UCSB’s Hope Bender finished fourth in the heptathlon to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas on Saturday.
Bender scored a personal best of 5,955 points after finishing the two-day, seven-event competition with a victory in the 800 meters in a PR of 2:10.10.
Texas senior Ashtin Zamzow won the heptathlon with 6,222 points, Texas A&M’s Tyra Gittens finished in second with 6,049 points and Michelle Atherley of Miami was third with 6,014.
In her other events on Saturday, Bender went 19-9.50 in the long jump, securing 859 points. In the javelin, the senior posted a mark of 124-1 on her first attempt for 626 points.
A nearly 41/2 hour wait between the javelin and the 800 gave Bender a significant amount of rest that proved to be beneficial. She immediately took the lead from the gun and ran the first 400m in 64.80. At 500m, UC Davis senior and Big West Conference rival Erin Beattie passed Bender along with Kansas State’s Lauren Taubert, both looking to pull away heading into the final 200.
However, in the last 100 meters, Bender swung wide into lane two and slowly pulled ahead to take the win and score 963 points.
Bender also was a first-team All-American at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
In other action, Dos Pueblos alum Stamatia Scarvelis finished 17th in the women’s discus with a mark of 173-2.
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with