AUSTIN, Texas – For the first time since 2002, a McMurry University men's cross country runner has won the American Southwest Conference individual championship.  Sophomore Michael Benoit  - from Abilene's Cooper High School - took top honors for the 8K, ASC race at the Balcones Country Club.
 
The War Hawks' team placed third in the men's race.
 
Benoit crossed the finish line at 26:34.8 minutes, comfortably ahead of the runner-up finisher. Benoit had a cushion of better than 1:20 minutes ahead of second place Michael Field from LeTourneau. He averaged a time of 5:21 minutes per mile.
 
Benoit becomes the first ASC individual cross country champion for McM since Braegan Enright in 2002. He is just the fifth individual medalist for McMurry in ASC men's cross country history and the first champion for McMurry since it's rejoining the ASC.
 
Teammate Tyler Rohrman, a freshman, had an all-conference finish by coming in ninth place. Rohrman hit the tape at 28:21.5 minutes. He averaged 5:43 minutes per mile.
 
Sophomore Tyler Sanchez earned a top-20 finish with 17th place. Sanchez's time of 28:55.6 was an average of 5:49 per mile. 
 
McM got back-to-back finishers in a pair of freshman with Logan Swires (29:12.7) and Latham Hensley (29:15.8) in 21st and 22nd, respectively. Sophomore David Winski was 37th at 30:19.5.
 
Alec Hanshaw finished 55th (32:45.1) to round out the McMurry entrants.