It was a banner week for New Mexico athletics, with national breakthroughs in cross country, dominant performances on the hardwood, a coaching transition and signing day for women’s soccer, and a pair of momentum-shifting victories for Lobo volleyball. Even a rivalry loss on the men’s basketball side came with bright spots in a tightly contested matchup. Across the board, UNM programs produced milestones, momentum, and major storylines.
Cross Country Sweeps NCAA Mountain Regional Titles
New Mexico Cross Country headlined the week with a historic sweep of the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships in Salt Lake City — the program’s first dual-gender regional triumph since 2010. The No. 3 UNM men delivered a program-best 37 points to win their second regional crown in school history, while the No. 8 women stunned top-ranked BYU by two points to claim their seventh regional title.
Habtom Samuel continued his spectacular season by becoming the first Lobo man ever to win multiple regional championships. His 29:45.3 was the only sub-30 performance in the field and further cemented his status as the NCAA title favorite. Teammates Evans Kiplagat (2nd), Vincent Chirchir (4th), Collins Kiprotich (7th), and Mathew Kosgei (23rd) all earned All-Region honors as the men secured their third straight season of major improvement under Coach Darren Gauson.
On the women’s side, Pamela Kosgei finished second overall in 19:48.7, followed closely by Judy Rono (5th) and Marion Jepngetich (10th). A decisive late push from Jasmine Wood (13th) and Alice Seguin (15th) secured the narrow victory over BYU—just the second time in program history that the women have posted a regional team score under 45.
Both squads head to Columbia, Missouri, for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22.
Women’s Basketball Dominates: Two Blowouts, One Weekly Honor
New Mexico women’s basketball improved to 4–1 with two emphatic wins, showcasing a deep rotation, disruptive defense, and breakout performances from multiple newcomers.
Lobos 99, New Orleans 65
UNM opened the week with a wire-to-wire dismantling of New Orleans, leading 37–12 after the first quarter and never allowing the Privateers back within striking distance. The Lobos racked up 18 steals — including a career-best seven from Alyssa Hargrove — and got 51 points from the bench in an offensive masterclass that featured 52.2% shooting and 21 assists.
Nayli Padilla came off the bench for a team-high 17 points, continuing her rapid rise as an early-season impact scorer. Destinee Hooks added 16, while Cacia Antonio and Drew Jordon chipped in 10 apiece.
Lobos 77, New Mexico State 45
The momentum carried into Las Cruces, where the Lobos posted their largest road margin of victory ever against rival New Mexico State. A suffocating 28–4 second quarter — in which the Aggies went scoreless for over seven minutes — broke the game open, and UNM never looked back.
Padilla again led the way with 14 points and a career-best four threes, while Hooks and Antonio scored 10 each. UNM shot a season-best 53.7% from the floor and 45.5% from deep, forced 10 steals, and out-rebounded NMSU 43–31.
Freshman of the Week: Tyler Jones
Freshman guard Tyler Jones earned Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors after pivotal performances in both victories. Her five points, two assists, and two steals in the decisive second quarter at NMSU were critical in the Lobos’ 28–4 eruption. She averaged 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals across the two wins.
Men’s Basketball Falls in Rivalry Clash
New Mexico men’s basketball suffered its first loss of the season with a 76–68 setback at New Mexico State. Despite the defeat, several Lobos delivered encouraging performances, including:
- Deyton Albury: 18 points (highest by any Lobo this season)
- Uriah Tenette: 13 points off the bench
- Tomislav Buljan: 11 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double
UNM led early in the second half and tied the game as late as the 3:00 mark, but the Aggies executed down the stretch to stay unbeaten.
The Lobos next head to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic, opening against Nebraska.
Volleyball Finds Its Stride With Back-to-Back Road Wins
After struggling to break through in conference road play, Lobo volleyball delivered its strongest week of the season — sweeping Nevada and grinding out a five-set thriller at Air Force to win three straight matches for the first time since early September.
UNM Sweeps Nevada
The Lobos controlled the entire match in Reno, winning 25–22, 25–20, 25–20 behind 13.0 team blocks and balanced offense. Lauryn Payne, Addison France, and Gioia Riccato all tallied eight kills, while setter Madeleine Miller orchestrated the attack with 24 assists and strong defensive contributions. Zoe Leonard closed the match with three blocks in the final points.
UNM 3, Air Force 2
Two days later, UNM delivered its most dominant blocking performance of the season: 21 team blocks, including 12 block assists from Leonard — tied for the third-highest single-match mark in program history.
Payne (17 kills), Riccato (12 kills), and Leonard (11 kills, .440 hitting) led the offense, while four Lobos notched double-digit digs. The win avenged a sweep two weeks prior and cemented UNM’s second straight road victory.
Women’s Soccer: New Era Begins With Nelson and a Five-Player Signing Class
Lobo women’s soccer officially ushered in a new chapter, promoting longtime assistant and associate head coach Karley Nelson to head coach following Heather Dyche’s move to lead the U.S. U-23 National Team.
Nelson — part of the program for 11 years — emphasized culture, community, and continuity in her opening statement as she becomes just the fifth head coach in program history.
She immediately followed her appointment by announcing a five-player 2026 signing class featuring:
- Jessica Darby (D, Toronto, ON) – decorated club champion and honor-roll standout
- Kylee Mackey (M, Las Vegas, NV) – multi-year high school champion with strong scoring output
- Analyse Healy (M/F, Farmington, NM) – prolific in-state scorer and five-year varsity letterwinner
- Emory Villacorta (M, Puyallup, WA) – National ID Camp invitee with elite club experience
- Laiken van Rooyen (M, Surrey, BC) – Canadian national team youth representative and dynamic attacking midfielder
The group marks a promising foundation for Nelson’s first full recruiting cycle.
A Program-Wide Surge
From national championship contention in cross country to rising play in women’s basketball and volleyball, to major staff news and recruiting victories in women’s soccer, the Lobos continue to build momentum across fall sports.
With NCAA Championships ahead for cross country, holiday tournaments for basketball, and continued conference play for volleyball, New Mexico enters the heart of November with confidence — and no shortage of standout performances driving the program forward.