Wake Forest Athletics
Cronin, Tracy Named Hermann Trophy Finalists
12/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 12, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Wake Forest seniors Sam Cronin and Marcus Tracy are two of the three finalists for the 2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, as announced on Friday. Steve Zakuani of Akron is the third finalist.
The three finalists for the award were chosen out of a group of 15 semifinalists. The winner of the award will be announced at a press conference on January 9 in St. Louis, Mo., at the Missouri Athletic Club.
Cronin and Tracy are the fourth pair of teammates to be finalists for the award in the same year. In 1992, Claudio Reyna and Ben Crawley of Virginia finished first and second, while Indiana's Todd Yeagley and Brian Maisonneuve finished in the top three in 1994. The last time two teammates were in the final three happened in 1995 when Mike Fisher and Damian Silvera of Virginia finished second and third.
Cronin and Tracy are the second and third Wake Forest players to be named finalists for the Hermann Trophy. Brian Carroll was a finalist for the award in 2002.
A senior midfielder from Winston-Salem, Cronin has played and started every game in his college career, currently riding a 97-game starting streak. Cronin is the all-time leader in career games played and started at Wake Forest. A two-time first team All-ACC selection, Cronin has scored 10 goals on the season and also has 24 points on the year. The senior has saved some of his best play for the NCAA Tournament, scoring a goal in Wake's victories over Dartmouth and South Florida.
Tracy, a senior forward from Newtown, Conn., ranks second on the team with 13 goals. A 2008 First Team All-ACC selection, Tracy also has 10 assists and 36 points on the season. Tracy is just one of two players in the country to record double-digit totals in both goals and assists. Jamie Darvill of Loyola (Md.) had 14 goals and 11 assists on the year. A member of the 2008 Top Drawer Soccer First Team of the Year, Tracy has scored at least one point in each of the NCAA Tournament games, including a goal in the victory over South Florida.
The Hermann Trophy is considered the top individual honor in college soccer. Recipients of the award are selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
