Aaron Benz is a three-year starter in goal for the MAC Champion Eagles. He enjoyed tremendous success in his junior season as he led his team to its first ever MAC crown. Benz stopped 19 shots in the 12-11 overtime win and earned Championship Most Outstanding Player honors.
He is a math major in the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University, and, after battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the better part of a year, he earned the League's Giant Steps award after his freshman year. Benz was named the 1st Team All-Freedom Conference goalie this spring.
Q: If you were recruiting another person to Eastern University what four or five experiences would you share that have been highlights of your athletic and academic experience?
After recently return from a semester abroad at the prestigious St. Andrews University in Scotland, I cannot begin to explain how much I miss the personal attention and the level of interest from the professors and coaches that I have experienced at Eastern. One of my
favorite memories on the field was beating Elizabethtown my freshman year. They were the top ranked team in the conference and we were basically an all freshman team. But sure enough, our captain buried a one-on-one shot to give us the win in overtime.
This year's MAC Championship game was a lot of fun as well.
Q: What, for you, has been the highlight of playing in the MAC/ Freedom Conference?
The continuing battle of competition between all the schools has been fantastically invigorating. The top teams in our conference continue to battle so close every year, and nearly every game is filled with so much momentum, creativity, and zeal; to be concise, the MAC is fun.
Q: How do you believe that your time as a Division III athlete will help you as you as you go forward into the next phases of your life?
Being a DIII athlete has given and continues to give me immeasurable experiences which I will always have throughout my life. It has given me perseverance, teamwork, dexterity, direction, and many other skills and virtues which continue to develop me to become more
of a complete person. As I continue to grow and move forward in life, I am of the upmost confidence that these attributes and experiences will help me achieve success.