University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Furman Invitational
Women finish third; men finish fifth at Furman Invitational
09.13.2025 | Cross Country
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The UNC Asheville cross country team had a productive day at the Furman Invitational on Saturday (Sept 13) with the women finishing third and the men placing fifth.
The women placed third out of nine teams with 97 points, and the men placed fifth out of ten with 132 points. Both teams for Asheville placed ahead of conference foe, Gardner-Webb, with the women also finishing six points ahead of Charleston Southern. The four-mile races for both men and women mark the first time in program history that the Bulldogs have competed over that distance.
The women took to the course first, with the Bulldogs packing up from the gun to cross the first mile marker as two distinct groups of Bulldog Blue. The Bulldogs continued to work together until the final lap, when Alison Graf took the lead and finished first for Asheville in 20th overall (23:43). Graf was closely followed by Aneta Kucerová who finished in 21st place (23:48). Four other Bulldogs secured top 30 finishes: Isabel Richardson (23rd, 23:59), Marika Dickel (26th, 24:18), Addi Corl (27th, 24:26) and Sophie Lundin (29th, 24:36). Asheville put all 12 women in the top 50, with strong performances from Payton Murphy (36th, 25:32), Lauren Sochia (37th, 25:44), Ashley Keazer (41st, 26:05), Grace Thompson (42nd, 26:21), Ella Warren (46th, 27:12) and Eva Weaver (48th, 27:50).
Asheville's men's team also rose to the occasion as they took to the course next. A fast start settled into a competitive race, with the Bulldogs working together in small packs to move further up the field each lap. Quinn Jacquez led the Bulldogs from the gun, kicking hard to cross the line in 24th with 19:57. Also with strong finishes were Jonas Roach (20:07) and Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland (20:15), who placed 31st and 32nd. Jan Málek was the next Bulldog across the line, taking 35th place in 20:19. Málek was followed by Lance Surles (48th, 20:53), Yates Hockaday (50th, 20:55), Asher Roach (52nd, 20:57) and Bennett Moreno (55th, 21:08). Also representing Asheville were Sam Hulsey (66th, 21:48), Jaheem O'Hara (69th, 22:16) and Noah Jones (73rd, 22:46).
The Bulldogs will next compete at the Live in Lou Classic on Saturday, Oct 4.
For full results from the Furman Invitational, click HERE.
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