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Featuring in this week's MileSplit Mississippi 'Senior Sendoff' is the three-time MHSAA 1A individual State Champion out of French Camp High School, Taylor Benoit!
Benoit is a versatile middle distance ace, with PRs of 1:02.99 in the 400m and 2:27.04 in the 800m. She is also the 2021 and 2022 MHSAA 1A 800m State Champion, as well as the 2021 MHSAA 1A Cross Country Runner-up. Finally, Benoit boasts a 5k PR of 20:41 on the cross-country course.
In the Fall of 2022, Benoit will be bringing her talents to Mississippi College, a strong middle-distance and cross country program in the South that competes at the NCAA Division II level, where she will specialize in events from 400m-1500m, the 800m being her main event.
The Mississippi College women's program is coming off of a 2021 cross country season in which they qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships for the first time in program history. At the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, Mississippi College finished 23rd.
In the 800m, Mississippi College's squad time, which is the average of their top four performers, is 2:16.14. With that statistic, Mississippi College ended the season as the number 21 ranked 800m squad in the country. Their top performer in that event is Jazmin Hernandez, with a PR of 2:11.83.
Once Benoit arrives in Clinton, Miss. in the Fall, she will be majoring in Physical Therapy, a career that specializes in exercise science to improve the quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.
We asked Benoit some questions and insight in regards to her high school career, what she loves about running, and some advice that she would leave behind to all of the track and field athletes that are still on their journey.
Check them out below!
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Credits: French Camp High School Facebook
Q: Explain your 'running journey'... (How did you get into running, how did your senior season go, and how did you get connected with the college that you are going to?)
A: I honestly didn't think I would ever enjoy running for fun, but my parents and friends influenced me to run. I immediately fell in love with running the first race of my sophomore year. My senior season was incredible. It was such a great bonding time with my teammates and also just getting my times down in the 800. I absolutely loved it and I was super appreciative of how much my coaches poured into my final season of high school. Mississippi College was my dream college from the very start and I thought about continuing running in college. I knew immediately that's where I was called to be and I'm so grateful for that.
Q: What is your most memorable meet/race and why?
A: My most memorable meet was the state meet this year in the 4x400m relay. The reason that this was my most memorable race was that I got to run with my little sister for the last time. She did absolutely amazing and dropped her 400m PR by four seconds! It was just amazing to see how well she did in this race.
Q: Out of all your high school achievements, which one means the most to you and why?
A: I went to the meet of the champions this year which was insane! I raced in the 800 meters and I got first place in this race. I also got my best time overall in this race. This meant so much to me because it was my very last high school meet!
Q: If you could go back and do it all over again, what would you change, if anything?
A: I would have definitely running started a lot earlier than my sophomore year. I wish I would have had a lot more experience and time with running.
Q: Who is somebody that you look up to/someone that helped you along your journey to get you where you are today?
A: My coach, Drew Lewis, has been someone that has helped tremendously with my running journey. He has always pushed me whether it be in academics or running. I am very grateful to have had him as a coach, a teacher, and also someone to joke around with all the time. My stepdad, Michael Curtis, has also been a huge help with my running journey. He has always been an amazing encourager and has pushed me beyond what I thought my limits were. I could never thank him enough for all that he does for me.
Q: What will you miss the most?
A: I will definitely miss my teammates and coaches because they have been so encouraging to me! They are all like family to me and I will definitely miss running with them.
Q: What piece of advice would you give to the younger athletes that are just getting started on their journey?
A: I would say that the best advice that I have applied in my journey is to be consistent in your training and wait to see the progress. Being consistent in your running will never fail you in the long run. My coaches heavily talked about consistency this year and I would say this has changed my perspective a lot this season!
