TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Oglethorpe cross country runners Ashton Deriso and Zachary Benner became the third and fourth Petrels in program history to compete in the NCAA Division III National Championships on Saturday, and the pair made history in their 49th- and 217th-place finishes, respectively. 

Deriso finished 49th with a time of 24:52, recording the highest national finish in school history. The previous record was set by Jacob Hadden when he finished 217th in 2018. Deriso also made history earlier this season when he became the first cross country runner to bring home a conference title after beating the Southern Athletic Association record. He was named SAA runner of the year and placed ninth at the NCAA South Regional.

Benner finished 217th with a time of 25:53, faster than Hadden's 2018 time yet just shy of tying the now third-place record. Benner was named to this year's All-SAA first team after placing third in the conference championship and 14th at regionals.  

Race Notes

• Doug Pack represented Oglethorpe in the 1993 and 1994 NCAA Championships, placing 162nd in 1994.
• The Petrels competed in a field of nearly 300 runners.
• SAA rival Berry also had two men compete, who placed 147th and 282nd.