San Antonio - Trinity first-year student-athlete Ben Matthews is making his mark early in his collegiate career, after being selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week.

Matthews paced the Tigers last weekend at the UIW Invitational in Live Oak, Texas, as Trinity placed first among Division III schools at the meet. Returning from an injury, Matthews was the top DIII finisher, running the approximately 7,600-meters course in 26:36. He bettered his time by about 36 seconds - through the same distance - from the week before at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival Invitational at Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Tigers finished fourth overall in their non-DI race at the UIW meet. Trinity placed ahead of SCAC rivals Texas Lutheran University, Southwestern University, Austin College, and Schreiner University, as well as Concordia University.