GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman women's cross country team is ranked fifth in the NCAA Southeast Region preseason poll and 30th in the national poll, while the Paladin men's team ranks seventh in the region, according to the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings.
"Obviously, rankings are just best guesses," said Furman head coach Robert Gary, the reigning Southern Conference Coach of the Year, "but we have every intention to bust these rankings up on both sides."
Both Paladin teams were picked to win their 11th-straight SoCon titles in 2023.
The Furman women's team returns 17 competitors from last year's squad. Senior Bethany Graham, a two-time cross country All-American, won the league's individual title each of the last two seasons and has gone on to capture the past two SoCon Runner of the Year awards. Senior Abigail Robertson finished as runner-up at last year's SoCon meet, followed by senior Emily Little in third place. All nine of Furman's competitors from last year's meet return in 2023.
The Paladin men's team returns 11 runners from last season. Senior Dylan Schubert, who finished 11th at last year's NCAA Championships to earn an All-America citation, was named the 2022 SoCon Runner of the Year after winning the men's individual championship. Senior Cameron Ponder, the 2021 SoCon Runner of the Year, returns after missing the 2022 season due to injury. All told, the Furman men have captured the last seven SoCon Runner of the Year Awards: Frank Lara (2016), Aaron Templeton (2017 & 2018), Ryan Adams (2019), Daniel Bernal (2020), Ponder (2021), and Schubert (2022).
Furman boasts six out of the last seven SoCon Men's Freshmen of the Year in Adams (2016), Bernal (2017), Ponder (2018), David Ahlmeyer (2019), Andrew Hammel (2020), and Gabe Montague (2021). The Paladins have claimed the last three SoCon Women's Freshmen of the Year by Madelynne Cadeau (2020), Kaylie Armitage (2021), and Carly Wilkes (2022).
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.
Furman opens the 2023 season Sept. 1 at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C.
