KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mercer junior forward Will Bagrou is one of 15 men’s semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) Hermann Trophy, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced Tuesday.
The Dacula, Georgia, native is the first player in program history and the first Southern Conference player since Elon’s Chris Thomas (2012) to be named a semifinalist for the award. Bagrou is the only player from the state of Georgia among this year’s 15 semifinalists.
The MAC Hermann Trophy serves as college soccer’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy and is presented annually to the top male and female players in the country. The men’s trophy has been awarded each year since 1967 and has honored some of the biggest names in American soccer history, including Alexi Lalas, Cladio Reyna and Tony Meola. The 15 semifinalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy are determined by All-America voting conducted by NCAA Division I men's soccer coaches with oversight from the NSCAA NCAA Division I Men's Senior College All-America Committee.
Bagrou, the SoCon Player of the Year, led the Bears to a 13-7-1 record and their first NCAA tournament berth since 2001 with a dynamic offensive year. He totaled 20 points, eight goals and four assists, all of which ranked among the top marks in the league, and became the third player in conference history to earn Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year distinctions in a career.
The three-time All-SoCon first-team honoree owned two of the three fastest goals by a SoCon player this season (0:26 and 1:30) while notching a pair of two-goal performances and two game-winning goals. Bagrou is also the SoCon’s active career leader in points (63) and game-winning goals (9) while ranking second in assists (13) and third in goals (25).
Three finalists, including the recipient of the 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy, will be determined by voting conducted by NCAA Division I men’s soccer coaches combined with a fan vote conducted on MACHermannTrophy.org. Voting ends Dec. 13 and the three finalists will be announced Dec. 14.
2016 MAC HERMANN TROPHY MEN’S SEMIFINALISTS
Name, class, position, school, hometown
Will Bagrou, Jr., F, Mercer, Dacula, Ga.
Alex Crognale, Sr., D, Maryland, Gahanna, Ohio
Reagan Dunk*, Sr., D, Denver, Dallas, Texas
Wuilito Fernandes, Sr., F, UMass Lowell, Praia, Cape Verde
David Goldsmith, Sr., F, Butler, Bristol, England
Julian Gressel, Sr., F, Providence, Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany
Ian Harkes, Sr., M, Wake Forest, Fairfax, Va.
Jacori Hayes, Sr., M, Wake Forest, Bowie, Md.
Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Jr., D, Stanford, Matthews, N.C.
Tim Kubel, Jr., D, Louisville, Stuttgart, Germany
Miles Robinson, So., D, Syracuse, Arlington, Mass.
Albert Ruiz, Jr., F, Florida Gulf Coast, Barcelona, Spain
Tanner Thompson, Sr., M, Indiana, Granite Bay, Calif.
Gordon Wild, So., F, Maryland, Cologne, Germany
Brian Wright, Sr., F, Vermont, Ajax, Ont.
* Indicates 2015 semifinalist