UNM TRACK & FIELD
Everything to know about UNM at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Samuel vying for rare distance double in men's 5K, 10K
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After both of its teams placed in the top 10 last season, New Mexico is sending six athletes from its men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 squads to compete in five races this week at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Here鈥檚 what to know entering the four-day meet:
Habtom Samuel
New Mexico鈥檚 star junior is considered a near-overwhelming favorite in Friday鈥檚 men鈥檚 5K final after setting a new NCAA record in the event (13 minutes and 3.47 seconds) at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.
Apparently, Samuel decided that wasn鈥檛 enough: The Keren, Eritrea native one-upped himself with a world-leading 12:59.27 at the Sound Running L.A. Track Festival in May.
鈥淚鈥檓 in the meat of the season but I feel like I鈥檓 going to do under 13 (minutes) this time (at the NCAA Outdoor Championships),鈥� Samuel said in May during a postrace interview.
If Samuel does finish sub-13, he鈥檒l be in an excellent spot to sweep the NCAA indoor and outdoor 5K finals, a feat one of his rivals 鈥� Oklahoma State鈥檚 Brian Musau 鈥� completed just last year. Even if he didn鈥檛, he鈥檒l still have an upper hand in the 5K. After all, no other NCAA runner has finished under 13:10 this season.
But if the path is relatively clear in the 5K, Samuel will have to deal with some stiff competition in Wednesday's 10K final. Louisville鈥檚 Elsingi Kipruto ran an NCAA-best 27:29.83 in April, barely ahead of Samuel鈥檚 season-best 27:30.51, while Oklahoma State鈥檚 Denis Kipngetich (27:38.36) isn鈥檛 far behind.
Samuel was a strong contender in the 5K and 10K last year, only to finish a narrow second in both. This year, he鈥檚 got a strong case to be considered the favorite in both races.
Is he in line to complete a rare distance-double, and perhaps one of the greatest seasons of any UNM athlete?
Pamela Kosgei
Speaking of distance-doubles: After winning NCAA titles in the outdoor 5K and 10K to close her freshman year with the Lobos, Kosgei recorded the second-fastest Division I times in both races as a sophomore, clocking a 15:03.09 in the 5K and a 30:49.99 in the 10K earlier this season.
The owner of the two fastest Division I times this season? None other than BYU freshman sensation Jane Hedengren, who bested Kosgei down the stretch by 0.28 seconds in the 10K semifinals at the NCAA West Regional Preliminaries. And her NCAA-leading 14:50.50 in the 5K and 30:46.80 in the 10K aren鈥檛 just the two fastest times in the country 鈥� they鈥檙e new collegiate records, too.
Kosgei, of course, isn鈥檛 too far behind 鈥� she even beat Hedengren in the 5K at regionals. But for her, it鈥檚 clear winning a second straight title in either the 5K and 10K would require denying Hedengren a shot at the freshman distance-double 鈥� one Kosgei completed just last year.
Taniya Looney
Perhaps UNM鈥檚 best story heading into NCAAs, Pittsburg State transfer Looney overcame a years-long bout with ovarian cysts to set new UNM records in the women鈥檚 100 and 200 before becoming the first Lobo to qualify for NCAA semifinals in said races since 1984.
The junior鈥檚 qualifying time in the 100 at the NCAA West Regional Preliminaries 鈥� a blistering, if wind-aided, 10.85 鈥� is also one of the fastest times in the country this season. If she isn鈥檛 a favorite for either the 100 or 200, Looney鈥檚 an intriguing name to watch for in both semifinals.
Marion Jepngetich
While the women鈥檚 5K final is almost sure to set up a Kosgei-Hedengren clash, don鈥檛 forget about Jepngetich. The sophomore from Uasin Gishu County, Kenya finished fourth overall in the event at the NCAA West Regional Preliminaries, running a strong 15:18.05 for the eighth fastest Division I time this season.
Jepngetich might have to run a significant lifetime personal record to best Kosgei or Hedengren come Saturday. But she鈥檚 got a good shot at another top eight finish, which would set her up with back-to-back first team All-America honors after placing fourth in the 5K final last season.
Evans Kiplagat
The junior from Eldoret, Kenya qualified for the 10K finals on the strength of his 28:56.77 at the NCAA West Regional Preliminaries, a time good for eighth overall. He鈥檒l likely need a time closer to his college best (a 27:59.71 run in April) to secure first-team All-America honors.
Matthew Endr枚dy
The Johannesburg native advanced to the 1,500 semifinals with a 3:45.44 to secure the last qualifying spot at the NCAA West Regional Preliminaries. Making it to the NCAA final on Friday would be an excellent finish to Endr枚dy鈥檚 strong sophomore year.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at .
