Earlier this month, Furman Track competed at the Southern Conference Indoor Championships in Lexington, V.A, winning nine overall titles to boast the highest point total in program history on both the men’s and women’s sides. Both the men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams took home gold on the weekend, with the women winning their fourth consecutive title in the event.
Senior Savannah Carnahan won her fourth consecutive 5000m title in a time of 16:38.38 and went on to place second in the mile and the 3000m. Carnahan’s outstanding indoor season earned her the 2020 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Athlete Award.
Furman’s second female standout, senior Gabbi Jennings, won the mile and placed second behind Carnahan in the 5000m. Jennings was named Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Month for her championship performance and her numerous previous honors. Junior Emma Kuntz won gold in her signature 800m event with a time of 2:07.69, followed by two other Furman women in second and seventh. Rookies Quinn McConnell and Nicole Matysik were named to the SoCon All-Freshman team for their seventh and ninth place respective finishes in the 3000m. The women’s team placed third overall with 109 points.
The men’s side also put on a show with senior Luke Meade claiming gold in the 3000m, leading four other Paladin men into the top six in the event. Standout senior Ryan Adams anchored the winning medley relay team, and earned gold in the 800m on a meet-record time of 1:50.37. The men’s squad also placed third overall on the weekend with 109 points.
Following the weekend in Lexington, Adams and Jennings looked toward the NCAA Indoor Championships in New Mexico, only to arrive and be told they would not be competing due to the cancelation of the NCAA spring season in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The premature end to their championship season was a great loss for Furman’s Track programs, who supported and drove Jennings and Adams to countless honors, titles, and Olympic hopes throughout their Furman careers.
There is no shortage of impressive moments for Furman’s Cross Country and Track team to look back on. The 2019-2020 accolades include men’s and women’s 2019 Cross Country Team Championships, a women’s NCAA Cross Country Tournament qualification, two individual NCAA qualifiers in Jennings and Adams, three All American Honors in Adams, Jennings, and Carnahan, two SoCon Player of the Year Awards, two SoCon Pinnacle Awards, and a SoCon Tournament MVP award for Carnahan.