University of Saint Mary Men's Cross Country

Benton served as an assistant at Saint Mary for one season before becoming the head coach. As an assistant Coach Benton helped guide the 2013-14 Spires Cross Country team to its first ever appearance at the NAIA National Championship and the mens first ever KCAC conference championship. During the indoor and outdoor track season Coach Benton was also instrumental in the success of distance athletes. He was instrumental in the development of Brooks Ballou who was the National Runner-up in the Marathon, 10,000m Outdoor NQ, 5000m Indoor NQ. Benton also played a part in Nick Haines All-American honos in the 3000m Steeplechase and Russell Brown's 15th overall place in the Marathon.   Benton is specifically knowledgeable in the areas of Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning for his athletes. Benton is a Level 1 USATF Certified Coach, NCCAP personal training certified. He was an NAIA National Marathon qualifier and six-time Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference All Conference Performer. Benton recently graduated with his undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Friends University.  Prior to Friends, he competed at Cowley Community College where he was a member of the 2010 NJCAA Cross Country national championship winning team. Benton currently resides in Lansing, KS with his wife Cecilia and dog Tempo. Jane Deskis qualified for her first Olympic Trials in 1984 as a high jumper for the University of Oklahoma. She then competed for the United States Track and Field team at various international meets (USA vs USSR in Tokyo, Japan, World University Games in Yugoslavia, Brazil, Canada, Taiwan, and on the USA North team) until 1992.  Her personal record is 6'4". In two years as the jumps and throws coach, Coach Deskis produced 8 KCAC All-Conference athletes. After retiring from competitive jumping, she became an assistant coach for multiple events at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., where she also taught Jumping into Plyometrics clinics at surrounding schools, and taught jumping events at summer track clinics. She worked with multi-event athletes, jumpers, sprinters, and throwers. She switched to the high school level in 1995 to add assistant cross-country coach to the mix for Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa. She is a USATF Level 1 and 2 certified coach.