TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Seniors Savannah Carnahan and Gabbi Jennings finished 13th and 20th, respectively, to earn All-American accolades and lead the 15th-ranked Furman women's cross country team to a ninth-place finish Saturday at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind. The Paladin men's team, which entered the championship race ranked 28th, turned in a 14th-place finish.
Carnahan, who earned her second-consecutive All-American citation, posted a time of 20:25.1 to pace Furman on the 6K course, while Jennings turned in a time of 20:30.9 to lead Furman past 10th-ranked Colorado, No. 4 Washington, ninth-ranked Florida State, and No. 8 Michigan. Top-ranked Arkansas won the meet with 96 points, while third-ranked BYU placed second with 102 points, and No. 2 Stanford finished third with 123 points. The Paladins scored 290 points to place among the nation's top ten for the second time in three seasons.
Junior Krissy Gear finished 78th with a time of 21:06.9, while senior Emma Grace Hurley crossed the line in 21:12.2 for 89th place. Senior Grace Dwyer completed the Paladins' scoring five, turning in a time of 21:51.5 for 176th place. Junior Emily Lane recorded a time of 22:35.1 for 231st place, and junior Emma Kuntz was 249th at 23:23.1.
This year marked the third-consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships for the Paladin women's team, which won its seventh-straight Southern Conference Championship earlier this month and went on to place second at the Southeast Region Championships last week. The Paladins posted a seventh-place finish at the national meet in 2017, the team's first trip to the NCAA Championships, and finished 23rd last season.
On the men's side, senior Ryan Adams, the 2019 SoCon Runner of the Year, led Furman with a time of 31:13.9 on the 10K course to take 32nd place and earn an All-American citation, helping the Paladins to their third top-15 finish at the national meet. No. 3 BYU won the title with 109 points, taking down top-ranked Northern Arizona, who claimed second with 163 points. No. 2 Colorado finished third with 164 points. The Paladins, which scored 279 points, defeated No. 14 Wisconsin, 11th-ranked Washington, and No. 9 Ole Miss.
Junior Daniel Bernal placed 54th with a time of 31:32.2, and rookie David Ahlmeyer, the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year, tallied a 116th-place finish with a time of 32:05.8. Sophomore Cameron Ponder was 119th with a time of 32:06.4, and senior Jake Ogden completed the Furman slate of scorers in 131st place with a time of 32:12.8. Freshman Ares Reading placed 158th at 32:26.2, and junior Trenton Mandato finished 210th with a time of 33:25.4.
The Furman men, which also scored their seventh-straight league title in 2019, made their sixth team appearance at the NCAA Championships. The Paladins placed 12th at the national meet in 1965 and posted a 13th-place finish in 2015. Prior to Saturday's meet, Furman most recently appeared at the national championships in 2017, when the Paladins finished 26th.
"On a combined basis, Furman finished sixth nationally," said Furman head coach Robert Gary. "We had one of my favorite coaching days ever. We pride ourselves on an overall combined program and are so proud of entirety of the program for showing up on the biggest stage. I am so happy for our three seniors who received All-American honors, and today's performance by our underclassmen illustrates a great future. We purposefully carry a small roster where we place a great deal of challenge and emphasis on development for the entirety of the program."
Complete Furman Results
2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships
Women's 6K - 9th out of 31 teams - 290 points
13th Savannah Carnahan 20:25.1
20th Gabbi Jennings 20:30.9
78th Krissy Gear 21:06.9
89th Emma Grace Hurley 21:12.2
176th Grace Dwyer 21:51.5
231st Emily Lane 22:35.1
249th Emma Kuntz 23:23.1
Men's 10K - 14th out of 31 teams - 379 points
32nd Ryan Adams 31:13.9
54th Daniel Bernal 31:32.2
116th David Ahlmeyer 32:05.8
119th Cameron Ponder 32:06.4
131st Jake Ogden 32:12.8
158th Ares Reading 32:26.2
210th Trent Mandato 33:25.4
