Division I · Southern Conference
Samford University Women's Cross Country
Birmingham, AL · the Bulldogs · Samford University overview
992
APR
98% of players retained
82%
Admitted
lower half for selectivity
Samford University fields a women's cross country team in the Southern Conference (NCAA Division I). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 992, about the median of 994, with 98% of players retained year to year. The school gave $4,413,369 in athletic aid across its women's teams, about $22,402 per roster spot.
Among Division I women's cross country programs
Where this program sits against its 346 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
Team budgets across the division
Roster sizes (cap 17)
The program
- Division I roster cap17 from 2025-26
- Academic Progress Rate992 multi-year; 1000 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible100% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, women's teams$4,413,369 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$22,402 across women's teams
- Recruiting spend, women's$70,630 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Rod Tiffin head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
| Wes Penberthy | Head Cross Country Coach / Distance Track Coach | On file · sign in |
| Emily Edwards Penberthy | Assistant Distance Coach | On file · sign in |
| Ellen Reidinger | Student Assistant Coach | On file · sign in |
Put Samford University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youJune 15 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school cross country players191,733 2024-25
- Division I roster spots656 346 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 290 0.34% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the women's cross country recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →3,832undergraduates · 5,791 students in all
Women 66% Men 34%
- Setting
- Suburb
- Type
- Private · Doctoral/professional university
- Affiliation
- Baptist
Getting in
Full picture →82%admitted · of 4,541 applicants
SAT middle 50%1070 – 1260
ACT middle 50%23 – 29
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 80%
Women's Cross Country
Full picture →Academic Progress Rate992
98% of players kept year to year
- Athletic aid, women's teams
- $4,413,369
- Recruiting spend, women's
- $70,630
Cost
Full picture →$32,176net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $38,144
Campus safety
Full picture →0.33violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 0 burglaries · 3 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 0 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →35%of bachelor's degrees in health professions & nursing · 25 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Samford University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Women's Cross Country programThe programPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions82% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$32,176 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsHealth professions & nursing · 35%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusSuburb · 3,832Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.33 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Women's Cross Country programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Division I · American Conference | 3 | — | — | 994 | 88% | |
| Miles College Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 7 | 10 | $66k | — | — | |
| University of Montevallo Division II · Gulf South Conference | 25 | — | — | — | 54% | |
| University of Alabama Division I · Southeastern Conference | 47 | — | — | 985 | 76% | |
| Jacksonville State University Division I · Conference USA | 64 | 17 | $107k | 995 | 76% | |
| Alabama State University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 81 | — | — | 986 | 96% | |
| Huntingdon College Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South | 82 | 5 | $35k | — | 71% | |
| Auburn University at Montgomery Division II · Gulf South Conference | 84 | 11 | $236k | — | 93% | |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville Division II · Gulf South Conference | 88 | — | — | — | 74% | |
| Alabama A&M University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 92 | — | — | 942 | 66% | |
| Mississippi University for Women Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 94 | — | — | — | 100% | |
| Tuskegee University Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 95 | 12 | $65k | — | 31% |
Other women's cross country programs in the Southern Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer University room for 3 | 14 | $225k | $16,063 | 979 | vs | |
| East Tennessee State University 8 over cap | 25 | $162k | $6,469 | 988 | vs | |
| Samford University | — | — | — | 992 | vs | |
| Furman University | — | — | — | 994 | vs | |
| Tennessee Technological University | — | — | — | 977 | vs | |
| The Citadel | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| The University of North Carolina at Greensboro | — | — | — | 983 | vs | |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | — | — | — | 1000 | vs | |
| Virginia Military Institute | — | — | — | 993 | vs | |
| Western Carolina University | — | — | — | 984 | vs | |
| Wofford College | — | — | — | 1000 | vs |
Every Southern Conference women's cross country program · Women's Cross Country budgets ranked