Furman sweeps team titles for third straight year

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Furman Paladins earned their third consecutive men’s and women’s team titles on Friday at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships in Greenville, S.C., on the campus of Furman University. Samford’s Arsène Guillorel won the men’s 8K race, while Furman’s Allie Buchalski took first in the women’s 5K race. Both were recognized as runners of the year for their first-place performances.

The men kicked off action at 10 a .m. Guillorel nabbed first with a time of 24:10.16 in the men’s race. He was followed  by seven Furman runners: Troy Reeder, Tanner Hinkle, Austin Sprague, Frank Lara, Aaron Templeton, Josh Brickell and Kyle Polman. Avery Martin (VMI) and Mark Hadley (Furman) placed ninth and 10th, respectively, to close out the top 10.

Furman claimed first-place in the men’s team competition with 20 points. VMI placed second with 79 points, and ETSU took third with 90 points.

ETSU’s James Garst earned freshman of the year with his 14th-place finish.

In the women’s race, Buchalski, a junior, crossed the line with a time of 17:37.37 to claim her second straight individual title. She was trailed by Chattanooga senior Teghan Henderson in second (17:45.27) and Furman junior Laura Miller in third (18:04.60). Kathleen Mansure (UNCG), Jacquelyn Crow (Furman), Eira Jensen (UNCG) and Emily Drouin (Chattanooga) rounded out the No. 4-7 spots, comprising the All-SoCon first team.

Mansure’s fourth-place finish bested the rest of the freshmen, earning her freshman of the year honors.

In the women’s team competition, Furman earned 33 points to take first. Chattanooga checked in second with 52 points, while UNCG finished third with 99 points.

Furman’s Robert Gary garnered men’s coach of the year honors for the third consecutive year. Gary shared coach of the year honors on the women’s side with Chattanooga coach Bill Gautier.

Team Scores - Men

1. Furman – 20

2. VMI – 79

3. ETSU – 90

4. Samford – 120

5. UNCG – 157

6. Western Carolina – 169

7. Chattanooga – 173

8. Wofford – 216

9. Mercer – 223

10. The Citadel – 247

Team Scores – Women

1. Furman – 33

2. Chattanooga – 52

3. UNCG – 99

4. ETSU – 121

T5. Samford – 141

T5. Western Carolina – 141

7. Mercer – 164

8. Wofford  -- 193

9. VMI – 246

10. The Citadel – 250

All-SoCon First Team – Men

1.Arsène Guillorel, Samford

2. Troy Reeder, Furman

3. Tanner Hinkle, Furman

4. Austin Sprague, Furman

5. Frank Lara, Furman

6. Aaron Templeton, Furman

7. Josh Brickell, Furman

All-SoCon First Team – Women

1. Allie Buchalski, Furman

2. Teghan Henderson, Chattanooga

3. Laura Miller, Furman

4. Kathleen Mansure, UNCG

5. Jacquelyn Crow, Furman

6. Eira Jensen, UNCG

7. Emily Drouin, Chattanooga

All-SoCon Second Team – Men

8. Kyle Polman, Furman

9. Avery Martin, VMI

10. Mark Hadley, Furman

11. Sean Helmke, VMI

12. Paul Stuart, Chattanooga

13. Simeon Roberts, ETSU

14. James Garst, ETSU

All-SoCon Second Team – Women

8. Karisa  Nelson, Samford

9. Emma Mashburn, Furman

10. Emma Garner, Samford

11. Katherine Link, UNCG

12. Anna Kate Chance, Chattanooga

13. Kaitlyn Lingard, Western Carolina

14. Hannah Chamblin, Chattanooga

All-SoCon Freshman Team – Men

14. James Garst, ETSU

16. Liam Brooks, Western Carolina

20. Ahmed Jama, Mercer

21. Kyle Sabourin, VMI

25. Ben Bryant, Samford

29. Cisco Ferre, Wofford

30. Richard Guiry, Chattanooga

All-SoCon Freshman Team – Women

4. Kathleen Mansure, UNCG

5. Jacquelyn Crow, Furman

13. Kaitlyn Lingard, Western Carolina

36. Bethanie Bailey, Mercer

38. Alexandra Forster, Wofford

40. Rebeka Fadgyas, Wofford

41. Emma Hand, Western Carolina

42. Jada Blake, Western Carolina

Freshman of the Year - Men

James Garst, ETSU

Freshman of the Year - Women

Kathleen Mansure, UNCG

Runner of the Year - Men

Arsene Guillorel

Runner of the Year - Women

Allie Buchalski, Furman

Coach of the Year - Men

Robert Gary, Furman

Coaches of the Year - Women

Robert Gary, Furman, and Bill Gautier, Chattanooga (co-honors)