Mauro Cichero Named Hermann Trophy Semifinalist — VOTE HERE

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Cichero Named MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist
One Of 30 NCAA Division I Athletes Selected

Dec. 1, 2015

Vote For Mauro Here

ST.LOUIS (SMU) – SMU men’s soccer player Mauro Cichero has been named a semifinalist for the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in intercollegiate soccer, the National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America announced on Tuesday.

Cichero is one of 30 NCAA Division I players to be selected as a semifinalist for the award, with the NSCAA College Services member coaches voting on the 30 players. The top-three players selected will be announced as finalists later this month.

Cichero helped lead the Mustangs to a 15-3-4 record, an American Athletic Conference regular season title and an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance in 2015. The Norman, Oklahoma native was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year and a unanimous First-Team All-Conference selection. The sophomore finished the season ranked first on the team in goals (10), points (29) and shots (71), and second in assists (9).

The Mustangs finished the 2015-16 season dropping its NCAA Third Round matchup against Akron, 2-1, on November 29. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the 30th in school history and the 22nd NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.

Arthur Ivo was the last Mustang to be named a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, dating back to 2010. Luchi Gonzalez is the only Mustang to win the Hermann Trophy, claiming the award in 2001. In 1997, Daniel Hernandez was named the NSCAA Player of the Year.

History
In 1967, Robert Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the NPSL's successor, the North American Soccer League, established a trophy to annually recognize the top men's collegiate soccer player. The trophy, named the Hermann Trophy, has been awarded each year since 1967. In 1988, a second Hermann Trophy was inaugurated to recognize the top women's collegiate player of the year.

In 1986, the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) began naming an annual player of the year as a rival to the Hermann Trophy. Then in 1996, the NSCAA initiated its own annual player of the year award. These three competing awards began merging three years later when the NSCAA and MAC agreed to cooperate on naming a combined collegiate player of the year. Finally, beginning in 2002, the NSCAA, the Missouri Athletic Conference and the Hermann Trophy merged to create a unified award for the top college soccer player of the year.

The original Hermann Award Trophy is on display in the Hermann Atrium located in the McDonnell Athletic Center at MICDS in Ladue, Missouri.

Selection Process
Today, the process of selecting a winner begins at the start of the college soccer season when a list of potential nominees is compiled by a nominating committee. Near the end of the collegiate regular season, 15 players whom the committee considers the best in Division I soccer are announced as semifinalists for the award. That list is then voted on through an online voting process by men's and women's Division I soccer coaches whose teams are current NSCAA College Services members.

In early December, the top three vote-getters for both the men's and women's trophy are announced as finalists for the award. These six individuals are invited to an annual banquet held at the Missouri Athletic Club of St. Louis. That evening, the winners of the two awards are announced and receive a 10 pound crystal replica soccer ball made by Tyrone Crystal of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Congratulations, Mauro! Great season.

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