SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – New Mexico Cross Country swept both the men’s and women’s team titles at NCAA Mountain Regional Championships for the first time since 2010 to secure two automatic qualifications to NCAA Championships Friday at the Salt Lake City Regional Athletics Complex, with the No. 3 UNM men winning with a 37-point team score and the No. 8 women beating out No. 1 BYU with 45 points in total.
It’s the first regional team title for the Lobo men since 2010 and only the second in program history – for the women, it’s their seventh regional team title and first since 2022, when they went on to finish as NCAA Runners-Up a week later.
Habtom Samuel became the first man from New Mexico to win multiple regional titles with a dominant 29:45.3 performance and Pamela Kosgei finished as Regional Runner-Up with a 19:48.7 time to lead the way, with all five point-scorers for both men and women placing among the Top 25 individuals to earn All-Region honors.
The UNM men have now improved their regional finish from the previous season in all three seasons under Coach Gauson -- they finished 14th in the team score in 2021, ninth in 2022, third in 2023 and second in 2022 before finally coming out on top on Friday. Their 37-point total is the lowest at Regionals in program history, outpacing 2010's 45-point effort.
The Lobo women beat out the No. 1 team in the nation entering this week in BYU, posting a 45-point total to the Cougars' 47 as all five point-scorers finished among the Top 15 individuals. It's their second-lowest team score at Regionals in program history behind a 41-point performance in 2018.
UP NEXT
Both teams head to Columbia, Mo. next week for NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22, with the Women's 6K set for an 8:20 a.m. MT start and the Men's 10K following at 9:10 a.m. The 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships will be televised via ESPNU and available to stream via ESPN+, with live results available via GoLobos.com/XCResults. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on IG and X for raceday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.
TEAM SCORES
|
WOMEN’S TEAM SCORE (TOP 10) |
MEN’S TEAM SCORE (TOP 10) |
||
|
1. #8 New Mexico |
45 pts |
1. #3 New Mexico |
37 pts |
|
2. #1 BYU |
47 pts |
2. #10 BYU |
67 pts |
|
3. #21 Northern Arizona |
76 pts |
3. #8 Northern Arizona |
82 pts |
|
4. #17 Colorado |
106 pts |
4. #6 Colorado |
114 pts |
|
5. #22 Utah |
120 pts |
5. #28 Air Force |
127 pts |
|
6. Air Force |
198 pts |
6. Utah State |
186 pts |
|
7. Utah State |
206 pts |
7. Weber State |
215 pts |
|
8. Colorado State |
234 pts |
8. Utah Valley |
243 pts |
|
9. Utah Valley |
265 pts |
9. Texas Tech |
252 pts |
|
10. Texas Tech |
293 pts |
10. Wyoming |
291 pts |
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
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WOMEN’s 6K FINISHERS |
MEN’S 10K FINISHERS |
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2. Pamela Kosgei - 19:48.7* |
1. Habtom Samuel - 29:45.3* |
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5. Judy Rono - 20:11.1* |
2. Evans Kiplagat - 30:05.4* |
|
10. Marion Jepngetich - 20:37.0* |
4. Vincent Chirchir - 30:08.9* |
|
13. Jasmine Wood - 20:43.5* |
7. Collins Kiprotich - 30:12.4* |
|
15. Alice Seguin - 20:45.8* |
23. Mathew Kosgei - 30:46.1* |
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34. Tilly Simpson - 21:28.2 |
43. Joshua Abraham - 31:26.8 |
|
38. Mercy Kirarei - 21:40.7 |
52. Jayden Hernandez - 31:48.3 |
|
*All-Mountain Region Finisher |
|
MEN’S 10K RECAP
Habtom Samuel remained unbeaten in the 2025 cross country season with a typically dominant performance, putting down a 29:45.3 time as the only man in the field to run below 30 minutes. He’ll enter next week’s championship race as an overwhelming favorite to win his first NCAA individual title.
Two-time All-American Evans Kiplagat continued his resurgent junior season with his highest-ever finish at Mountain Regionals, crossing 19.1 seconds behind Samuel to finish as Regional Runner-Up. It’s the third All-Region finish for Kiplagat in his career after he finished third in 2023 and 10th in 2024.
Behind them, Vincent Chirchir (4th, 30:08.9), Collins Kiprotich (7th, 30:12.4) and Mathew Kosgei (23rd, 30:46.1) all finished with All-Region honors while Joshua Abraham (43rd, 31:26.8) and Jayden Hernandez (52nd, 31:48.3) wrapped up UNM’s seven-man contingent.
WOMEN’S 6K RECAP
Up against BYU’s national title hopeful Jane Hedengren for the first time this season, Pamela Kosgei stayed right at the front at the onset of the race but didn’t pursue the freshman phenom when she made her initial move, instead opting to defend second-place from fellow BYU athlete Riley Chamberlain to preserve crucial points in the team score.
UNM took the team lead with 38 points at the four-kilometer mark after Alice Seguin moved up three spots to 13th and Jasmine Wood picked off five runners to move up to 15th and held on the rest of the way, dropping only seven points while BYU added six. Wood and Seguin proved pivotal down the stretch as they held those positions through the finish line, holding off No. 1 BYU by just two points in the team score to secure their first regional championship since 2022.
All in all, Kosgei finished as Regional Runner-Up with a 19:48.7 clocking, while Judy Rono (5th, 20:11.1) and Marion Jepngetich (10th, 20:37.0) both packed into the Top 10 just behind her. Wood moved up to 13th overall (20:43.5) and Seguin dropped two spots to 15th (20:45.8) to close out a 45-point team score – the second-best in program history behind a 41-point team outing in 2018 – while Tilly Simpson (34th, 21:28.2) and Mercy Kirarei (38th, 21:40.7) both finished within the individual Top 40.