Going on college visits in high school, only one school stuck out in Kristen Bennett Martin’s mind -- Otterbein. Looking to continue competing as both a volleyball and track and field athlete, Martin fell in love with Otterbein so much that it became the only school she bought a T-shirt at following her visit. Still, when decision time came, Martin opted for the Division I route and enrolled at Xavier. But it didn’t take long for her to realize that Westerville felt more like home. As she trained with Xavier’s track and field team, she often watched the club volleyball team practice nearby. The itch to get back on the court grew stronger with each session — until she finally picked up the phone and called Otterbein head volleyball coach Monica Wright to explore the possibility of becoming a Cardinal.
Wright and the team welcomed her with open arms, and Martin quickly made her mark. Despite a two-year break from the sport, she delivered an impressive first season with 169 kills and 59 total blocks.
As a junior, she decided to continue her track and field journey along with volleyball. No easy task by any means, Martin had an incredible support system behind her that helped her excel in both sports. Unable to attend most track and field practices, Martin would do her own workouts in her spare time, juggling the academic and athletic workload like a pro. Her desire to achieve excellence didn’t stop on the court or on the track, as Martin became the first-ever Cardinal to earn Academic All-America honors in two different sports in the 2011-12 season. She graduated from Otterbein as a three-time Academic All-America honoree, garnering her final accolade in the Fall of 2012.
As a volleyball only athlete her senior year, Martin’s career capped off in perfect fashion, cementing her choice to transfer to Otterbein. That season, she led the Cardinals to an OAC Tournament Championship with a team-leading 292 kills. The squad went to three straight NCAA Tournaments with Martin on the roster. As a senior, she was crowned an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America and was the OAC Clyde Lamb Award winner in 2013.
She was a NCAA Qualifier in the indoor long jump and outdoor long and triple jumps, and still holds the school record in the indoor and outdoor long jump, as well as the outdoor triple jump.
