Willenbring wins NCAA Elite 22

Abby Willenbring recently won the 2021 Elite 22 Award for soccer as a sophomore. This award is bestowed upon one student-athlete per sport who has competed at a championship level within the MIAC.

“That honor is pretty special and rare. There is one single winner at the entire championship event based on GPA. There’s a lot of smart kids,” head coach Steven Kimble said.

To obtain this award, the winner must have the highest GPA of any player and show a high level of skill within their sport. For soccer, one must be an active participant in the conference championship game. Competitors must be at least sophomore standing to be an eligible recipient of the Elite 22 Award.

“She took a big step this year,” Kimble said. “She was calmer and had more swag. She connected more passes and saw the field better. Now that she’s a sophomore, she knows what to expect; she has that experience under her belt now.”

Willenbring had an incredible season, and she was therefore the sole winner out of the entire CSB soccer team and the entire St. Mary’s soccer team, who CSB was competing against in the conference championship game. Many contenders had fantastic GPAs, making this win all the more impressive.

“We are always trying to support their academic careers, making sure they know they have support, and that I’m here to do whatever I can for them. They’re pretty motivated on their own. I don’t have to pour a lot of fuel on the fire with our kids in the classroom,” Kimble said.

Willenbring has maintained a 4.0 GPA thus far in her academic career. If competitors for this award have the same GPA, the tiebreaker is given to the student-athlete with the most amount of course credits earned at their respectable class level.

“I honestly like having soccer. It keeps me on a schedule, and I feel more willing to do my homework and get it done on time,” Willenbring said when asked how she balances being top of her class in the classroom and on the soccer field.

As an accounting major, Willenbring has completed many difficult courses in her academic career, and she continues to excel in them. The big goal she is working towards in the classroom is taking the CPA exam after she graduates.

“I’m definitely going to keep my grades up and study hard. It’s easy to get burnt out. In the future, I hope to take and pass the CPA exam,” Willenbring said.

Despite having won this award so early in her college career, Willenbring plans to continue working hard in soccer and academics.

“It’s tough because once you’re older you can’t play club anymore, so you have to train on your own. I hear Sophomore year is the hardest year for accounting, so I’m hoping I can keep my grades up in the future,” Willenbring said.

Coach Kimble and the entire CSB Soccer Team are incredibly proud of Willenbring for winning this award, as it is a great reminder her hard work has not gone unnoticed.

“[Willenbring] is relentless; no one will question that. She plays from whistle to whistle, and it’s hard to take her off the field. She never gets tired, and she’s absolutely just a beast. She goes beast mode every game… [Willenbring] competes and gives it her all every game. She never wants to let her team down, and she plays her heart out every game. She’s a good person and a good teammate,” Kimble said.