Three Olympic gold medalists and a past winner highlight the 15 players who have been named semifinalists for the women's 2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy.

Lauren Cheney (UCLA/Indianapolis, Ind.), Tobin Heath (North Carolina/Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Amy Rodriguez (Southern Cal/Lake Forest, Calif.) are on the list after helping the United States win the gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. They are joined by Kerri Hanks (Notre Dame/Allen, Texas), the 2006 Hermann Trophy recipient. If Hanks is the 2008 winner, it would mark the first time a player, male or female, has claimed the award twice in non-consecutive years.

North Carolina has three representatives on the list: Heath, 2006 finalist Yael Averbuch (Upper Montclair, N.J.) and Casey Nogueira (Raleigh, N.C.). Notre Dame and UCLA each have two players on the list: Hanks is joined by Irish teammate Brittany Bock (Naperville, Ill.), while Christina DiMartino (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) joins fellow Bruin Cheney.

Division I college head coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) will vote to determine the 2008 MAC Hermann Trophy recipient. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 12. They will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis for a news conference on Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, where the winner will be announced. A dinner and formal presentation of the award will follow the news conference that evening.

Women's 2008 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Semifinalists

Statistics through Nov. 23

Marisa Abegg
D, Sr., Stanford, Lake Oswego, Ore.
A two-time All-Pac-10 selection…helped the Cardinal to the nation’s third-best goals-against average (0.346)…assisted on the goal which gave Stanford a 1-1 draw with North Carolina…set up the game-winner against St. Mary’s…a member of the U.S. U-21 team that won the Nordic Cup last summer.

Yael Averbuch
M, Sr., North Carolina, Upper Montclair, N.J.
Has scored five goals and handed out nine assists for 19 points this season…an MAC Hermann Trophy finalist in 2006…a four-year starter for UNC…has started every game in her career as a Tar Heel…her 102 starts is a school record…a member of the U.S. U-23 National Team that won the Nordic Cup last summer.

Brittany Bock
M/F, Sr., Notre Dame, Naperville, Ill.
Has six goals and nine assists (21 points) in 19 games…a two-time first-team All-Big East selection…NSCAA/adidas first-team All-America as a junior, when she was the Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

Lauren Cheney
F, Jr., UCLA, Indianapolis, Ind.
Was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games…earned her second All-Pac 10 selection…had 10 goals and eight assists (28 points) in 20 games this season…nailed five game-winners for the Bruins…

Christina DiMartino
M, Sr., UCLA, Massapequa, N.Y.
The Pac-10 Player of the Year...three-time All-Pac 10 selection…scored five goals and had six assists for 16 points this season…helped the Bruins to four consecutive Pac-10 titles…had the game-winning goal against then-No. 2 Stanford…

Kerri Hanks
F, Sr., Notre Dame, Allen, Texas
Seventh in the nation in points per game (2.32)…ninth in the nation in goals per game (0.864)…tied for 12th in the nation in assists per game (0.59)…had a three-goal performance against Loyola Marymount (Aug. 29)…has 19 goals and 13 assists (51 points) in 22 games…named Big East Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career…became the first sophomore to win the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2006…a three-time NSCAA/adidas All-America.

Tobin Heath
M, Jr., North Carolina, Basking Ridge, N.J.
Had a three-goal performance against Clemson (Sept. 25)…a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games…eight goals and eight assists for 24 points this season.

Laura Heyboer
F, Fr., Michigan State, Hudsonville, Mich.
Ninth in the nation in points per game (2.13)…eighth in the nation in goals per game (0.875)…had a three-goal performance against Oakland (Aug. 22) in her first intercollegiate game…Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year…led the league with 21 goals and 51 points.

Nikki Krzysik
D, Sr., Virginia, Clifton, N.J.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year….played every minute this season, helping the Cavalier defense to eight shutouts while allowing only 5.1 shots per game…also an offensive threat, her three goals and three assists for nine points rank her fourth on the Virginia team…a two-time first-team All-ACC selection.

Casey Nogueira
F, Jr., North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C.
Eighth in the nation in points per game (2.16)…seventh in the nation in goals per game (0.920)…had a four-goal performance against North Carolina State (Oct. 17) and a three-goal performance against Wake Forest (Oct. 5)…NSCAA National Player of the Week (Oct. 8)…member of the U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup team…54 points on 23 goals and eight assists…the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP.

Yolanda Odenyo
M, Sr., Oklahoma State, Uppsala, Sweden
30th in the nation in points per game (1.61)...tied for 28th in goals per game (0.696)…led the team in goals (16) and points (37) and also had five assists…had five game-winning goals…started 22 of the Cowgirls’ 23 games…helped OSU to its first Big 12 regular season championship…also a CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Megan Rapinoe
F, Sr., Portland, Redding, Calif.
Named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year after missing the bulk of the past two seasons due to injury…scored five goals and had 13 assists for 23 points…has been involved in more than a quarter of Portland’s goals this season, starting all 21 games…two of her three goals in conference play were game-winners.

Amy Rodriguez
F, Sr., Southern Cal, Lake Forest, Calif.
Two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection…had a three-goal performance against Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 2)…led the Trojans with eight goals, including three game-winners…also had four assists for 20 points, second on the team… a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games…her hat trick against Cal State Bakersfield was the first by a Trojan since 1997.

Sanna Talonen
F, So., Florida State, Tampere, Finland
Tied for 16th in the nation in points per game (1.80)…11th in the nation in goals per game (0.800)…twice named NSCAA National Player of the Week (Oct. 22, Nov. 4)…first-team All-ACC selection…already holds FSU’s career records for game-winning goals and multiple goal games…scored 16 goals (including six game-winners) and had four assists for 36 points…has put 59 percent of her shots on frame (29 of 49).

Claire Zimmeck
F, Sr., William and Mary, Fairfax, Va.
Two-time first team All-CAA selection and a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist…scored 15 goals and added six assists for 36 points…put 58 percent of her shots on frame (43 of 74)...earned CAA All-Tournament Team honors.

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