SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU’s Evan Guzman and Furman’s Bethany Graham have been named the Southern Conference men’s and women’s cross country runners of the week, respectively, after all competition Sept. 28 to Oct 4.
 
Guzman finished 17th in the gold race at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park, the site of the 2022 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, on Saturday, turning in a career-best 8K time of 23:59.3. The redshirt sophomore from Franklin, Tennessee, who shaved more than a minute off his previous best mark, was the top SoCon finisher in the event, which also included competitors from Furman and Mercer in the gold race and Samford, Chattanooga and Western Carolina in the blue race. Guzman helped the Bucs to a 14th-place finish in the 31-team gold-race field, which included 301 finishers.
 
Furman’s Bethany Graham was second among 373 finishers in the gold race at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic on Saturday, clocking a personal-best 5K time of 16:36.5, the third-best mark in meet history. The junior from Aldie, Virginia, led the Paladins to their third straight meet win to open the season, as Furman topped the 41-team field with 44 points, 48 clear of runner-up West Virginia. Eight Power Five conference schools and SoCon squads ETSU, Samford, Chattanooga and Western Carolina competed in the gold race, while Mercer ran in the blue race. Furman entered the national rankings at No. 24 this week.
 
ETSU will compete next at the Vert Cross Invitational in Kernersville, North Carolina, on Friday, Oct. 14. Furman is back in action at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, also on Oct. 14.
 
 
2022 Southern Conference Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Sept. 7            Foster Wilfong, Furman
Sept. 14          None
Sept. 21          Evan Guzman, ETSU
Sept. 28          Dylan Schubert, Furman
Oct. 5              Evan Guzman, ETSU
 
2022 Southern Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Sept. 7            Abigail Robertson, Furman
Sept. 14          None
Sept. 21          McKenzie Hogue, Samford
Sept. 28          None
Oct. 5              Bethany Graham, Furman