Bente van Milligen

At age 12 Bente was scouted to train with a talented running team at a XC school event. At this point she already did track and field for about 1 year and since she started training with her new running club team, Loopland Gelderland, she combined distance running with multi-event training for a while. At age 14 she decided to focus on distance training primarily and she made lots of progression very quickly after she prioritised running. Within 3 months she became 3rd at indoor Nationals U16 in the 800m (2022). 

Bente’s major strength is her perseverance as she always gives a 100% effort, both in races and during training. She doesn’t give up easily and pushes herself to her limits as Bente strives to perform at her best at all times. Bente puts in hard work everyday to get the maximum out of her athletic career and become the best runner she can be. 

An area she is currently working on is building strength. Benthe is working hard to improve this and become a stronger athlete by implementing more strength sessions and working on her running economy. We strongly believe there is still room for improvement if Bente maintains developing athletically and keeps working hard. 

Some of Bente’s most recent athletic performances are a 3rd place at the Dutch indoor National Championships U18 in the 800m (2023) and a 9th place at XC nationals U18 (2023), both as a 15 year old. 

Her current PBs:

400: 59.35 (indoor 2024)

800m: 2:12,87 (indoor 2024)

1500m: 4:59,38 (2022)

Her primary goals in the USA are to perform at her absolute best representing her college T&F team, PB in each event and become a stronger athlete across the board. Bente is excited to run more XC races too and have a good balance between mid-distance and cross country. As academics are important to Bente as well, she is also looking for a strong and challenging academic program. 

Bente is currently enrolled in the highest level of high school in The Netherlands (VWO) and she is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2025. She is interested in doing a major in Nutrition, Sports Nutrition and Physiology. For more information about her academics, please check out the details section below.