The University of New Mexico track and field program will once again be represented on the sport’s biggest stage as six Lobos head to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at historic Hayward Field this week.
New Mexico enters the national meet with one of the strongest distance contingents in the country, led by reigning national champions and record-setting performers. Competition runs June 10-13, with Lobo athletes scheduled to compete on all four days of the championship meet.
Headlining the group is junior distance star Habtom Samuel, who arrives in Eugene as one of the most accomplished runners in collegiate track and field. Samuel enters the championships undefeated against collegiate competition during the 2025-26 academic year and will compete in both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter finals.
Samuel has already rewritten the record books this season. He broke the collegiate outdoor 5,000-meter record twice and recently became the first collegian to break the 13-minute barrier outdoors, posting a world-leading 12:57.23 at the LA Track Fest. The Eritrean standout has never finished lower than second in the NCAA 10,000-meter final, winning the national championship in 2024 before finishing runner-up in 2025.
On the women’s side, defending NCAA champion Pamela Kosgei returns to defend both her 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter national titles. Kosgei, a 2025 Bowerman finalist, enters the championship meet with the second-fastest times in the nation in both events and will once again attempt the difficult distance double after sweeping both races a year ago.
Kosgei will not be alone in the women’s 5,000 meters. Fellow All-American Marion Jepngetich earned another trip to Eugene after finishing fourth in last year’s national final. Jepngetich enters the championships ranked among the nation’s elite after posting a season-best 15:18.05 at the NCAA West Regional.
Sprint standout Taniya Looney will make history of her own in Eugene. Looney became the first New Mexico woman to qualify for both the 100-meter and 200-meter events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Barbara Bell accomplished the feat in 1984. During a remarkable regional performance, Looney became the first woman in school history to break the 11-second barrier in the 100 meters before setting another school record in the 200 later the same day.
The Lobos will also be represented in the men’s 1,500 meters by sophomore Matthew Endrödy. Endrödy continued his breakout season by advancing through the NCAA West Regional and securing his first appearance at the outdoor national championships. Earlier this year, he earned first-team All-America honors after finishing sixth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Rounding out the championship delegation is Evans Kiplagat, who qualified for his first NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 10,000 meters. A three-time cross country All-American, Kiplagat punched his ticket to Eugene with an eighth-place finish at the West Regional and will join Samuel in the national final.
The six-athlete group continues New Mexico’s tradition of excellence in distance running and gives the Lobos multiple opportunities to compete for national championships throughout the week.
Football Facility Expansion Project Complete
While the track and field team prepares for championship competition, New Mexico football is celebrating a major off-the-field victory.
The university announced the completion of a $7.5 million expansion project at the Tow Diehm Football Facility, a development designed to enhance player development, nutrition, recruiting and overall program operations.
The project comes on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in school history. Under first-year head coach Jason Eck, the Lobos posted a 9-4 record, tied for first place in the Mountain West, earned a bowl appearance and sold out University Stadium for the first time in nearly two decades.
Among the highlights of the expansion are a new 120-seat auditorium-style team room, a significantly enlarged strength and conditioning center and a new nutrition and fueling station designed to provide athletes with year-round access to meals and recovery resources.
The strength and conditioning area now spans nearly 4,900 square feet, while the new team auditorium offers more than 2,300 square feet of meeting space for film study, game preparation and team gatherings.
Eck emphasized the importance of the project both for current players and future recruiting efforts.
“It’s an exciting time for our program,” Eck said. “Being able to expand our athletic performance space and meeting space while doubling our athletic performance space has been a key piece for us, both during the season and recruiting.”
Athletic director Ryan Berryman called the project a vital step in the department’s long-term vision of competing for championships while enhancing the student-athlete experience.
The upgraded facility adds to the momentum surrounding a football program that returns significant production from last year’s breakthrough team and enters the 2026 season with expectations of contending for a Mountain West title.
Harrington Selected to Lead Team USA
New Mexico men’s golf head coach Jake Harrington will once again represent the United States on the international stage.
Harrington has been selected to coach Team USA at the 2026 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup, scheduled for June 23-26 outside Nagoya, Japan.
The event will feature teams from 11 countries and marks the third time Harrington has served as head coach for the American squad. He previously coached Team USA in 2013 and again in 2024.
His first appearance featured future Masters champion and current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, while his most recent stint resulted in a tie for first place before the United States fell to South Korea on a tiebreaker.
The prestigious international tournament celebrates its 32nd edition this year, with Team USA seeking its first boys’ title since 2017.
Bareford Earns Regional Coaching Honor
Success on the court has also brought recognition for New Mexico men’s tennis head coach Rob Bareford.
Bareford was named the Racquet Sports Professionals Association Southwest Region Steve Wilkinson College Coach of the Year following an impressive debut season in Albuquerque.
In his first year leading the program, Bareford guided the Lobos to a 16-8 overall record and the Mountain West Tournament championship. New Mexico defeated UNLV, Utah State and Boise State in consecutive matches to capture the conference title and secure its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade.
The championship run culminated in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against perennial national power Stanford Cardinal men’s tennis.
The award recognizes Bareford as the top collegiate coach across Arizona, New Mexico and the El Paso region after quickly restoring the Lobos to conference prominence.
With national championship opportunities in track and field, continued facility investments in football, international coaching assignments in golf and coaching honors in tennis, New Mexico athletics continues to build momentum across multiple programs heading into the summer months.
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