[2] Sell represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the men's marathon.

Sell attended Northern Bedford High School, where he participated in multiple sports.

Sell began at Messiah College,[4] then transferred to study at Saint Francis University, where his athletic career reached new heights.

He represented SFU at the 2000 NCAA Division I XC Championships, where he ran the 10K in 31:17.1 and was a two time All-American.

[5] Sell placed third overall in the 2008 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Central Park, New York City on November 3, 2007, with a time of 2:11:40, earning him a spot, along with Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein, on the U.S. men's marathon team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he finished the Olympic Marathon in 22nd place with a time of 2:16:7.