LOUISVILLE, KY. -- The 17th-ranked Furman men's cross country team finished second at the 2021 NCAA Southeast Region Championship, while the Paladin women turned in a fourth-place finish Friday at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky.
As one of the top two teams at the meet, the Paladin men qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships, which will be held Nov. 20 in Tallahassee, Fla. Sophomore Bethany Graham qualified automatically on the women's side by virtue of her fifth-place individual finish.
The Paladin men scored 66 points, placing second only to Wake Forest, who tallied 47 point. The Paladins beat out third-place North Carolina, who recorded 99 points, and N.C. State, who took fourth with 128 points.
Furman placed four men on the All-Southeast Region team, including senior Aaron Wier, who paced the Paladins with a time of 29:29.9 on the 10K course for eighth place. Senior Cameron Ponder took ninth place with a time of 29:34.3, while sophomore Dylan Schubert turned in a time of 29:42.5 for 12th place. Senior Daniel Bernal earned his third-career all-region citation after placing 14th with a time of 29:46.0.
Sophomore Carson Williams finished 28th with a time of 30:05.9, and freshman Gabe Montague was 36th at 30:26.5. Senior Noah Dolhare crossed the line in 30:42.2 for 51st place.
The Paladin women's team scored 126 points to place fourth in the day's opening race. N.C. State won the region title with 34 points, while North Carolina was second with 73 points. Furman beat out Power 5 schools Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest, Duke, and Louisville.
Graham, who was honored as a member of the All-Southeast Region team, paced Furman with a time of 20:13.5 on the 6K course to finish fifth. Junior Abigail Robertson posted a time of 20:57.6 for 27th place, and sophomore Madelynne Cadeau was 29th at 21:00.6. Sophomore Emily Little placed 34th with a time of 21:10.6, followed by sophomore Megan Marvin in 35th place at 21:12.0. Freshman Kaylie Armitage posted a time of 21:27.8 for 50th place.
The Paladin men are making their third-consecutive and eighth-overall trip to the national championship meet. The women's race will begin at 10:20 a.m., followed by the men's race at noon.
Complete Furman Results
2021 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships
Women's 6K - 4th out of 31 teams - 126 Points
5th Bethany Graham 20:13.5
27th Abigail Robertson 20:57.6
29th Madelynne Cadeau 21:00.6
34th Emily Little 21:10.6
35th Megan Marvin 21:12.0
50th Kaylie Armitage 21:27.8
Men's 10K - 2nd out of 30 teams - 66 Points
8th Aaron Wier 29:29.9
9th Cameron Ponder 29:34.3
12th Dylan Schubert 29:42.5
14th Daniel Bernal 29:46.0
28th Carson Williams 30:05.9
36th Gabe Montague 30:26.5
51st Noah Dolhare 30:42.2
