GENEVA, Ohio -- Grove City College women's track and field standout Lydia Bennett (Bethel, Maine/Gould Academy) concluded her collegiate career Saturday afternoon by earning runner-up honors in the 1500 meters at the NCAA Division III Championships. 

Bennett recorded a school-record time of 4 minutes, 25.17 seconds to finish second in the event, held at SPIRE Institute. Bennett entered the Championships as the No. 6 seed, then took third in Thursday's preliminaries with a time of 4:26.90.

Vassar's Haley Schoenegge won the 1500 with a time of 4:22.61. She and Bennett owned the top two spots in the race at the 300-, 700- and 1100-meter marks.

Bennett's second-place finish matches the best finish ever for a Grove City track and field performer. Jim McElhaney took second in the men's discus at the 1986 NCAA Division III Championships while Rory Phillips placed second in the javelin at the 2004 NCAA Championships.

Bennett also earned All-America honors in the mile at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in March. She placed seventh in that event. Bennett competed in three national championships this year, having also qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships last November. 

Bennett is the second Grove City women's outdoor track and field All-American. Erin Claxton earned All-America honors in the 10,000 meters in 2005 by placing eighth. Bennett is the first Grove City athlete to earn All-America honors in both indoor and outdoor track and field in the same year.