Courtesy of New Mexico Athletics

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brodie Young secured a spot in Friday’s 400m Finals to open up things up for New Mexico Track & Field on Wednesday before Habtom Samuel punched his ticket to NCAA Outdoor Championships with the fastest time of the night in the 10,000m to close out Day One of NCAA West Region First Round Preliminaries at John McDonnell Field.

Brodie Young ran a new personal best and his first sub-46 time of the year (45.71) to finish second in the second heat and 12th overall in the First Round of the men’s 400m – his fastest time since last year’s MW Outdoor Championships (May 13, 2023).

Samuel ensured he’d get the chance to race for at least his fourth All-American finish at NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field June 5-8 with an event win, crossing in 28:26.91 – 33.68 seconds faster than the raw time he put down in his last 10,000m race at the Don Kirby Tailwind Open at elevation in Albuquerque (29:00.59). Behind him, Vincent Chirchir (29:02.96) finished 15th and Evans Kiplagat (30:56.85) finished 43rd, with Chirchir just 4.32 seconds out of joining Samuel at NCAA Finals as a true freshman.

The trio will return on Friday to race in the Men’s 5,000m Semifinals, set to get underway at 7:10 p.m. MT.

In other action, 100m UNM Outdoor Record Holder Victor Akhalu finished sixth in the fifth heat of the Men’s 400m to conclude his final season as a Lobo with a 10.46 (-0.3) time. He finished 36th overall.

Dylan Burrows narrowly missed out on Friday’s 800m final with a fourth-place finish in the third heat, putting down a 1:49.21 time that was just .21 seconds behind the 24th advancing runner.

THE YEAR OF HABTOM
Since the 2023-24 season, Samuel has racked up accomplishments at a pace unseen by any true freshman in UNM history. He’ll be looking to add two more All-American finishes (5,000m, 10,000m) at Hayward to an already extensive list of achievements:

  • 2023 Mountain West Athlete of the Year (XC)
  • NCAA Runner of the Week (XC)
  • USTFCCCA Mountain Region Athlete of the Year (XC)
  • Mountain West Champion (XC)
  • NCAA Mountain Region Champion (XC)
  • NCAA Championship Runner-Up (XC)
  • Mountain West Championship Record Holder (XC)
  • UNM Program Record Holder – 5,000m, 3,000m, Mile (Indoor)
  • Fastest collegiate mile ever ran at the Albuquerque Convention Center (3:59.12)
  • 11th-Fastest 5,000m time in NCAA History (Indoor)
  • Mountain West Championship Performer of the Meet (Indoor)
  • Mountain West Championship Record Holder – 5,000m, 3,000m (Indoor)
  • Mountain West Champion – 5,000m, 3,000m (Indoor)
  • USTFCCCA First Team All-American – 5,000m, 3,000m (Indoor)
  • No. 2 10,000m time in NCAA History (Outdoor)
  • 2024 Mountain West Indoor Track Athlete of the Year

UP NEXT
Tomorrow’s action kicks off with Lauren Fowler and Elizabeth White in the women’s long jump at 2 p.m. MT. All four days will be broadcast via ESPN+, with live results and streaming links for each day will be available via GoLobos.com/TrackResults. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for live coverage, meet day content and more.