A pair of players on state teams, University of Wisconsin midfielder Rose Lavelle and Marquette defender Morgan Proffitt, were among the 36 players named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy preseason watch list this week.
Lavelle, who was a first-team All-American as selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America last fall, was one of the 15 semifinalists for the 2015 award, given annually to the nation's top college player. The Cincinnati native scored a team-high seven goals and added three assists as the Badgers earned a share of their first Big Ten Conference regular-season title since 1994.
Proffitt, from Columbus, Ind., is the fourth Golden Eagles player chosen for the preseason watch list, following Maegan Kelly in 2012, Kerry McBride (Milwaukee DSHA) in 2011 and Laura Boyer in 2006.
"To be nominated among the nation's best is a fantastic honor for Morgan and recognition for what she has done over the past three seasons," Marquette coach Markus Roeders said in a news release. "Morgan is one of the elite players in the country and we are excited to see what's ahead for our senior captain. She has worked tremendously hard to excel at this level and her future is very bright."
Lavelle and Proffitt were part of a U.S. Under-23 women's national team training camp in April. Lavelle also has trained with the full U.S. team several times, while Proffitt helped the Under-23s win the Nordic Tournament last month in England.
The watch list was compiled by members of the NSCAA Division I All-America Committee, based on returning All-American and all-region players. Later this fall, Division I coaches whose programs are NSCAA College Services program members will pare that group to the 15 semifinalists. There will be an online fan vote in November that will help determine the three finalists for the Hermann Trophy, which will be awarded at a banquet Jan. 6 in St. Louis.
- Former Milwaukee School of Engineering standout Logan Andryk (Milwaukee Marquette) was named the 2016 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Man of the Year. Andryk was the NSCAA Division III Player of the Year and the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, becoming just the second person to claim both honors in the same year. He is the second MSOE student-athlete to be named the NACC Man of the Year, following basketball player Austin Meier in 2011. The award is chosen by the league's Senior Woman Administrators Standing Committee, and recognizes athletic excellence, academic achievement, service and leadership. Andryk had 21 goals and 17 assists as a senior last fall, finished his career with 61 goals, 60 assists and 182 points – all conference records – and was part of a class that posted a program-record 55 wins. One of just 31 players in NSCAA history to earn four All-American awards, Andryk graduated with 3.81 grade-point average in biomolecular engineering and was a four-time NACC scholar-athlete. He also volunteered at Aurora Sinai Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Respite Event and was a member of MSOE's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
- Alex Mattson (Brookfield) is the new Lakeland women's coach, taking over the Muskies after spending the past two seasons as an assistant in the Alma (Mich.) men's program. Mattson, who also was an assistant for the Ripon men's and women's teams for two seasons, succeeds Kim Kriese (Stevens Point/Marian) at Lakeland. Kriese led the Muskies to a 7-32-1 record in two seasons, following three years as an assistant in the program. Lakeland was 4-16-0 overall and finished 10th in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference last fall with a 1-9-0 record.
- Four Madison College players were named National Junior College Athletic Association Academic All-Americans for the 2015-16 school year. Sophomore midfielder Connor Waity (Madison Memorial) and freshman defender-midfielder Michael Bravick (Lodi) earned the Superior Academic Achievement Award, for having GPAs between 3.80 and 3.99. Women's freshman midfielder Mirlette Orozco (Madison La Follette) and men's sophomore midfielder Yacouba Koita, meanwhile, received the exemplary Academic Achievement Award (3.60-3.79 GPAs).