Dec. 6, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State senior midfielder Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) has been named a Finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the NSCAA announced on Thursday afternoon. Nairn is one of three finalists, joining Virginia's Caroline Miller and North Carolina's Crystal Dunn.
This is Nairn's first ever appearance as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy. Junior Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) was a finalist last year. The Hermann Trophy is akin to football's Heisman Trophy and is awarded by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. Christie Welsh is Penn State's only winner (2001).
Nairn earned her first ever Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and first team NSCAA All-American honor this past season. Nairn finished her career second on the all-time assists list in program history and doubled her career goal total this season, as she was second in the conference with 17 goals. Additionally, she was one of just two players in this year's College Cup with double-digit goals and assists. The senior scored the emotional golden goal against Florida State in the national semifinals.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. A banquet will be hosted at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 11, to recognize the finalists' accomplishments and announce the winners. NCAA Division I coaches who are NSCAA members voted for their top three choices. Additionally, a new fan voting component was added to this year's voting process, through which nearly 130,000 total fan votes were cast.
The Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer player 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. To learn more about the Missouri Athletic Club, go to mac-stl.org.
Winners of 15-straight Big Ten titles, Penn State posted its second-straight 20-win season and advanced to the College Cup Title for the first time in program history. The Nittany Lions appearance in the championship game was just the second appearance by a Big Ten school in the national championship. Wisconsin reached it in 1991.
For complete coverage of Penn State women's soccer, please visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PennStateWSOC.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PSUWomensSoccer.