Coach David Bender

David Bender begins his fourth season as head coach of the men's and women's cross country programs at Salve Regina University.

A member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame Class of 2005-06, Bender was a member of the national championship cross country team at Malone College (Ohio) in 1972. He earned All-American honors as a junior and senior.

Bender graduated from Malone with a degree in psychology in 1975 and obtained his master's degree in information science at Salve Regina in 1991. During that time, he competed in cross country skiing, road racing, swimming and cross country and was inducted into the Malone Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

In 1980, Bender placed fifth out of 10,000 runners in the (Canadian) Montreal Marathon with a time that qualified him for the Olympic Trials, but was unable to compete in the trials due to a running-related injury. As an adult masters runner, Bender ran cross country and road races for the Central Massachusetts Striders (CMS) running club.

With a professional background in information management, Bender enjoyed a seven-year tenure as a database administrator with Salve Regina in the 1990’s. He has been involved with local middle and high school cross country programs as a volunteer assistant.

"Cross country can sometimes be a lonely sport, but strength can be gleaned from the self motivation required to routinely reserve a part of the day for a run, despite the weather conditions that might otherwise discourage us," says Bender. "Running cross country may not guarantee success on the trail, but it will provide you with a lifetime template for strength, courage and discipline to confront life’s challenges."

(updated 8/11/09)

Matt Hird begins his fifth season as women's track & field coach at Salve Regina University. Hird has guided the Seahawks to a second-place finish at The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Invitational in each of the past three seasons. At the 2009 Invitational, five different student-athletes recorded first-place finishes, including Jessica Long (400m hurdles, long jump), Marissa Fiore (800m), Caroline Norton (1500m), Taylor Rosendale (3000m steeplechase), and Emily Odgen (triple jump).

Hird - who currently serves as the secretary/treasurer for the New England Women's Division III Cross Country and Track & Field Association - arrived in Newport after serving as head coach of the women's cross country and track and field programs at Rhode Island College. While at RIC, 11 of Hird's student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships, and two of his student-athletes were All-America selections, including Annmarie Gower Marino, who was the first female All-America selection in RIC history. The Anchorwomen also earned 30 Division III All-ECAC titles, including three championships.

Against Division I, II, and III competition, Hird's student-athletes have earned seven All-New England awards and one champion (hammer throw), while 18 received Division III All-New England honors - two of whom won championships. His teams won two Little East Conference champions, and 22 student-athletes captured outdoor track & field championships.

A 1973 graduate of Colby College with a degree in history, Hird was a member of the cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field teams at Colby. He went on to earn his master's degree in teaching from Brown University, and later began his coaching career at Toll Gate High School, where he coached several all-state athletes.

Hird resides in Warwick, R.I.

(Updated 8/10/09)