Sami Bender

How long have you been playing?

• I have been competitively swimming since I was 7 years old, and have been swimming for the high school varsity swim team all my 4 years

What are your high school career stats?

• I have broken 2 records in the 50 free in SCM and SCY.
• I also have 8/8 top 17 individual swims in Bernards High School history.
• I qualified for Meet of Championships freshman and junior year
• I have also been named for the “All-Conference” team freshman-junior year. 

What are your preferred pre-game, locker room and post-game routines?

• I don’t typically have routines, I just get up and swim my race. 

 What do you enjoy most about playing?

• I enjoy the team environment and how we are all happy for each other’s accomplishments. I also like winning. 

Will you be playing in the future?

• Yes, I will be swimming in college, but the college name is to be announced in a few weeks. 

If you have looked into playing after high school, what was your commitment process like?

• My commitment process starting sophomore year. I started looking into colleges I would be interested in swimming in and made a list. June 15th of my sophomore year is when colleges could start reaching out to you so that is when I started reaching out to colleges. I would email different coaches back and forth and have multiple phone calls. Towards mid junior year I started to narrow my list down. Spring break of junior year I visited the 5 colleges I was most interested in. Beginning or senior year in September and October over some weekends I would go to these colleges for official recruiting visits. 

What position do you play?

• Typically for club swimming I am a sprint freestyler. For high school swimming, it is most beneficial for the team if I contribute in longer events such as the 200 IM and 100 fly, because I am a select few of the club swimmers on the high school team. 

How long have you been playing varsity?

• All 4 years of high school.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of sports?

• I love sleeping, watching movies, and hanging out with my friends. 

Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model and why?

• Kate Douglass, an Olympian from UVA, is my favorite athlete because of her insane versatility, speed, and work ethic. 

What is the one thing you always do after a good performance?

• Smile and celebrate.

What have been your major highlights/achievements in athletics?

• In high school, my biggest accomplishments have been breaking the 50 free records and for club swimming it was qualifying for YMCA Nationals. 

What would be a successful season of athletics for you?

• Breaking more records, and/or having our team win the Group C State Semifinals/Finals.