LAS VEGAS, Nev. – With the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Cross Country Championships presented by Palms Casino Resort taking place later this week, the New Mexico men’s and women’s teams were tabbed Conference favorites heading into the postseason, as voted by the league’s head coaches. The squads are looking to sweep both titles in for the third straight year for the first time since the Lobos men and women won six straight titles together from 2009-2014.

The New Mexico men, who enter championship week as the top-ranked team in the country, received seven-of-eight first-place votes and 49 points and have not lost a team race this fall. The Lobos were followed by Air Force in second with one first-place vote and 42 points, Wyoming in third with 37 points, Nevada in fourth with 29 points and Grand Canyon in fifth with 23 points. Rounding out the men’s poll was UTEP in sixth (22 points), UC Davis in seventh (15 points) and San José State in eighth (7 points).

Leading up to the MW women’s championship, the Lobos earned 9-of-10 first-place votes, tallying 81 points. The New Mexico women have spent the entire 2026 season in the top-10 in the country, currently ranking No. 6 heading into the postseason.

Wyoming received the other first-place votes and selected second with 69 points, followed by Air Force in third with 68 points, Grand Canyon in fourth with 48 points and Hawai’i in fifth with 46 points.

The remainder of the poll has UC Davis in sixth (44 points), Nevada in seventh (41 points), UTEP in eighth (27 points), UNLV in ninth (16 points)  and San José State in 10th (10 points).

The 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Cross Country Championships presented by Palms Casino Resort will be hosted by Nevada at Washoe County Golf Course in Reno, Nevada, on Friday, Oct. 30. The men’s 8k race will start at 10 a.m. PT, while the women’s 6k race begins at 10:45 a.m. PT. Both championship races will be broadcast live on MW+.