FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2026— The Intercollegiate Women’s Soccer Organization for Coaches (IWSOC), in partnership with United Soccer Coaches, announced on Wednesday the NCAA Division I women’s college soccer players named to the 2026 Hermann Trophy Watch List.
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 a vote of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. The award is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the St. Louis, Mo., businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League — the first professional soccer league in the United States, which later became the North American Soccer League. Hermann was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
The 2026 watch list was compiled by members of the Division I Women’s All-America Council from a pool of returning 2025 All-Americans and First Team All-Region players. A total of 15 players will be named 2026 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 2026 recipient will be announced January 8, 2027, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, Mo.
2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Hermann Trophy Watch List
| Name | Class | School | Hometown | |
| Valentina Amaral | Sr. | Wake Forest University | Oviedo, Fla. | |
| Azul Alvarez | Sr. | Baylor University | Round Rock, Texas | |
| Kennedy Ball | Sr. | University of Arkansas | Lookout Mountain, Ga. | |
| Kennedy Bell | Sr. | Michigan State University | Charlotte, N.C. | |
| Hailey Baumann | Sr. | University of Wisconsin | South Lyon, Mich. | |
| Caroline Birkel | So. | Stanford University | St. Louis, Mo. | |
| Kayla Briggs | Sr. | Michigan State University | Toronto, Ont. | |
| Alex Buck | Jr. | University of Washington | Medina, Wash. | |
| Sofia Bush | Sr. | University of Iowa | Marion, Iowa | |
| Bella Carapazza | Sr. | Texas A&M University | Tarpon Springs, Fla. | |
| Caroline Castans | Sr. | University of Kansas | Flower Mound, Texas | |
| Annabelle Chukwu | Jr. | University of Notre Dame | Ottawa, Ont. | |
| Katie Shea Collins | Jr. | Duke University | Gallatin, Tenn. | |
| Erin Connolly | Sr. | University of Wisconsin | Clayton, Mo. | |
| Sam Courtwright | So. | Duke University | Dallas, Texas | |
| Summer Denigan | Sr. | University of North Carolina | Union, Ky. | |
| Izzy Engle | Jr. | University of Notre Dame | Edina, Minn. | |
| Samantha Erbach | Jr. | Florida State University | Lebanon, Ohio | |
| Bella Field | Jr. | University of Arkansas | Leawood, Kan. | |
| Ava Galligan | Sr. | Louisiana State University | Ashburn, Va. | |
| Millie Greer | Sr. | University of Iowa | Scottsdale, Ariz. | |
| Liv Grenda | Jr. | University of Dayton | Perkasie, Pa. | |
| Sierra Giorgio | Sr. | University of South Alabama | Vaughan, Ont. | |
| Kaya Hanson | Sr. | Georgetown University | Seattle, Wash. | |
| Ashley Henderson | Sr. | Florida State University | Memphis, Tenn. | |
| Jace Holley | Jr. | University of Colorado | Fort Collins, Colo. | |
| Courtney Jones | Sr. | Vanderbilt University | Orlando, Fla. | |
| Annika Jost | Jr. | United States Air Force Academy | Temecula, Calif. | |
| Lucy Kesler | Jr. | Brigham Young University | American Fork, Utah | |
| Ai Kitagawa | Jr. | University of Memphis | Itami City, Japan | |
| Kameron Kloza | Sr. | University of Texas-San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | |
| Charlotte Kohler | Jr. | Stanford University | Woodside, Calif. | |
| Ashlynn Kulha | Sr. | Old Dominion University | Holly Springs, Miss. | |
| Ginny Lackey | Jr. | James Madison University | Bolton, England | |
| Finley Lavin | Sr. | University of Memphis | Jarrettsville, Md. | |
| Izzy Lee | Sr. | University of Illinois | Western Springs, Ill. | |
| Anna Leschly | So. | Dartmouth College | Brookline, Mass. | |
| Faith Leyba | Sr. | University of Colorado | Phoenix, Ariz. | |
| Hope Leyba | Sr. | University of Colorado | Phoenix, Ariz. | |
| Hailey Longwell | Jr. | University of North Carolina-Wilmington | Coraopolis, Pa. | |
| Victoria Meza | Jr. | Texas State University | San Salvador, El Salvador | |
| Sydney Middaugh | Sr. | University of South Carolina | Hesperia, Calif. | |
| Mia Minestrella | Sr. | Duke University | Redondo Beach, Calif. | |
| Joy Okonye | Sr. | Brown University | Lagos, Nigeria | |
| Kate Plachy | Jr. | Saint Mary’s College of California | El Dorado Hills, Calif. | |
| Julia Quinonez | Jr. | Pepperdine University | Torrance, Calif. | |
| Anna Rayhill | Sr. | Harvard University | New Hartford, N.Y. | |
| Ellie Rebmann | Sr. | Auburn University | Libertyville, Ill. | |
| Grace Restovich | Jr. | University of Notre Dame | St. Louis, Mo. | |
| Kennedy Roesch | Jr. | Northwestern University | San Diego, Calif. | |
| Cameron Roller | Sr. | Duke University | Sherman, Texas | |
| Victoria Safradin | Sr. | University of Virginia | Eastlake, Ohio | |
| Emerson Sargeant | Sr. | Michigan State University | Hartland, Mich. | |
| Amanda Schlueter | Sr. | Ohio State University | Union, Ky. | |
| Amelia Severn | So. | Gonzaga University | Shoreline, Wash. | |
| Izzi Stratton | Jr. | University of North Carolina | Alpine, Utah | |
| Drew Stover | Sr. | University of Wisconsin | Frisco, Texas | |
| Hannah Tate | Sr. | University of Texas | Omaha, Neb. | |
| Ellie Walbruch | Sr. | Brigham Young University | Highland, Utah | |
| Ava Westlund | Sr. | University of Minnesota | Arden Hills, Minn. | |
| Sydney Watts | Sr. | Vanderbilt University | Lenexa, Kan. | |
| Taylor Zdrojewski | Jr. | Texas Tech University | Celina, Texas | |
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About MAC Hermann Trophy The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I college coaches at the end of the regular season. The 2026 recipients will be announced on January 8, 2027, in St. Louis, Mo. |
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About IWSOC
| Founded in 2025, the Intercollegiate Women’s Soccer Organization for Coaches (IWSOC) is a coach-led nonprofit built for college coaches and dedicated to advancing women’s college soccer through leadership, legislative advocacy, and strategic stewardship of the sport. IWSOC serves as the national voice for intercollegiate women’s soccer coaches, supporting more than 30,000 female student-athletes and 3,000 coaches across NCAA Divisions I, II and III. For more information, visit IWSOC.org. |
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About United Soccer Coaches
| United Soccer Coaches is a national membership organization serving coaches and administrators across all levels of soccer, from youth to professional. The organization tabulates and administers the IWSOC DI Top 25 Coaches Poll, along with its own national and regional rankings for collegiate and high school programs throughout the year. |
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