NC State F Donavan Phillip named finalist for MAC Hermann Trophy
After lighting up the scoreboard for the entire season, NC State junior forward Donavan Phillip was named one of three finalists for the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in Division I men’s soccer.
Phillip led D-I with 19 total goals scored, including four in the NCAA Tournament, as he paced the Wolfpack’s offense. He scored one goal in both of the Pack’s College Cup games in Cary as the team made its first-ever national championship appearance en route to All-Tournament Team honors.
Following the Wolfpack’s 3-2 overtime loss to Washington in the final, Phillip was proud of what the program was able to do in its first two seasons under Marc Hubbard, flipping a team that missed the NCAA Tournament for four straight seasons to back-to-back deep postseason runs.
“I have one more year,” said Phillip, who turned down the MLS after last season. “I’m really feeling for those seniors and those guys that ended a little short. But they know they’re gonna leave the program in a better place. I feel like there’s only up from here.”
The Castries, Saint Lucia, native opened the 2025 campaign as the nation’s hottest goal scorer with 14 tallies in NC State’s first 10 games, including a four-goal performance (all in the first 25 minutes) in the team’s 7-0 win over William & Mary on Sept. 16.
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NC State fed off Phillip’s goal-scoring abilities, leading to an 11-1-1 record when he found the back of the net this fall. The striker was able to use his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame to shield off defenders with ease, while also improving his aerial attack with multiple goals from his head as a result.
Phillip is no stranger to awards this season. He was named a First Team All-American, while also earning the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Year and All-South Region honors for his prolific goal-scoring efforts this fall.
Washington’s Richie Aman, who was also on the College Cup All-Tournament Team, and Grand Canyon’s Junior Diouf rounded out the finalists for the award. Aman helped the Huskies to their first-ever national championship with 14 assists, while Diouf scored 18 goals in his first collegiate season. The winner will be announced at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 9, 2026.