October 30, 1999

Release: Upon Receipt

MULLIN NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR

LADY PALADINS 2ND, MEN 3RD AT SOCON CHAMPIONSHIP

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Furman head cross country coach Gene Mullin earned Southern Conference Men's Coach of the Year and shared Women's Coach of the Year honors with ETSU's Dave Walker at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday in Lexington, Va.

The Furman women placed five runners in the top 20 and accrued 64 points to finish second behind East Tennessee State. It was the Lady Paladins' best finish since 1995, when Furman won the women's team championship. Jill Braley, who placed fifth with a time of 18:45.59 and Dana Smith, who was 10th with a 19:00.44 showing, were named All-Southern Conference. Other top 20 Furman finishers were Lory Gray in 14th, Lynley Roberts in17th, and an 18th place finish by Erin Howard.

In the men's race, Furman recorded its best finish since 1993, with 100 points and a third place showing behind Chattanooga and Appalachian State. Five Furman men placed in the top 25, with Yuri van der Heijden's 17th-place showing leading the way. Junior Tim Briles took 19th with a 26:46.80 time, while Patrick Dillon placed 20th , Daniel Hughes took 21st, and Brian Reinhardt finished 23rd.

The Paladins are in action again on Saturday, November 13, when Furman hosts the NCAA Region III Qualifier.

Furman Results

Men

17th Yuri van der Heijden 26:41.13

19th Tim Briles 26:46.80

20th Patrick Dillon 26:54.27

21st Daniel Hughes 26:57.75

23rd Brian Reinhardt 27:00.51

58th Nathan Hanna 28:23.63

62nd Peter Mueller 28:27.88

64th Grady Powell 28:32.97

Furman Results

Women

5th Jill Braley 18:45.59

10th Dana Smith 19:00.44

14th Lory Gray 19:12.11

17th Lynley Roberts 19:19.82

18th Erin Howard 19:27.54

24th Anna Day 19:48.23

40th Julie Stackhouse 20:23.54

43rd Jinnah Mucha 20:26.55