Habtom Samuel Named to The Bowerman Mid-Indoor Watch List

Following a loud performance in Boston last weekend that saw him break his own 5,000m UNM and Mountain West record with a 13:04.92 clocking that moved him up to No. 4 on the NCAA All-Time list, New Mexico sophomore Habtom Samuel has been named to The Bowerman Mid-Indoor Watch List, the USTFCCCA announced on Wednesday.

After opening the year on The Bowerman Preseason Watch List, Samuel has competed in two indoor races — he put down a 3:54.37 converted mile time (No. 13 in NCAA D-I) in his season debut in Albuquerque at the Dr. MLK Jr. Invitational (Jan. 25) before running the fastest 5,000m race — indoor or outdoor — in UNM and Mountain West history last Saturday in Boston.

On the women’s Mid-Indoor list released Wednesday, Lobo freshman Pamela Kosgei received votes for the first time after breaking her third UNM indoor program record in as many races on Friday in Seattle. Kosgei is the first women’s distance runner to receive votes for the preseason watch list as a freshman — Stanford’s Grant Fisher (2016) and Oregon’s Edward Cheserek (2014) are the only male distance runners to have held the same distinction.

First awarded in 2009, The Bowerman is bestowed to collegiate track & field’s top male and female athlete for the year, regardless of discipline. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only.

In 2024, Samuel — then a true freshman — became just the second man from New Mexico to be named as a semifinalist, joining two-time semifinalist Josh Kerr (2017, 2018). Samuel swept the indoor 3,000m and 5,000m Mountain West titles and finished as a First Team All-American in both events at Indoor Nationals before winning the 10,000m and finishing sixth in the 5,000m at Outdoor Nationals to conclude the season with four First Team All-American finishes on the oval in just his freshman year alone — five counting cross country.

In the time since, Samuel remained in the conversation among the nation’s elite distance athletes, finishing as Mountain West Champion & Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row while finishing as an NCAA XC Runner-Up yet again. Following the conclusion of the season, he was also named USTFCCCA Mountain Region Athlete of the Year along with UNM’s Pamela Kosgei on the women’s side.

Members of The Bowerman Advisory Board, who have produced watch lists throughout the season, devise these lists of semifinalists by providing a ranked-ordered list of 10 athletes who they believe had the most outstanding season. The list of semifinalists represents the group’s consensus.

The same Advisory Board will assemble to deliberate who will be named as finalists. Those selections will be made public on Monday, June 24 and Tuesday, June 25. Ultimately, the winners are chosen by The Bowerman Voters who consist of national and regional media personnel, track & field statisticians, NCAA collegiate administrators, past winners, and Presidents of affiliated organizations. Should he reach the final ballot in June, Samuel would be the first athlete from New Mexico to be named as a finalist for the award — Kerr and Courtney Frerichs are the only two Lobo honorees in the award’s history.

THE BOWERMAN 2025
Men’s Preseason Watch List — February 6

• Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)

• Johnny Brackins, Jr., Southern California (Hurdles/Jumps)

• Chinecherem Nnamdi, Baylor (Javelin)

• Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss (Throws)

• Tarsis Orogot, Alabama (Sprints)

• Habtom Samuel, New Mexico (Distance)

• Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)

• Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)

• Sam Whitmarsh, Texas A&M (Sprints/Mid-Distance)

• Parker Wolfe, North Carolina (Distance)