KANSAS CITY, Mo. (United Soccer Coaches/SMU) – SMU Men's Soccer junior Noah Holmstrøm has been named to the 2026 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, as announced by the United Soccer Coaches on Wednesday.
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by voting of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches.
Holmstrøm was among 27 players named to the watch list and one of only four Atlantic Coast Conference players to receive the honor.
Before transferring to SMU in the spring, Holmstrøm was named the 2025 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after being one of only two players to start and play all 18 matches for Georgia Southern in the 2025 season.
The Dane led the Eagles' defense to eight clean sheets and an average of .89 goals against per game while logging two assists. He was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 26, 2025) after helping the Eagles' defense keep a clean sheet in its first two matches of last season against Charlotte and UNCW.
Holmstrøm was named in the United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch earlier this month. Along with him was
Stephan Soghomonian who was named in the United Soccer Coaches Forwards to Watch.
A total of 15 players will be named 2026 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 4 at the conclusion of NCAA Division I All-American voting. From that list, head coaches will cast votes, and three players will be named finalists. The 2026 recipient will be announced January 8, 2027, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, Mo.
Former Mustang,
Slade Starnes, was named as a Hermann Trophy Semifinalist last season.
SMU was picked fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll and 15th in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll ahead of their third ACC campaign. They are among four ACC teams in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 10.
Holmstrøm and the Mustangs begin their 2026 season by hosting Stetson on Aug. 20.
About the Hermann Trophy
In 1967, Robert Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the NPSL's successor, the North American Soccer League, established a trophy to annually recognize the top men's collegiate soccer player. The trophy, named the Hermann Trophy, has been awarded each year since 1967. In 1988, a second Hermann Trophy was inaugurated to recognize the top women's collegiate player of the year.
About the Missouri Athletic Club
Located in St. Louis, Mo., the Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer's player of the year awards since 1986. The MAC was established in 1903 as an athletic, dining and social club. It has a "Platinum Club of America" status, which is awarded to the top private clubs in the country. To learn more about the Missouri Athletic Club, go to mac-stl.org.
