Janelle Benner

Janelle Benner is entering her seventh season as the head coach of Ursinus College after spending the 2010 campaign as associate head coach. During her first six years at the helm, Benner has compiled an 98-31 overall record and a 51-9 Centennial Conference mark, including a perfect 10-0 standing in the conference in 2014.

Benner has led the Bears to five CC championships, including four in a row from 2013 to 2016, and to five NCAA Tournament appearances. Ursinus reached the national semifinals in both 2011 and 2015. Benner was named NFHCA Division III South Region Coach of the Year in 2015.

Prior to joining the Ursinus coaching staff Coach Benner was the head coach of Manheim Central High School for three seasons. During her time there she guided Manheim to three Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff appearances and two Pennsylvania District III playoff appearances.

Benner is a 2006 Graduate of Old Dominion University where she was a team captain both her junior and senior year. Janelle helped lead her team to three CAA Conference Championships, four NCAA tournament appearances, and two Final Four appearances. She was also named to the 2005 NCAA All-Tournament Team, named Division-I First Team All-American, Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the year, ODU Female Athlete of the Year, and VASID (VA Association of Sports Information Directors) Player of the Year.

However, Benner was not just a star on the field but off as well. Academically, Benner graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 grade average and was named ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic First-Team All American, CAA Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, and four-time NFHCA Academic All-American. Finally, as a senior, Benner was a 2006 NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist.

Coach Benner also has a passion for music and in particular playing the violin. She had played since she was three years old, former orchestra director at Manheim Central, and while she was at Old Dominion was concertmaster of the Old Dominion Symphony Orchestra and 1st chair violinist of the Diehn String Quartet.