Allie Buchalski becomes Paladin cross country's first All-American; Furman men place 13th at NCAA Championships
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Junior Allie Buchalski finished seventh to become the first All-American in the history of the Furman cross country program, and the Furman men’s cross country team placed 13th at the 2015 NCAA Championships Saturday at the E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky.
Buchalski posted a time of 20:02.6 on the women’s 6K course to place seventh, the highest finish ever by a Furman athlete at the national meet. Buchalski surpasses Cate Pichon, who placed 40th at the 1991 NCAA Women’s Championships.
Sophomore Aaron Templeton led the Paladin men on the 10K course, finishing 51st with a time of 30:33.4 to become Furman’s highest finisher in the history of the men’s program. Lonnie Poole placed 53rd in 1965 to lead the Paladins in their first-ever appearance at the national meet.
Junior Tanner Hinkle posted a time of 30:51.5 for 87th place on Saturday, while junior Troy Reeder was 109th at 31:01.9. Sophomore Frank Lara turned in a time of 31:21.2 to finish 143rd, followed closely by sophomore Austin Sprague, who placed 149th with a time of 31:27.6 to complete the Paladin scorers. Sophomore Josh Brickell recorded a time of 31:54.5 for 191st place, and sophomore Mark Hadley crossed the line in 32:16.5 to finish 213th.
The Paladin men entered Saturday’s meet ranked 15th nationally after posting a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Furman received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, earning the Paladins’ second trip to nationals in as many years.
Furman’s three other appearances in the national championship meet came in 1965, 1970, and 2014. The Paladins’ highest finish at the national meet was recorded in 1965, when Furman finished 12 out of 18 teams.
Guillorel competes at NCAA XC Championships
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Arsène Guillorel of the Samford University men's cross country team put it all on the line on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the NCAA Cross Country Championships held at E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park.
Guillorel reached the national meet after he earned a second-place finish just last weekend at the NCAA South Regional meet held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the Harry Pritchett XC Course. Guillorel finished that particular meet with a time of 30:33.46.
The Pontchateau, France, native started off strong but faded throughout the race as he finished 164th overall with a time of 31:32.80 which was nearly a minute off from his mark posted just a week earlier in Tuscaloosa.
After the first 2-kilometers Guillorel was on pace with a 5:48.3 pace and ranked 55th in the field of talented competitors. In the next 3.2-kilometers Guillorel dropped 38 spots to 93rd overall and was clocked with a time of 15:38.90.
Guillorel improved his split time from 9:50.6 to 8:59.4 but continued to fall in the overall standings to 123rd.
The last 2-kilometers were the toughest for the SoCon Champion as his split dropped to 6:54.6 down the final stretch.
Guillorel's next action will begin when the Samford Indoor Track & Field team begins their season on Jan. 15, at the UAB Blazer Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex.