Brewster, Thiesen Named to MAC Hermann Trophy Watch Lists

Both WVU's Men's and Women's Soccer teams are placing players on this prestigious list.

West Virginia University's soccer programs are both looking forward to record seasons.

Men's head coach Dan Stratford has his group No. 6 in the country and poised to win the Sun Belt Conference, while Women's head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown's crew sits at No. 21.

Along with national recognition in the United Soccer Coaches Polls, both programs have defenses racking up the individual accolades.

Women's soccer's lock-down center back Jordan Brewster is no stranger to national attention. For the third consecutive season, the fifth-year, back line staple was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Brewster became one of 60 DI women's soccer players on the list and, furthermore, in the top-16 defenders in the country.

Brewster adds this Watch List acknowledgement to her already-growing list of preseason awards; TopDrawerSoccer named her to the Women's Top 100 Players to Watch list and the Preseason Best XI First Team. 

United Soccer Coaches named her a Player to Watch. 

The Big 12 Conference also added her to its Preseason All-Big 12 Team; that became her fourth consecutive honor of the kind.

Stratford's team is also raking in the accolades after shifting conference alignment. 

The team, now in the Sun Belt Conference, has snagged a trio of stellar national rankings: No. 5 by College Soccer News, No. 6 by United Soccer Coaches, and No. 7 by TopDrawerSoccer.

Defender Bjarne Thiesen was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team and as a Player to Watch by United Soccer Coaches. Today's MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List honor made him one of 38 men, and 12 defenders, in Division I to move forward in the selection of NCAA Soccer's most prestigious award.

Thiesen became the fifth WVU Men's Soccer player ever named to the list, and the first since 2012's Eric Schoenle.

Fifteen men's players and 15 women's players will become Hermann Trophy semifinalists on Nov. 30, following the completion of Division I All-America voting.

December 7, the top three players from a final round of voting will be named finalists. The 2022 winner will then be revealed on Jan. 6, 2023, at a ceremony hosted at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Missouri.

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