At the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Benard finished first in a field of 22 in the university/college 10,000 meters with a time of 29 minutes, 34.75 seconds, the NAIA’s fastest time of the season by more than 45 seconds. He competed against athletes from schools such as Drake, Illinois, Air Force, Tulane and Missouri. Benard also anchored Wayland’s distance medley relay to a first-place finish with a time of 10:03.03. Coach Rohan Thompson: “Benard showed his world-class ability.” The junior from Kenya also owns the NAIA’s fastest time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:47.6 that broke a 40-year-old school record) and the fifth-best time in the 1,500.