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 14th-consecutive year at the 2026 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C.

Senior Chris Knight and sophomore Tessa Walter were honored as the SoCon Men's and Women's Runner of the Year, respectively, after winning the league's individual titles, and the Paladins captured both SoCon Newcomer of the Year awards, with freshman Evan Spreitzer claiming the award for the men and freshman Georgy Helmers earning the honor on the women's side.  Furman's Robert Gary was voted the SoCon Men's Coach of the Year for the 13th time. 

The SoCon Pinnacle Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship winning team.  Ryan Smith received the award on the men's side, while Walters earned the honor for the women.   

In the opening race of the day, the 23rd-ranked Furman men scored a perfect 15 points for their 14th-straight title, a streak which leads the league on the men's side.  UNC Greensboro placed second with 92 points, and Western Carolina took third with 100 points.  The Paladins, who claimed the top six spots in the 8K race, placed seven runners among the top eight.

Knight paced the Paladins with a time of 23:57.0, followed by sophomore Ty Jones in second at 24:00.6.  Senior Trevor Coggin turned in a third-place finish with a time of 24:07.4, and junior Colin Eckerman crossed the line in 24:25.1 to place fourth.  Senior Owen Shifflett completed the Furman scoring in fifth place at 24:27.5, and Spreitzer rounded out the top 6 with a time of 24:28.2.  The Paladins' six top finishers were honored as members of the All-SoCon first time.  

Freshman Lucas Tanner and Smith were named to the All-SoCon second team after placing eighth (24:43.0) and 13th (25:11.1), respectively, and sophomore Zach Youngblood finished 19th with a time of 25:32.4.  

In the day's second race, the Furman women totaled 19 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 79 points, and Tennessee Tech, who took third with 112 points.  Furman captured the top three in the race and placed six runners among the top nine.

Walter, who won the meet for the second-straight year, turned in a time of 16:24.8 on the 5K course to set a new course record and give the Paladins their sixth-straight SoCon women's individual title.  Sophomore Elly Velasquez finished second with a time of 16:45.7, and Helmers placed third at 16:59.2.  Freshman Bridget Dunn and junior Nysa Males placed sixth (17:14.9) and seventh (17:21.9), respectively, to round out Furman's scorers and join Walter, Velasquez, and Helmers on the All-SoCon first team.  

Furman placed two runners on the All-SoCon second team, including junior Rory Sullivan, who turned in a time of 17:32.3, and sophomore Zoie Lamanna, who finished 12th at 17:39.8.  Freshman Olivia Ferraro crossed the line in 18:13.9 to place 23rd, and freshman Jazzlyn Garmer finished 27th at 18:13.9.

The Paladins will compete at the NCAA Southeast Region Championships on Nov. 13 in Spartanburg, S.C.

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Furman Men's Individual Results
1 Chris Knight 23:57.0
2 Ty Jones 24:00.6
3 Trevor Coggin 24:07.4
4 Colin Eckerman 24:25.1
5 Owen Shifflett 24:27.5
6 Evan Spreitzer 24:28.2
8 Lucas Tanner 24:43.0
13 Ryan Smith 25:11.1
19 Zach Youngblood 25:32.4

Furman Women's Individual Results
1 Tessa Walter 16:24.8
2 Elly Velasquez 16:45.7
3 Georgy Helmers 16:59.2
6 Bridget Dunn 17:14.9
7 Nysa Males 17:21.9
9 Rory Sullivan 17:32.3
12 Zoie Lamanna 17:39.8
23 Olivia Ferraro 18:06.2
27 Jazzlyn Garmer 18:13.9

2026 Men's 8K Team Results
1. Furman (15)
2. UNC Greensboro (92)
3. Western Carolina (100)
4. Tennessee Tech (109)
5. Chattanooga (113)
6. Samford (136)
7. ETSU (140)
8. Mercer (221)
9. VMI (284)
10. The Citadel (289)
11. Wofford (326)
 
2026 Men's All-SoCon (1st Team)
Christopher Knight, Jr., Furman
Ty Jones, R-Fr., Furman
Trevor Coggin, Jr., Furman
Colin Eckerman, Jr., Furman
Owen Shifflett, Jr., Furman
Evan Spreitzer, Fr., Furman
Khalid Abdullahi, Sr., UNC Greensboro
 
2026 Men's All-SoCon (2nd Team)
Lucas Tanner, Fr., Furman
Jackson Martin, Sr., Chattanooga
Jaleb Saunders, So., Western Carolina
Luke Huehn, So., UNC Greensboro
Garrett Hawkins, So., ETSU
Ryan Smith, Jr., Furman
Luca Gambling, So., Tennessee Tech
 
2026 SoCon Men's Runner of the Year
Chris Knight, Jr., Furman
 
2026 SoCon Men's Newcomer of the Year
Evan Spreitzer, Fr., Furman
 
2026 SoCon Men's Coach of the Year
Robert Gary, Furman
 
2026 SoCon Men's Cross Country Pinnacle Award
Ryan Smith, So., Furman (3.9 GPA  / Studio Art Major)
 
2026 Women's 5K Team Results
1. Furman (19)
2. Mercer (79)
3. Tennessee Tech (112)
4. ETSU (114)
5. Samford (130)
6. Chattanooga (160)
7. Western Carolina (195)
8. UNC Greensboro (202)
9. Wofford (208)
10. VMI (245)
11. The Citadel (362)
 
2026 Women's All-SoCon (1^st Team)
Tessa Walter, So., Furman
Elly Velasquez, So., Furman
Georgy Helmers, Fr., Furman
Lakin Hailey, Fr., Tennessee Tech
Mary Grace Parker, So., Mercer
Bridget Dunn, Fr., Furman
Nysa Males, Jr., Furman
 
2026 Women's All-SoCon (2^nd Team)
Leila Hailey, Fr., Chattanooga
Rory Sullivan, Jr., Furman
Deena Ludtke, Jr., ETSU
Nikki Harris, Sr., Mercer
Zoie Lamanna, So., Furman
Felicity Hamilton, Jr., Samford
Josie Hutchinson, Fr., Samford
 
2026 SoCon Women's Runner of the Year
Tessa Walter, So., Furman
 
2026 SoCon Women's Newcomer of the Year
Georgy Helmers, Fr., Furman
 
2026 SoCon Women's Coach of the Year
Cameron Ruppe, Mercer
 
2026 SoCon Women's Cross Country Pinnacle Award
Tessa Walter, So., Furman (3.44 GPA / Health Sciences)