GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman men's and women's cross country teams, winners of 12-straight league titles, will defend their championships Saturday at the 2025 Southern Conference Championship, which will be held at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C.
The meet will mark the 96th Annual Southern Conference Cross Country Championship for the men and the 41st for the women. Spectators will be charged $10 per car for parking, and parking passes can be bought in advance at https://vivenu.soconsports.com/event/2025-socon-ingles-cross-country-championships-t1zuqs.
The championships will begin with the women's 5K at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 8K event at 10:45 a.m. The top men's and women's teams will be honored as the 2025 conference champions, while the top seven individuals in each race will be named first team all-conference. Individual finishers placing eighth through 14th in each race will comprise the all-conference second team, and the top seven freshmen in each race will make up the league's all-freshman team.
The Paladin lineup for the women's race includes senior Emma Jones; sophomores Zoie Lamanna, Nysa Males, Rory Sullivan, Delaney Vickers, and Jais Ward; plus freshmen Kate Bannigan, Annie Miller, Elly Velasquez, and Tessa Walters.
On the men's side, Furman will race fifth-year students Albert Velikonja and Bryn Woodall, along with seniors Luke Taylor and Colton Kempney. Junior Chris Knight plus sophomores Rives Boltwood, Colin Eckerman, Tripp Roemer, and Matteo Tonnos complete the Paladin lineup.Â
With the win at the 2024 SoCon Cross Country Championship on their home course, the Furman men, who claimed seven of the top ten individual spots, extended the league record for consecutive SoCon team titles—a distinction the Paladins claimed in 2023. The Furman women captured five of the top 10 individual spots, extending their league record with a 12th-straight team title, the nation's longest active conference winning streak on the women's side.
Furman won both individual titles last year, with Dylan Schubert and Carly Wilkes shattering course records during the championship en route to earning SoCon Runner of the Year honors. Furman's Colin Eckerman was also named SoCon Freshman of the Year on the men's side a year ago. Not only did the Paladins sweep the team champion and runner of the year honors, but coaches Rita Gary and Robert Gary also claimed SoCon Coach of the Year honors on their home course. Â
For complete results and photos from Saturday's 2025 championship, log onto http://www.soconsports.com.
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