SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Daniel Bernal and Bethany Graham have been named the Southern Conference men’s and women’s cross country runners of the week, respectively, for their efforts at the Florida State XC Open on Friday. The weekly award is the second straight for Graham.
 
Selections were made by panels of the league’s cross country coaches and included all competition from Sept. 15-21.
 
Bernal finished eighth of 266 runners at the Florida State XC Open, posting a time of 24:02.2 over the 8K course. The senior from El Paso, Texas, helped the Paladins to a runner-up finish in the 26-team field behind only No. 5 Stanford and directly ahead of de facto No. 33 Florida State and four spots ahead of 25^th-ranked Southern Utah. The weekly cross country award is the second of Bernal’s career. He also claimed one weekly honor during the 2021 outdoor track and field season.
 
Graham finished seventh out of nearly 300 runners at the Florida State XC Open, turning in a time of 20:56.4 to knock more than 30 seconds off her personal-best 6K time. The freshman from Aldie, Virginia, helped the Paladin women to a third-place finish in the 29-team field, trailing only top-ranked BYU and No. 19 Florida State and two spots ahead of No. 3 Stanford. The weekly cross country award is the second of Graham’s career. She claimed two weekly honors during the 2021 outdoor track and field season.
 
Furman’s impressive performances were reflected in this week’s United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national rankings, as the Paladin men moved up two spots to No. 18 and the women moved into the rankings at No. 27 after being the third team out of the 30-team poll last week.
 
Furman returns to action Friday, Oct. 1, at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana.
 
2021 Southern Conference Cross Country Men’s Runners of the Week
Sept. 8             Matt Scarr, ETSU
Sept. 15            Cameron Ponder, Furman
Sept. 22            Daniel Bernal, Furman
 
2021 Southern Conference Cross Country Women’s Runners of the Week
Sept. 8             Lindsey Stallworth, ETSU
Sept. 15            Bethany Graham, Furman
Sept. 22            Bethany Graham, Furman