ST. PAUL, Minn. – Throughout the duration of the spring semester, cspbears.com will feature its spring senior student-athletes who had their careers cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), providing a glimpse into their past, present and future to our followers who were unable to see them compete in 2020.
 
Due to the ongoing changing legislation with college athletics related to the COVID-19 pandemic, spring student-athletes are expected to retain a year of eligibility. Some of the CSP seniors have expressed interest in returning for the 2020-21 academic year with the goal of competing for their full senior year. Since it's early in the process, cspbears.com will not differentiate between seniors who will and won't return and instead will profile each senior consistently.
 

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Next up in the Senior Spotlight series is North St. Paul native, Benjamin Allen. The Sport Communication major and distance runner on the Golden Bear track and field team made himself known as early as his freshman year when he broke five CSP school records during his first year on campus. With many accomplishments along the way, he not only graduates with his name on the CSP record board in six different places, Allen leaves his mark with many NSIC recognitions, USTFCCCA All-Region awards, and an All-American honor.
 
Throughout his track and field career at Concordia, Allen has tallied 31 first place finishes and placed in the top-ten in all but three of his individual races. He broke his first school record in 2017 at The Showcase when he ran the one mile in 4:22.11. That same year, Allen went on to break the school record in the 800m (1:56.41), 1500m (3:53.66), the Distance Medley Relay (10:28.67), and the 4x1600m (17:44.01). He has since improved all of those records in addition to becoming the record holder of the 1000m, with a PR time of 2:26.61 which he broke in 2019. Allen's updated CSP record times are as follows: Indoor - 800m (1:51.91 – 2020), 1000m (2:26.21 – 2019), Mile Run (4:08.81 – 2020), DMR (10:15.33 – 2019), Outdoor – 1500m (3:45.37 – 2019), DMR (10:03.36 – 2018).
 
During his sophomore year in 2018, Allen earned his first USTFCCCA All-Central Region award in the 1500m. He took second place at the NSIC Indoor Championships in the 800m (1:54.37) and the one mile (4:12.14) to earn his first All-NSIC honors and followed up with another All-NSIC finish during the outdoor season after taking second place in the 1500m (3:51.51). That was only the beginning for Allen. His junior season, the decorated distance runner went on to not only become the NSIC Outdoor Champion in the 1500 and Indoor Champion of the one mile (as well as All-NSIC in the 800m and 1000m), but he was also named to the USTFCCCA Outdoor All-America First-Team in the 1500m. Allen's achievements that year led him to the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships where he took fourth place in the 1500m with a time of 3:59.02. His strong performances throughout 2019 earned him the title of Concordia-St. Paul's Male Athlete of the year.
 
His success continued into this season as he improved his school record in the one mile and 800m and earned four straight NSIC Athlete of the Week honors. At the NSIC Indoor Championships this past February, Allen won the 1000m (2:27.98) and the mile (4:16.17) as well as anchored the DMR team that placed fourth and the 4x400m team that placed sixth. His strong performance earned him NSIC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, making him the first Golden Bear in track and field program history to receive an athlete of the year award from the conference.
 
Allen was also recognized by the USTFCCCA for the third year, being the Top Regional Performer in the one mile and ranking second in the 800m to earn Indoor All-Central Region honors. As one of the nation's top runner in the one mile with a personal record time of 4:05.68, he was set to compete at the NCAA DII Indoor Championships as the sixth seed in Birmingham, Alabama with three of his teammates before the cancellation due to COVID-19 occurred.
 

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Head Coach Sam Johnson on Benjamin Allen:
"Ben is one of the most decorated track & field athletes in the history of CSP, but his achievements and success on the track has always been balanced out by a humble confidence in his training and ability. It has been a real pleasure to watch Ben develop through his career as a talented freshman to one of the most respected runners in the nation. Ben has yet to reach his full potential and we are excited to see him continue pursuing his goals."
 

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BENJAMIN ALLEN– IN HIS OWN WORDS
CSP: At what age did you start playing­ your sport?
BA: I started running when I was an 8^th grader in middle school, but I was always a sprinter until 11^th grade when I joined the distance team during a workout. I guess coach thought I did pretty good in the workout, so he moved me to the distance squad. I always thought distance runners were crazy when I was a sprinter, so I was a little nervous moving to the distance team but running grew on me and I started to love the sport.

CSP: Why did you choose to attend Concordia?
BA: I chose Concordia because of the small class sizes. I have a better time learning when I can interact with the professor and ask questions. I also chose Concordia because I could tell the distance team had a lot of potential to grow. Coach Matthew Buns was a big influence because he came to some of my high school races and he was dedicated to have me commit to Concordia.
 
CSP: What is your favorite memory as a Golden Bear?
BA: There are many memories that I have made through my years at Concordia. My favorite memory is becoming an All-American in the 1500m last year in Kingsville, Texas. A close second is winning my first conference title in the mile last year at the indoor championships. And this year at the indoor championships the 4x4 was such a fun race where I was able to make a comeback and win the heat. It was an amazing experience after the race when my team all rushed at me giving me a big group hug. There are many more to choose from but those are just a couple.

CSP: What will you miss most about CSP?
BA: I will definitely miss seeing all of my friends and teammates at Concordia. I will miss the atmosphere at practices and meets. I will miss interacting with the other sports teams on campus. Lastly, I will miss the coaches, the amount of time they put in for us is something I won't forget.
 
CSP: What are your plans after graduation?
BA: As of right now I don't have a clear plan. I have been thinking about coming back next year for the outdoor season and getting my masters. Still more to think about before I make that decision but just have to take on day at a time.
 
CSP: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
BA: In ten years hopefully I will have a good job that I enjoy and living in a nice house and maybe running on the side!
 
CSP: Who is a staff member or faculty member at Concordia that left an imprint on your experience?
BA: I would say my coaches. Coach JB, Buns, and Peeps. They have all invested so much time in us and being able to have three coaches and three different perspectives is something not a lot of other teams have. I feel comfortable being able to talk to each of them and I know they always want us to succeed. I hope to stay in touch with them after college.   
 
CSP: Who is your role model?
BA: I would say my parents Jerry and Donazell Allen. They have always been there for my races each year and I hope that I can be a good parent like them.  
 
CSP: What life lessons did you learn as an athlete on your CSP team?
BA: A couple of life lessons that I learned as an athlete is being confident in myself. Coming into the XC and track program freshman year, I was timid and would always think I couldn't compete with the top runners. My coaches and teammates encouraged me and made me realize that I can compete with those guys and whether I win or lose they will be happy. I also learned that staying consistent with my training is something I think helped me with running.

CSP: What advice would you give to an incoming freshman about their time at CSP?
BA: Like most people said already, which is to enjoy every moment of these years. These years went by so fast, and it's crazy to think that I am a senior. Enjoy these moments, work hard, be confident, and most importantly have fun. If you're not having fun with the sport, then why are you doing it?
 
CSP: What CSP athlete from a different program do you admire and why?
BA: I would probably say Chris Garrett from the football team. I don't really know him or have talked to him personally but seeing the accomplishments that he achieves each season is something that I look up to. Seeing those awards, I can tell he has a good work ethic and represents CSP well!
 
CSP: Do you have a final personalized message you'd like to share with cspbears.com readers?
BA: I would like to say that I'm thankful for all the memories and experiences that I have gained over the years at Concordia. I have met lifelong friends and professors who want me to succeed in the classroom. I am very glad I chose this school and wouldn't have chosen any other.