ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Men’s Cross Country retained the nation’s No. 1 ranking for the third consecutive week in Tuesday’s Week 4 USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll, while the Lobo women checked in at No. 6 to extend their streak of Top 10 appearances to 16 consecutive polls.
The rankings follow another strong showing at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis., where the Lobo men captured their second consecutive team title and the women finished fourth. Pasanjo Kitonga earned Mountain West Men’s Athlete and Freshman of the Week honors for his runner-up finish, while Mercy Kirarei was named MW Women’s Athlete of the Week after placing third.
The Lobo men have held the top spot since ascending to No. 1 for the first time in program history in the Week 2 poll following their season-opening team title at the Cowboy Jamboree. New Mexico is one of just eight programs to reach No. 1 in both the men’s and women’s national polls in the modern era (1995–present), joining Arkansas, BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Northern Arizona, Oregon and Stanford.
UNM backed up that ranking at Nuttycombe with 59 points, finishing 34 ahead of runner-up Colorado and defeating 20 nationally ranked opponents. Kitonga covered the 8K course in 22:30.8, finishing just seven-tenths of a second behind the individual winner.
Kirarei led the women with a 19:21.8 finish over 6K, helping UNM score 157 points and finish ahead of 13 ranked teams despite racing without Marion Jepngetich. Both Kirarei and Kitonga set collegiate personal bests and repeated the conference weekly honors they earned following the Cowboy Jamboree.
The Lobo women moved down two spots from No. 4 but continued a run of Top 10 rankings dating back to the 2024 season. UNM first reached No. 1 in the women’s poll in 2015, going on to win NCAA team championships in 2015 and 2017.
UP NEXT
The Lobos turn their attention to the Mountain West Championships on Oct. 30 in Reno, Nev., their first postseason test following the conclusion of the regular season at Nuttycombe.
NEW MEXICO WOMEN’S ALL-TIME USTFCCCA RANKINGS & NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FINISHES
| Season | Preseason | Week #1 | Week #2 | Week #3 | Week #4 | Week #5 | Week #6 | Week #7 | Week #8 | Week #9 | Week #10 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |||||||
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| 2024 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 7 | ||||
| 2023 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 26 | RV | |||||||
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 4 | |||
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2017 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | |||
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2014 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 3 | |||
| 2013 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | |||
| 2012 | RV | 24 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 10 | |||
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 9 |
| 2010 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 2009 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 13 | |||
| 2008 | RV | 18 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 18 | |||
| 1985 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1981 | 11 |
NEW MEXICO MEN’S ALL-TIME USTFCCCA RANKINGS & NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FINISHES
| Season | Preseason | Week #1 | Week #2 | Week #3 | Week #4 | Week #5 | Week #6 | Week #7 | Week #8 | Week #9 | Week #10 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | ||||
| 2023 | RV | RV | 18 | 19 | 13 | 18 | ||||||
| 2015 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | RV | RV | ||||||
| 2014 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 26 | 14 | |||
| 2013 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 11 | |||
| 2012 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 28 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 21 | |||
| 2011 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 25 | RV | RV | 28 | 31 | ||
| 2010 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 16 |
| 2009 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 8 | |||
| 2008 | 15 | 29 | RV | RV | RV | |||||||
| 2007 | RV | |||||||||||
| 2005 | RV | |||||||||||
| 2004 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 19 | 9 | ||||
| 2003 | RV | |||||||||||
| 2002 | RV | 29 | 30 | 27 | 28 | |||||||
| 1988 | 20 | |||||||||||
| 1975 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1966 | 11 |