Hope Bender
American track and field athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hope Bender-Haugh (born January 2, 1997, in Newport Beach, California) is an American track and field athlete, known for multiple events and hurdles. She competed for the Santa Barbara Track Club and coached at UC Santa Barbara Gauchos before moving to San Marcos, Texas to train at Texas State University in Fall 2023. Bender studied to be a Biotechnology engineer.
Bender at the 2024 United States Olympic trials | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | January 2, 1997 |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | |
Event | heptathlon |
| College team | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos |
| Club | Santa Barbara Track Club 2019-21 |
| Turned pro | 2019 |
| Coached by |
|
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 400 Metres Hurdles: 56.64 s (Santa Barbara 2019) Heptathlon: 5955 points (Austin 2019) |
Professional
Hope Bender competed in Des Moines, Iowa, at the 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships and Clovis, California, at the 2016 USATF Junior Championships.
| Outdoor Track and Field | Place | Score | 100 meters hurdles | High jump | Shot Put | 200 meters | Long Jump | Javelin | 800 metres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Team USA United States | |||||||||
| 2023 Thorpe Cup | DNF 9th[1] | 4656 points | |||||||
| 2019 Thorpe Cup[2] | 9th | 5449 points[3] | 985 points 13.95 s | 759 points 1.62 m (5 ft 3+3⁄4 in) | 625 points 11.45 m (37 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | 932 points 24.51 s | 789 points 5.80 m (19 ft 1⁄4 in) | 527 points 32.66 m (107 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | 832 points 2:19.38 |
| USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | |||||||||
| 2024 USA Olympic Trials | 15th | 5614 points | 1084 points 13.49 s | 897 points 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 780 points 13.14 m (43 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | 1019 points 24.18 s | 830 points 5.22 m (17 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | 523 points 29.83 m (97 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | 863 points 2:18.00 |
| 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | 8th | 5726 points | 1067 points 13.69 s | 916 points 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | 705 points 11.92 m (39 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | 1000 points 24.39 s | 981 points 5.92 m (19 ft 5 in) | 593 points 33.69 m (110 ft 6+1⁄4 in) | 905 points 2:15.28 |
| 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | 12th DNF | points[4] | 1018 points 13.72 s | 855 points 1.70 m (5 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | 645 points 11.76 m (38 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | 900 points 24.86 s | points Foul P P | DNS | DNS |
| 2021 USA Olympic Trials | 9th | 5867 points[5] | 1070 points 13.60 s | 1004 points 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 783 points 13.19 m (43 ft 3+1⁄4 in) | 982 points 24.40 s | 932 points 5.69 m (18 ft 8 in) | 575 points 32.68 m (107 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | 932 points 2:13.61 |
| 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships | 12th | 5824 points[6] | 1010 points 13.78 s | 818 points 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 714 points 13.25 m (43 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | 955 points 24.27 s | 834 points 5.95 m (19 ft 6+1⁄4 in) | 621 points 37.59 m (123 ft 3+3⁄4 in) | 900 points 2:14.49 |
| Representing UCSB Gauchos | |||||||||
| 2016 USATF Junior Championships | 13th | 4436 points[7] | 980 points 13.99 s +2.4 | 678 points 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | 517 points 9.81 m (32 ft 2 in) | 885 points 25.02 s +1.7 | 603 points 5.16 m (16 ft 11 in) +1.5 | 0 points Foul 0.0 m (0 in) | 773 points 2:23.76 |
Hope Bender competed in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She placed 5th in the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships pentathlon.
| 2025 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | 11th | 400m | 53.74 | ||||||
| USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Place | Score | 60 meters hurdles | High jump | Shot Put | Long Jump | 800 metres | ||
| 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships[8] | 3rd | 4392 points | 1030 points 8.44 seconds | 867 points 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄4 in) | 743 points 13.24 m (43 ft 5+1⁄4 in) | 825 points 5.92 m (19 ft 5 in) | 927 points 2:12.62 | ||
| 2023 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | 2nd | 4445 points[9] | 1063 points 8.44 seconds | 984 points 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | 752 points 12.69 m (41 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | 1007 points 6.04 m (19 ft 9+3⁄4 in) | 977 points 2:13.25 | ||
| 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | 8th DNF | points[10] | 1021 points 8.48 seconds | 736 points 1.60 m (5 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | 745 points 13.27 m (43 ft 6+1⁄4 in) | DNS | DNS | ||
| Representing Santa Barbara Track Club | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | 4th | 4277 points[11] | 1013 points 8.52 seconds | 855 points 1.70 m (5 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | 684 points 12.34 m (40 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | 834 points 5.95 m (19 ft 6+1⁄4 in) | 891 points 2:15.13 | ||
| Representing UC Santa Barbara | |||||||||
| 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | 5th | 4149 points[12] | 993 points 8.61 | 830 points 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 680 points 12.28 m (40 ft 3+1⁄4 in) | 777 points 5.76 m (18 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | 869 points 2:16.68 | ||
NCAA
Hope Bender is a UC Santa Barbara Gauchos alumna and won 6 Big West Conference titles.
Hope Bender is a 4-time USTFCCCA NCAA Division I All-American at UCSB.
UCSB's Bender finishes fourth at 2019 NCAA outdoor track and field championship.[13]
UCSB Gauchos’s Hope Bender Named Athlete of Meet at 2019 Big West Championships hosted by UC Santa Barbara Gauchos track and field helping the women's team to place 2nd in Big West Championships.[14]
UCSB Gauchos’s Hope Bender Named Athlete of Meet at 2018 Big West Championships hosted by Cal State Northridge Matadors.[15]
| Representing University of California, Santa Barbara | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | NCAA Division I Indoor track and field Championship | Big West Conference Outdoor track and field Championship | NCAA Division I Outdoor track and field Championship | ||
| 2019 | 400 metres hurdles 1st place 58.02 | ||||
| pentathlon 6th place 4262 points | Heptathlon 1st place 5814 points | Heptathlon 4th place 5955 points | |||
| 4 × 400 m 5th place 3:46.01 | |||||
| Long jump 1st place 6.13 m (20 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | Long Jump 24th place 5.73 m (18 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||
Prep and personal life
Hope Bender-Haugh was married in 2025.[16]
Hope Bender competed for Newport Harbor High School alma mater.[17]
While at Newport Beach, California Newport Harbor High School, she was a 2015 CIF CIF California State Meet finalist at 300 meters hurdles after competing in the 2015 CIF Southern Section track and field championships.
Bender won 100 meters hurdles at 2015 Mt. SAC Relays in 14.69.
Bender placed 2nd in the 100 m hurdles at 2015 Arcadia Invitational.
Hope Bender's best times were 200 m - 25.40 s, 400 m - 57.09 s, 100 m hurdles - 14.35 s, 300 m hurdles - 42.18 s, shot put - 10.25 m (33 ft 7+1⁄2 in), and long jump - 4.65 m (15 ft 3 in).[18]
Bender competed in Motocross from 5–10 years old and Equestrian through 10th grade.[19]