GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's cross country teams extended their streaks Saturday as the Paladins swept the men's and women's team titles for the 13th-consecutive year at the 2025 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C.

Freshman Tessa Walter was honored as the SoCon Women's Runner of the Year and as the league's female freshman of the year after winning the women's individual title.  Furman's Rita Gary was voted the SoCon Women's Coach of the Year, marking the 13th-straight year the Paladins have won the award, while Robert Gary received the award on the men's side for the 12th time. 

In the opening race of the day, the Furman women scored 23 points for the victory.  The Paladins, who own the nation's longest active conference winning streak on the women's side, extended their run of success by defeating second-place Mercer, who scored 68 points, and Chattanooga, who took third with 82 points.  Furman captured three of the top five spots in the race and placed six runners among the top nine.

Walter led Furman with a time of 17:03.7 on the 5K course to earn Furman's fifth-straight SoCon Women's Runner of the Year award.  Sophomore Nysa Males placed second with a time of 17:09.3, while sophomore Rory Sullivan took fifth place with a time of 17:33.4.  Sophomore Zoie Lamanna turned in a time of 17:42.8 for seventh place to join Walter and Sullivan on the All-SoCon first team, and sophomore Jais Ward posted a time of 17:42.8 to complete the Paladin scorers in eighth place.  

In addition to Ward, Furman placed three runners on the All-SoCon second team, including freshman Annie Miller, who finished ninth at 17:46.8, and freshman Kate Bannigan, who crossed the line in 17:56.8 for 11th place.  Senior Emma Jones, who earned the SoCon's Knight Commission Pinnacle Award, which is given to the athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team, took 12th place at 17:58.1.  Sophomore Delaney Vickers finished 34th with a time of 19:04.2.

The Paladins placed six athletes on the women's SoCon All-Freshman team, including true freshmen Walter and Miller, along with Males, Sullivan, Lamanna, and Ward, who are competing in their first year of cross country eligibility.

In the day's second race, the Furman men's team scored 20 points for their 13th-straight title, a streak which leads the league on the men's side.  East Tennessee State finished second with 85 points, and UNC Greensboro was third with 104 points.  The Paladins placed six runners among the top seven in the 8K race.

Graduate student Albert Velikonja paced the Paladins with a time of 24:14.6 to finish second, followed immediately by junior Chris Knight in third place with a time of 24:14.7.  Graduate student Bryn Woodall turned in a time of 24:20.9 for fourth place, and senior Luke Taylor earned the SoCon's Knight Commission Pinnacle Award for the third-straight year after crossing the line in 24:34.2 for fifth place.  Rives Boltwood completed Furman's scoring in sixth place at 24:36.3, and sophomore Matteo Tonnos finished seventh at 24:44.1 to round out the All-SoCon first team with Velikonja, Knight, Woodall, Taylor, and Boltwood. 

Senior Colton Kempney and sophomore Tripp Roemer earned spots on the All-SoCon second team.  Kempney crossed the line in 24:56.9 for ninth place, and Roemer finished 11th at 25:21.4.

Boltwood, Tonnos, and Roemer were named to the SoCon All-Freshman team.

The Paladins will compete at the NCAA Southeast Region Championships on Nov. 15 in Charlottesville, Va.

Furman Women's Individual Results
1 Tessa Walter 17:03.7
2 Nysa Males 17:09.3
5 Rory Sullivan 17:33.4
7 Zoie Lamanna 17:42.8
8 Jais Ward 17:44.5
9 Annie Miller 17:46.8
11 Kate Bannigan 17:56.8
12 Emma Jones 17:58.1
34 Delaney Vickers 19:04.2

Furman Men's Individual Results
2 Albert Velikonja 24:14.6
3 Chris Knight 24:14.7
4 Bryn Woodall 24:20.9
5 Luke Taylor 24:34.2
6 Rives Boltwood 24:36.3
7 Matteo Tonnos 24:44.1
9 Colton Kempney 24:56.9
11 Tripp Roemer 25:21.4

2025 SoCon Cross Country Championships  
Women's Results
Team                           Points     
1.Furman 23  
2.Mercer 68 
3.Chattanooga 82 
4.Western Carolina 123 
5. Samford 129  
6. ETSU 140  
7. VMI 206 
8. UNCG 212 
9.Wofford 244 
10. The Citadel 300 

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year  
Tessa Walter, Furman 

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year 
Tessa Walter, Furman 

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year 
Rita Gary, Furman 

2025 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Pinnacle Award Winner 
Emma Jones, Furman 

First Team All-Conference 
Tessa Walter, Furman  
Nysa Males, Furman  
Mary Grace Parker, Mercer 
Maddie Wheatcroft, Chattanooga  
Rory Sullivan, Furman  
Felicity Hamilton, Samford  
Zoie Lamanna, Furman 

Second Team All-Conference 
Jais Ward, Furman  
Annie Miller, Furman  
Nichole Harris, Mercer 
Katherine Bannigan, Furman  
Emma Jones, Furman  
Leah Boyd, Chattanooga 
Sophie Beach, ETSU  

All-Freshman Team 
Tessa Walter, Furman  
Nysa Males, Furman 
Mary Grace Parker, Mercer 
Rory Sullivan, Furman  
Zoie Lamanna, Furman  
Jais Ward, Furman  
Annie Miller, Furman

Men's Results
Team                           Points     
1.Furman 20 
2.ETSU 85 
3.UNCG 104 
4. Chattanooga 105 
5.Samford 115 
6.Mercer 129 
7. Western Carolina 157 
8. VMI 231 
9.The Citadel 273 
10.Wofford 288 

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year  
Jason Bowers, ETSU  

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year 
Luke Hühn, UNCG 

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year 
Robert Gary, Furman 

2025 Southern Conference Men's Cross Country Pinnacle Award Winner 
Luke Taylor, Furman 

First Team All-Conference 
Jason Bowers, ETSU  
Albert Velikonja, Furman  
Christopher Knight, Furman  
Bryn Woodall, Furman  
Luke Taylor, Furman  
Rives Boltwood, Furman  
Matteo Tonnos, Furman 

Second Team All-Conference 
Jackson Martin, Chattanooga 
Colton Kempney, Furman  
Chance Underwood, ETSU  
Tripp Roemer, Furman  
Luke Hühn, UNCG  
David Brown, Samford 
William Jordan, Samford

All-Freshman Team 
Rives Boltwood, Furman  
Matteo Tonnos, Furman  
Tripp Roemer, Furman
Luke Hühn, UNCG  
Matthias Peterson, Western Carolina 
Jaleb Saunders, Western Carolina
Eli Clonch, Western Carolina