ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Abby Willenbring covers a lot of ground when she's on the soccer field.
 
How much?
 
Well … heart monitors and tracking showed the College of Saint Benedict senior defender ran a total of 27 kilometers (almost 16.8 miles) during two home victories over Hamline and Wartburg (Iowa) Sept. 16-17.
 
Add in practices in the week leading up to those games and the grand total was around 51,000 meters (31.7 miles).
 
"I don't even have the right words to describe her athleticism," Bennies head coach Steve Kimble said. "She truly is an incredible athlete. She's so fit and so fast, and she does so much for us."
 
Indeed, Willenbring – a Centennial (Minnesota) High School graduate – is a rare defender who is also a bona fide offensive threat. As a junior last season, she finished with three goals and an assist (seven points) while earning United Soccer Coaches All-Region and All-MIAC first-team honors. She was also the third NCAA DIII Scholar All-America in College of Saint Benedict soccer school history after being honored last fall by the United Soccer Coaches.

As a sophomore in 2021, she was an All-MIAC honorable mention selection who finished with two goals and three assists (seven points).
 
"I have a really competitive mindset," Willenbring said. "When I'm on the field, I want to help the team any way I can. I just love competition. I always want to be pushing myself."
 
Willenbring's speed and versatility provide CSB with a wrinkle that can be tough for opposing teams to match.
 
"She's able to get herself upfield and into scoring position way more than a lot of defenders out there," Kimble said. "We realized right away when she got here that we had something special. She brings a feature to our team that a lot of other teams just don't have."
 
Willenbring has honed her skills against primarily Division I and II competition while playing in a women's premiere league in the Twin Cities the past two summers.
 
And she didn't even take time away from the game while studying abroad in Ireland at University College Cork this past winter and spring. Instead, she joined the women's club team there – taking part in both the indoor and outdoor seasons and helping to capture a Lydon Cup championship.
 
"That was a lot of fun," said Willenbring, a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region second-team and Academic All-MIAC pick a year ago. "It helped me get to know a lot more people and get familiar with the culture of Ireland a bit better.
 
"The game was pretty similar (to the American college level). It was a little bit faster-paced than what we typically see. We had girls on our team who'd played in the national league over there. So I really got to push myself.
 
"It helped keep me in shape and focused on the game."
 
Now Willenbring – whose twin sister Brooke is a professional photographer in the Twin Cities –  is applying her focus to the Bennies' quest to win their first MIAC title since 2013.
 
CSB has finished second the past two seasons, including last year when the team posted a record of 8-2-1 in conference play and 12-5-2 overall. This season, the Bennies are 2-1 in MIAC action and 4-3 overall with three straight wins (all by shutout) heading into a big home conference matchup against Augsburg (1-1-1, 6-1-1) at 4 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 27).
 
"We've come so close the past two years and I'd love to finally get the job done with this group," said Willenbring, who will graduate in May and has already accepted a full-time position with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, in the Twin Cities, starting in the fall of 2024.
 
"We're starting to build more and more confidence," she said. "Our team chemistry is really strong. We're all so supportive of each other. We have the potential to do some big things."