Honors and Awards
- Third-round selection by the Philadelphia Charge in the 2000 WUSA draft
- First-Team NSCAA All-American (2000)
- First-Team College Soccer Online All-American (2000)
- Second-Team Soccer Buzz All-American (2000)
- First-Team All-Big 12 Conference (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000)
- Soccer America Team of the Week (Sept. 18 - Sept. 24, 2000)
- Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 25, 2000)
- NSCAA First-Team All-Central Region (1996, 1997, 2000)
- Soccer Buzz Third-Team Freshman All-American (1996)
- U.S. National Team Player (2001)
- U.S. Under-20 National Team Player (1996, 1997)
2000 Season
A four-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, Jenny Benson moved to defender for her senior campaign, helping the Huskers record a school-record 16 shutouts en route to earning first-team All-America honors from the NSCAA. Nebraska surrendered just 10 goals, producing a school-record low 0.42 goals-against average.
Offensively, Benson finished her career with 99 points on 26 goals and a school-record 47 assists. She posted 17 points on four goals and nine assists as a senior. An All-Big 12 Tournament selection, Benson recorded four assists in three tournament games, earning all-tournament honors for the fourth time. She notched two assists in NU's 6-1 victory over OSU, and added two more in a Big 12 Tournament win over Kansas.
A Missouri Athletic Club National Player-of-the-Year finalist, Benson earned Big 12 Defender-of-the-Week honors and Soccer America Team-of-the-Week honors after helping NU shut out Baylor (Sept. 22) and Creighton (Sept. 24).
1999 Season
Benson was one of the creative forces behind Nebraska's run to the NCAA Elite Eight and a final No. 5 ranking, setting a single-season school record with 17 assists to go along with six goals to finish with 29 points. Benson's point total tied Christine Latham for the third-highest on the team and seventh in the Big 12.
Benson earned first-team All-Big 12 honors for the third time and was a second-team All-Central Region midfielder. Benson's 17 assists led the Big 12 and her 0.74 assists per game ranked fifth nationally. She posted assists in six straight games, beginning with a 5-1 win at Kentucky Sept. 5, and continuing through a 9-0 win over Tulsa on Sept. 24.
She earned Nebraska's Most Creative Player Award for the third time in her career.
1998 Season
Benson redshirted the season after suffering a season-ending ACL injury on July 19.
1997 Season
Benson tied Becky Hogan for the team lead with eight assists, while adding five goals to finish fourth on the team with 18 points. Benson scored four of her five goals and added five assists in Big 12 play, which helped her capture first-team All-Big 12 Conference and All-Big 12 Tournament honors. Benson earned the Husker's Most Valuable and Most Creative Player awards after the 1997 season.
1996 Season
Benson led the Huskers with 13 assists and added 11 goals, including five game-winning goals, to finish fourth on the team with 35 points. She earned first-team all-region, all-conference and Big 12 All-tournament honors. Benson earned a spot on the Soccer Buzz Third-Team Freshman All-America team and claimed team honors as Nebraska's Most Creative Player. She set a school single-game assist record with four assists, including a record three in the first half, in a 10-2 win over Colorado. She was the only player to score goals in each of NU's NCAA Tournament wins.
High School
Benson led Marina High School to California Interscholastic Federation championships and Sunset League championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. During that stretch, Benson helped Marina to a 61-0-3 unbeaten streak. Marina also finished with a No. 3 national ranking in 1995. Benson was voted the CIF Defensive Player of the Year in the spring of 1996. She earned first-team Los Angeles Times and first-team Orange County Register honors in 1996 and was the MVP of the Sunset League. She was a three-year varsity starter and earned Marina High School most valuable offensive player honors in 1994. Along with her soccer honors, Benson was a member of the varsity track team for two seasons and the MVP of Marina's junior varsity volleyball team in 1994.
Other Information
Benson earned a spot as a U.S. Under-20 National Team pool player after the 1996 and 1997 seasons. She played in four games and started two for the Under-20 Team in a spring 1997 swing through North Carolina. Benson played on the North Huntington Beach team that won the Under-19 National Cup championship in 1996. Her NHB teams won state championships in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996. The team also won regional championships in 1991, 1995 and 1996.
Personal Information
The daughter of Michael and Sharon Benson, Jenny has three brothers, Michael, 30, Chad 28, and Jeff, 23. She graduated with a degree in communication studies and was born Jan. 25, 1978.