Habtom Samuel Named USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Habtom Samuel was named USTFCCCA Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and both Lobo Men’s and Women’s XC squads earned All-Academic team honors for their efforts in the classroom, the USTFCCCA announced Thursday.

Samuel, who won the 2025 NCAA XC Championship in dominant fashion while posting a 3.33 GPA during the fall semester, picks up the first National Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor of his career. It’s now two semesters in a row with a UNM athlete winning the honor after Pamela Kosgei was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2025 outdoor track season.

In addition, Jasmine Wood (3.72 GPA) and Alice Seguin (3.73 GPA), both earning an MS in Physical Education w/ Sports Administration concentration, also earned All-Academic individual honors. The duo finished 13th and 15th at NCAA Mountain Regionals, respectively.

The UNM men (3.09 team GPA) and women (3.61 team GPA) also both qualified for USTFCCCA All-Academic status based on their cumulative team GPA’s. The UNM women have now earned All-Academic team status for 12 seasons in a row, being named Academic Team of the Year twice (2015, 2017). The men have been named All-Academic team four seasons in a row.