New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel and Pamela Kosgei will begin the 2026 indoor season among the frontrunners for The Bowerman – annually awarded to the top athlete in collegiate track and field – after both were named to the award’s preseason watch list released on Wednesday.
It's the first time in UNM history in which both a male and female Lobo athlete open the season on the Bowerman Watch List.
Both athletes are no stranger to the award – Kosgei concluded the 2025 track season as a finalist after sweeping the 5,000m and 10,000m titles outdoors and posting Top-5 all-time collegiate performances in three different events, while Samuel made the watch list multiple times in the last two seasons and made the cut as a semifinalist in 2024. Kosgei was the first Mountain West athlete -- man or woman -- to be named a finalist.
Samuel and Kosgei both rank among the best in the nation in the indoor 5,000m after strong season-opening marks in Boston in December. Samuel leads the nation with a 13:05.21 clocking, while Kosgei ranks third in the nation with a 15:05.41 time – the duo finished second and third in the event at 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships last March.
Both will be looking to reach the top of the podium for the first time indoors after winning national titles outdoors. Samuel is coming off his first NCAA cross country title after leading the UNM men to a national runner-up team finish in November.
New Mexico gets the spring semester of competition started with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational Jan. 23-24 at the ABQ Convention Center, with both Samuel and Kosgei expected to compete in the mile. All UNM home meets will be available to stream via FloTrack, with meet day updates, behind-the-scenes content and more at @UNMLoboXCTF on IG and X.
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female athlete in NCAA and NAIA track & field.
Members of The Bowerman Advisory Board produce award watch lists by voting on their current top-10 "who's who" among collegiate track & field athletes. The "watch list" represents the group's consensus top 10 for that update. Those "receiving votes" are listed on at least one member's top 10 but did not garner enough votes to be listed in the consensus top 10. There are a total of eight watch lists during the season.
BOWERMAN RELEASE AND SELECTION SCHEDULE
- January (first week): Initial meetings of The Bowerman Watch Committees, The Bowerman Men’s and Women’s Preseason Watch Lists published
- February (first week): First regular-season release of Watch Lists
- March (post-indoor conference championships): Second regular-season release of Watch Lists
- March (post-NCAA Indoor Championships): Third regular-season release of Watch Lists
- April (third full week): Fourth regular-season release of Watch Lists
- May (first week): Fifth regular-season release of Watch Lists
- May (post-outdoor conference championships): Sixth regular-season release of Watch Lists
- June (post-NCAA DI first rounds): Seventh regular-season release of Watch Lists
- June (post-NCAA DI Outdoor Championship finals): Release of award semifinalists
- June: Meeting of Bowerman Advisory Board to select three male and three female finalists
- June: The Bowerman Men’s and Women’s Finalists announced
- June: The Bowerman ballots delivered to The Bowerman Voters
- July: The Bowerman voting closes
- December: The Bowerman winners announced