Furman Athletics will spearhead this year’s homecoming festivities with their recently announced  Purple and White Week. Southern Conference competition remains suspended until the winter season, but Furman’s addition of in-person scrimmages will give students a chance to cheer on their Paladins before the end of the fall semester. Homecoming events and scrimmage games will take place Oct. 17-24. All scrimmage events are limited to 125 students, and tickets must be claimed ahead of time on Furman’s One Tix platform. 

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track competed Saturday morning, posting multiple best times in the early stages of preparation for a recently announced Cross Country Championship at Mercer University on Nov. 21. The Furman #GirlGang and #DinMen will look to win their eighth consecutive cross-country championship title. Women’s Lacrosse also hosted an intrasquad game Saturday morning, playing for a small crowd of energized students, family members, and former Furman men’s lacrosse players. 

Mickel Tennis Center will host men’s and women’s tennis scrimmages Monday night at 5 p.m.. Furman Athletics’ Lunch & Learn sessions will continue Tuesday at 12 p.m. with women’s soccer Head Coach Andrew Burr. Burr’s squad will scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m. in Stone Stadium as the final event of Purple and White week. 

Men’s and women’s golf will host an event Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the REK center located on Furman’s golf course. The event will likely highlight the progress on a new, 100 -percent donor-funded facility named for Furman golf alumni greats Cindy David and Brad Faxon. The Davis Faxon Facility at REK will be completed and dedicated in the spring of 2021. 

An intra-team softball scrimmage will take place Wednesday Oct. 21 at Pepsi Stadium at 6 p.m.

Volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball will host social media events Thursday, Oct. 22. Furman basketball continues to wait patiently for their chance at competition, preparing for the official start of their season in late November. 

Men’s soccer opens their “Friday Night Lights” series to students this Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. Students can look forward to the return of “The Den,” their drums in Stone Stadium and an energized new squad of rookies. All student tickets for the game have already been claimed. 

Purple and White week will end Saturday, Oct. 24 with a football scrimmage in Paladin Stadium from 11:30-12:30 p.m. The ‘Dins posted a 6-2 conference record last season and finished just behind rival Wofford in second. Top offensive power players Devin Wynn and Ryan Deluca return for their final season at Furman, backed by defensive strongholds Adrian Hope and Elijah McKoy. 

While the scrimmages do not compare to a full season of athletics, hope remains high for a safe return to full time Southern Conference competition in the spring.