Lobos in the lead: Samuel, Kosgei set records at MW Indoor Championships

In the seconds after it was decided, Darren Gauson stood at the first turn and craned his head up at the scoreboard as if to affirm what he just saw in the men’s 5,000-meter race.

New Mexico No. 1, New Mexico No. 2, New Mexico No. 3, New Mexico No. 4 …

A reporter walked by Gauson and flashed a thumbs-up. Good?

UNM track and field’s head coach didn’t hesitate to flash one back.

“That was awesome,” he chuckled later.

That was more or less day one of the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships for the Lobos: Awesome in any way you could count.

UNM closed Thursday atop the men’s and women’s team standings with 42 and 27 points, respectively, notching wins in the men’s and women’s 5,000 and men’s distance medley relay. Colorado State (8) and Utah State’s men’s teams are tied for second behind the Lobos; Air Force (22) and Boise State (14) women’s teams are in second and third. The event continues through Saturday.

Gauson said UNM has been “loading everyone up” across multiple events on the men’s and women’s sides to help both teams snap a decade-long drought without a team title.

“We’ve really been pretty strategic on how we’re trying to line everything up on both sides to really maximize our points,” he added. “That’s the goal this weekend: Trying to max everything out and, yeah, be in contention for both championships.”

Nowhere was that more clear than the men’s 5,000. With a little under half the race remaining, UNM’s Habtom Samuel, Ishmael Kipkurui, Matthew Kosgei and Vincent Chirchir were nearly a fourth of a lap ahead of the competition and lapping those on the backend, nearly running in sync to an overwhelming share of the points.

Kosgei passed Samuel for the first time with 10 laps remaining but faded to leave Samuel, the prohibitive favorite, and Kipkurui alone to decide who ended up with the conference title. Kipkurui kept it interesting with a late surge heading into the finish but Samuel pulled it out in 13:33.43 to secure back-to-back indoor 5,000 titles, a new meet record and 10 points for the Lobos.

Kipkurui finished at 13:33.46 to come in under the previous meet record at second while Kosgei (13:45.92) and Chirchir (13:59.14) placed third and fourth, respectively. Evans Kiplagat also scored for the Lobos, running a 13:59.66 to finish sixth.

Samuel has the second-fastest 5,000 time in the NCAA this season behind Harvard’s Graham Blanks (12:59.89) — but Blanks turned professional in December.

As the active frontrunner with a season-best 13:04.92, does Samuel have his eyes set on adding an NCAA indoor title to his already-impressive résumé?

“Definitely — I’m gonna try to win nationals,” Samuel smiled. “No doubt, I’m gonna fight for a title. And yeah, I feel confident.”

Nor is he the only one that should feel that way. Pamela Kosgei pulled off a dominating finish in the women’s 5,000, running a meet record 15:53.72 to finish ahead of fellow Lobo Marion Jepngetich (16:07.12) and Air Force’s Ally Peterson (16:36.14).

Gauson noted that Kosgei — only a freshman — is not only leading the way for UNM’s young, but talented women’s team, but could be in contention for a national title of her own. She has the fourth-best NCAA 5,000 time this season.

“We’re putting a lot of pieces in place,” he continued. “I mean, our whole team’s like freshman and sophomores, so it’s a really exciting team now and in the future, too.”

Day one even delivered something extra.

All but one team participating in the women’s distance medley relay ran 4,200 meters — one lap more than necessary to complete the race. Only San Jose State did not run the extra 200 meters, something groups of runners, coaches and spectators realized as the final 1,600 turned into 1,800.

Not counting the extra 200, Boise State won the league title in 11:20.20 while UNM — the top seed entering Thursday — finished second at 11:31.27. That meant Hannah Bruckmayer was stuck with an extra lap in a confusing finish for the Lobos, one Gauson credited her for fighting through.

“These things happen (and) you want to go the appropriate distance … think the right outcome will happen and we’ll get the right scores,” he added. “Happy for our women getting second there — it (was) a great run.”

It is unclear how — and if — the extra lap will affect any potential NCAA qualifying times. The men’s DMR went off without issue, ending with UNM’s Matthew Endrody, Levente Soos, Luke, Cunningham, Collins Kiprotich, Kahari Wilbon and Lukas Kiprop taking the win in 9:41.11.