ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Jan. 5, 2024) – Clemson senior forward Ousmane Sylla and Florida State graduate student midfielder Onyi Echegini were named the winners of the 2023 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy, on Friday at the MAC’s annual banquet. Sylla (Dakar, Senegal) had 13 goals, 10 assists and five game winning goals as the Tigers captured their second NCAA Division I National Championship in three years and Echegini (London, England) tallied 37 points on 16 goals and five assists in helping the Seminoles to the NCAA Women’s national title.
Sylla netted the lone goal for the Tigers in the ACC Championship match against North Carolina. He was named a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America selection. In the 2023 MLS Super Draft, Sylla was selected in the second round by Houston. Runners-up for the men’s award were Western Michigan University senior forward Charlie Sharp (Brighton, Mich.) and Wake Forest University senior defender Garrison Tubbs (Brunswick, Ga.)
Echegini posted a career high and ACC-leading 16 goals for the Seminoles on the way to capturing the National Champions. Echegini was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and was the ACC Tournament MVP while picking up United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America honors. This year’s runners up for the women’s award were University of Nebraska senior forward Eleanor Dale (Billingham, England) and Brigham Young senior forward Brecken Mozingo (Sandy, Utah).
The MAC Hermann Trophy, a 10-pound crystal soccer ball awarded annually since 1967, honors the United Soccer Coaches National Players of the Year in NCAA Division I men’s and women’s soccer based on voting conducted by member coaches.Previous winners of this prestigious award can be found here.
About the Missouri Athletic ClubEstablished in 1903, the Missouri Athletic Club is a private social, business, athletic, and dining club with locations in Downtown St. Louis and Town and Country in West St. Louis County. The MAC is a Platinum Club of America, an honor bestowed on the top 3% of private clubs in the United States.