Complete 2017 Division III All-Great Lakes Region Team

BEREA, Ohio – Baldwin Wallace University junior three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference forward Rachel Bender (Massillon/Jackson) has been named to the 2017 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region Team.

Bender, who earlier this month was named OAC Co-Forward of the Year along with Bailey Fischer from John Carroll University, was tabbed as a second-team All-Great Lakes Region selection. It is the first regional honor of her stellar three-year career.

A three-time All-OAC first-team honoree, Bender led the OAC and the Yellow Jackets in most offensive categories: goals (16), points (40) and shots (115). She also finished second in the conference with her team-leading eight assists. This season, she recorded her first collegiate four-goal game against Bluffton University on Sept. 16 en route to being named OAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week on Sept. 18. Bender was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament, hosted by Penn State Behrend College, and selected to the 2017 OAC Tournament Team. Academically, she is a two-time Academic All-OAC selection and a Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 7 honoree.

For her career, Bender has appeared in 64 games and has tallied 46 goals and 21 assists for 113 points, ranking second in school history in career goals scored and points scored and fifth in career assists. 

BW finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 11-8-1 and a 4-4-1 mark in the OAC, advancing to the conference tournament for the fifth consecutive season.