ATLANTA—Ashton Deriso and Zachary Benner's outstanding final seasons will culminate once again at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships after the pair secured automatic qualifiers last weekend at the NCAA South Regional Championships. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Deriso, who took runner-up, and Benner, who took seventh, have achieved unprecedented success in their Stormy Petrel careers, becoming the fourth/fifth cross country national qualifiers in program history in 2024 before becoming the sixth/seventh in 2025. They are also the 10th/11th national qualifiers in the history of Oglethorpe's cross country and track & field program.

Deriso secured his automatic qualifier by running a huge personal best 24:32, only three seconds off the record set by Benner earlier this season. Benner ran to seventh place in 24:41.

The pair has led Oglethorpe all season, even taking the top two spots at the Southern Athletic Association Championships two weeks ago. Benner earned SAA runner of the year after winning the men's 8k while Deriso, the SAA runner of the year and winner in 2024, took runner-up in 2025.

Last season, the pair made history as Deriso finished 49th, earning the highest finish in school history. Benner took 217th.