Benne Anderson built on early success to become Syracuse’s top runner
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Before Benne Anderson became a household name among college coaches, he flew under the radar. Many people knew his father, Donovan Anderson, an All-American runner at Kansas, but Benne hadn’t made a name for himself.
That’s because Benne preferred soccer growing up. He played through middle school and continued in his freshman year at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School (Michigan), while also juggling cross country. But as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all team sports were shut down. Anderson’s focus turned to running.
Then, in his sophomore year of high school, he broke out. He set a school record in the 3,200-meter at 9:25. It was Anderson’s first time running the 3,200, and he shattered the previous record by six seconds. By the end of his high school career, he broke his own record again, this time by 45 seconds in 8:40.
The attention Benne lacked finally arrived. He’d officially entered the spotlight.
After a third-place finish at the Team Midwest Regional Championships ended his high school career, Benne has remained in the spotlight at Syracuse. He earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Northeast Region honors as a redshirt freshman and sophomore and All-Atlantic Coast recognition as a sophomore. Benne’s success continued early in his redshirt junior campaign, winning ACC Men’s Performer of the Week Tuesday after being SU’s top finisher at the Meadows Challenge last weekend.
“He can go on the starting line against really great runners, and he’s not intimidated,” Donovan said. “He just lives in the moment.”
In 2024, Anderson’s SU career opened with a sixth-place finish at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational. The following season, he finished second among Syracuse runners, sixth overall at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. Benne’s placement propelled the Orange to win the meet and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
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Benne improved significantly as a redshirt sophomore, rising from 34th at the ACC Championships in 2024 to 15th in 2025 while earning All-ACC honors. At the NCAA Northeast Regionals, Benne improved from eighth to sixth place, shaving off 47 seconds.
This season, Benne has two third-place finishes and was the Orange’s top scorer at the Princeton Invitational, a meet with No. 4 Alabama, No. 24 Villanova, Georgetown and North Carolina.
“His jump is not a surprise at all,” SU head coach Brien Bell said. “If you called up all my peers, they probably tell their guys they fully expect Benne Anderson to be up front.”
Before Benne starred at Syracuse, he had to learn to push himself. He trained solo during COVID-19 and was oftentimes his only source of motivation. Then, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills head coach Daniel Ebright saw Benne blossom into a star.
Ebright assigned Benne four-mile workouts and had him track his splits every 800 meters. Benne’s improvement was apparent.
As a sophomore, he ran at the MHSAA State Championships to qualify for the Eastbay Midwest Region Cross Country Championships. With fans cheering along the straightaway, Benne couldn’t hear his coaches yelling that someone was coming up from behind. He tripped and missed the state meet, finishing 31st, while the top-30 runners moved on.
Benne ensured that wouldn’t happen again. The next year, he qualified and finished third at the MHSAA State Championships. The meet was at Michigan International Speedway, a venue that forces runners to leave spectators’ view. Benne began that mile-and-a-half stretch amid a large pack. When he emerged, he was in third place.
He can go on the starting line against really great runners, and he's not intimidated. He just lives in the moment.Donovan Anderson, Benne Anderson’s father
“I definitely am more patient than I was when I was a freshman in high school,” Benne said. “I definitely feel a little calmer when I race.”
After spending many hours training alone during the pandemic, Benne’s grown through his teammates at Syracuse.
“The team aspect is really something that has had the most impact on me throughout all of it, how I’ve grown as a person, through my triumphs and when I fall, having the guys there to support me and help pick me back up,” he said. “Having people who can wake up at 6:30 a.m. with you, and then do it again every day all summer.”
From a freshman who didn’t run much to Syracuse’s top guy, Benne’s become more comfortable as a runner.
“I appreciate that he goes out and races and enjoys being in that moment,” Donovan said.
Syracuse hasn’t won an ACC title since 2019. Winning one this season won’t be easy. But Benne knows what his team can accomplish.
“We got a lot of work to do, but it’s definitely possible,” Benne said. “You can’t take anything for granted. You have to keep laying and paving the way ahead to build each other up and work out and just keep running.”
