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Lobo Track & Field Laces Up for MW Outdoor Championships

Lobo Track & Field Laces Up for MW Outdoor ChampionshipsLobo Track & Field Laces Up for MW Outdoor Championships

New Mexico Track & Field gets postseason competition started Thursday at Mountain West Outdoor Championships in Clovis, Calif., with both Lobo men’s and women’s squads in contention for a return to the top of the team podium.

The Lobo women enter as the team favorites to complete their first sweep of cross country, indoor and outdoor conference titles since 2014, ranking No. 1 in the conference, No. 5 in the region and No. 21 in the nation in this week’s USTFCCCA TFRI Rankings.

Sitting in striking distance at No. 2 in the conference heading into this week, the Lobo men rank No. 4 in the Mountain Region and No. 8 in the nation – their sixth week in a row ranked among the Top 10 in the nation. 

Last season, Air Force captured the Mountain West Men’s Outdoor Track & Field title and Colorado State claimed the MW Women’s Track & Field title. The Falcons have won eight outdoor championships on the men’s side and will be eyeing a fourth straight title this week in Clovis, while the Rams will be looking for a third straight Conference championship and their 10th overall in women’s program history.

Heading into the final competition before NCAA West Regional Preliminary qualification finalizes, a combined 22 Lobos — 12 men and 10 women — sit in qualifying position with marks that rank among the Top 48 in the West across 17 events.

Thursday’s competition begins with Judy Rono and Meadow Drebert in the Women’s 800m prelims at 6:30 p.m. MT.

Real-time scoring and results, along with post-race interviews and recaps from the 2025 Credit Union 1 MW Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which runs through Saturday, May 17, will be available on the Championship Central page.

All of this week’s competition in Clovis will be streamed via the MW Network. Head to GoLobos.com/TrackResults for all of this weekend’s live results and streaming links and follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for live coverage, meet day content and more.

Mountain West Outdoor Championships
May 15-17 | Clovis, Calif.

 

LOBO TRIO RANKED AMONG TOP 25 NCAA TRACK STARS
In NCAA Track & Field’s Top 25 D-I Both-Genders All-Events rankings released this week from Stan Becton, Habtom Samuel (No. 5), Ishmael Kipkurui (No. 6) and Pamela Kosgei (No. 8) all cracked the Top 10.

CONFERENCE RUNDOWN
Going into this week, 21 women and 20 men from New Mexico have posted 76 marks across 34 events that rank among the Top 10 in the conference.

Five men and two women currently have posted the top marks in the conference upon the conclusion of the regular season, with both UNM 4x400m Relay teams running the fastest times in the conference this year:

MEN’S 100 METERS
1. Cam Watts – 10.08@		 WOMEN’S 800 METERS
1. Judy Rono – 2:03.98
MEN’S 400 METERS
1. Brodie Young – 45.63		 WOMEN’S 5000 METERS
1. Pamela Kosgei – 14:52.45
MEN’S 1500 METERS
1. Habtom Samuel – 3:38.60		 WOMEN’S 10,000 METERS
1. Pamela Kosgei – 30:55.37@
MEN’S 5000 METERS
1. Habtom Samuel – 13:05.87		 WOMEN’S 4X400 RELAY
1. New Mexico – 3:34.35@
MEN’S 10,000 METERS
1. Habtom Samuel – 27:38.51@		 WOMEN’S 3000 STEEPLECHASE
1. Pamela Kosgei – 9:15.93
MEN’S 3000 STEEPLECHASE
1. Mathew Kosgei – 8:22.13
MEN’S 400 HURDLES
1. Levente Soos – 50.53
MEN’S 4X400 RELAY
1. New Mexico – 3:09.39

PROMISING NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP PROJECTIONS
In DyeStat’s first FormChart scoring projections for NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Lobos crack the Top 10 in both men’s and women’s fields – the men are projected to tie for fifth with 27 points, while the women are projected to finish in a tie for 10th with 20 points.

UNM is one of five schools with both teams projected to finish in the Top 10 along with USC, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas and Texas A&M. They’re the only non-Power Conference women’s program in the Top 10 and one of two mid-major programs in the men’s Top 10.

Should the Lobo men match or beat their projections, it would outpace 1965 (5th, 25 points) for the highest team finish and most team points at NCAA Outdoor Championships in school history. The UNM Women’s best performance at NCAA Outdoors was in 2019, when they placed 8th with 27 points in total.

CAM WATTS’ HOT START
In the men’s 100 meters at the UTEP Sun City Classic, Cam Watts — a dual-sport athlete in football and track and MW Indoor Champion in the 60 meter dash — won the event in 10.05 seconds to set a new UNM school record after conversions (10.08 conversion for NCAA ranking purposes) that leads the Mountain West. The previous mark of 10.28 (converted) was held by BeeJay Lee (2012) and Victor Akhalu (2023). Watts now leads the MW performance list in the 100m and ranks Top-50 in the nation and No. 8 in the West Region, all but assuring he’ll advance to NCAA First Round Preliminaries with that mark. Watts also contributed to the Lobos’ 4x100m relay squad that won the Sun City Classic with a 40.23 (40.34) time that ties for the third-fastest time in UNM outdoor history and is 0.33 seconds off the school record, good for fifth-fastest in the conference currently.
Watts now ranks No. 2 in the indoor 60m and No. 1 all-time in the men’s outdoor 100m – his two performances at MW Indoor Championships in the 60m were his first two races in a Lobo uniform.

JUDY RONO’S STOCK IS RISING
Judy Rono ran two more all-time middle distance marks at Bryan Clay, finishing as the top collegian of the day with the second-fastest 800m in program history and fastest by a Lobo woman since 1976 (2:03.98) on Thursday before following with another UNM No. 2 all-time race in the 1,500m on Saturday (4:11.45). Rono and 1,500m program record holder Abbe Goldstein are the only Lobo women to run below 4:12 in school history.

RANKINGS CHECK-IN
After both the UNM men and women stayed ranked among the Top 30 in the nation for all six USTFCCCA TFRI rankings of the indoor season, both teams cracked the Top 10 in the same weekly ranking for the first time in program history this year and have both remained in the 

The UNM men remain at No. 8  – their sixth week in a row in the Top 10 – after rising matching a program-best with a No. 6 national ranking in Week #4. Their previous best was No. 18 in the final week of the 2011 season.

Likewise, the UNM women remained in the Top 25 for the sixth week in a row, coming in at No. 21 this week. In the time since they clocked in at No. 7 in the nation in the final regular-season ranking of the 2019 season, the Lobo women had only cracked the Top 10 as a team once until Week 2’s No. 8 ranking, coming in at No. 9 in the nation in Week 4 in 2022.

2025 Outdoor USTFCCCA National Rankings
  Week #1 Week #2 Week #3 Week #4 Week #5 Week #6 Week #7
New Mexico Men #18 #9 #10 #6 #7 #8 #8
New Mexico Women #47 #8 #10 #20 #20 #21 #21

UNM MEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 7 USTFCCCA TFRI RANKINGS

  • National Rank: No. 8 (–)
  • Mountain Region Rank: No. 4 (–)
  • Mountain West Conference Rank: No. 2 (–)

UNM WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 7 USTFCCCA TFRI RANKINGS

  • National Rank: No. 21 (–)
  • Mountain Region Rank: No. 5 (-1)
  • Mountain West Conference Rank: No. 1 (–)

UNM MEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 7 USTFCCCA #EVENTSQUAD RANKINGS (Top 100 only)

  • Men’s 100m – No. 23
  • Men’s 200m – No. 79
  • Men’s 1,500m – No. 15
  • Men’s 5,000m – No. 1
  • Men’s 10,000m – No. 1

UNM WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 7 USTFCCCA #EVENTSQUAD RANKINGS (Top 100)

  • Women’s 200m – No. 56
  • Women’s 400m – No. 17
  • Women’s 800m – No. 42
  • Women’s 1,500m – No. 13
  • Women’s 5,000m – No. 2
  • Women’s 10,000m – No. 2
  • Women’s Steeplechase – No. 7
  • Women’s Pole Vault – No. 30

HABTOM SAMUEL AND PAMELA KOSGEI LOOK TO STAY PERFECT

Habtom Samuel and Pamela Kosgei are both undefeated in Mountain West Championship races across cross country, indoor and outdoor – Samuel will be doubling in the 1,500m and the 5,000m again this year, with Kosgei running the steeplechase and 5,000m.

Samuel has only placed second in a conference race once – last year’s outdoor 1,500m prelim. He went on t0 win both the 5,000m and 1,500m finals within hours of each other the following day.

THE ROAD TO NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Participants for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships first rounds are determined by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee. For each individual event contested at both of the NCAA Regional Preliminary Round sites, the Top 48 declared student-athletes and Top 24 relay squads in their respective regions will be accepted into the competition, with the Top 12 in each Prelim advancing to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. June 11-14.

University of North Florida will host the East Preliminary in Jacksonville and Texas A&M will host the West Preliminary in College Station, with both taking place May 28-31.

Heading into this week’s competition, 10 Lobo women currently rank among the Top 48 on the West Region Qualifying List across eight events and one relay, including seven individuals ranked in the Top 20 of their events. Judy Rono continues to lead the way, now ranked No. 20 in the 800 meters (2:03.98) and No. 11 in the 1,500 meters (4:11.45). Pamela Kosgei headlines the 10K (30:55.37@) and 5,000 meters at No. 1 (14:52.45) and remains No. 1 in the steeplechase (9:15.93), while Marion Jepngetich sits at No. 5 in the 5,000m (15:22.80) and Alice Seguin is No. 13 in the same event (15:33.10). Nicola Jansen is currently No. 24 in the 10,000 meters (33:29.01) ahead of Jasmine Wood (No. 24, 33:29.01), and Sophia McDonnell ranks No. 12 in the steeplechase (10:01.17). Several athletes are qualifying in multiple events including Rono, Seguin, Kosgei, and McDonnell.

Additional qualifiers include  Seguin (also No. 26 in the 1,500m), McDonnell (No. 36 in the 1,500m), Hanna Bruckmayer (No. 49 in the 1,500m), Jasmine Wood (No. 37 in the 10,000m), and Hanna Kiess (No. 32 in the 400 hurdles). Rebecca Grieve (No. 16) and Lou-Anne Pouzancre-Hoyer (No. 25) are also now inside the Top 25 in the 400 meters while Pouzancre sits at No. 48 in the 200m. The women’s 4×400 relay remains strong as well, ranked No. 21 in the region with a time of 3:34.35.

On the men’s side, 13 Lobos currently hold Top 48 qualifying marks across seven different events. Mathew Kosgei leads the charge with the nation’s No. 1 time in the steeplechase (8:22.13) and ranks No. 23 in the 1,500 meters and No. 31 in the 5,000 meters. The men now boast seven athletes under 13:40 in the 5,000 meters – the most of any NCAA program – with Habtom Samuel (No. 1, 13:05.87), Ishmael Kipkurui (No. 2, 13:09.24), Collins Kiprotich (No. 8), Evans Kiplagat (No. 32), Vincent Chirchir (No. 36), Matthew Kosgei (No. 41) and Iker Sanchez Lopez on the cusp of qualification at No. 49 (13:37.88).

In the 1,500 meters, Habtom Samuel (No. 22) and Matthew Kosgei (No. 32) are both in contention. In the 10,000 meters, Samuel (No. 2)and Kipkurui (No. 3) lead the way, while Evans Kiplagat ranks No. 18, followed by Chirchir (No. 30), Van Niekerk (No. 45), and Thomas Termote (No. 46).

Cam Watts ranks No. 8 in the 100 meters (10.082) and Brodie Young is No. 19 in the 400 meters (45.63) — Levente Soos (No. 17) is in position in the 400 hurdles after a big lifetime PR in his last competition, while Arian Milicija holds at No. 34 in the pole vault.

LOBOS VS. THE WORLD
Entering this week, the Lobos have three different athletes with world-leading marks in three events – Pamela Kosgei (9:15.63) and Matthew Kosgei (8:22.13) lead the world in women’s and men’s steeplechase, with Ishmael Kipkurui’s 26:50.21 NCAA-record performance two weeks ago at Sound Running’s THE TEN leading the world in the men’s 10,000m. Behind Kipkurui, Habtom Samuel’s 26:51.06 clocking at THE TEN – the No. 2 performance in NCAA history – also ranks No. 2 in the world.

After putting down the fastest men’s and women’s steeplechase performances in the world this year – and the No. 16 and No. 2 marks in collegiate history, respectively – New Mexico’s Matthew Kosgei and Pamela Kosgei have both been named Mountain West OTF Freshmen & Athletes of the Week, with Kosgei also being named USTFCCCA National Co-Athlete of the Week for the second time in her career.

It’s the fourth MW weekly track award for Pamela Kosgei this year – and sixth including the cross country season – and the first of Matthew Kosgei’s career.

Thursday, May 15

Friday, May 16

Saturday, May 17