Lobos cross-country sweep third straight MWC Championships

Pamela Kosgei with both shoes is a force to be reckoned with.

The Lobos veteran, who lost one of her kicks early on in the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 9 and settled for 13th, returned to familiar form Saturday in the Mountain West Championships in Reno, Nev., soaring to her third straight conference title after clocking 18 minutes, 49.4 seconds. Kosgei was the first woman to ever win the MWC title in sub-19 minutes.

Kosgei highlighted a day in which UNM swept the conference meet for the third year in a row. Kosgei, who never relinquished the lead in the 6K race, paced a Lobos squad that placed their entire scoring five within the top 10, while the men's team secured first through seventh to win their fourth straight MWC title.

"Anytime you come into the Mountain West Championships and you can execute and win both — that was the goal coming in," UNM coach Darren Gauson said following the race. "I was really happy with how we just followed the gameplan today and executed across the board."

Dealing with a few injuries on the women's end, including the continued absence of NCAA outdoor 5K champion Marion Jepgnetich, the shorthanded Lobos still delivered, taking first with 19 points and clearing the next best team Wyoming by 36.

Mercy Kirarei, who trailed only Kosgei from the gun, was the runner-up in 19:19.3. Los Alamos grad Cristina Nisoli closed out the podium in 19:58.6, while Jasmine Wood (20:18.5) and Li-Mari Dekker (20:27.9) rounded out the scoring in sixth and seventh.

Despite the missing pieces, Gauson said, "Standard doesn't drop; we gotta be good, and the women executed as well."

While the women's squad ranks sixth nationally in the USTFCCCA coach's poll, its ceiling will likely be higher should a healthy unit hit the course at nationals.

In the men's race, the Lobos unsurprisingly dominated their conference opponents with 15 points, the best possible score in cross-country. Gauson said his goal was perfection, and the result reflected it.

"When you're the number one team in the country on the men's side, we gotta show we're the number one team," Gauson said. "We're just looking for perfection really."

The Lobos have held first for three weeks since their top finish at the Cowboy Jamboree, besting then-No. 1 Oklahoma State by a convincing margin. Saturday's result added further proof they deserve it.

Flipping the usual script of this season, Evans Kiplagat took home the individual title, beating out freshman phenom Pasanjo Kitonga, who has led the Lobos in every meet thus far, in the final stretch. The senior won the first conference title of his career in the last chance he had, clocking 22:54.3 in the 8K.

Kitonga crossed the line 2 seconds later, followed by Collins Kiprotich in 23:00.2 to round out the podium. With only a 39-second gap between their first and fifth runners, the Lobos comfortably bested runner-up Air Force (54) and Wyoming (84).

UNM has won the men's conference title every year since Gauson joined the program in 2023.

With the postseason now in high gear, the Lobos look ahead to the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships on Nov. 13 on their home course in Albuquerque. UNM's region is one of the most competitive in the NCAA, as it'll face off against heavyweight teams like the No. 1 BYU women, the No. 3 Colorado men and No. 5 Northern Arizona women.

Habtom Samuel signs official professional contract with HOKA

After the most decorated career in UNM school history, Habtom Samuel has signed a professional contract with HOKA, a running and apparel brand. The five-time national champion announced his decision over the summer to turn pro and forfeit his remaining collegiate eligibility.

Once he completes his degree at UNM this semester, Samuel will join the HOKA NAZ ELITE team and relocate his training to Flagstaff, Ariz. He was previously signed under an NIL contract.

Last spring, Samuel became the first collegian to break the 13-minute barrier in the outdoor 5K, and he became the first men's finalist for The Bowerman award in program history before later being named the 2025-26 Mountain West Male Athlete of the Year.

Samuel is the newest addition to a coveted list of former Lobos turned pro, including world-record holder Josh Kerr, Olympian Courtney Frerichs and former NCAA champs Ishmael Kipkurui, Calli Thackery, Weini Kelati and Alice Wright.