After following up a clean sweep of the Men’s and Women’s 3,000m and 5,000m titles at MW Indoor Championships with elite showings at NCAA Indoor Championships, New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel and Pamela Kosgei have been named Mountain West Track & Field Student-Athletes of the Year for the 2026 indoor season, the league announced Thursday.
It's the eighth time a man from UNM has been named MW Indoor Student-Athlete of the Year and the fourth time for a Lobo woman. It's the first and only time UNM has swept both awards in the same year since 2010, when Lee Emmanuel and Sandy Fortner both earned the honor.
Between them, the two athletes scored a total of 40 team points at MW Indoor Championships as they set new men’s and women’s meet records in the 3K and 5K and combined for 24 points at NCAA Indoor Championships.
𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 🫡
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) March 26, 2026
Congratulations to our 2026 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year! 👏#MWITF | #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/jmr4LnXt7N
Habtom Samuel – Mountain West Men’s Indoor Track & Field Student Athlete of the Year
Samuel capped one of the most dominant indoor seasons in program history with a national title in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships (13:36.58). He went undefeated in the 5K distance across the entire indoor campaign and is now the most decorated athlete in UNM XC/TF program history, man or woman.
It’s the second Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Student Athlete of the Year honor for Samuel after he also won it in 2024. He is also a three-time XC Athlete of the Year and won MW Outdoor Athlete of the Year in 2024.
- Won Mountain West titles in both the 3,000m (7:48.35) and 5,000m (13:30.40), sweeping the distance events and earning Outstanding Track Performer honors after setting new meet records in both distances.
- In total, Samuel scored 20 points as the Lobo men finished second in the team score.
- Opened the season with a 13:05.21 5,000m at Boston University, which stood as the fastest time in the nation across the entire season.
- Set a new Mountain West and UNM record in the 3,000m (7:37.44) with a victory at the Husky Classic.
Pamela Kosgei – Mountain West Women’s Indoor Track & Field Student Athlete of the Year
Kosgei concluded the indoor season as one of the top distance athletes in the NCAA, leading the Lobos to their second Mountain West Indoor team title in a row while earning Outstanding Track Performer of the Meet honors and going on to finish among the Top Three in the nation in both the 3K and 5K at NCAA Indoor Championships.
It’s Kosgei’s second year in a row taking home the honor – she’s also earned the MW XC Athlete of the Year trophy twice.
- Swept the 3,000m (8:58.58) and 5,000m (15:32.15) at the Mountain West Championships with a pair of new meet records, scoring 20 of UNM’s 165 team points in the title-winning effort.
- Her 15:32.15 5K time also stands as the fastest collegiate performance ever ran at altitude.
- Earned First Team All-America honors in both events at NCAA Indoors, finishing as national runner-up in the 3,000m (8:43.86) and third in the 5,000m (15:07.76).