KALAMAZOO, Mich.- United Soccer Coaches announced on Tuesday the 15 men's semifinalists and 15 women's semifinalists in consideration for the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy, based on voting by NCAA Division I soccer coaches. Western Michigan senior midfielder Brandon Bye was among those named, becoming the first ever Bronco to make the prestigious list.

The MAC Hermann Trophy, the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer, has been awarded annually since 1967. Most recently, Ian Harkes (Wake Forest) and Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia) received the award for outstanding intercollegiate performances during their senior seasons in 2016.

Western Michigan's first Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, Bye led the Broncos to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a No. 4 national ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The MAC's leading scorer, he totaled 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points during the Broncos' historic season in 2017.

WMU won its first ever MAC regular season championship and earned its first ever NCAA Tournament win with a 2-0 victory over UAlbany in the second round with Bye assisting both goals. Bye's five game-winning goals this season ranks sixth in the nation, while he ranks fifth in shots per game (4.33) and shots on goal per game (2.10), 10^th for total points and 17^th in goals scored. Bye set a new WMU record with 91 shots, placing 44 on goal.

The Broncos were ranked in the top 25 for the final 10 weeks of the season, spending eight of those in the top 10. WMU was the No. 10 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Bye has been a First Team All-MAC selection the last two years and was a Second Team selection as a sophomore. He was also named CoSIDA Academic All-District this past fall with a 3.74 GPA, double majoring in Food & Consumer Packaging Goods Marketing and Supply Chain Management. He concludes his career with 22 goals and 19 assists.

"Another first for the WMU men's soccer program, having one of our very own make the Hermann semifinalist list is an incredible honor. Congratulations to Brandon on this selection, he deserves full credit in becoming the player he is today," said WMU head coach Chad Wiseman. "His work ethic and drive to want to be the best is beyond impressive. Brandon was one of the most dominating attacking players in the country this season." 

Three men's finalists and three women's finalists will be named on December 8 in conjunction with the Men's College Cup semifinals in Philadelphia. The 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on January 5, 2018 to formally announce this year's winners.

For more information about the history of the MAC Hermann Trophy, visit MACHermannTrophy.org.

 

NAME	YR	POS	SCHOOL	HOMETOWN
Jon Bakero	Sr.	F	Wake Forest	Sitges, Spain
Tucker Bone	Jr.	M	Air Force	Granite Bay, Calif.
Arthur Bosua	Sr.	F	Columbia	Johannesburg, South Africa
Brandon Bye	Sr.	F	Western Michigan	Portage, Mich.
Mauro Cichero	Sr.	M	SMU	Norman, Okla.
Jon Gallagher	Sr.	F	Notre Dame	Dundalk, Ireland
Tomas Hilliard-Arce	Sr.	D	Stanford	Matthews, N.C.
Tim Kubel	Sr.	D	Louisville	Stuttgart, Germany
Foster Langsdorf	Sr.	F	Stanford	Vancouver, Wash.
Grant Lillard	Sr.	D	Indiana	Hinsdale, Ill.
Cameron Lindley	So.	M	North Carolina	Carmel, Ind.
Joao Moutinho	Fr.	D	Akron	Lisbon, Portugal
Wyatt Omsberg	Sr.	D	Dartmouth	Scarborough, Maine
Santiago Patino	Jr.	F	FIU	Orlando, Fla.
Alan Winn	Sr.	F	North Carolina	Garland, Texas

 

NAME	YR	POS	SCHOOL	HOMETOWN
Michaela Abam	Sr.	F	West Virginia	Houston, Texas
Rachel Corboz	Sr.	M	Georgetown	Green Brook, N.J.
Tierna Davidson	So.	D	Stanford	Menlo Park, Calif.
Imani Dorsey	Sr.	F	Duke	Elkridge, Md.
Grace Fisk	So.	D	South Carolina	Bromley, England
Jessie Fleming	So.	M	UCLA	London, Ont.
Indigo Gibson	Sr.	D	California	Las Flores, Calif.
Vanessa Gregoire	Sr.	M	Princeton	Beaconsville, Que.
Catarina Macario	Fr.	F	Stanford	San Diego, Calif.
Hallie Mace	Jr.	F	UCLA	Ventura, Calif.
Savannah McCaskill	Sr.	F	South Carolina	Chapin, S.C.
Casey Murphy	Jr.	K	Rutgers	Bridgewater, N.J.
Rebecca Quinn	Sr.	M	Duke	Toronto, Ont.
Andi Sullivan	Sr.	M	Stanford	Lorton, Va.
Brianna Visalli	Sr.	M	Pepperdine	San Jose, Calif.