KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – Furman captured the men’s and women’s Southern Conference Cross Country Championships for the second straight season at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, N.C. The Paladin runners took six of the top 10 spots in the women’s 5K and each of the top nine spots in the men’s 8K.
Furman started the day with Allie Buchalski winning the women’s individual title, followed by teammates Sinead Haughey in second and Julia Rodriguez in fourth place. ETSU’s Katie Hirko was the top non-Furman finisher, recording a third-place finish in her first SoCon Championship. They were joined on the women’s All-SoCon first-team was Chattanooga’s Amanda Cotter, Mercer’s Kami Orrender and Furman’s Emma Mashburn.
In the team results from the women’s race, Furman recorded the low score with 22 points to claim the SoCon title. Chattanooga finished as runner-up with 71 points and Samford earned a third-place finish with 90 points.
The Paladins then dominated the field in the men’s 8K with Tripp Hurt taking the men’s individual title. He was followed by teammates Troy Reeder, Aaron Templeton, Tanner Hinkle and Brock Baker to round out the top five. The Paladins also claimed the next four spots in the men’s race, as Frank Lara, Austin Sprague, William Ivey and Mark Hadley took places six through nine. VMI’s Avery Martin was the highest non-Furman finisher, coming in 10th in his first SoCon Championship.
The men’s team results featured Furman in front with 15 points to claim its second straight title. ETSU finished in second with 71 points in its return to the league, while newcomer VMI came in third.
Furman’s Allie Buchalski and Tripp Hurt were named the SoCon Women’s and Men’s Runner of the Year, respectively, after their first-place finishes. Freshman of the Year honors also went to the Paladins. Emma Mashburn claimed the award on the women’s side and Aaron Tempelton took it home on the men’s side.
Furman took a sweep of the yearly awards as Robert Gary was named Coach of the Year for both the men’s and women’s sides for the second straight year.
Team Scores – Women
1. Furman - 22
2. Chattanooga - 71
3. Samford - 90
4. ETSU - 104
5. UNCG - 161
T6. Mercer - 175
T6. Western Carolina - 175
8. VMI - 208
9. The Citadel - 239
10. Wofford - 247
Team Scores – Men
1. Furman - 15
2. ETSU - 71
3. VMI - 92
4. Samford - 108
5. Chattanooga - 148
6. Western Carolina - 156
7. UNCG - 196
8. Mercer - 212
9. Wofford - 234
10. The Citadel - 283
All-SoCon First Team – Women
1. Allie Buchalski - Furman
2. Sinead Haughey - Furman
3. Katie Hirko - ETSU
4. Julia Rodriguez - Furman
5. Amanda Cotter - Chattanooga
6. Kami Orrender - Mercer
7. Emma Mashburn - Furman
All-SoCon First Team – Men
1. Tripp Hurt - Furman
2. Troy Reeder - Furman
3. Aaron Templeton - Furman
4. Tanner Hinkle - Furman
5. Brock Baker - Furman
6. Frank Lara - Furman
7. Austin Sprague - Furman
All-SoCon Second Team – Women
8. Grace Tinkey - Furman
9. Laura Miller - Furman
10. Rebecca Greenwell - Chattanooga
11. Eira Jensen - UNCG
12. Karisa Nelson - Samford
13. Katlyn Ayers - UNCG
14. Rachel Wooten - Samford
All-SoCon Second Team – Men
8. William Ivey - Furman
9. Mark Hadley - Furman
10. Avery Martin - VMI
11. Simeon Roberts - ETSU
12. Travis Alfaro – Western Carolina
13. Arse’ne Guillorel - Samford
14. Sean Duffy - ETSU
All-SoCon Freshman Team – Women
7. Emma Mashburn - Furman
12. Karisa Nelson - Samford
15. Macy Carrier - Furman
16. Emily Drouin - Chattanooga
22. Megan Roach - Samford
24. Emma Garner - Samford
25. Maddison Melchionna - Chattanooga
All-SoCon Freshman Team – Men
3. Aaron Templeton - Furman
6. Frank Lara - Furman
7. Austin Sprague - Furman
9. Mark Hadley - Furman
13. Arse’ne Guillorel - Samford
33. Geoffrey Korir - UNCG
35. Tyler Richards - VMI
Coach of the Year – Women
Robert Gary - Furman
Coach of the Year – Men
Robert Gary - Furman
Runner of the Year – Women
Allie Buchalski - Furman
Runner of the Year – Men
Tripp Hurt - Furman
Freshman of the Year – Women
Emma Mashburn - Furman
Freshman of the Year – Men
Aaron Templeton - Furman