25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels
11. Furman Paladins
Flotrack’s #11: Eastern Kentucky Colonials
Flotrack's Ranking of Furman: 16th
Coach: Robert Gary
Flotrack's Ranking of Furman: 16th
Coach: Robert Gary
Notable Departures: N/A
Notable Additions: Jake Ogden, Mason Coppi, Luke Meade
Projected Scoring Five: Tanner Hinkle (SR), Frank Lara (JR), Aaron Templeton (JR), Troy Reeder (SR), Ryan Adams (SO)
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Furman should be proud. If they haven't been as good as they are, then no one would look up what a 'Paladin' is (it's basically a knight). There are plenty of other reasons for them to be proud of what they've done, but what the future holds is even more exciting. The young team known for their pack running is starting to mature and get stronger every year. This year might be the best team they've ever had.
2015 was just another year for Furman. Everyone knew how young they were and they knew how good of pack they had. However, there didn't seem to be clear-cut low-stick that would be able to cut down the score in the big meets.
Their first major meet was at Panorama Farms where they placed 3rd overall after losing to Virginia and being upset by Oklahoma. However, we would later realize that their 3rd place finish was nothing to worry about. When it was time to race at Wisconsin, the Paladins showed no fear. A squad with five sophomores and two juniors put four in the top 70 while finishing 6th in the team scoring. NC State, Tulsa, and UCLA all fell to the young squad the proved you didn't need an ace to be successful.
After easily cruising through their conference meet, Furman lined up against their rivals from the Southeast region ready to get an auto-qualifying bid to NCAA's. However, they weren't prepared for Louisville and Eastern Kentucky to shake up and shock the field. Furman was left to finish a respectable 4th place overall, but had plenty of points in the Kolas Calculator to get an at-large-bid to nationals.
Once at nationals, we saw Furman's pack struggle for the first time all season. Furman took spots 51, 87, 109, 143, and 149. They still ran well enough to finish 13th overall, but a better time-spread could've put them in the top-10.
There's not much to criticize Furman about, so I suppose I'll just get it out of the way. The one (and maybe only) flaw among Furman's squad is that they can't seem to find a consistent low-stick/ace to rely on. Hinkle seems to be a great candidate for that number one position, but he's not that far ahead of his teammates or close enough to the elites for him to really be called an ace (yet). Aaron Templeton was their best man at nationals when he finished 51st, but he was never the number one man until that race. If Furman wants to be effective against the powerhouse teams, then they need someone to consistently fight for a top-15 spot at the big meets.
But if that's the worst thing I can find with the Furman Paladins then I wouldn't be worried about how they'll perform this season. Furman is one of the only teams in the NCAA that have shown it is possible to succeed solely by pack running. There aren't many other teams that can successfully compete like that.
Yet, what's even more impressive is how Coach Gary has taken this team from just another small D1 school, to one of the best programs in the nation. It's even starting to show in their recruiting as well. Last year, they picked up 4:07 high school miler Ryan Adams and this year they have two sub-9:00 minute recruits entering the program which adds to their already incredible depth.
But even with the impressive recruits and proven pack running ability, should Furman really be ranked 11th? Well unlike many of the other teams that finished ahead of them last year, Furman returns their entire top seven from 2015. Now, nearly all of them will be experienced juniors and seniors with another year to improve. With most of these guys entering the prime of their junior year, we could see some serious improvement across the board, which in turn, brings the rest of the pack with them (hopefully). That's just speculation, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
The biggest x-factor, however, has to be rising sophomore Ryan Adams who didn't even run cross country last fall. He did, however, post impressive PR's on the track including a 3:42 1500 (at the Furman Elite 1500) this past June. He's more of a gut-instinct pick to be a scorer, but if he can develop enough of a base, then he could easily make that top five. Of course, previous varsity runners like Austin Sprague or Josh Brickell could also contend for a top five spot. Throw the recruits into the conversation and Furman seems loaded to the brim.
I'm a big fan of Coach Gary. He's basically the guy that has put this team on the map and the results prove it. The Paladins have a hefty amount of experience, the best pack in the nation, some of the best recruits in the nation, and the most potential out of all of the teams ranked before them. If Furman can somehow find that low-stick, then they have a very good shot at winning the incredibly deep Southeast region.
Furman should be proud. If they haven't been as good as they are, then no one would look up what a 'Paladin' is (it's basically a knight). There are plenty of other reasons for them to be proud of what they've done, but what the future holds is even more exciting. The young team known for their pack running is starting to mature and get stronger every year. This year might be the best team they've ever had.
2015 was just another year for Furman. Everyone knew how young they were and they knew how good of pack they had. However, there didn't seem to be clear-cut low-stick that would be able to cut down the score in the big meets.
Their first major meet was at Panorama Farms where they placed 3rd overall after losing to Virginia and being upset by Oklahoma. However, we would later realize that their 3rd place finish was nothing to worry about. When it was time to race at Wisconsin, the Paladins showed no fear. A squad with five sophomores and two juniors put four in the top 70 while finishing 6th in the team scoring. NC State, Tulsa, and UCLA all fell to the young squad the proved you didn't need an ace to be successful.
After easily cruising through their conference meet, Furman lined up against their rivals from the Southeast region ready to get an auto-qualifying bid to NCAA's. However, they weren't prepared for Louisville and Eastern Kentucky to shake up and shock the field. Furman was left to finish a respectable 4th place overall, but had plenty of points in the Kolas Calculator to get an at-large-bid to nationals.
Once at nationals, we saw Furman's pack struggle for the first time all season. Furman took spots 51, 87, 109, 143, and 149. They still ran well enough to finish 13th overall, but a better time-spread could've put them in the top-10.
There's not much to criticize Furman about, so I suppose I'll just get it out of the way. The one (and maybe only) flaw among Furman's squad is that they can't seem to find a consistent low-stick/ace to rely on. Hinkle seems to be a great candidate for that number one position, but he's not that far ahead of his teammates or close enough to the elites for him to really be called an ace (yet). Aaron Templeton was their best man at nationals when he finished 51st, but he was never the number one man until that race. If Furman wants to be effective against the powerhouse teams, then they need someone to consistently fight for a top-15 spot at the big meets.
But if that's the worst thing I can find with the Furman Paladins then I wouldn't be worried about how they'll perform this season. Furman is one of the only teams in the NCAA that have shown it is possible to succeed solely by pack running. There aren't many other teams that can successfully compete like that.
Yet, what's even more impressive is how Coach Gary has taken this team from just another small D1 school, to one of the best programs in the nation. It's even starting to show in their recruiting as well. Last year, they picked up 4:07 high school miler Ryan Adams and this year they have two sub-9:00 minute recruits entering the program which adds to their already incredible depth.
But even with the impressive recruits and proven pack running ability, should Furman really be ranked 11th? Well unlike many of the other teams that finished ahead of them last year, Furman returns their entire top seven from 2015. Now, nearly all of them will be experienced juniors and seniors with another year to improve. With most of these guys entering the prime of their junior year, we could see some serious improvement across the board, which in turn, brings the rest of the pack with them (hopefully). That's just speculation, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
The biggest x-factor, however, has to be rising sophomore Ryan Adams who didn't even run cross country last fall. He did, however, post impressive PR's on the track including a 3:42 1500 (at the Furman Elite 1500) this past June. He's more of a gut-instinct pick to be a scorer, but if he can develop enough of a base, then he could easily make that top five. Of course, previous varsity runners like Austin Sprague or Josh Brickell could also contend for a top five spot. Throw the recruits into the conversation and Furman seems loaded to the brim.
I'm a big fan of Coach Gary. He's basically the guy that has put this team on the map and the results prove it. The Paladins have a hefty amount of experience, the best pack in the nation, some of the best recruits in the nation, and the most potential out of all of the teams ranked before them. If Furman can somehow find that low-stick, then they have a very good shot at winning the incredibly deep Southeast region.
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