Defensively, Catholic's Rachel Rubenstein made sure her presence was known on the field every game, claiming the Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Starting in all 16 games of the season and maintaining an impressive streak of 54 consecutive starts over the past three years, she embodied reliability and resilience.
Rubenstein's defense prowess was unmatched, leading the conference in ground balls per game (4.13), draw controls (91), draw controls per game (5.06), and caused turnovers per game (3.00). Her season highlight came against Colorado College on April 21, where she recovered nine ground balls, proving her tenacity and defensive mastery.