GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2025 season Friday evening at the USC Upstate Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C., at the Roger Milliken Center.
The meet will begin with the women's 5K at 6:30 p.m. followed by the men's 8K at 7:10 p.m. Live results will be available at https://live.timinginc.com/meets/55166.
The Furman men's team is tied for 30th in this week's preseason national poll. Fifteen men return for the Paladins, including three who competed at the 2024 league championship meet. Dylan Schubert, who graduated in the spring and earned 2024-25 SoCon Male Athlete of the Year accolades, won the individual title for the third-consecutive year last season. Junior Chris Knight placed third, while sophomore Colin Eckerman led all freshmen in fifth place a year ago. The Furman men have captured the last nine SoCon Runner of the Year Awards: Frank Lara (2016), Aaron Templeton (2017 & 2018), Ryan Adams (2019), Daniel Bernal (2020), Cameron Ponder (2021), and Schubert (2022, 2023, 2024).
In addition to Eckerman and Knight, Friday's men's lineup includes seniors Luke Taylor and Colton Kempney; juniors Trevor Coggin, Brayden Seymour, and Owen Shifflett; sophomore Rives Boltwood, Alex Friedli, and Tripp Roemer; and newcomer graduate students Bryn Woodall and Albert Velikonja.
The Furman women return 14 competitors from last year's squad. The Paladins have won the last five SoCon Female Runners of the Year, with senior Carly Wilkes claiming the award last season, Bethany Graham taking the award in both 2021 and 2022, and Abigail Robertson earning the honor in 2023. Five of Furman's competitors from last year's SoCon meet return in 2025, including Wilkes and senior Jenna Mulhern, who finished third in 2024.
Furman's lineup for Friday includes senior Emma Jones; sophomores Joiner Evans, Zoie Lamanna, Nysa Males, Katie Sobieraj, Rory Sullivan, Delaney Vickers, and Jais Ward; along with freshmen Kate Bannigan, Avery Belk, Annie Miller, Elly Velasquez, Tessa Walters, and Tara Watkins.
Both Paladin teams were picked to win their 13th-straight SoCon titles in 2025. With the win last year 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.
Complete results can be found at www.furmanpaladins.com following the completion of the meet.
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