* Meghan Ford is a 7-time state champion across cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field in North Dakota
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Perhaps Meghan Ford didn't need to see the campus of Furman University to believe in the future of the women's cross country and track and field program.
That much has been evident over the past few seasons, as the Paladins secured a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2019 at LaVern Gibson. That performance marked the third straight season the program had reached the national championships -- and in 2017, it finished seventh overall.
Ford just knew she wanted to continue her career at a program that could continue to elevate her as a runner. And that, she believed, would take the form of a team that could compete for NCAA appearances.
Under women's coach Rita Gary, Furman had surely done that, with the Paladins transforming into a national contender in cross country as well as national qualifiers in track and field -- the women's cross country team secured a national ranking as high as No. 12 in 2018.
Even though Ford hadn't been afforded the opportunity to step on Furman's campus in 2020 because of the ongoing delaying of the NCAA dead period -- which was recently extended through September 30 -- she knew the Greenville, South Carolina campus was a place she wanted to be.
On Friday, the 2019 Team Cross Country Nationals Heartland Regional winner made it official, verbally committing to Furman for the Class of 2021.
In an interview with MileSplit on Thursday, the Jamestown (ND) High School senior and 7-time state champion across cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field said her ideal scenario would include a program that would compete for national hardware.
"Obviously I want to be part of a team that wants a national title, and all four of those schools have hopes of doing that in the near future," she said. "Whichever one I go to, I know I'll be in good hands, coaching wise."
Ford also considered Utah, Boise State and Wisconsin.
In recent weeks, Ford had been learning more about each program through communication with coaches over the phone and through Zoom calls. The NCAA dead period ultimately eliminated the opportunity for coaches to get face-to-face encounters with recruits, either on campus or through in-home visits.
Based out of Jamestown, North Dakota, Ford had an incredible cross country season in 2019, scoring her first All-American finish at Team Cross Country Nationals in 21st place.
The season also included a win at Heartland in a personal record time of 17:19.10, and that followed her second straight North Dakota cross country championship.
While Ford did not get an opportunity to run track and field as a junior, she posted personal best times of 2:14.07 in the 800m, 4:54.11 in the 1,600m and 10:38.12 in the 3,200m as a sophomore. Her 1,600m time ranked her within the top 100 girls nationally, while her 3,200m effort was within the top 120.
Ford's commitment continues a strong recent run of under-the-radar recruits for Gary, who's had success developing athletes into All-Americans across her tenure at Furman -- Gabrielle Jennings, a Class of 2016 recruit out of Louisiana, is a current 3-time All-American.
Over the most recent National Letter of Intent period, Furman secured the signature of Virginia state cross country champion Bethany Graham and North Carolina champion Jonna Strange.
Ford says she's considering pursuing a field in physical therapy or hematology.
* Ford in the North Dakota state 1,600m championship in 2019
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