University of South Florida senior Kevon Neaves has been selected to the 2008 Men’s Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List, announced early on Tuesday.
Last year Neaves finished with six goals and eight assists, and was named to the 2007 National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) Men’s Division I All-Northeast Region first team and to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (how many times). In the second half of the season he was ranked as high as 21st in the nation with .47 assists per game and 52nd in the country with 1.18 points per game. He was a 2007 first team All-BIG EAST Conference player and was selected to the 2008 preseason all-conference team.
Considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer, the recipients of the MAC's Hermann Trophy are selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. A list of 15 semifinalists is selected by a coaches committee in November, with three finalists announced in early December. They will invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., for a news conference on Jan. 9, 2009, where the winner will be announced, with a presentation banquet following.
The Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer’s players of the year awards since 1986. The MAC was established in 1903 as an athletic, dining and social club. It has a “Platinum Club of America” status, which is awarded to the top private clubs in the country.
Based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is the largest coaches' organization in the United States. Since its founding in 1941, it has grown to include more than 26,000 members who coach both genders at all levels of the sport. In addition to a national rankings program for colleges and high schools, NSCAA offers an extensive recognition program that presents nearly 10,000 individual awards every year. It fulfills its mission of coaching education through a nationwide program of clinics and week-long courses, teaching more than 4,000 soccer coaches each year.
An exhibition dedicated to the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy featuring all former recipients of both the MAC and Hermann trophies, the current winners, a replica of the Irish crystal trophy and the original Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Museum in Oneonta, N.Y. Additional information about the National Soccer Hall of Fame can be found at www.soccerhall.org.
For the complete listing of all the candidates for the Men’s Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List, visit www.nscaa.com.