ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Cross Country will compete six times during the 2026 season, with the Lobos set to host both their season opener and the NCAA Mountain Region Championships at UNM North Golf Course as they hunt to send both men's and women's squads to NCAA Championships for the third season in a row.
UNM looks to pick up where it left off at 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where the men finished as national runners-up and the women placed fourth to put both programs on the team podium for the first time. New Mexico was the only program among the 15 that qualified both teams to earn two trophies, while Habtom Samuel became the first UNM man to win an individual NCAA cross country title.
The Lobos open the season at home with the UNM Lobo Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5, beginning a regular-season slate that also includes trips to two of the nation’s premier collegiate cross country meets.
Three weeks after the home opener, New Mexico travels to Stillwater, Okla., for the OSU Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Lobos will return to the meet for the third consecutive season after facing nationally ranked competition at Oklahoma State in each of the previous two years.
UNM concludes the regular season at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Madison, Wis. One of the most competitive meets on the national calendar, Nuttycombe annually provides the Lobos with an opportunity to race against a championship-caliber field ahead of the postseason.
Postseason competition begins Friday, Oct. 30, when the Lobos travel to Reno, Nev., for the Mountain West Cross Country Championships.
New Mexico has won at least one men’s or women’s Mountain West team championship in each season dating back to 2008, establishing one of the longest-running stretches of conference success in collegiate cross country.
Two weeks later, the postseason returns to Albuquerque as UNM hosts the men’s and women’s NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Friday, Nov. 13, at UNM North Golf Course. It will mark the seventh time the Lobos have hosted the event since the NCAA regional format was adopted in 1997.
New Mexico most recently hosted the regional championships in 2022, when the Lobo women won the Mountain Region team title. This year’s meet will again bring the region’s top programs and individuals to Albuquerque, with the top two men’s and women’s teams earning automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships.
Last year, the Lobo men and women swept Mountain Region titles for the first time since 2010 as they won both team scores to secure automatic bids.
The men’s race distance will increase to 10 kilometers for the NCAA postseason, while the women will continue competing at the 6K distance.
Teams and individuals selected for the national meet will conclude the season at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Terre Haute, Ind.
2026 NEW MEXICO CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
| Date | Meet | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Sept. 5 | UNM Lobo Cross Country Invitational | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | OSU Cowboy Jamboree | Stillwater, Okla. |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | Nuttycombe Invitational | Madison, Wis. |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | Mountain West Cross Country Championships | Reno, Nev. |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | NCAA Mountain Region Championships | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Ind. |