Paladins picked to win Southern Conference XC Titles

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman has been picked to win its 13th straight men’s and women’s Southern Conference cross country titles in voting of the league’s 10 head coaches, who could not vote for their own teams. 

Both Paladin squads, who have won each SoCon championship since 2013, received all nine possible first place votes for a total of 81 points. 

With the win at the 2024 SoCon Cross Country Championship on their home course, on Nov. 2, the Furman men, who claimed seven of the top ten individual spots, extended the league record for consecutive SoCon team titles—a distinction the Paladins claimed in 2023. The Furman women captured five of the top 10 individual spots, extending its own league record with a 12th straight team title. 

Western Carolina’s men, who finished second to the Paladins in 2024, were predicted to finish second, securing the remaining first-place vote en route to a total of 65 points. The Catamounts were followed by Samford with 62 points, UNCG and Mercer, who had 56 and 45 points, respectively. ETSU and Chattanooga followed closely, with 42 and 41 points, respectively. VMI came in eighth with 28 points, before Wofford (19) and The Citadel (11) rounded out the poll.  

In the women’s poll, 2024 championship runner-up Samford was slotted second with 71 points and the remaining first-place vote. Chattanooga mirrored its 2024 finish, ranking third in the preseason poll with 63 points. 

ETSU was fourth in the poll with 56 points, while Mercer collected 46. Western Carolina was picked sixth with 44 points, ahead of UNCG, which garnered 36 points. VMI (23), Wofford (19) and The Citadel (11) took the final three positions in the poll. 

The 2025 cross country season will open on Friday, Aug. 29, with all squads competing during the opening weekend.  

2025 Southern Conference Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll 

Team (1st-place votes) Points 

1. Furman (9) - 81 
2. Western Carolina (1) - 65 
3. Samford - 62  
4. UNC Greensboro - 56 
5.  Mercer - 45  
6. ETSU - 42  
7. Chattanooga - 41  
8. VMI - 28  
9. Wofford - 19  
10. The Citadel - 11 

2025 Southern Conference Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll 

Team (1st-place votes) Points 

1. Furman (9) - 81 
2. Samford (1) - 71  
3. Chattanooga - 63 
4. ETSU - 56  
5. Mercer - 46 
6. Western Carolina - 44 
7. UNC Greensboro - 36 
8. VMI - 23 
9. Wofford - 19  
10.  The Citadel - 11