TANIYA LOONEY EARNS MW ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
After running one of the fastest 100m times in the nation on Saturday, New Mexico’s Taniya Looney has been named MW Women’s Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
It’s the first MW Athlete of the Week honors of Looney’s career and the third of the outdoor season for UNM.
Looney the fastest 100m in the Mountain West this season en route to a second-place finish at the 44 Farms Invitational, also anchoring a 4x100m relay that posted the second-fastest time in program history (45.20) and finished fourth.
Her 11.05 clocking also ranks No. 8 in the nation and would stand as a new UNM record if not for wind modifications.
HABTOM SAMUEL: NATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
After winning the Stanford Invitational Men’s 10,000m with the fastest time in the nation, New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel has been named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week for the fourth time in his collegiate career, the organization announced Monday.
It's also Samuel’s third National AOTW honor this academic year alone -- he was named XC Athlete of the Week in October after winning the Nuttycombe Invitational title and Indoor Track Athlete of the Week in December after his season-opening 5K win in Boston.
In his first outdoor race of the season Friday night in Palo Alto, Samuel ran the fastest 10K in the nation so far this season -- nearly eight seconds faster than the No. 2 time -- en route to an individual win to open his season at the Stanford Invitational. The Eritrean junior closed with a 59.80-second final lap to put some distance between himself and the field.
That time ranks 11th amongst collegiate performances all-time and is a new Stanford Invitational meet record – it’s also 28.8 seconds faster than the next-fastest performance in the most recent MW conference rankings from AFA's Jayden Nats (27:59.31). Samuel won the 2024 outdoor 10K title his freshman year and finished as national runner-up behind teammate and collegiate record holder Ishmael Kipkurui in 2025 – his 26:53.84 performance at THE TEN in 2024 ranks No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list.
HABTOM AND PAMELA SWEEP MW STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR HONORS
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.
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS REWIND
New Mexico Track & Field delivered a strong two-day showing at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., highlighted by an individual national title, five First Team All-America finishes and multiple program all-time performances.
Habtom Samuel led the way with a national title in the men’s 5,000m (13:36.58), securing his first indoor championship and third NCAA individual title overall. With the win, he became the first athlete in program history to claim NCAA titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor competition. Samuel closed in 26.64 over the final 200 meters to hold off the field and finish his indoor season unbeaten against collegiate competition.
On the women’s side, Pamela Kosgei scored in both distance events, finishing third in the 5,000m (15:07.76) before earning national runner-up honors in the 3,000m with a personal-best 8:43.86 that set a UNM and Mountain West indoor record. Marion Jepngetich joined her on the podium in the 3,000m, placing third in 8:44.0 as the duo recorded the No. 1 and No. 2 indoor performances in program history.
Matthew Endrödy capped a breakout indoor season with First Team All-America honors in the men’s mile, finishing sixth in 3:59.74 after advancing through prelims as an automatic qualifier. He became the program’s highest finisher in the event since 2018.
Samuel nearly added a second title in the men’s 3,000m, crossing the line first before being disqualified following contact on the final lap. Evans Kiplagat added a Second Team All-America finish in the men’s 5,000m (16th).
As a team, the Lobos totaled 20 points on the women’s side to finish tied for 10th nationally, while the men scored 13 points to tie for 19th.
