PROVO -- Senior All-American Aleisha Rose of the BYU women's soccer team was named a semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy award on Wednesday.
The Hermann Trophy is the soccer equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in football and represents the highest achievement possible in the sport.
"It is a real honor to be recognized," said Rose, "I am very grateful to be one of the semifinalists becasue to be one of the 15 is great."
Rose, the 2003 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, made the semifinalist list as one of the top 15 soccer athletes in the country.
Previous winners of the Hermann Trophy include some of the biggest names in women's soccer with the likes of Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Cindy Parlow, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola and Alexis Lalas being some of the former recipients.
In August, Rose was named to the Hermann Trophy watch-list for the second time in her career and has helped guide the Cougars to a seventh-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Her first nomination came in 2001 during her sophomore season.
As nice as it would be to win the trophy, Rose wants the Cougars to go far in the post season more than anything else. "I think honors come when your team is playing well," said Rose. "And for me, I would rather see our team do well in the tournament then win an award."
Members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) will vote to determine the winner. Three finalists will be announced at the NCAA Women's College Cup, to be held the first weekend in December in Raleigh, N.C. Those finalists will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club on Friday, Jan. 9, 2004, for a news conference announcing the winner.
Rose and the Cougars being the NCAA tournament with an 11:00 a.m. (MST) game on Thursday, Nov. 13, at Ute Field in Salt Lake City, Utah.