FUTBOL SCHOOL: Dante Polvara wins 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy

Hoya Saxa! Third time was the charm for your Georgetown Hoyas Men’s Soccer team when it came to finalist nominations for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy. Dante Polvara was announced as the winner earlier this evening, adding a big one to the collection of hardware and accolades that he has earned during his collegiate career.

Polvara was the leading scorer on a team that won the BIG EAST tournament and returned to the College Cup this season after bringing home the NCAA Championship in 2019.

Here’s a quick roundup of the recognition he is getting this evening:

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Press Release from Georgetown Athletics (link):

WASHINGTON – Georgetown University men’s soccer junior Dante Polvara won the Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) Hermann Trophy at the annual awards reception on Friday evening in St. Louis. The trophy was awarded to the top male and female collegiate soccer players in the nation, which was determined by a vote of Division I coaches who are members of the United Soccer Coaches. The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1986. This year, the 10-pound crystal soccer ball was awarded to Polvara on the men’s side and Jaelin Howell from Florida State University on the women’s side.

Dante Polvara

Jr. | M

Pleasantville, N.Y. / Brunswick

• Polvara is the first winner of the MAC Hermann Trophy in Georgetown program history.
• This was his second season being named a MAC Hermann semifinalist after earning the distinction a year ago.
• Polvara was the 2021 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year as well as a First Team All-BIG EAST selection.
• He also earned United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and First Team All-East Region honors.
• The midfielder started all 22 games for the Blue & Gray and led the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 20 points.
• Three of his goals were game winners this past season.
• The team captain was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week twice this past year as well as earning a nod to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor roll.
• He was a United Soccer Coaches First Team Scholar All-American as well as being named First Team Scholar All-South Region by the organization.

What They’re Saying

Dante Polvara

”I want to thank my family and my friends back home but, most importantly, thank you Georgetown and to the fans that showed up to every game. All the way from the entire Athletics Department who took care of every detail to the coaching staff, the alumni who support us and, of course, Coach Wiese for being here with me tonight. We have a thing on our team, whenever someone wins individual accolades it’s a team award and this is no different so to all those boys back home, I hope you know how important you were.”

Georgetown and the MAC Hermann Trophy

• Polvara was just the third finalist in Georgetown history and the first winner.
• The junior is the fifth MAC Hermann winner from the BIG EAST Conference and the first since 2007.
• He joined Brandon Allen and Dylan Nealis on the prestigious list.
• Polvara has twice been named a semifinalist and is the only Hoya to be a two-time semifinalist and move on as a finalist.
• Steve Neumann is GU’s other two-time semifinalist honoree in both 2012 and 2013.

About the MAC Hermann Trophy

The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented by World Wide Technology, is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer and has been awarded annually since 1967. The 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 7, 2022 to formally announce this year’s winners.