After a stunning sub-four minute mile win at 5,300 feet above sea level last weekend at the Dr. MLK Jr. Invitational, Matthew Endrödy has been named Mountain West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
It’s the first MW Weekly award of the South African sophomore’s career and second of the young season for UNM.
In the fastest men’s mile heat of the weekend in Albuquerque, Endrödy posted a massive improvement – 13.1 seconds faster than his 4:11.95 as a freshman last season – to win the men’s mile, breaking the four-minute barrier with a 3:58.85 finish that converts to a 3:53.65 for NCAA ranking purposes.
Sitting at No. 3 in the nation upon the conclusion of this weekend's events, that time is not only a probable NCAA Indoor Championship qualifier but also ranks as the second-fastest in program history and sixth-fastest ever run at the ABQ Convention Center. Endrödy ranks No. 6 among South African performances all-time and is the first South African national to run below the four-minute mark before the age of 21.
Endrödy now leads the Mountain West mile rankings going into next week by a healthy margin, 4.13 seconds ahead of teammate Joshua Abraham (3:57.78 @) in second.
UP NEXT
New Mexico splits up for a busy slate of competition across the country this weekend, hosting the UNM Team Open at the ABQ Convention Center and sending distance athletes to the BU Terrier Classic in Boston before Habtom Samuel tries his hand at a new distance at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York City on Sunday.
This weekend’s competition in Albuquerque and Boston will be available to stream via paid subscription to FloTrack, with the Millrose Games professional races broadcast on NBC. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for live coverage, meet day content and more.