NEW YORK CITY – New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel broke a collegiate Two-Mile record that had stood since 1978 with a 8:11.47 performance at the Millrose Games Sunday at The Armory, finishing ninth in a field in which he was the only current collegiate runner.
In his first try at the distance, Samuel took 6.83 seconds off Henry Rono’s collegiate record of 8:18.3 in the event that stood untouched for more nearly five decades – the previous UNM record was a converted 8:27.5 from George Scott at the 1967 NCAA Indoor Championship (8:37.8 on a 160-yard board track).
His en-route 3,000m time of 7:39.62 will rank among the Top Five in the nation on the NCAA Indoor list as well, essentially ensuring he doesn't need to race again in either the 3,000m or 5,000m this indoor season to qualify for NCAA Indoor Championships in both distances for the third consecutive year.
USA's Cole Hocker won the race in 8:07.31 ahead of World Record Holder and UNM alum Josh Kerr (8:07.68) in second. Kerr's World Record of 8:00.67 set at Millrose Games two years ago still stands as the fastest on record.
The Eritrean junior is only the third Lobo to earn entry into the Millrose Games while still in college after Kerr (2018) and Weini Kelati (2020). While at UNM, Kerr finished second in the Mile in 2018 with a collegiate best 3:54.72 clocking, while Kelati finished seventh in the 3,000m in 2020 (8:54.66).
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The Lobos return to the ABQ Convention Center to host for the third week in a row when some of the nation’s top teams come to town for the team-scoring N.M. Collegiate Classic. All of next weekend’s action will be available to stream via paid subscription to FloTrack, with live results available via GoLobos.com/TrackResults. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for live coverage, meet day content and more.