Bender was born and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Minneapolis Washburn High School where he played several sports; in American football he was team captain, All-Conference, All-Metro, and ranked third in state in tackles; he also captained his high school rugby team to the Minnesota High School State Championship.[1] Bender joined the Youngbloodz rugby team, where he was coached by Sam Robinson, who played an important part in Bender's rugby development.[2]
Bender was recruited and offered a scholarship in 2010 to play American football as a linebacker for the NCAA Division II St. Cloud State Huskies.[1] Bender, however, decided to focus on playing rugby.[2]
Bender signed a contract in early 2012 to play rugby for the U.S. national team.[3] Bender was part of the U.S. squad at the 2015 Pan American Games that qualified to play in the 2016 Olympics.[2]
He joined the Seattle Seawolves team for the inaugural season of Major League Rugby in 2018.[4]
Personal
Bender is the son of Michael Bender and Sue Marcks-Bender. He has one brother, Brant.
