Throwback Thursday - Alex Benway Places 47th at 2011 NCAA Division III National Championships

Cross Country | 10/8/2020 8:00:00 AM

While Division III fall sports are on pause at Clarkson University, the Athletic Department will look back on memorable moments of yesteryear. This will include only the five fall sports that have been suspended for 2020 (cross country, golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball). Check back on Tuesdays and Thursdays for these memorable moments.

With every mile, as others faded, Alex Benway seemed to get stronger. The first Clarkson University Cross Country runner to participate at the NCAA Division III National Championships in more than 30 years, Benway was making the most of his opportunity.

A week earlier, Benway qualified for the championship race by placing eighth at the NCAA Atlantic Regionals, held on St. Lawrence University's campus, with a time of 25 minutes, 25.4 seconds. Three years earlier on that same course, it had taken him more than 28 minutes to complete the race, proving that his resolve to reach the final race of the year in his senior season was a long path.

On a crisp autumn day at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wisconsin, Benway started off in the middle of the pack, placing 129th among 279 runners at the one-mile mark of the 4.97 mile (8K) race. Over the course of the next mile, he passed 14 runners and by the third mile, Benway had edged towards the top 100, placing 102nd just past the midpoint of the race. However, it was in the last two miles that Benway made his move.

2011 NCAA Division III National Championships Alex Benway Feature

From the third mile to the fourth mile, Benway passed 20 more runners to hit 82nd place, which would have been an excellent showing had the race ended there since he was in the top third of the field. The home stretch was where Benway found another gear, though, as he recorded the 13th fastest time among all runners in the final .97 miles (4:46), passing 35 more runners along the way to come in 47th overall. His time of 24:56.5 was 29 seconds faster than any other time he had posted on an 8,000-meter course in his collegiate career. If there happened to be just a few hundred more meters, Benway might have even collected All-American accolades, as he missed out on that honor by less than 10 seconds.

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