STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford forward Jordan Morris capped a storybook collegiate career on Friday night when he was named the winner of the 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s highest honor.
Morris was one of three finalists – Georgetown forward Brandon Allen and Creighton forward Fabian Herbers were the others – invited to Friday’s ceremony, with the award decided by a vote NCAA Division I soccer coaches. Morris received the men’s honor and Penn State midfielder Raquel Rodriguez received the women’s.
“I want to congratulate Fabian and Brandon on their fantastic seasons and wish them the best of luck moving forward in their careers,” Morris said after receiving his award. “Thank you to everyone who supported me this season – coaches, support staff, parents, siblings, girlfriend and my Stanford teammates who made this year unforgettable and the best of my life. I could not have done this without their support.”
The award wraps up a whirlwind week for the Mercer Island, Washington native. On Tuesday, Morris announced his plans to embark on a professional career and forgo his senior season at Stanford. In St. Louis to receive his award on Friday, he’ll depart from Missouri to join Werder Bremen for a training stint at that team’s camp in southern Turkey. A Sounders FC Academy product, Morris’ MLS rights are owned by Seattle.
On Wednesday, he was called by U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann for the first training camp of 2016 in Carson, Calif. in January. Morris will join his U.S. teammates, including fellow Cardinal Brandon Vincent, on Jan. 20 following his time with Bremen.
Morris is the first Stanford men’s player to earn the MAC Hermann Trophy. The Cardinal women boast three Hermann Trophy winners in Kelley O’Hara (2009), Christen Press (2010) and Teresa Noyola (2011). Stanford is the fourth school to have both men’s and women’s winners of the MAC Hermann Trophy, joining Virginia, Notre Dame and Penn State.
Morris was named the Most Outstanding Player at the College Cup after leading the Cardinal to the program’s first NCAA title with a two-goal performance in the championship in December. Stanford routed Clemson, 4-0, extending the school’s streak of at least one NCAA team championship to 40 year (an ongoing record) while earning its 108th NCAA team title and 129th overall. Morris’ two goals were the first multi-goal effort for a player in a title game since 1997.
The Pac-12 Player of the Year, Morris had a career-high 13 goals in 18 appearances for Stanford in 2015. In his final 14 games with the Cardinal, the junior had 12 goals, three assists and 27 points. He finished fifth in the country in game-winning goals (6), fifth in goals per game (0.72), seventh in total goals (13) and 12th in points per game (1.61).
Morris missed five collegiate matches this past season due to responsibilities with U.S. Soccer. He split time between the senior team, making six appearances with the MNT in 2015, while also earning 11 caps with the U-23s, scoring six goals and tallying four assists. With the USMNT, Morris scored against Mexico on April 15 and assisted on the game-winning goal against the Netherlands on June 5. His first senior cap came on Nov. 18, 2014 against Ireland in Dublin.
A Type 1 diabetic, Morris also lent his support to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF) “T1D Looks Like Me Campaign” for National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM) in November.