When one thinks of Furman athletics, soccer greats like Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, and Walker Zimmerman usually come to mind. But in the coming years, the soccer legends may have to share the spotlight with a surging cross country team, which under new direction has the potential to gain national prominence.

Furman recently hired coaches Robert Gary and Rita Arndt, who bring with them experience at every level of the sport. Before coming to the Paladins, Gary served as the head cross country coach at Ohio State, where he compiled six top-three Big Ten Conference finishes. Gary has international experience as well, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. teams in World Championship and Junior World Championship competitions. He even competed in the 1996 and 2004 Olympics for the United States in the steeplechase.

The coaching change has led to other additions to the running program as well, namely the initiation of the Furman Elite post-collegiate club. Furman Elite is a professional training program for runners to continue competing at an international level under the highest training available. Elite Runners range from Furman graduates to national champions, giving current collegiate runners the opportunity to gain extra guidance and to train with some of the fastest runners in the country.

These changes have paid dividends in recruiting circles. Furman attracted in the fourth best recruiting class in 2013 according to Flotrack.org, contributing to Furman’s first place finishes for both the men’s and women’s teams at the recent Southern Conference Cross Country Championship meet. Overall things are looking up for the cross country team, which is charting a course for Furman’s other athletic programs to follow.