Hall of Fame
During his four-year swimming and diving career at Western Illinois University, Benjamin Spence dominated his events like few others did, and helped WIU win two Mid-Continent Conference championships while finishing second another two times.
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To this day, Spence is just one of four swimming and diving student-athletes in league history to win multiple events for three or more years at the conference championship meet. He was voted Mid-Con ‘Diver of the Year’ his final three seasons.
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As a freshman, the Leathernecks won the 1998 team title and he was a Second Team All-Mid Con selection. Starting his sophomore season, Spence won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events at the Mid-Con championships earning him the top diving award. Western won the 1999 men’s title and finished runner-up his final two years.
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Spence stands eighth all-time in Summit League history in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving (11 dives), setting both personal bests during the 2001 season.
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After his playing career, Spence worked for two years as the WIU diving coach while earning his MBA degree.
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Originally from Liberty, Missouri, he graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management. He worked as a senior commodity manager at Rockwell Collins for over eight years. During the last two and a half years, Spence has worked as a product manager at Target Corporation in Minnesota.
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His wife Miranda (Zarello) earned her degree from Western in 2001 in Communication. The couple has two children – Emily and Ashley.  Spence is a co-founder of Beards for Hope raising money for lung cancer research.
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