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UNM's Kosgei, Kipkurui named to The Bowerman semifinalist lists
UNM’s Pamela Kosgei leads the pack in the women’s 10,000-meter final on June 12 at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The freshman from Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya, is a semifinalist for The Bowerman.
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Two Lobos are in contention to win college track and field’s most prestigious award.
New Mexico freshmen Ishmael Kipkurui and Pamela Kosgei were named semifinalists this week for The Bowerman, an annual award given to the best men’s and women’s student-athletes in collegiate track and field.
Three finalists for the women’s and men’s awards will be announced on July 7 and 8, respectively. Established in 2009 and named after legendary Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman, no Lobo has ever received the prestigious award.
A freshman from Baringo County, Kenya, Kipkurui finished in 29 minutes and 7.7 seconds to win the men’s 10,000-final at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier this month. He also notched a seventh place finish in the 5k final, running a 13:25.18 to help UNM’s men land a program-best top five team finish.
Kipkurui also set a new collegiate record in the 10k, clocking a 26:50.21 at the Sound Running Ten in March. He is the third Bowerman semifinalist in program history; Josh Kerr (2017-18) and Habtom Samuel (2024) were previously named to the award’s shortlist.
Kosgei, a freshman from Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya, won the women’s 5k (15:33.96) and 10k (31:17.82) finals at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She is only the fifth woman to sweep both races in the same championship meet, and just the third since 1999.
Kosgei is also the first UNM woman to earn first team All-America honors in separate events since former Lobo great Weini Kelati did so in 2019. She finished her freshman year with five Mountain West titles across the league’s indoor and outdoor championship meets, all on the heels of a runner-up finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November.
