PINEVILLE, Ky. -- Freshmen Jorge Hernandez (Mount Pleasant, Texas) and Blaine Benitez (Lubbock, Texas) carried the Railsplitters to a fourth-place finish in the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship meet on Saturday in Pineville, Kentucky. Lincoln Memorial hosted the 8k men's championship race - comprised of all 12 SAC schools and 87 individual runners - at Wasioto Winds Golf Course.
 
With the three runners among the top-31, the Railsplitters improved upon last season's finish by two spots with a fourth-place run and 159 points.
 
The Queens Royals captured the SAC Championship crown with 34 points and five top-10 runners, ending Mars Hill's seemingly unending streak of 18-consecutive league titles. The Lions were forced to settle for runner-up distinctions for the first time in nearly two decades, taking second place with 44 points. Anderson finished in third place with 151 points, while Wingate rounded out the top-5 in fifth with 166 points.
 
Benitez and Hernandez both earned All-SAC honorable mentions accolades after taking 20th and 21st place respectively. Benitez completed the 8k course in 26:50.4, while Hernandez crossed the finish line in 26:53.2.
 
Brandon Vaughn (Dallas, Texas) also turned in a solid performance for the Railsplitters in 31st with a time of 27:20.0.
 
Mars Hill's Alex Griggs was named the SAC Runner of the Year after winning the league title with a time of 25:08.2, 10 seconds faster than runner-up Yannick Stubbe of Queens. Queens' head coach Jim Vahrenkamp was voted as the league's Coach of the Year after leading the Royals to victory.
 
Complete South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Championship results can be found here.
 
The Lincoln Memorial men's cross country program now turns its attention to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional meet, which is being held in Wingate, N.C. on November 7.

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