GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman men’s cross country team is ranked 10th nationally, the highest ranking ever in the history of the Paladin cross country program, according to the Week 5 national rankings released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  

Furman made the biggest move of any team ranked inside the top-30 a week ago, moving up 14 positions from last week’s 24th-place ranking.  The Paladins placed sixth last Friday at the Wisconsin Invitational, one point ahead of N.C. State, who moved up five spots to 12th in this week’s poll.  Junior Tanner Hinkle led all Paladin runners at the meet, placing 35th with a time of 24:04.6 on the 8K course, followed by junior Troy Reeder in 36th place at 24:04.9.

“Our goals remain winning the SoCon and qualifying for the NCAA Championships, but I would be lying if I said ranking tenth nationally isn’t a threshold we have talked about in our program,” said Furman head coach Robert Gary, the 2014 SoCon Coach-of-the Year.  “There are over 300 teams in the NCAA, and this pursuit of excellence is very exciting for the entirety of our program."

The Paladins, two-time defending SoCon Champions, will serve as host at the league championships on Oct.31 in Greenville, S.C.