Benson earned his athletics Blue in 1870, 1872 and 1873 and in 1872, he was appointed President of the Oxford University Athletic Club. In the University Sports of 1870, Benson won the mile race by two yards in a time of 4 minutes 33 seconds. Benson also won the Amateur Athletic Club mile championship in 1870. In 1872, Benson competed in the 3 mile race in the University sports, in which he finished in a dead heat in 15 minutes 44 seconds with Cambridge's Edward Montague Hawtrey, whose brother John played for Old Etonians in the 1879 FA Cup Final. In 1873, Benson again ran in the mile race, finishing fourth.