Melanie Brender Class: RS Freshman Hometown: Sterling Heights, Mich. High School: Utica Stevenson

2010:
Ran unattached at the Jeff Drenth Memorial and the EMU Fall Classic ... Posted a time of at 19:58.1 at the Jeff Drenth and 19:36.7 at EMU ... Also clocked a 24.46 mark at the Spartan Invitational.

High School:
Lettered in both cross country and track all four years for head coach Kevin Hanson ... All-conference honoree for three years in a row starting in 2007 ... Second-team all-county freshman and sophomore years ... First-team all-district and all-county her junior year ... No. 1 in the county her senior year in the 3200m and top in the conference in the 1600m ... Second in the region in the 3200m her junior and senior years ... Honored as all-academic all-county from 2007-2009 and was number one academic all-county her senior year ... Placed 16th in the 3200m with a time of 11:18 and 34th in cross country in senior year at states ... Valedictorians her senior year ... Member of both the National Honors Society and German National Honors Society...

Personal:
Born September 26, 1992 ... Daughter of Kevin and Kristen Brender ... Plans on double majoring in political science and communication.