HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ---- Sophomore Dalton Benefield became the men's cross country program's second runner to earn All-South Region honors after posting a 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Division II South Regional Championship Saturday morning at John Hunt Park.
 
As a team, the Warhawks finished eighth in the 20-team field with 270 points and finished fourth among Gulf South Conference schools.
 
"I am proud of the way all our guys competed today," head coach Ryan Thompson said. "Finishing eighth in a very tough region and tying our school-best finish from last year is a great accomplishment."
 
Benefield posted a time of 32:05.6 on the 10K course, the second-fastest time in the distance in school history. The Cedartown, Ga., native, bettered his personal best from last year's Regional by 27 seconds.
 
"Dalton specifically put himself in a position to be successful from the gun and the way he worked through the race, so a being rewarded with a top-25 finish is huge for him," Thompson continued. "This was probably the best race I have seen him run in an AUM jersey. I also thought Brexton and Mark helped us tremendously in the fifth and sixth position."
 
Sophomore Mikey Banks was the second Warhawk to finish, posting a time of 33.27.6 to finish 52nd. His time was good for the ninth-fastest time in program history.
 
Freshman Seth Grogan had a strong showing in the race, finishing 61st, with a time of 33:59.7 in his first collegiate 10K. Senior Connor Stoots capped his impressive career at AUM by finishing 65th in the field of 134 runners with a time of 34:12.6, while freshman Brexton Hathaway completing completed the scoring for the Warhawks with a 69th-place finish and a time of 34:22.2.
 
Seniors Mark Foster (86th) and Brady Thomas (93rd) finished with times of 34:58.2 and 35:25, respectively.
 
Lee University earned the South Region Championship with a total of 39 points. UAH's Sam Wilhelm was the top finisher with a time of 30:15.9.