ATLANTA—Oglethorpe senior Zachary Benner has been voted the Southern Athletic Association athlete of the week after his outstanding effort last weekend at the NCAA national championship preview. This marked the third SAA weekly honor of Benner's career following one cross country nod and one track & field nod during the 2024-25 campaign.

The Stormy Petrels have now gone 2-for-2 in winning the SAA's weekly award this season after teammate Ashton Deriso nabbed the honor at the season-opening meet.

Benner ran 24:54, a four-second PR that was just shy of the school record, in his first 8k of the season. He covered the first mile in a blazing fast 4:33 to lead the field through the first 1600 meters.

Overall, his time was good for a sixth-place finish in the stacked NCAA Division III pre-nationals preview race.

Up next, Benner and the Petrels will head to Fairburn, Georgia, for the Georgia Tech Invitational. The race is set to take place Friday, Oct. 3, at Bouckaert Farm. It will be the first of only two races left on the schedule prior to the SAA Championships.