steeplechase at NCAA Outdoor National Championships in June – all the way to the finish, finishing three seconds behind for second place at the 37th Annual Roy Griak Invitational. She crossed the finish line in 20:30.6.
The Bradley transfer finished nearly 19 seconds ahead of the next closest finisher (20:49.0) to help anchor a sixth-place finish for the Lobos in the team total.
Three different UNM athletes won MW Women’s Athlete of the Week honors in the 2022 season en route to the Lobos’ runner-up finish at XC National Championships.
POLL WATCHING
In Tuesday’s USTFCCCA National Rankings, the Lobo Men’s squad’s big performance at Griak led them to receive votes for the first time since 2015. The women clocked in at No. 23 nationally. UNM’s women’s team has been ranked at some point in every season dating back to 2008.
In Monday’s regional rankings, the UNM men jumped to No. 6 in the mountain region. The Lobo women are also No. 6 in their region.
Samuel is ranked No. 1 in FloTrack’s individual men’s rankings, with Lukas Kiprop (No. 15) and Evans Kiplagat (No. 34) both cracking the Top 35. In the women’s rankings, Jansen is No. 8 in the nation with Emma Heckel at No. 58. In the outlet’s team rankings, the UNM men are No. 8 in the nation with the women sitting at No. 15.
UP NEXT / FOLLOW THE ACTION
The Lobos have nearly three weeks to prepare for the biggest regular-season meet of the year at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 13 in Madison, Wisc., featuring a field loaded with nationally-ranked squads. Live results for both races will be available via the 2023 Cross Country schedule page on GoLobos.com, with live streaming available via RunnerSpace. Follow @UNMLoboTFXC on Instagram and @UNMLoboXCTF on X for live coverage, race content and more.