Bentley Mara was named the women's Dr. Edsel Matthews Award winner for 2018-19. The award is Drury's highest honor bestowed upon a student-athlete and is presented to a senior that displays leadership, character and has had an exemplary athletic and academic career.
Mara earned the honor after leading last year's volleyball team to a breakthrough season that saw them set a Division II program record in winning percentage as they went 28-7 (.800) and won their first Great Lakes Valley Conference championship going 15-3 in the league. Mara, a native of Harrison, Arkansas, ended her career ranked 11th all-time at Drury in career kills with 1,139. She was a part of Drury's first-ever NCAA-II All-American class as she and teammate Kendra Sater were both selected to the honor last fall. Mara was a two-time All-GLVC selection, an All-Midwest Region pick, and has been an All-Academic honoree in the conference every year of her career.