STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford senior All-American Brandon Vincent was named the Pac-12 Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.
The award, which is presented in each of the 22 sports the league sponsors, was established to honor student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline. Vincent is Stanford’s second men’s soccer awardee, joining Bobby Warshaw in 2010.
The Cardinal’s senior captain is also one of 10 men’s finalists for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate soccer. That award is given to a NCAA Division I senior student-athlete who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Academically, the senior owns a 3.3 GPA and has twice been a Pac-12 all-academic selection. One of 23 Stanford student-athletes majoring in economics, Vincent will graduate two quarters early, finishing his studies at the end of the fall session.
Vincent has anchored Stanford’s back line over the past four years, starting in each and every one of his 74 appearances. Widely regarded as one of the nation’s best defenders, Vincent was a NSCAA/Continental Tire First Team All-American and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and is a candidate for the 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy.
He has led the Cardinal to its most successful two-season stretch in a decade. Stanford is currently ranked sixth in the nation, fifth in the official NCAA RPI and has already locked up its second consecutive Pac-12 title and third straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Cardinal’s defense is among the best in the country, ranking 13th in team goals against average (0.68) behind eight shutouts. Stanford has allowed only 12 goals through its first 17 matches, its stingiest defensive effort since it let in 10 through the first 17 games of 2002.
Offensively, Vincent is third on the team with four goals in 2015, and has 10 over Stanford’s last 33 matches after scoring just once in his first 41 career games.
In early August he was one of 28 collegians called by U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Andi Herzog to Carson, California for the first College Identification training camp. Vincent scored the United States’ third goal in its 3-1 win over Club Tijuana’s Segunda Premier Team, a result which wrapped up the camp on August 7.
Vincent and fellow Stanford seniors Slater Meehan, Eric Verso and Ty Thompson will be honored before tonight’s regular-season finale at Cagan Stadium. The No. 6 Cardinal (13-2-2, 6-1-2) hosts No. 23 Cal (9-5-2, 4-3-2) at 6 p.m. in a match televised on Pac-12 Networks. A ceremony honoring Stanford’s 2015 Pac-12 championship will immediately follow the game.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.