MILL SPRING, NC – Furman University continued its record streak in both men’s and women’s cross country, winning both team titles at the 2026 Tryon International SoCon Cross Country Championships, presented by Ingles.
The Paladins’
Chris Knight (Signal Mountain, TN) and
Tessa Walter (Colorado Springs, CO) won individual titles, with Walter setting a course record and repeating as SoCon Champion with a time of 16.24.8 over the 5K course.
Men’s Race (8K) – 10:00 AM
Coach
Robert Gary’s men dominated early and finished strong in the first race of the day, sweeping the top six spots to take the lead with 15 points. UNC Greensboro finished second with 92 points, and Western Carolina took third with 100 points. It was the Paladins' 14
th consecutive win, matching the women’s team for the longest streak in SoCon history.
The men also won on the 100
th anniversary of the first SoCon cross country championship, which was held in 1926. The University of North Carolina won that inaugural title.
Knight (23.57.0) was followed by teammates
Ty Jones (24.00.6),
Trevor Coggin (24.07.4),
Colin Eckerman (24:25.1),
Owen Shifflett (24.27.5), and
Evan Spreitzer (24.28.2). Spreitzer, a freshman from Melbourne, FL, was named SoCon Newcomer of the Year as the top finisher among first-year enrollees at a SoCon institution.
UNC Greensboro senior
Khalid Abdullahi paced the second-place Spartans, finishing seventh to round out the All-SoCon first team group.
Women’s Race (5K) – 10:45 AM
Coach
Rita Gary saw her team win its 14
th consecutive women’s championship, with Walter leading the way in record time. The Paladins women won with 19 points, followed by Mercer (79 points) and SoCon newcomer Tennessee Tech (112 points).
Walter, who was also the SoCon’s Pinnacle Award winner Saturday, was followed in the individual standings by teammates
Elly Velasquez (16:45.7) and
Georgy Helmers (16:59.2). Helmers, a freshman from Fort Bragg, NC, was named SoCon Newcomer of the Year.
Tennessee Tech freshman standout
Lakin Hailey finished fourth (17:06.4), followed by Mercer’s
Mary Grace Parker (17:07.0). Furman’s
Bridget Dunn (17:14.9) and
Nysa Males (17:21.9) rounded out the first group on the All-SoCon team.
A full summary of Saturday’s action is listed below:
2026 Men’s 8K Team Results
1. Furman (15)
2. UNC Greensboro (92)
3. Western Carolina (100)
4. Tennessee Tech (109)
5. Chattanooga (113)
6. Samford (136)
7. ETSU (140)
8. Mercer (221)
9. VMI (284)
10. The Citadel (289)
11. Wofford (326)
2026 Men’s All-SoCon (1st Team)
Christopher Knight, Jr., Furman
Ty Jones, R-Fr., Furman
Trevor Coggin, Jr., Furman
Colin Eckerman, Jr., Furman
Owen Shifflett, Jr., Furman
Evan Spreitzer, Fr., Furman
Khalid Abdullahi, Sr., UNC Greensboro
2026 Men’s All-SoCon (2nd Team)
Lucas Tanner, Fr., Furman
Jackson Martin, Sr., Chattanooga
Jaleb Saunders, So., Western Carolina
Luke Huehn, So., UNC Greensboro
Garrett Hawkins, So., ETSU
Ryan Smith, Jr., Furman
Luca Gambling, So., Tennessee Tech
2026 SoCon Men’s Runner of the Year
Chris Knight, Jr., Furman
2026 SoCon Men’s Newcomer of the Year
Evan Spreitzer, Fr., Furman
2026 SoCon Men’s Coach of the Year
Robert Gary, Furman
2026 SoCon Men’s Cross Country Pinnacle Award
Ryan Smith, So., Furman (3.9 GPA / Studio Art Major)
2026 Women’s 5K Team Results
1. Furman (19)
2. Mercer (79)
3. Tennessee Tech (112)
4. ETSU (114)
5. Samford (130)
6. Chattanooga (160)
7. Western Carolina (195)
8. UNC Greensboro (202)
9. Wofford (208)
10. VMI (245)
11. The Citadel (362)
2026 Women’s All-SoCon (1st Team)
Tessa Walter, So., Furman
Elly Velasquez, So., Furman
Georgy Helmers, Fr., Furman
Lakin Hailey, Fr., Tennessee Tech
Mary Grace Parker, So., Mercer
Bridget Dunn, Fr., Furman
Nysa Males, Jr., Furman
2026 Women’s All-SoCon (2nd Team)
Leila Hailey, Fr., Chattanooga
Rory Sullivan, Jr., Furman
Deena Ludtke, Jr., ETSU
Nikki Harris, Sr., Mercer
Zoie Lamanna, So., Furman
Felicity Hamilton, Jr., Samford
Josie Hutchinson, Fr., Samford
2026 SoCon Women’s Runner of the Year
Tessa Walter, So., Furman
2026 SoCon Women’s Newcomer of the Year
Georgy Helmers, Fr., Furman
2026 SoCon Women’s Coach of the Year
Cameron Ruppe, Mercer
2026 SoCon Women’s Cross Country Pinnacle Award
Tessa Walter, So., Furman (3.44 GPA / Health Sciences)