By MONTE DUTTON

The week accelerated due to the prospect of tropical-spreading rain, but by the time Saturday at Paladin Stadium rolls around, by gosh, I’ll be relatively refreshed.

The Clinton High game at Chapman moved from Friday to Thursday, which in turns, moves me to Inman a night early. I’m going to monitor Laurens’ game in Columbia via radio, and that means the hours won’t be as wee on Friday night.

This is my third story of Thursday morning, but there’s rest on the way.

See you around campus.

Furman announced renovations to Mickel Tennis Center, the home to the Paladin men’s and women’s tennis programs, are underway and scheduled to be completed in time for the 2025 spring season.
The project is headlined by a gift from former women’s tennis head coach, Debbie Southern and the Harold T. Southern (’37) Family Foundation, and will feature facility improvements and improved live streaming for all Furman home matches.
“In 1996, we held the dedication of the new Mickel Tennis Center, and the building was a godsend for both the men’s and women’s tennis programs,” stated Southern. “Over the past three decades, the wear and tear of a home being used and loved was showing.

“Facilities are important in recruiting student-athletes to Furman. Hopefully, the renovations and upgrades to the Mickel Tennis Center will help recruit future Paladins and give the present players a fresh space to enjoy and compete. Our family is thrilled to be involved with this project.”
In addition to the locker room renovation and streaming capabilities, recent facility improvements include outdoor windscreens, new surface and lights for the indoor courts, and roof repair to Mickel Tennis Center. New court harbors have been installed on the outdoor tennis courts and co-branded through the athletic department’s corporate partnership with Bon Secours.

All 16 indoor and outdoor courts have been fitted with new Track Tennis cameras and will allow Paladin fans to watch all home matches via www.furmanpaladins.com. Furman is one of only two schools in the Southern Conference to employ Track Tennis, along with Samford.  The development and fundraising efforts were led by Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs & Revenue Generation Drew Ingraham, head women’s tennis coach Michelle Dasso & head men’s tennis coach J.J. Whitlinger. 
Southern led the Furman women’s tennis program to unprecedented heights during her 31-year tenure. She guided the Paladins to 461 overall wins and a 213-22 Southern Conference record (.906 winning percentage) prior to her retirement in 2015, including a streak of 100 consecutive league wins from 1998-2010, a streak that has never been matched in any sport. Southern coached Furman to 19 SoCon regular season titles, 16 league tournament titles, and nine NCAA berths. She was a 14-time SoCon Coach of the Year and saw her players earn 14 SoCon Player of the Year awards.

Furman’s Evan Guzman and Kaylie Armitage are chosen the Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week. 

A graduate student from Franklin, Tenn., Guzman finished second with an 8-kilometer time of 25:05.3 to lead the Furman men to the team title at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg on Friday.  The Paladins beat out 18 teams for the victory.

Armitage, a senior from Exeter, R.I., placed fourth overall at the Eye Opener meet with a 5K time of 17:16.  The Paladin women finished second at the season-opening event, finishing with 31 points. 

The Paladins will be back in action Saturday when the teams host the Furman Invitational. 

Volleyball recorded its third consecutive victory Tuesday evening with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-14) triumph over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs at Paul Porter Arena.
Furman improves to 3-2 on the season while the Runnin’ Bulldogs drop to 1-7.

Ava Augustson and Chandler Parker both led the Paladin offense with 11 kills apiece as Parker posted a .308 hitting percentage and Augustson .233.
Cayton White finished with a match high 12 kills for Gardner-Webb. Sloane Rooney dished out 14 assists and Molly Littlefield tallied a team high 15 digs.

Furman travels to Statesboro, Ga., this weekend to face Charleston Southern, North Carolina A&T, and Georgia Southern at the Eagle Invitational.

Furman’s Harris Barth (-2) tied for third Monday to lead the Paladin men’s golf team in the final round of the Gopher Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn.

Barth, a native of Atlanta, Ga., recorded a 73 with three birdies in the last round to finish three strokes back of individual champion Rudy Sautron (-5) of Nebraska, who won the tournament by one stroke.

Senior Will Morlan (E) also finished inside the top 10, tying for seventh.

Iowa State (+8), the only team to shoot under par on Monday, surged from seventh to first to win the tournament by two strokes over host Minnesota (+10).  The Paladins (+22) finished eighth in the field, which included five Big 10 teams.

Furman will travel to the Bearcat Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 16-17.

Sophomore Audrey Ryu (+5) tied for 38th to lead the Paladins Tuesday in the final round of the 19th annual Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan.

A native of Dublin, Ohio, Ryu posted a 75 with a birdie on No. 10 in the tournament’s last round.

Maryland’s Nicha Kanpai (-7) led the field with a 66 on Tuesday to win the tournament by one stroke.  Auburn (-5) clinched the team title by one stroke over LSU (-4), while Virginia Tech (+7) finished third. The Paladins (+25) finished 13^th.

Furman hosts 13 teams at the 50th Lady Paladin Invitational, Sept. 20-22.

Furman’s Evan Guzman and Kaylie Armitage are chosen the Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week. 

A graduate student from Franklin, Tenn., Guzman finished second with an 8-kilometer time of 25:05.3 to lead the Furman men to the team title at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg on Friday.  The Paladins beat out 18 teams for the victory.

Armitage, a senior from Exeter, Rhode Island, placed fourth overall at the Eye Opener meet with a 5K time of 17:16.  The Paladin women finished second at the season-opening event, finishing with 31 points. 

The Paladins will be back in action Saturday when the teams host the Furman Invitational. 

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