Ben Sampson

Classroom

Ben Sampson graduated summa cum laude from the University of Delaware in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree and decided to return to the classroom and utilize his fifth year of eligibility following a medical redshirt. His goals are to graduate with his master’s in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in signal processing, communications and controls this coming spring and to obtain a position as an electrical engineer. Sampson also has strong interests in business and finance as he has taken courses in marketing, accounting and finance and would like to return to school at some point to earn an MBA. The 2014 CAA Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Samspon is arguably the best student-athlete in the 90-plus year history of Delaware men’s soccer. A student in the world-renowned University of Delaware Engineering Department, Sampson’s only “blemish” on his report card is one A- and, unsurprisingly, he finished at the top of his class with a 3.989 cumulative GPA. Additionally, Samspon is only the program’s second two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection, and with his continued progress remains on course for a third honor this season. A four-year selection for the CAA Academic Honor Roll and recipient of the CAA All-Academic Team Award, Sampson is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma (National College Athlete Honor Society) and IEEE-HKN Honors Society (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Eta Kappa Nu). Along with his classroom and soccer responsibilities, Sampson has interned with Phase Sensitive Innovations since April 2015.

Character

A person truly driven by the pursuit of excellence, Sampson’s attitude across all of our engagements (on the field, in the classroom, within the community, in the team setting, with donors and while working with University personnel) is one marked by the highest class and integrity. A two-time team captain, Sampson is passionate and energetic in everything he does, and he fully believes that it is important to be ambitious and to give whatever task is at hand everything he has. As a freshman who earned a spot in the starting lineup immediately, Sampson experienced heartbreak when he broke his foot after playing just three career games. While this felt like a negative moment at the time, Sampson immediately turned it into a positive experience knowing that he had another year to continue to improve at the University of Delaware. Sampson has stated multiple times that being a student-athlete is something truly special, as he can showcase his talents and passion while connecting to a variety of audiences. Those around him inspire him, and in turn he aspires to inspire and instill pride into the younger generation. He doesn’t see it as a burden to give back to those around him, and he intentionally wants to give back, build relationships and support those around him. With his friendly demeanor, Sampson is never seen without a smile on his face and has never met a stranger in his life.

Community

A leader in the classroom, Sampson displays a similar hallmark leadership on the field and in the community. Despite an exhausting classroom workload, he is the point person for organizing many of the service activities the Delaware men’s soccer team conducts in the local community and internally with team-building events. Throughout his five seasons as a Blue Hen, Samspon has volunteered with Special Olympics and youth soccer experiences while also dedicating time to giving back to the University of Delaware community as a whole. He has participated in “Arrival Survival,” in which volunteers help new students move into residence halls, while also assisting with their transition to the university and helping enhance the new student’s living and learning experiences. Within the Delaware athletics department sphere, Samspon has participated in traveling throughout the state for meet-and-greets and youth learning experiences while also helping with Future Hens Club membership initiatives.

Competition

Through competition on September 16, 2016, Sampson has been a mainstay on the pitch for a nationally respected Blue Hens squad as he started 68 of 69 games played in a Delaware uniform and rarely has seen less than 90 minutes of playing time in a contest. During his three playing seasons, the Hens have registered an overall mark of 42-19-6 (.672) while earning two trips to the CAA Championship contest, claiming the 2014 regular season title and an NCAA Tournament berth. For his career, Sampson has collected seven goals and four assists for 18 points. Prior to breaking his foot as a freshman, he was selected to Duke’s John Rennie/Nike Classic All-Tournament Team. During his redshirt freshman season, he garnered CAA All-Rookie Team honors.