GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head cross country coach Robert Gary announced today the team's 2022 schedule.

The Paladins will open the season Sept. 2 at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C., before hosting the Furman Invitational, the team's lone home event of the season, on Sept. 17 in Greenville, S.C.

On Sept. 24, Furman will compete at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla., to preview the national championship course before traveling to Louisville, Ky., to preview the regional championship course at the Live in Louisville Cross Country Classic on Oct. 1. 

The Paladins will head to Madison, Wis., for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 14.  Furman's meets that weekend will feature split squad races, with part of the team running at the Upstate Invitational in Spartanburg on Oct. 15.

Furman, which has won nine-straight Southern Conference Championships, will defend its league titles on Oct. 29 at the SoCon Championship meet in Summerville, S.C., and on Nov. 11, the Paladins will travel to Louisville, Ky., for the 2022 NCAA Southeast Regional Championship.  This year's NCAA Championships will be held Nov. 19 at Oklahoma State.

"We are very excited about the upcoming season," said Gary.  "We always have as competitive of a schedule as any team in the country, and part of our mission with our student-athletes is to see a great number of different areas of the country.  Our focuses always include defending our conference title streak and advancement to the NCAA Championships in November.  Our 2022 schedule prepares us for that kind of season."

Furman returns 13 runners from last year's squad on the women's side, while 15 Paladins return on the men's side.  The Paladins won their ninth-straight SoCon titles on both the men's and women's sides last season, and the men went on to take second at the 2021 NCAA Southeast Regional Championship.  At the NCAA Championships, Furman's men placed 31st, and Bethany Graham earned All-American accolades.