Lobo Men's XC Opens at No. 2 in the Nation, Women No. 4 in USTFCCCA Preseason Polls
New Mexico will open the 2025 cross country season with both men and women ranked in the Top Four in the nation for the first time in program history, with the men ranked No. 2 and the women at No. 4 in the USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll released on Tuesday.
It’s the highest ranking in program history for the men and the highest for the women since the final poll of 2022, when they were ranked No. 2 in the nation. It’s the ninth time in program history that the UNM women are ranked among the Top 4 in the nation in the preseason poll. In Monday’s regional rankings, the two squads were both projected as automatic team qualifiers for NCAA Championships, with the men at No. 1 in the Mountain Region for the first time in program history and the women at No. 2.
The UNM men’s No. 2 ranking comes courtesy of a wealth of proven returners – the Lobos return 2023 and 2024 individual runner-up Habtom Samuel as well as fellow XC All-Americans Collins Kiprotich and Evans Kiplagat. One of the favorites to win an individual titles in 2025, Samuel hit another level on the track in the spring, lowering his PRs to 13:04.92 for 5k and 26:51.06 for 10K – UNM also touts five other returners that ran below 13:40 for 5K during the track season and brings in steeplechase All-American Mathew Kosgei for an even deeper squad than in 2024-25, when they finished ninth in the nation in 2024 at XC Championships and fifth in the team score at Outdoor Championships.
Opening the season at No. 4 after finishing seventh in the nation at XC Nationals, the Lobo women are led by Pamela Kosgei, who finished as national runner-up as a true freshman before winning both the outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m titles over an undefeated outdoor season. They also return 2024 All-American Mercy Kirarei (35th in the nation) and 2023 All-American Nicola Jansen after she redshirted cross country last year among four athletes from last year’s squad that competed at nationals. Outdoor 5,000m All-American Marion Jepngetich also will run cross country for the first time.
NEW MEXICO WOMEN’S ALL-TIME USTFCCCA RANKINGS
| Season | Preseason | Week #1 | Week #2 | Week #3 | Week #4 | Week #5 | Week #6 | Week #7 | Week #8 | Week #9 | Week #10 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2024 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 7 | ||||
| 2023 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 26 | RV | |||||||
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 4 | |||
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2017 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | |||
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2014 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 3 | |||
| 2013 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | |||
| 2012 | RV | 24 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 10 | |||
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 9 |
| 2010 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 2009 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 13 | |||
| 2008 | RV | 18 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 18 | |||
| 1985 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1981 | 11 |
NEW MEXICO MEN’S ALL-TIME USTFCCCA RANKINGS
| Season | Preseason | Week #1 | Week #2 | Week #3 | Week #4 | Week #5 | Week #6 | Week #7 | Week #8 | Week #9 | Week #10 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | ||||
| 2023 | RV | RV | 18 | 19 | 13 | 18 | ||||||
| 2015 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | RV | RV | ||||||
| 2014 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 26 | 14 | |||
| 2013 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 11 | |||
| 2012 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 28 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 21 | |||
| 2011 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 25 | RV | RV | 28 | 31 | ||
| 2010 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 16 |
| 2009 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 8 | |||
| 2008 | 15 | 29 | RV | RV | RV | |||||||
| 2007 | RV | |||||||||||
| 2005 | RV | |||||||||||
| 2004 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 19 | 9 | ||||
| 2003 | RV | |||||||||||
| 2002 | RV | 29 | 30 | 27 | 28 | |||||||
| 1988 | 20 | |||||||||||
| 1975 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1966 | 11 |
UP NEXT
Both squads will compete at the Lori Fitzgerald Open in Las Cruces on Saturday for their first rust-buster of the season, with live results available via GoLobos.com/XCResults. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on X and IG for live coverage, race content and more.