Kiplagat, Kirarei Sweep MW Weekly Track Awards

After putting down season-opening 1,500m times that rank as the fastest in the Mountain West and Top-10 in the nation on Saturday, New Mexico Track & Field’s Mercy Kirarei and Evans Kiplagat both earned MW Track Athlete & Freshman of the Week honors.

Opening up the outdoor season at the UNM Spring Invitational in Albuquerque on Saturday, the freshman duo both ran lifetime PR’s en route to event wins in their first collegiate 1500m races that got themselves to the top of the NCAA D-I Indoor Qualifying list.

The fastest finisher in the women’s 1500m, Kirarei ran the fifth-fastest time in the nation (4:18.47) so far this season after elevation conversion, good for second in the West Region and best in the Mountain West. The time stands as a new personal best for the true freshman, who won individual titles in the 3,000m and 5,000m at MW Indoor Championships in February.

In his first action since finishing as a 5,000m Second Team All-American at NCAA Indoor Championships, Kiplagat opened up his outdoor season with the No. 8 time in the nation (3:45.22) after altitude conversions as the fastest finisher at the UNM Spring Invitational, a new personal best. That time also ranks as the best in the Mountain West so far this season and seventh in the West Region.

UP NEXT 
The Lobos split up their squad among some prestigious early-season meets this coming weekend (Mar. 29-30) between California and Texas, with the distance crew headed to the Stanford Invite (Palo Alto, Calif.) and sprints and jumps competing at the Texas Relays (Austin, Texas) and Bobcat Invitational (San Marcos, Texas). The action from Stanford will be live streamed via FloTrack, with the Texas Relays being streamed on ESPN+ – follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for live coverage, meet day content and more.