Habtom Samuel Named MW Indoor T&F Male Athlete of the Year
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Following another record-breaking season from Habtom Samuel — this time on the indoor oval — he has been named the 2024 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
The award is yet another addition to the trophy case for the Eritrean-born freshman who’s already secured three First Team All-American trophies and an Olympic qualifying time outdoors in the last five months alone to elevate himself to international superstar status. He’s the seventh Lobo to be named the MW Men’s Student-Athlete of the Year and the first since 2015.
Watch for your first look at the #MWITF Athletes of the Year 💪🏃♂️💨
🐏 @CSUTrackFieldXC
🐺 @UNMLoboXCTF pic.twitter.com/q7it33T16i— Mountain West (@MountainWest) March 27, 2024
It’s been an active last few weeks for Samuel. After winning Mountain West titles in the 5,000m and 3,000m in dominant fashion at the Albuquerque Convention Center in February — breaking the championship record in both races — and being named MW Indoor Championship Performer of the Meet, Samuel returned from NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston with two more First Team All-American honors to wrap up his indoor season, finishing fourth in the Men’s 5,000m final and seventh in the 3,000m, respectively.
Samuel’s fourth-place finish in the Men’s 5,000m Final made him the highest-placing Lobo men’s athlete at Indoor Championships since Josh Kerr won it all in the mile in 2018, tying Chris Barnicle (2010) and Matt Gonzalez (2005) — who both also finished fourth — for the best Indoor National Championship finish by a Lobo men’s athlete at that distance. His time was more than 13 seconds faster than both, and nearly four seconds faster than Luke Caldwell’s 13:34.54 elevation-converted time in 2014.
In the 3K, Samuel crossed the line in 7:46.86 to finish as the second-fastest freshman in the field, 5.85 seconds behind first-place finisher Nico Young of Northern Arizona. It’s the best finish by a UNM men’s runner in the National 3,000m Final since Adam Bitchell finished sixth in 2015, and the fastest 3K run at Indoor Championships in program history.
Even before collegiate competition began for outdoor season, Samuel has already run the second-fastest 10,000m race in collegiate history, finishing fifth overall as the second-fastest collegiate finisher (26:53.84) behind Northern Arizona’s Nico Young at Sound Running’s THE TEN. Both Samuel and Young — the NCAA Indoor 3,000m and 5,000m champion — finished under the previous collegiate record. They’re the first two college athletes to break the 27-minute barrier.
“I’m really good in outdoors,” said Samuel following his sweep of the 3K and 5K races at MW Championships in Albuquerque. “Better than indoors. So, I’m very excited for the outdoor season. (Some) of the guys (were) faster than me this season. But I’ll beat them, definitely all of them in the outdoor season.”
THE YEAR OF HABTOM
Since the 2023-24 season, Samuel has racked up accomplishments at a pace unseen by any true freshman in UNM history. He’ll add Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year to a an already lengthy resume:
- 2023 Mountain West Athlete of the Year (XC)
- NCAA Runner of the Week (XC)
- USTFCCCA Mountain Region Athlete of the Year (XC)
- Mountain West Champion (XC)
- NCAA Mountain Region Champion (XC)
- NCAA Championship Runner-Up (XC)
- Mountain West Championship Record Holder (XC)
- UNM Program Record Holder – 5,000m, 3,000m, Mile (Indoor)
- Fastest collegiate mile ever ran at the Albuquerque Convention Center (3:59.12)
- 11th-Fastest 5,000m time in NCAA History (Indoor)
- Mountain West Championship Performer of the Meet (Indoor)
- Mountain West Championship Record Holder – 5,000m, 3,000m (Indoor)
- Mountain West Champion – 5,000m, 3,000m (Indoor)
- USTFCCCA First Team All-American – 5,000m, 3,000m (Indoor)
- No. 2 10,000m time in NCAA History (Outdoor)