1999-2000: Named Honorable Mention All-Frontier Conference...Earned NAIA Academic All-America and Academic All-Conference honors...Led the Warriors in rebounds with 167 and finished fifth in the conference in rebounding with 5.8 rpg...Finished second in the conference in field goal percentage at 58%...Averaged 10.4 ppg and ranked seventh in the league in steals-per-game with 1.7...Led or shared the lead in rebounds in 10 games...Scored a career-high 20 points in a 76-71 loss to Westminster (UT)...Grabbed a game-high 11 boards and seven assists and was one point away from a double-double in a 79-64 win over Carroll College...JUNIOR COLLEGE: Attended Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, WA...Named first-team All-Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges as a sophomore...Selected to second-team All-NWAACC as a freshman...Averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a Triton...Played for coach Keith Kingsbury at Edmonds...HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Shorewood High School in 1997...Lettered in basketball and   soccer...Named team MVP in both basketball and soccer as a senior...Captained the soccer team in '97...Named All-WESCO in basketball and soccer as a senior...Played in the WESCO Classic and the city and state All-Star games in 1997...PERSONAL: Born March 24, 1979...Son of Bruce and Linda Bender...A Kinesiology major...Has one younger brother.

Coach Pfeifer on Bender: "Ryan proved to be a multi-dimensional player last season.  Although his statistics are impressive, it was his non-statistical assests (setting screens and playing tough defense) that were the glue to last year's team.  Ryan worked extremely hard in the off-season and it shows."