New Mexico’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have achieved their highest combined preseason rankings in program history, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Tuesday. The men are ranked No. 2 nationally, while the women are at No. 4.
This marks the first time both teams have been ranked in the top four at the start of a season. For the men, it is their highest-ever preseason ranking; for the women, it is their best since being ranked No. 2 in 2022. The UNM women have now appeared among the nation’s top four in nine different preseason polls.
In recent regional rankings, both squads were projected as automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. The men secured a No. 1 spot in the Mountain Region for the first time, while the women are ranked second regionally.
The men’s team returns several key athletes from last year, including Habtom Samuel—runner-up individually at both the 2023 and 2024 championships—as well as All-Americans Collins Kiprotich and Evans Kiplagat. Samuel has posted personal records of 13:04.92 in the 5K and 26:51.06 in the 10K this spring. Five other returning runners broke 13:40 for 5K during track season, and steeplechase All-American Mathew Kosgei joins an already deep roster that finished ninth nationally at last year’s championships.
On the women’s side, Pamela Kosgei leads after finishing as national runner-up as a freshman before winning outdoor titles in both the 5,000m and 10,000m during an undefeated season. Returning athletes include All-American Mercy Kirarei (35th nationally) and Nicola Jansen—an All-American who redshirted last cross country season—along with two others from last year’s nationals squad. Marion Jepngetich, an outdoor All-American at 5,000m, will also compete in cross country for New Mexico this fall.
Both teams begin their seasons Saturday at the Lori Fitzgerald Open in Las Cruces. Live results will be available on GoLobos.com/XCResults, and fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on X and Instagram for updates.
