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It was a historic season for Wake Forest’s women’s soccer team so it shouldn’t be a surprise that junior Caiya Hanks is a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy that goes to the best women’s player in the country. Hanks, who set the program record for most assists in a season with 11, helped the Demon Deacons to the national championship game where they lost to North Carolina 1-0 on Monday night in Cary. Coach Tony da Luz, who just completed his 28th year at Wake Forest, finished with a program-best 16-4-4 record and advanced to the College Cup for the just the second time in history.
Hanks, who is from Hawaii, is the first women’s player from Wake Forest to be named a finalist for the prestigious award. Wake Forest's Caiya Hanks, left, is a finalist for the women's Hermann Trophy given to the best soccer player in the country. It's the first time at Wake Forest player has been a finalist.
The Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 3, 2025, to announce this year’s winners.
There is also a men’s Hermann Trophy winner that will be announced. People are also reading..
. The other two finalists along with Hanks are North Carolina’s Kate Faasee and Duke’s Maggie Graham. The Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967 for the men.
The women's award began in 1988 with Michelle Akers of Central Florida winning the initial award. Hanks propelled herself into the top 10 in program history in points, goals and assists for a season during the NCAA Tournament run. Her first-half goal against Southern Cal in the quarterfinals was her 11th of the season, which moved her into third in Wake Forest history with 33 points and finished the season behind only Katie Stengel’s 2010 (37) and 2011 (46) seasons.
She then recorded her 11th assist of the season in the semifinals, which broke Elizabeth Remy’s (2005) record for the most in a season. Wake Forest's Caiya Hanks, left, helped the Demon Deacons to the national championship game this season. After coming in and earning ACC All-Freshman honors in 2022, Hanks has developed into a remarkable all-around player, teammate and student.
Hanks can become the fourth player from Wake Forest to win the award joining men’s players Marcus Tracy (2008), Ian Harkes (2016) and Jon Bakero (2017). [email protected] 336-727-4081 @johndellWSJ • Scored her first goal of the season with a late equalizer against Rutgers (8/18) and followed that up with her first assist of the campaign in the next match against Temple (8/22).
• Logged two assists in the 5-0 victory over UNC Asheville (9/8). • Recorded her first-career brace with two first-half goals in the 3-0 road win over No. 2 Virginia (9/15).
• Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week (9/17) • Helped Wake Forest earn its first-ever win over a No. 1 team as she assisted Emily Colton’s winner against Stanford (9/19). • Had five goals and three assists over a four-game span as Wake Forest continued to prove their contender status.
• Was exceptional and played a role in all three goals against Syracuse on the road, scoring twice and picking up another assist (9/29). • Notched a goal and helped Wake Forest knock-off the defending national champions Florida State (10/3). • Had a goal and an assist in back-to-back road games against SMU (10/19) and Pitt (10/24).
• Became the first Wake Forest player in over a decade to be named First Team All-ACC (11/6). • Shined in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring twice and notching two assists all in the first half as Wake Forest defeated Morehead State (11/15). • Named to the CSC Academic All-District Team (11/19) and TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Week (11/20).
• Became just the sixth player in the nation to reach 10 goals and 10 assists on the season as she logged an assist in the second-round win over Colorado (11/22). • Helped Wake Forest advance to the second College Cup in program history with a goal and an assist at USC (11/29). • Tabbed First Team All-Atlantic Region (12/3) • Named MAC Hermann Semifinalist (12/4).
• Broke the program record for assists in a single season following her secondary assist on the winner against Stanford and helped Wake Forest reach the first National Championship in program history (12/6). • Became just the second Wake Forest player to be named First Team All-America, joining Katie Stengel (12/7). Get local news delivered to your inbox! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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