STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford’s Jasmine Aikey and Elise Evans were among the 44 players named to the 2024 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List on Thursday.
Both players were listed on the watch list a year ago as sophomores, as Stanford boasted a national-best four players on the initial list a year ago. Aikey would eventually be selected as a semifinalist for the award.
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by voting of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. It is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the legendary St. Louis, Mo., businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League, the first pro soccer league in the United States which became the North American Soccer League. He was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
A Cardinal player has claimed three of the last seven MAC Hermann trophies, with Andi Sullivan earning the award in 2017, followed by Catarina Macario becoming a back-to-back winner in 2018 and 2019. Kelley O'Hara was the first Stanford player to win the MAC Hermann Trophy at the conclusion of the 2009 season. O'Hara was followed by Christen Press (2010) and Teresa Noyola (2011) to bring Stanford's total to six winners.
Florida State’s Onyi Echegini earned the honor in 2023 after guiding the Seminoles past Stanford in the national championship match.
Aikey was named 2023 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year during a spectacular sophomore season that saw her finish as a finalist for the Honda Award. She also earned her first All-America selection, claiming first-team honors, after scoring 11 goals to rank second on the team and assisting on a team-best 12 more to collect a team-high 34 points. The native of Palo Alto, Calif. finished the season ranked first in the Pac-12 in assists (12) and points (34), second in game-winning goals (4), and third in total goals (11).
Evans earned United Soccer Coaches All-America third team honors while landing on the All-Region first team a year ago. A staple of the Cardinal backline through two seasons on The Farm, Evans helped guide Stanford to 14 shutouts while limiting opponents to just .60 goals per game on 9.60 shots per game last season. On the attack, she scored two goals, including the game-winner vs. No. 18 Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament third round. The native of Redwood City, Calif. played 70+ minutes in 23 of her 25 matches played, including full time in 21 of the 25.
The watch 2024 list was compiled by members of the Division I Women’s All-America Council from a list of returning 2023 All-Americans and First Team All-Region players. A total of 15 players will be named 2024 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 4 at the conclusion of NCAA Division I All-American voting. From that list, head coaches will cast votes, and three players will be named finalists. The 2024 recipient will be announced January 3, 2025, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, Mo.
The 2024 Men’s Hermann Trophy Watch List will be announced next Thursday, August 22 on the first day of the opening of the men’s collegiate season.