SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The 2014 Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships are scheduled to take place on Friday, October 31, at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, N.C. The event, hosted by UNCG, begins with the women’s 5K race at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s 8K at 10:45 a.m. An awards ceremony will follow the racing to honor the top team and individual performances from the event.
Furman swept the preseason honors, as it was tabbed as the favorite for both the men’s and women’s cross country teams. The Paladins will look to defend both titles after a sweep of the 2013 SoCon Championships. On the women’s side, Furman returns Allie Buchalski and Grace Tinkey, who finished second and third, respectively, a year ago. Chattanooga’s Teghan Henderson, who was twice named SoCon Runner of the Week this season, will be unable to defend the women’s individual title as she will miss Saturday’s race with an injury.
Also vying for the title will be ETSU’s Katie Hirko, as she wraps up action in her first season in the league. Hirko was a two-time SoCon Runner of the Week selection this year and finished third at the A-Sun Championship last season to earn first-team All-Conference honors. The women’s race will also feature two-time SoCon Runner of the Week selection Kami Orrender (Mercer), as well as SoCon Runner of the Week Sinead Haughey (Furman).
In the men’s race, Furman will look to Tripp Hurt, two-time SoCon Runner of the Week in 2014 and first-team All-Conference selection in 2013, to pace its squad as the Paladins look to finish out the season on top and repeat as champions. Hurt is the highest returning finisher from the 2013 SoCon Championships, after a fourth-place finish a year ago. His teammate, Tanner Hinkle, will also challenge for the individual title. Hinkle was a SoCon Runner of the Week this season and finished seventh at the event last season.
The men’s race will also feature SoCon Runners of the Week Michael Lantz (The Citadel), Matt Warriner (ETSU), William Ivey (Furman), Josh Gilpin (Chattanooga) and Travis Alfaro (Western Carolina).
On the team front, Chattanooga was picked second preseason voting on both the men’s and women’s side. Look for ETSU and Samford to challenge for the team title in both the men’s and women’s competitions as well.
For complete results, photos, highlights and more from the championship, log onto www.soconsports.com.