Jan. 7, 2005
ST. LOUIS -- After leading Portland to the 2002 NCAA National Championship, Christine Sinclair won every national player of the year award except for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy. Two years later Sinclair filled the void by claiming the 2004 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as selected by National Soccer Coaches Association of America members at the NCAA Division I level. The announcement was made to a live national television audience on ESPNEWS Friday evening.
Sinclair (Burnaby, British Columbia) scored 22 goals, 11 assists and 10 game-winners during the 2004 season en route to winning college soccer's top prize. She finished fourth nationally in total points and tied for third in goals. Sinclair was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second time in her career and led the Pilots to the quarterfinals of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Sinclair is already established as one of Canada's greatest soccer players ever. A member of the Canadian national team since 2000, she is the second highest goal-scorer in Canadian history. Sinclair played in all six games and tallied three goals at the 2003 Women's World Cup, helping Canada to a surprise fourth-place finish.
In just three seasons at Portland, Sinclair is already ranked among Portland's career leaders in game-winners (1st), points (3rd), goals (3rd), shots (3rd) and assists (12th). In 2002, Sinclair scored both goals in the College Cup finals against Santa Clara in leading Portland to the national championship.
A life science major with a 3.68 cumulative grade-point average, she is the only Portland player in history to garner two CoSIDA Academic All-American selections.
Sinclair becomes the second women's player from the University of Portland to earn college soccer's top honor. joining Shannon MacMillan who won the M.A.C. and the Hermann awards in 1995. The awards were combined prior to the 2002 season.
The other two women's finalists for the 2004 Hermann Trophy were University of North Carolina sophomore forward Heather O'Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.) and Penn State junior forward Tiffany Weimer (North Haven, Conn.).
Indiana senior midfielder Danny O'Rourke beat out Virginia Commonwealth senior defender Gonzalo Segares and Tulsa junior forward Ryan Pore for the men's honor.
An exhibition dedicated to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy featuring all former recipients of both the M.A.C. and Hermann trophies, the current winners, a replica of the Irish crystal trophy and the original Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Museum in Oneonta, N.Y.
Previous Portland Missouri Athletic Club and Hermann Trophy finalists (Awards combined in 2002)
M.A.C Finalists
Tiffeny Milbrett (1991, '92, '94)
Shannon MacMillan (1993, '94, '95*)
Justi Baumgardt (1996, '97)
Michelle French (1998)
Hermann Trophy Finalists
Shannon MacMillan (1993, '94, '95*)
Tiffeny Milbrett (1994)
Justi Baumgardt (1996, '97)
Michelle French (1998)
M.A.C. Hermann Finalists
Christine Sinclair (2002, '04*)
Lauren Orlandos (2002)
* Award Winner