Habtom Samuel Finishes as National Runner-Up in 5K on Day 1 at NCAA Indoor Championships

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – New Mexico Track & Field opened NCAA Indoor Championships with three First Team All-American finishes in the men’s and women’s 5,000m on Friday night at the Virginia Beach Sports Center, with Pamela Kosgei finishing third and Habtom Samuel and Ishmael Kipkurui finishing second and seventh, respectively.

Samuel ran nearly eight seconds faster than any previous Indoor 5,000m National Champion but came just .44 seconds short in his bid for a second individual title, finishing as national runner-up behind Oklahoma State for the seventh First Team All-American honor — and third indoors — ahead of tomorrow’s final day of competition. Kosgei finished under the Virginia Beach Sports Center facility record to place third in the nation on the women’s side. Both will return to contest the 3,000m tomorrow along with Kipkurui, who also finished outpaced the NCAA meet record en route to First Team All-American status.

In Friday’s preliminary racing, Collins Kiprotich (Mile) and Brodie Young (400m) failed to advance to Saturday’s Finals in their first appearances at NCAA Indoor Championships but conclude their seasons as Second Team All-Americans — the first All-American finish of Young’s career and the second of Kiprotich’s.

With Day One in the books, the Lobos sit in a tie for third in the men’s team score with 10 points and are tied for 14th in the women’s score with six. Should the men secure 9 more points in tomorrow’s 3,000m finals, it would be the most team points ever scored by the UNM men at NCAA Indoor Championships in program history. 

With 16 points combined across both scores, the Lobos are also just 11 points shy of matching their highest point total between men and women in program history – a 27-point outing in 2018, when the women finished tied for 10th with 17 points and the men tied for 21st with 10.

Finishing third in the Lobos’ first race of the weekend, Kosgei became the highest-finishing woman from UNM in the 5K at NCAA Indoor Championships since Weini Kelati in 2019 (2nd 15:32.95) en route to the second USTFCCCA First Team All-American honors of her career after finishing as national runner-up at NCAA Cross Country Championships in November. She hung around the front pack until Alabama’s Doris Lemngole (15:05.93) and BYU’s Lexy Halladay-Lowry (15:06.17) pulled away on the final lap to finish first and second.

One of nine athletes to finish under the previous Virginia Beach Sports Center Facility Record held by UNM alum Ednah Kurgat (15:26.54), Kosgei’s 15:07.57 finish stands as the fastest by a woman from New Mexico ever ran at NCAA Indoor Championships.

Women’s 5000m Champion

🏆 Doris Lemngole of @AlabamaTrack
📊 15:05.93#NCAATF x 🎥ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/UdxdBREmfZ

— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) March 14, 2025

In the men’s 5,000m final, Habtom Samuel (13:11.78) came just .44 seconds shy of becoming an NCAA Champion for the second time in his career after succumbing to a late kick from Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau (13:11.34), who closed the final 200m in a blistering 25.85 seconds. Samuel reeled Musau in after his initial kick and nearly closed the gap anyways with the second-fastest closing lap of the field (26.37), finishing as NCAA Runner-Up in a race in which the top seven all beat the previous NCAA Indoor Championship record (13:19.01) set in 2022. The last of those was Ishmael Kipkurui, who hung with the front the whole way – including taking a late lead with five laps to go – to land on the podium and earn his first All-American honors with a 13:15.14 finish.

Men’s 5000m Champion

🏆 Brian Musau of @run4okstate #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/vkEfKbJuqB

— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) March 15, 2025

Samuel’s second-place finish stands as the highest finish ever by a man from UNM in the 5,000m at NCAA Indoor Championships – the sophomore from Eritrea finished fourth in the event at last year’s Indoor Nationals. With his seventh First Team All-American honor in as many national championship races, Samuel has already become the most decorated All-American in men’s program history. With another trophy in tomorrow’s 3,000m final, he’d match Alice Wright for the most All-American honors by any UNM athlete across cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

Through seven appearances in NCAA Championship races across cross country, indoor and outdoor, Samuel has never finished lower than seventh.

The trio will return for tomorrow’s 3,000m finals, with the women’s Final at 2 p.m. MT and the men’s final at 5 p.m. to conclude the Lobos’ weekend of competition.

In Friday’s semifinals, Collins Kiprotich finished sixth in his heat and 14th overall with a 4:03.59 to come up short of qualifying for Saturday’s Final and conclude his first indoor season as a Second Team All-American after earning First Team Honors at 2024 NCAA XC Championships.

In the men’s 400m semis, Brodie Young clocked a 46.56 to place third in the second heat and 12th overall, missing out on the Final but coming home as a Second Team All-American for the first time in his career. He’s the first and only other Lobo since former Olympian Jarrin Solomon (2009) to qualify for NCAA Indoor Championships and was the only non-power conference athlete in Friday’s 16-man field.

UP NEXT
This weekend’s action kicks off Friday afternoon with Pamela Kosgei in the Women’s 3K Final at 2 p.m. MT, with all events broadcast via ESPNU on television and ESPN+ for streaming. Head to GoLobos.com/TrackResults for all of this weekend’s live results and follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for live coverage, meet day content and more.