GREENVILLE, S.C. – As weekends go, the most recent one might be an all-timer in terms of Furman athletic success, and it's entirely fitting that it has a decidedly purple shade to it.
The Furman Paladins fashioned one of the greatest weekends in program history over the last three days, inducting four greats into its athletics hall of fame on Friday, claiming three Southern Conference championships on Saturday, and topping it off with a fourth league crown on Sunday. For good measure, the Paladins also won in volleyball.
On Friday the university opened its doors to four new members of the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame. Men's basketball player, the late Joe Brunson, men's golf standout Keller Harper, two-time All-American tennis player Katarina Kozarov, and All-American cross country and track star Gabbi Jennings were inducted into the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies held in downtown Greenville.
The Paladin men's and women's cross country teams captured TWO SoCon Championships on Saturday at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C. Both programs extended their remarkable streaks, claiming their 14th consecutive Southern Conference championship.
Senior
Chris Knight and sophomore
Tessa Walter won individual titles and were named SoCon Men's and Women's Runner of the Year, respectively, and the Paladins captured both SoCon Newcomer of the Year awards, with freshman
Evan Spreitzer garnering the award for the men and freshman
Georgy Helmers earning the honor on the women's side. In claiming the top six spots in the men's race, Furman scored a perfect 15 points. The women's race saw Furman finish 1-2-3 and claim six of the top nine spots. The SoCon Pinnacle Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship winning team, went to
Ryan Smith, while Walters took home the honor for the women.
The Paladins will compete at the NCAA Southeast Region Championships on Nov. 13 in Spartanburg, S.C.
Furman completed its Saturday title trifecta when first-year head coach
Brandon Tucker's men's soccer squad broke open a 1-1 match with three goals in a span of 12 minutes en route to a 4-1 mashing of Wofford at Stone Stadium.
Caleb Johnson,
Trip Campbell,
Jack Travis, and
Wilfer Bustamante found the back of the net for the Paladins. The victory, which improved Furman to 16-1-4 on Seagraves Field since the beginning of the 2025 season, earned the Paladins a share of their 23
rd Southern Conference regular season title and No. 1 seed for the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship. The Paladins will receive a first round bye and play host in a semifinal round match at Stone Stadium on Sunday, November 8, at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, head coach
Andrew Burr's women's soccer squad took aim at the program's 10
th SoCon championship and the Paladins' fourth league flag of the weekend. After falling behind 1-0, the Paladins rallied for a pair of second half goals, with the game winner coming on a free kick by
Ellie Herrmann in the 84
th minute. The Paladins, unbeaten in their last 10 matches, concluded the regular season at 13-3-3 overall and 8-0-2 in league play. Furman, co-champions with Samford, will be the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Women's Soccer Championship and will play host to a quarterfinal round match at Stone Stadium on Sunday, November 8, at 2 p.m.
We hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as we did ours!
