With entries now finalized, five Lobos will represent New Mexico Track & Field at NCAA Indoor Championships next weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., with Habtom Samuel (3K/5K), Evans Kiplagat (5K) and Pamela Kosgei (3K/5K) returning to the national stage alongside first-time NCAA Indoor qualifiers Matthew Endrody (Mile) and Marion Jepngetich (3K).
All five athletes concluded the indoor season ranked among the Top 16 in the nation in their respective events to qualify for this year’s NCAA Indoor Championships, hosted by University of Arkansas March 13-14.
Samuel will contest the 3K/5K double for the third year in a row after finishing second in the 5K at last season’s indoor championships in Virginia Beach, Va. He held the fastest 5,000m performance in the NCAA this season from start to finish with his 13:05.21 mark from the BU Opener in December and ranks No. 6 in the nation in the 3,000m with his 7:37.44 personal best three weeks ago in Seattle.
Samuel is the most decorated XC/TF Lobo athlete in program history, with two NCAA titles (2024 Outdoor 10K, 2025 XC) and a total of 14 First Team All-American trophies. He’ll be joined in the 5K final by Evans Kiplagat, who is making his return to NCAA Indoor Championships after finishing 15th in the 5K in 2024 but failed to advance to NCAA Championships in 2025.
Pamela Kosgei is also a double qualifier for the second year in a row, ranking No. 6 in the nation in the 5,000m (15:05.41) and No. 10 in the 3,000m (8:44.91), just ahead of teammate Marion Jepngetich (8:45.20) sitting at No. 11. Last season at NCAA Indoors, Kosgei finished third in the 5,000m and looked poised to make a move for the podium in the 3,000m but ultimately finished 11th after a costly late fall. She rebounded with a sweep of the outdoor 5K and 10K at NCAA Outdoor titles in June and is coming off a pair of high-altitude collegiate records in the 3K (8:58.58) and 5K (15:32.15) last weekend at MW Indoor Championships in Reno.
Matthew Endrody has enjoyed a breakout sophomore year indoors, opening with a stunning 13.1-second improvement in the mile for a 3:53.65 elevation-converted performance that ranks No. 14 in NCAA D1. He’s coming off double gold at Mountain West Championships, taking home individual titles in both the 800m and the Mile.