It’s the Lady Paladin Invitational, teeing up for the 50^th time on Friday at the par-72, 6,262-yard university golf course.

The 54-hole tournament began Friday with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. The Paladins will teed off on holes No. 1 through No. 4 and opened in a group with Old Dominion, UNC Wilmington, and St. Thomas (Minn.). Saturday’s shotgun start is at 10 a.m. and Sunday’s final round begins with 9 a.m. shotgun start.   

Furman is joined in the field by Augusta, Ball State, Columbia, Daytona State, Georgia State, High Point, UNC Wilmington, North Florida, Old Dominion, St. Thomas, Western Kentucky and Xavier.

The Paladin lineup for the tournament consists of sophomore Audrey Ryu, senior Alise Knudson, sophomore Kelsi Mauzy, freshman Eva Ringwald and junior Liza Lapeyre.  Freshmen Jenna Madden and Andrea Marin Raga play as individuals.

Furman claimed the its third straight team title a year ago, where the Paladins overcame a 1-stroke deficit on the final hole to tie Augusta for the team title. Furman’s Anna Morgan birdied No. 18 to clinch the team title and seal a five-stroke individual victory. 

The Lady Paladin Invitational began in 1972 with Furman claiming the inaugural title and Lady Paladin Beth Solomon taking individual medalist honors. Over the years, many of the most recognizable names in women’s golf have won the tournament including Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, Sherri Turner, Donna Andrews and Dottie Pepper.

Fifth-year senior Nieva Gaither scored her first goal of the season and Addison Corn and Reese DeJong each came up with crucial saves as the Furman women’s soccer team earned a 1-1 draw in its Southern Conference opener Thursday night versus Mercer at Betts Stadium in Macon, Ga.

The Paladins moved to 4-4-2 overall and 0-0-1 in the league while extending their unbeaten run to five matches.The tie left Mercer at 6-2-2 overall and 0-0-1 in the SoCon.

Gaither gave the Paladins the lead in the 14^th minute. After gathering the ball in the midfield, the Lilburn, Ga., product dribbled more than 20 yards before unleashing a left-footed strike into the left side of the net from the top of the box for her first score since August 24, 2023.

Mercer turned up the pressure in the second half and finally leveled the match at the 69:01 mark on a goal by Hayden Lepley. The Bears earned a free kick about 30 yards from goal, and Chandler Lewis-Jenkins curled her set piece inside the six-yard box for Lepley to direct past DeJong to even the score.

“Once you get into league play, every team is competitive and the games are so tight,” said Paladin head coach Andrew Burr.

Lindsay Bell finished with six saves on the night for the Bears while Corn stopped four first-half shots for Furman and DeJong notched two saves in the second half. Mercer compiled a 19-18 edge in total shots with both teams totaling seven shots on target.

Furman is back at home on Sunday afternoon to take on the VMI Keydets. Kickoff at Stone Soccer Stadium is set for 2 p.m. and admission is free.

Chandler Parker’s 11 kills paced a Furman offensive attack Wednesday evening that saw five players record nine or more in a 3-1 (15-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-16) victory over Presbyterian at Alley Gymnasium.
Furman improves to 5-4 overall while Presbyterian drops to 3-8 on the season.

Furman traveled to Clemson on Friday to face Kennesaw State at 2 p.m. from Clemson’s Jervey Gym. The Paladins then return to Alley Gymnasium on Saturday to host Clemson at 2 p.m.
Forward Jayson Morgan, a walk-on from Glenn Allen, Va., has been added to the Furman men’s basketball roster and becomes the sixth newcomer to join Paladin squad for the upcoming season.

Morgan, a 2023 graduate of Deep Run High School, spent last season as an offensive tackle on the Virginia Tech football team before electing to enroll at Furman and return to basketball. The 6-foot-8 forward did not see action with the Hokies last season and will have four years of eligibility.

Cal State Monterey Bay transfer Charles Johnston, Florida State transfer Tom House, Davidson Day School product Mason Smith, Barry University transfer Nick Anderson and Porter-Gaud standout Clyde Mauldin join Morgan in Furman’s group of six newcomers.

Furman’s Trey Diehl (E) fired a final-round 69 to tie for 10th and lead the Paladins to a fifth-place finish at the Bearcat Invitational at Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A senior from Orlando, Fla., DIehl teed off on No. 9 in the day’s shotgun start and birdied his first two holes, No. 9 and No. 10.  He turned at even par then added birdies on No. 1 and No. 8 to finish the tournament six strokes behind the individual champions, Sebastian Moss (-6) of Louisville and Ryan Ford (-6) of Cincinnati. 

Junior Harris Barth (+2) tied for 17th after also carding a 69 on Tuesday.

Louisville (-6) won the tournament by six strokes over host Cincinnati (E).  Kansas (+3) finished third, followed by Brigham Young (+6) in fourth.  Furman (+8), who ranked second on Tuesday with a 282, tied for fifth with Iowa State (+8).

Furman travels to Dallas, Texas, for SMU’s Trinity Forest Invitational, Oct. 6-8.

Carson Williams is Southern Conference Men Cross Country Runner of the Week for all competition from Sept. 11-17. 

A senior from Raleigh, N.C., Williams won the Furman Invitational individual title with a time of 17:52.2 on the 6K course, leading the Paladins to the team victory.  Furman had six runners finish among the top 10 to beat out eight other teams on their home course.

The Paladins compete at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 27.

Athletics director Jason Donnelly announced a new staff addition and restructuring of the department’s development office.
Laura Williams Sanders will transition from the university side to be Furman’s new Associate Athletics Director/Director of Athletics Development and Alumni Relations.

Rob Carson has been promoted to Associate Athletics Director for Development and Alumni Relations. He previously served as the Associate Athletics Director for Student Services & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a role he has held since 2023.

Tyler Eckstein, a 2019 Furman graduate, is elevated to Director of Athletics Development Operations. He previously served as the Coordinator of Development Operations.
Furman thletics raised $11.8 million during fiscal year 2023-24 to top $10M for a fourth consecutive year under the Furman Athletics Fund.

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