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Jenna Walker
Walker training with the North Carolina Courage in 2024
Personal information
Birth name Jenna Rae Winebrenner[1]
Date of birth (1999-03-01) March 1, 1999 (age 26)[2]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Center back
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 55 (2)
2021 TCU Horned Frogs 24 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Kansas City Current 19 (0)
2024 North Carolina Courage 0 (0)
2024–2025 Dallas Trinity 23 (0)
Managerial career
2022–2023 Kansas City Comets (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 31, 2025

Jenna Walker (née Winebrenner; born March 1, 1999) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a center back. She played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the TCU Horned Frogs; she helped lead the latter to its first Big Ten tournament title. She was drafted by hometown club Kansas City Current in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft. After two years there, including a stint as assistant coach to the Kansas City Comets of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), she played for Dallas Trinity in the inaugural USL Super League season before retiring in 2025.

Early life

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Walker grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, the younger of two children born to Eric and Lisa Winebrenner.[1] She began playing soccer at age three.[3] She played high school soccer at Park Hill High School, winning three consecutive Kansas City Suburban Red Conference titles, and also competed in basketball and cross country.[1] She was named second-team all-state in 2014 and 2015 and first-team all-state in 2016 and 2017.[1][4]

College career

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Walker played four seasons for Notre Dame Fighting Irish between 2017 and 2020, joining the starting lineup and playing 18 games as a sophomore.[1] She tore her UCL during her sophomore season and played the rest of the year in a brace before undergoing surgery in the spring.[5] She started all 21 games and scored 2 goals in her junior season.[1] She started all 13 games in her senior season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

TCU Horned Frogs

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Walker transferred to the TCU Horned Frogs in 2021, starting all 24 games in her graduate season and earning first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors. She helped lead TCU to its first Big 12 tournament title in program history, assisting Messiah Bright's game winner against Texas Tech in the semifinals, and was named the tournament's defensive most valuable player.[6][7] She assisted the team's first goal of the NCAA tournament and helped the team to the round of 16.[6][8] While in college, Walker began coaching girls' soccer teams when she was home in Kansas City.[8]

Club career

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Kansas City Current

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The Kansas City Current selected Walker 41st overall in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft.[9] She was signed to a one-year contract with the option to extend for another year, which was exercised.[10] She made her professional debut on March 18, 2022, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Racing Louisville in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup group stage. She remained in the lineup for all but one of the Current's games in the Challenge Cup, helping the team reach the semifinals.[11] She started six of the first seven regular-season games before being left out the eleven after early June.[12] After the Current placed fifth in the regular season, Walker was unused in the playoffs as the team reached the championship game, losing to the Portland Thorns. Walker made 18 appearances (12 starts) in all competitions in her rookie season.[13][14]

After her rookie season, Walker was hired as an assistant coach by the Kansas City Comets of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) on November 22, 2022, becoming the first female coach in MASL history.[13][15] She knew Comets head coach Leo Gibson and assistant coach Stefan Stokic from her youth soccer days.[15][16] Her duties included analyzing game film and scrimmaging with the men in practice.[3][15] She said the opportunity to train with the indoor team was "an ideal situation for the offseason".[3]

Walker made 14 appearances (7 starts) in all competitions in the 2023 season.[17] On July 22, 2023, starting out of position in midfield, Walker recorded her first two professional assists against the Houston Dash, setting up the first two goals of Kristen Hamilton's hat trick in a 3–1 victory in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup group stage.[18] After missing the playoffs, the Current did not re-resign Walker to the team.[19]

Dallas Trinity

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Walker joined the North Carolina Courage as a non-roster invitee in the 2024 preseason and signed with the team as an injury replacement player.[20][21] On August 1, 2024, she was waived by the Courage and signed Dallas Trinity ahead of the USL Super League's inaugural season.[21][22] She appeared in the starting lineup of Trinity's first-ever game on August 18, which they drew 1–1 against the Tampa Bay Sun.[23] She started 23 regular-season games and one playoff game, helping Dallas place third out of eight teams before losing to the Tampa Bay Sun in the semifinals.[24][25]

Walker announced her retirement from soccer on June 9, 2025.[26]

Personal life

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Walker is married to professional lacrosse player Ethan Walker.[27][28] They got engaged in July 2024.[29]

During her playing career, Walker always wore a green headband on the field.[8][15]

Honors and awards

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TCU Horned Frogs

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Jenna Winebrenner". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. July 9, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner". North Carolina Courage. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Lewis, Michael (January 14, 2023). "She Never Intended to Make History". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  4. ^ "2017 Girls Class 4 All-State". Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Winebrenner, Jenna (June 26, 2019). "Jenna Winebrenner". Stronger Scars. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Jenna Winebrenner – Women's Soccer". TCU Athletics. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  7. ^ "Winebrenner Drafted By The KC Current". TCU Horned Frogs. December 18, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Green, PJ (May 6, 2022). "Park Hill alum Jenna Winebrenner finding stride in rookie year with KC Current". FOX 4 KC. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Winebrenner Drafted By The KC Current". TCU Athletics. December 18, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Kansas City Current Announces Roster, Agree to Contracts With 2022 NWSL Draft Class". Kansas City Current. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
    "Kansas City Current 2023 Roster Update". Kansas City Current. November 15, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  12. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner 2022 NWSL Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Richmire, Pete (November 22, 2022). "MASL's First Female Coach, Jenna Winebrenner Joins Comets Staff". Kansas City Comets. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  14. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner 2022 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d Sperry, Daniel (December 10, 2022). "This KC Current player helps coach the Comets men's team. That's a 1st for their league". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022.
  16. ^ Cobb, Tanner (December 13, 2022). "Winebrenner comes home, gives back to KC soccer community". The Platte County Citizen. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner 2023 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  18. ^ Sperry, Daniel (July 22, 2023). "Hat trick! How Kristen Hamilton flipped Saturday's KC Current match ... in 4 minutes". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  19. ^ "Kansas City Current 2024 Roster Update". Kansas City Current. November 20, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  20. ^ "2024 Start-of-Season Roster". North Carolina Courage. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Courage waive defender Jenna Winebrenner". North Carolina Courage. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Dallas Trinity FC [@dallastrinityfc] (August 1, 2024). "Welcome to Dallas Trinity FC, @Winebrenner13!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 1, 2024 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Tampa Bay Sun FC 1–1 Dallas Trinity FC". USL Super League. August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  24. ^ Jenna Walker at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  25. ^ Sánchez Córdova, José (July 7, 2025). "Dallas Trinity FC's first season ends in heartbreak after playoff loss against Tampa Bay". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  26. ^ Walker, Jenna [@winebrenner19]; (June 9, 2025). "thank you soccer". Retrieved June 9, 2025 – via Instagram.
  27. ^ Green, PJ (June 9, 2023). "How pro lacrosse player Ethan Walker found a home in Kansas City". FOX4KC. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  28. ^ Winebrenner, Jenna [@winebrenner19]; (September 1, 2024). "happy birthday to my husband!!". Retrieved September 24, 2024 – via Instagram.
  29. ^ Winebrenner, Jenna [@winebrenner19]; (July 11, 2024). "the easiest yes! 💍💓". Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Instagram.
  30. ^ "USL Super League Team of the Month – December". USL Super League. December 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
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