USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman women's cross country team is ranked 18th nationally and third in the NCAA Southeast Region, according to this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls.

Last Friday, the Paladin women won the 44th annual Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course on Chicago's north side.  Furman scored 58 points for the victory, beating out No. 25 Ole Miss, who finished second with 66 points, and 17th-ranked Wisconsin, who placed third with 94 points. 

Sophomore Carly Wilkes paced Furman with a time of 20:00.7 in the 6K race, followed by junior Kaylie Armitage in seventh at 20:02.2.  Senior Bethany Graham finished 11th with a time of 20:06.6, while senior Abigail Robertson posted a time of 20:12.2 for 16th place.  Junior Sierra Bower was the final Furman scorer, coming in at 19th place with a time of 20:19.5.  

Sophomore Jenna Mulhern finished in 20:26.4 for 24th place, while senior Nicole Matysik was 32nd at 20:34.5.  Senior Emily Little placed 61st with a time of 21:06.9, and senior Megan Marvin recorded a time of 21:18.3 for 72nd place.  

The win marked the third-straight victory for the Paladin women, who opened the season with a win at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C.  Furman scored 25 points for the victory in the 5K race.  Clemson finished second with 58 points, followed by Liberty in third with 82 points.  South Carolina scored 83 points for fourth place. 

The Paladins returned home to Greenville two weeks later to capture the team title at the Furman Invitational on September 16.  The Furman women ran as a pack and finished 3-4-5-6-7 to win the meet with 25 points.  SEC foe Tennessee placed second with 42 points, while Clemson finished third with 80 points.  

USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning team strength with current-season results in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.

The Furman teams will compete at the Royals Challenge in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 6, and at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Oct. 13.