Ash and Benoit enter STFX history books with U SPORTS track medals

Winnipeg, MB – The STFX X-Women sent a small but mighty team to compete at the U SPORTS national championship over the weekend and are coming home with two individual bronze medals, an incredible achievement.

Only the top 12 runners from across the country compete in each event.

Eileen Benoit, a fifth year runner from Windsor, NS was the bronze medalist in the 3000m race, as she finished with a time of 9:59.66 amongst the field of 11 racers on Friday night.

Caroline Ash, a fourth year runner from Newmarket, ON was the bronze medalist in the 1500m race on Saturday, finishing at 4:23.84. Teammate Caden Lee, a fourth year runner from Richmond Hill, ON also competed in the 1500m and came closely behind in fifth place at 4:25.73.

Benoit was sixth overall in the 1500m amidst the field of 12 racers, clocking in at 4:27.61. To have three competitors from the same school qualify for the same national race is an amazing accomplishment in itself, nonetheless having all three finish in the top half of the field.

Ash also competed in the 1000m race on Friday and she cam seventh overall with a time of 2:48.80 among 12 racers.

Ash, Lee, Poppy Moon and Sarah Watson represented STFX in the 4x800m race on Friday and their time of 9:02.16 was good enough for eighth overall.

Despite only competing in four events, the X-Women earned 22 points and finished 11^th overall amongst 30 teams who registered points. The Guelph Gryphons were the national champions with 105 points, followed by Saskatchewan with 79 in second and Windsor with 70 in third place.

Caroline Ash and Eileen Benoit become only the second and third X-Women to earn national track & field medals. The only other medalist in X-Women history was Erin MacLean who earned a bronze medal in the 3000m in both 2007 and 2005, and a silver medal in the 3000m in 2006.

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