JR Allie Buchalski (4:27 1500; 10:13 3K Steeple; 17:08 5K; 9th Southeast Regional XC ’14)

JR Julia Rodriguez (4:52 Mile; 17:22 5K)

SO Emma Mashburn (17:09 5K)

JR Laura Miller (17:15 5K; 35:48 10K)
JR Maddie Wolfe (4:43 1500)

N/A

The Furman women just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships last fall, but the Lady Paladins keep all but one from their young squad. The loss of Sinead Haughey from the roster will be a hard hit for Furman, but junior Allie Buchalski will now assume the low stick position. Buchalski was the lone Paladin in Terre Haute last year, so she will bring maturity and experience to the young crew. 

 

But the question is, will this young team have a shot to make it to the show this year? Buchalski, who has the best range out of the bunch with a bit of 1500m speed (4:27) and a 10:13 Steeplechase to her name, will have to assert herself consistently as the team’s low stick. This squad on paper does not have the extreme depth we saw out of the men last year, so it will be key for Buchalski to mix it up with the leaders during the big post-season races. 

Junior Grace Tinkley, who was only six spots behind Buchalski at the 2014 Southeast Regional, has transfered to Adams State, another hard hit for Furman. A concern for the Paladins will be the spread between the number two and three runners. With the absence of Haughey and now Tinkley, we see nearly 100 athletes separating Buchalski from rising junior Laura Miller. The key to success will not only be consistency up front from Buchalski, but for runners 3,4, and 5 to stick together. All these ladies have nearly the same 5K personal bests, so they are fully capable of working together to minimize that spread.

 

Keep in mind, this is a very young team. This program has been very successful developing these young athletes, but time is on their side. After a disappointing end to their season last year and a long summer to train, these ladies have a lot of motivation and nothing to lose heading into the fall. We think that not only will they make it to the show, but they have a chance to get in the top 25 if they are able to stay consistent and injury free.