REDS Add Another Benko

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS are adding 6’0” outside hitter Heather Benko to their recruiting class of 2022.

Benko has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent and will join the REDS ahead of the 2022-2023 Atlantic University Sport season.

“Heather is someone who makes an immediate impact on the people around her and the teams she’s involved with,” said REDS head coach Richard Schick. “Her energy level, along with her overall skill and competitiveness, is something that we look forward to having on the Currie Center floor for the next five years.”

The 17-year-old Benko, younger sister of current REDS’ setter Lorren Benko, is completing her Grade 12 year at Chatelech Secondary School, in her hometown of Sechelt, British Columbia.

She’s been a member of the prestigious and venerable BCO Volleyball Club for the past four seasons. In 2019, she was named MVP as she helped her BCO side to a provincial championship.

Benko has also been a member of Team BC in recent years and was recognized as an all-star in regional high school volleyball competition.

“I see myself as a versatile player,” said Benko. “I’m coachable and I’m a smart player, and because of that I’m able to play in the moment, terminate when needed, correct and forget previous errors, and focus on the point being played.”

During a recent recruiting visit to UNB, Benko was able to engage with the team, tour the campus and spend some time with her sister.

“We talked about the connections she’s made with the girls and the coaching staff in the short time she’s been with the REDS, and that made my decision easier,” she said. “I’m looking forward to training and playing with her again, as we always have fun together, support each other and bring out the best in each other.”

The Benko sisters will join two other sister duos on the REDS roster, Fredericton’s Catherine and Emma Burns, and Sonya and Alia Nielsen, from Delia, Alberta.

“Heather is a goal-driven individual who knows exactly what she wants to accomplish and we want to help guide and provide Heather every opportunity for her to achieve the goals she has set for herself and for our team,” said Coach Schick. “She’s been a main contributor on her high school, club and provincial team, and is motivated to take that experience and expectation to the next level.”

Among Benko’s short-term goals, helping UNB play in and place well at the 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship, to be hosted at the University of British Columbia.

She’ll study Sociology while attending UNB.