Bio

Coach Carter Benge is a native of North Carolina and returns to Mars Hill University as an alumni from the Class of 2014. Coach Benge is also proud to have served on the Mars Hill Alumni Board for the past 6 years to continue to support the university he loves. While at Mars Hill, Coach Benge double majored to receive a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music, was active in multiple areas of campus ministry, sang in numerous vocal ensembles, and was an avid mentor to first year students on campus. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity at Campbell University with an emphasis on church music and counseling. Coach Benge also spent 3 years as a resident chaplain on campus at Campbell University where he mentored incoming college freshmen.

As an athlete at Mars Hill, Coach Benge ran cross-country and track where he was an all-conference runner and an Academic All-American in cross-country. Coach Benge was a key contributor for four years to the 19-year consecutive cross-country conference championship team and competed at the NCAA DII Cross-Country National Championship. On the track, Coach Benge ran events ranging from the 1500m, mile, 3k steeple, 5k, and 10k. Graduating with a 3.99 GPA, Coach Benge received the award for “Highest GPA – Male Athlete” and “Mars Hill Athletics – Man of the Year” for his academics, community service, and athletic success at Mars Hill.  

Coach Benge just completed a season as the Head Cross Country Coach at Southwestern College in Kansas. In his short stint with the Moundbuilders, the men's cross country team achieved their first national ranking in over 10 years, two runners were KCAC Cross Country All-Conference runners, one athlete qualified for the NAIA Cross Country National Championship, and the men's and women's teams both finished in the top third of the field at the KCAC Cross Country Conference Championship. 

Prior to this, Coach Benge served as the Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track and Field Coach at Harnett Central High School from 2016-2021, where he was named Tri-County Cross Country Coach of the Year three times. The men’s and women’s cross-country team advanced to the state championship four times. Coach Benge has coached 5 cross-country conference champions, 39 All-Conference runners, 3 regional champions, and guided 3 runners to All-State accolades in cross-country. The men’s individual 5k school record (15:25) and and women’s 5k individual school record (17:55) were shattered as well as both the men’s and women’s team averages. Coach Benge helped two female runners lower their 5k personal best from 23 minutes to under 18 minutes during their high school career. 

As the Assistant Track and Field Coach for mid-distance and distance, runners under Coach Benge’s guidance broke school records in the women’s 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and 5k, and the men’s 800m, 1000m, 1600m, 3200m, and 5k, one state championship (4:14 mile), and one national Top 10 finish at the New Balance Indoor National Championship. (15:12 in the 5k) At the conference level, Coach Benge had multiple years where his female distance athletes swept the medal podium (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) in the 1600m and 3200m races scoring a massive 24 points in each event for the track and field team.   

Coach Benge also brings a high level of expertise in international competition to the Mars Hill Track and Field and Cross-Country programs having spent three months living in Iten, Kenya, where he trained with, learned from, and helped coach elite Kenyan runners and marathoners. Coach Benge has also completed the rigorous courses to earn his USA Track and Field Level 1 and Level 2 Endurance Coaching certifications.

Coach Benge is passionate about mentoring young adults and helping everyone find their calling and purpose in life. In his free time, Coach Benge loves being outside in God’s creation where he is usually training for and competing in marathons, ultra-marathons, and other ultra-endurance events with his friends. Some of his achievements include being the 2018 Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon Champion, running 30 miles in a 3-hour race, 48 miles in a 6-hour race, and taking 7th place in the USATF 100k championship in 2022.