Lobo Men's XC Climbs to No. 6 in National Polls; Women Rise 9 Spots to No. 8
THIS WEEK IN LOBO XC…
After a dominant weekend against the nation’s best that saw Pamela Kosgei and Habtom Samuel both win individual titles with new course records on this year’s NCAA Championships to lead sixth- and fourth- place team finishes against a field of 39 combined ranked teams, New Mexico Men’s and Women’s Cross Country are both ranked among the Top 10 for the first time since 2013 in this week’s USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll.
The UNM men moved up to No. 6 – their highest rank since the final week of the 2013 season – with the women moving up nine spots to No. 8 in the nation in this week’s polls, remaining at No. 2 and No. 4 in the Mountain Region rankings released on Monday. The men are just one spot shy of matching their highest ranking in program history — they ranked No. 5 in the nation in the final poll of the 2010 season.
The Lobo women were the second-highest riser of the week behind a West Virginia team that moved up 24 spots.
This is only the sixth time in program history in which both squads are ranked in the Top 10 at the same time — the two teams were both ranked No. 9 in the Week 5 poll in 2013 and both cracked the Top 10 in Weeks 4, 5 and 8 of 2010 before both being ranked No. 5 in 2010’s final poll ahead of NCAA Championships.
UNM MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY – WEEK 4 USTFCCCA RANKINGS
National Rank: No. 6
Mountain Region Rank: No. 2
UNM WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY – WEEK 4 USTFCCCA RANKINGS
National Rank: No. 8
Mountain Region Rank: No. 4
The reigning Mountain West champions, the UNM men entered the rankings for the first time since 2015 last season, rising as high as No. 13 in the final poll before placing 18th as a team at NCAA Cross Country Championships behind a runner-up individual finish from Mountain Region Athlete of the Year Habtom Samuel.
2024 marks the 11th consecutive season in which the Lobo women were ranked in the preseason poll, not counting the 2020 season in which there was no preseason ranking — they opened the 2023 season at No. 21 and were ranked no lower than fourth in the nation in each of the previous seven preseason polls, winning national team titles in 2015 and 2017 along the way.
UP NEXT
The Lobos will get another break before kicking off postseason racing at Mountain West Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Nov. 1. All races will be streamed via the MW Network, with live results available via GoLobos.com/XCResults. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on IG and X for raceday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.