Diego Walsh named Hermann Trophy finalist

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Diego Walsh named finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy award
Senior SMU midfielder one of 15 finalists

Mission, Kan. -- SMU senior midfielder Diego Walsh (Miami, Fla.) is one of 15 finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy for men, awarded to the top players in NCAA Division I soccer. The field was announced by the NSCAA Wednesday.

On the men's side, three finalists from 2001 are on the list again this season: Pat Noonan, a senior forward from Indiana; Alecko Eskandarian, a junior forward from Virginia; and Mike Tranchilla, a senior forward from Creighton University.

Joining Noonan on the ballot is Hoosier teammate Ryan Mack, a senior midfielder. Completing the ballot on the men's side are: Walsh, Brian Carroll, a junior midfielder from Wake Forest University; Ryan Coiner, a senior forward from the University of San Diego; Ryan Futogaki, a senior midfielder from UCLA; Sumed Ibrahim, a junior midfielder from the University of Maryland; Nate Jaqua, a junior forward from Portland; Roger Levesque, a senior forward from Stanford University; Jordan Quinn, a senior forward from the University of South Carolina; Damani Ralph, a senior forward from the University of Connecticut; David Stokes, a junior defender from North Carolina; and Chris Wingert, a junior midfielder from St. John's University.

This year's honorees will have the distinction of being the first to receive the newly-unified award. This summer's announcement of the unification of the M.A.C. Award and the Hermann Trophy completed the merging of NCAA Division I soccer's three top honors. In 1999, the M.A.C. and the NSCAA came together to create a single award recognizing the top Division I players. The winners of the M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy will be decided by a vote of current NSCAA members at the NCAA Division I level.

Winners of the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy will be announced at a news conference in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 12 in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Men's College Cup and the announcement of the NSCAA/adidas All-America teams for intercollegiate play. The winners will be feted at a dinner at the M.A.C. in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 10.