Benedict College Athletics

Benedict College cross country standout O'Neil Williams helped lead Benedict to its first SIAC cross country championship in 2008, and continues to make a mark as a premier distance runner.
 
The Bahamas native broke an 18-year-old national record for marathon running in 2017.
 
Williams, who earned All-Region and SIAC Athlete of the Year accolades during his collegiate career at Benedict, ran his first marathon event at the Jacksonville marathon on Dec. 16, 2017.
 
Williams finished second overall in the 35th Ameris Bank Jacksonville Marathon in Jacksonville, Fla. with a time of 2:30.35, breaking the record for fastest marathon time by a Bahamian. The previous national mark was 2:34.47 set by Delroy Boothe, also at the Jacksonville Marathon. Boothe was the first winner of Marathon Bahamas in 2010. Williams improved on his record time in 2019, completing the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, in Amsterdam, Netherlands in a time of 2:29.28.
 
For Williams, it is his third Bahamian record on the books. He also holds the Bahamian national marks in the 5,000 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.