COMPETING TEAMS - "A" RACES
| Men’s Teams |
Women’s Teams |
| No. 1 New Mexico |
No. 3 Northern Arizona |
| No. 2 Iowa State |
No. 4 New Mexico |
| No. 6 Colorado |
No. 5 Iowa State |
| No. 7 BYU |
No. 8 Oklahoma State |
| No. 8 Wake Forest |
No. 9 West Virginia |
| No. 10 Florida |
No. 11 Stanford |
| No. 11 Northern Arizona |
No. 13 Florida |
| No. 12 Wisconsin |
No. 14 Utah |
| No. 13 Washington |
No. 16 Colorado |
| No. 15 Stanford |
No. 17 Washington State |
| No. 16 Arkansas |
No. 19 Missouri |
| No. 17 Washington State |
No. 20 Toledo |
| No. 18 Michigan State |
No. 21 Minnesota |
| No. 19 Harvard |
No. 22 Northwestern |
| No. 21 Butler |
No. 23 Washington |
| No. 22 Tennessee |
No. 24 Providence |
| No. 23 EKU |
No. 29 Penn State |
| No. 26 Georgia |
No. 30 Boise State |
| No. 27 Michigan |
Air Force |
| No. 29 Missouri |
Furman |
| No. 30 Georgetown |
Georgetown |
| Air Force |
Georgia |
| Boise State |
Gonzaga |
| Furman |
Harvard |
| Gonzaga |
Louisville |
| Lipscomb |
Michigan State |
| Louisville |
Nebraska |
| Minnesota |
Oklahoma |
| Oklahoma |
Oregon St. |
| Ole Miss |
Princeton |
| Portland |
Tennessee |
| Princeton |
UCLA |
| Providence |
Wake Forest |
| Tulsa |
Wisconsin |
| UCLA |
|
PASANJO KITONGA: USTFCCCA NATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
After leading New Mexico men to a win over top-ranked Oklahoma State with an individual title at the Cowboy Jamboree, New Mexico’s Pasanjo Kitonga has been named the USTFCCCA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Week, the association announced Monday.
He becomes just the second man and sixth athlete overall to earn a National Athlete of the Week honor in cross country -- Habtom Samuel was named National Athlete of the Week twice in the last two seasons (Oct. 21, 2024; Oct. 20, 2025).
MEN'S NATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONOREES FROM UNM
WOMEN'S NATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONOREES FROM UNM
Kitonga covered the 8K course in 23:24.4 to lead four Lobos among the top six finishers in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His victory helped No. 2 New Mexico score 28 points and claim its first Cowboy Jamboree team title, finishing 16 points ahead of top-ranked and defending national champion Oklahoma State.
That 23:24.4 finish ranks 10th amongst Cowboy Jamboree performances all-time, tying with Nico Young's finish in 2022.
A NEW NO. 1
After a dominant season-opening performance Saturday in Stillwater that saw them topple top-ranked Oklahoma State, New Mexico Men’s Cross Country rose to No. 1 in the USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll for the first time in program history last Tuesday and remained at No. 1 in this week's rankings.
New Mexico joins a small group of just eight programs that have ascended to the apex of Division I cross country on both the men’s and women’s sides in the modern era (1995–present) -- Arkansas, BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Northern Arizona, Oregon and Stanford are the only other programs to do so in the last three decades.
The Lobo women first reached No. 1 in the nation in the first regular-season poll of the 2015 season, going on to win national titles in 2015 and 2017 and finishing in the Top 10 in the nation in nine of the next 10 seasons.
The UNM men have now ranked among the Top 10 in the nation for 13 polls in a row dating back to the 2024 season – the women have been in the Top 10 for the last 14. Prior to 2024, the men had only ranked inside the Top 10 seven times in their history and never ranked higher than No. 5.
The Lobos backed up their rise to No. 1 with their first Cowboy Jamboree team title on Sept. 26, scoring 28 points to finish 16 ahead of Oklahoma State, the defending national champion. Pasanjo Kitonga won the men’s 8K in his cross country debut, while Collins Kiprotich placed third, Evans Kiplagat fifth and Joshua Abraham sixth, giving UNM four of the first six finishers. Vincent Chirchir completed the scoring five in 14th.
The UNM women dropped to No. 4 in this week's poll after holding their own against ranked foes in Stillwater, placing third and scoring 70 points even without leading runners Pamela Kosgei and Marion Jepngetich. They've been inactive since.
RETURN TO ZIMMER CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
In the early 2000’s with a significant donation from Badger alum Thomas Zimmer, the University of Wisconsin built a permanent standalone cross country course consisting of rolling hills and switchbacks – to help spectators enjoy the competition – paired with lush, green grass suitable for fast times. Over a decade later, the course has become known for the prestigious Nuttycombe Invitational in mid-October.
Annually, at least half of the USTFCCCA ranked teams attend Nuttycombe in mid-October – in large part, the meet has become almost necessary to secure NCAA at-large qualifying points. In each season that it was held, no less than 10 teams selected to the NCAA Championship competed at the Nuttycombe earlier in the year. In the last five seasons alone, no less than 14 men’s and women’s teams have qualified for NCAA’s each year.
The UNM women have won Nuttycombe four times, first in 2015 and 2017 – years the Lobos went on to win an NCAA Championship – as well as 2021 and 2022, when they went on to finish third and second, respectively. The men won Nuttycombe for the first time last season and finished as national runners-up in November, with Habtom Samuel finishing as individual champion in both races.
| NEW MEXICO NUTTYCOMBE ALL-TIME TEAM FINISHES |
| YEAR |
MEN’S NUTTYCOMBE FINISH (PTS) |
MEN’S NCAA FINISH |
WOMEN’S NUTTYCOMBE FINISH (PTS) |
WOMEN’S NCAA FINISH |
| 2011 |
28th (629) |
31st |
11th (375) |
9th |
| 2012 |
8th (350) |
21st |
11th (457) |
10th |
| 2013 |
5th (251) |
11th |
6th (240) |
10th |
| 2014 |
12th (338) |
14th |
6th (261) |
3rd |
| 2015 |
23rd (511) |
DNQ |
1st (32) |
1st |
| 2016 |
1st (24) — B race |
DNQ |
4th (207) |
7th |
| 2017 |
26th (651) |
DNQ |
1st (87) |
1st |
| 2018 |
26th (617) |
DNQ |
3rd (130) |
2nd |
| 2019 |
27th (627) |
DNQ |
9th (302) |
4th |
| 2021 |
5th (146) — B race |
DNQ |
1st (93) |
3rd |
| 2022 |
31st (791) |
DNQ |
T-1st (80) |
2nd |
| 2023 |
14th (427) |
18th |
25th (580) |
DNQ |
| 2025 |
1st (51) |
2nd |
9th (312) |
4th |
2025 IN REVIEW / 2026 SEASON PREVIEW
New Mexico enters 2026 coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, with both squads earning team trophies at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time. The Lobo men finished as national runners-up while the women placed fourth, making UNM the only program in the country to put both its men’s and women’s teams on the podium. Habtom Samuel capped the season by becoming the first man from New Mexico to win an individual NCAA cross country title.
The Lobos were equally dominant throughout the postseason, sweeping both the men’s and women’s team titles at the Mountain West and NCAA Mountain Region Championships. UNM has now won three consecutive MW men’s championships and 17 of the last 18 women’s titles, extending its streak of winning at least one conference team championship to 18 straight seasons.
Although Samuel turned professional during the offseason, New Mexico returns the bulk of its production from last year’s podium teams and enters 2026 as the Mountain West favorite on both sides. The Lobo men received seven of eight first-place votes in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll, while the women earned nine of 10 first-place votes.
On the women's side, the Lobos return two national champions in Pamela Kosgei (2025 Outdoor 5K and 10K) and Marion Jepngetich (2026 Outdoor 5K) -- the men get back three of their five point-scorers from last season's runner-up team, including First Team All-Americans Collins Kiprotich (8th at NCAA's in 2025), Evans Kiplagat (13th) and Vincent Chirchir (20th).
UNM will look to qualify both teams for NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season, with a six-meet schedule that includes the Cowboy Jamboree and Nuttycombe Invitational before postseason competition begins Oct. 30 at the Mountain West Championships in Reno. The Lobos will then return home to host the NCAA Mountain Region Championships Nov. 13 at the UNM North Course before NCAA Championships Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind.
