Habtom Samuel Named MW Track Athlete of the Week

After running the 12th-fastest 3,000m time in NCAA history en route to an event win at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational 0n Saturday, Habtom Samuel has been named the Mountain West Track Athlete / Freshman of the Week for the third time this indoor season.

Samuel outkicked the pros to cross the finish line in 7:40.63 and emerge victorious from a loaded men’s 3K field at sea level in Boston – a time that stands as the fastest ever ran by a Mountain West athlete and ranks 11th in the nation on the most recent TFRRS NCAA Indoor Qualifying list. Samuel had already broken the UNM school record in the event with a 7:45.61 finish at the UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 13, shaving nearly five seconds off that time with his big performance in Boston.

This is the fifth time the true freshman by way of Keren, Eritrea has picked up a weekly honor from the conference — he was named MW Athlete / Freshman of the Week twice during the 2023 cross country season before winning the conference championship as an individual and being named MW Athlete of the Year.

UP NEXT
New Mexico Track & Field returns to Boston this weekend to compete at the Terrier DMR Challenge on Feb. 16 — the Lobos’ final regular-season indoor competition before Mountain West Championships are held at the ABQ Convention Center from Feb. 22-24. This weekend’s events – as well as all of UNM’s collegiate home meets this season – will be exclusively live streamed via FloTrack, with live results available via the schedule tab at GoLobos.com. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on IG and X for meet day updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.