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2025 Cross Country Championship Preview
This year’s championship marks two firsts with Tryon hosting for the first time, and Ingles becoming the title sponsor for the championship.
MILL SPRING, N.C. -- The 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Tryon Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C. This year’s championship marks two firsts with Tryon hosting for the first time, and Ingles becoming the title sponsor for the championship.
The women’s 5K race begins at 10 a.m. ET, and the men’s 5K will follow at 10:45 a.m. ET. At the conclusion of the men’s race, there will be an awards ceremony to recognize the top teams and individual runners.
The Furman men’s and women’s squads are both 12-time defending champions of the event. The Paladins claimed the 2024 team titles on their home course. Both individual title winners, Dylan Schubert and Carly Wilkes, shattered course records during the championship en route to earning Runner of the Year honors. Furman’s Colin Eckerman was also named Freshman of the Year on the men’s side a year ago.
Not only did Furman sweep the team champion and runner of the year honors, but Coaches Rita Gary and Robert Gary also claimed SoCon Coach of the Year honors on their home course.
The Western Carolina men and the Samford women each ranked second in their respective 2025 preseason coaches' polls behind the Paladins, matching their finishes from last year’s championships.
Furman’s men are ranked seventh in the latest USTFCCA southeast regional poll. Mercer and Furman’s women’s teams are ranked 13th in the south and southeast region, respectively.
ETSU’s Jason Bowers owns the top 8k time in the conference this season, after running a 23:19.20 on Oct.18 at the South Region Showdown. The Bucs’ redshirt junior claimed three straight individual wins to finish out the regular season and was named the conference Runner of the Week three times this season.
On the women’s side, Chattanooga’s Maddie Wheatcroft tops the conference in the 5k after running a 17:20.89 at the Southern Showcase on Sept. 12.
Admission to the 2025 Southern Conference Cross Country Championship includes a $10 parking fee. Visit the SoCon Cross Country Championships page for live results, photos and more from the championship.