Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks

5’10”
 
Career Bests:
8k: 25:53.8 (Greater Louisville Classic 2014)
10k: 32:15.2 (NCAA Division II East Region Championship 2014)
 
2014 (junior): Finished the Greater Louisville Classic 8k in a personal best time of 25:53.8.  Bender qualified for the all-ECC first-team finishing 6^th in 25:55.8… For the NCAA Division II East Region championship, Bender’s second place finish on the team, 17^th overall, helped qualify the team for the national meet held in Louisville, KY.  His time was a personal best in the 10k, 32:15.2, and the top 25 performance qualified him for the All-East Region team…The season was capped off with a muddy 204^th place finish in 34:08.2 (6 miles) at the DII Championships.
 
2013 (sophomore): Bender’s sophomore year opened up with a personal best time in the 5k at 16:09… Finished the East Coast Conference meet with another second-team all-ECC performance– a season best 26:03.3 (8k) for an 8^th place finish…The season culminated with a 25^th place finish at the NCCAA championships (8k, 26:31.4).           
 
2012 (freshman): Bender made his debut 8k at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational where he finished 7^th place in 26:23.0… Ended the season earning NCCAA All-American honors, which goes to the top 15 finishers at the NCCAA championship meet, with a season best time of 26:08.2 (8k)… Bender finished out with another solid performance at the East Coast Conference championships finishing in 27:03.9 (8k)…Earned second-team all-ECC Conference squad.
 
High School: 2012 graduate of Clarence High School…Team captain and white letter award winner his senior year… Earned four Section 6 titles in cross country and track and field (5k, 4x800)…Also a member of the 2011 section champion baseball team…Most proud moment was 8^th place finish in the 3000m at the 2012 Yale Interscholastic Track Classic in a time of 8:48.53.
 
Personal: Born August 21, 1994 to Arden and Joanne Bender…Younger brother, Michael (18)… Favorite Pro Teams: Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and St. Louis Cardinals… Enjoys playing baseball and watching Seinfeld…Mathematics major, team representative of the Roberts Wesleyan College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and 2015 team captain.