KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Penn State men's soccer sophomore forward Liam Butts was one of 34 players named to the 2020-21 Men's MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as announced by the United Soccer Coaches and Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Thursday afternoon.
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most prestigious individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer, widely considered the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, and has been awarded annually since 1967 to the most outstanding male and female players of the year.
Butts had a superb rookie campaign for the Nittany Lions in 2019 as a striker. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native scored a tied team-best nine goals, including a conference-best five game winners. He added one assist for 19 total points and had two multi-goal performances.
At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Butts earned United Soccer Coaches All-North Region second-team honors and was named a first-team All-Big Ten honoree and to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He was also considered a top-15 freshman player by Top Drawer Soccer (No. 12).
Former teammate Aaron Molloy was named a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist in 2019, joining Corey Hertzog (2010) and Ricard Villar (2000, 2001). Jim Stamatis is Penn State's lone winner of the Hermann Trophy in 1979 when the award was also in conjunction with National Player of the Year honors.
The MAC Hermann Trophy Watch Lists are compiled by members of the United Soccer Coaches Men's and Women's NCAA Division I All-America committees. Fifteen semifinalists will be named for both the men's and women's MAC Hermann Trophy at the end of April based on voting by Division I coaches and from those candidates, three finalists will be determined for the coveted award.
Butts and the Nittany Lions kick off the 2020-21 season at home against Maryland on Friday, Feb. 19.
