KANSAS CITY, Mo. — High Point University's Daniel Lugo has been named to the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List, which was announced by the United Soccer Coaches organization on Friday afternoon. 
 
Lugo becomes the fifth Panther selected to this distinguished watch list and the first since 2021 when MD Myers and Sebastian Chalbaud represented High Point. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the Division I men's soccer equivalent to the Heisman Trophy Winner for Division I football. He is one of 31 DI men's soccer players honored.
 
The sophomore has made an immediate impact in the lineup, starting in all 11 games while scoring seven goals — with three being game-winning scores — and assisting on two for a team and conference-leading 16 points. He netted his first collegiate goals in the season opener against No. 14/25 Georgetown and has scored in six total games en route to High Point's best start since 2012 at 7-1-3. Lugo also scored against No. 10 West Virginia, Charlotte, Central Arkansas, Presbyterian and UNC Asheville, while having three-point games against Presbyterian and UNC Asheville. 
 
The 6-foot-2 forward, who transferred from the University of North Carolina in the spring, continues to add onto his list of accolades. Along with being tabbed to the MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List, Lugo was named to the Big South Midseason Players to Watch List while earning Big South Offensive Player of the Week twice.
 
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) 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. It is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the legendary St. Louis, Mo., businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League, the first pro soccer league in the United States which became the North American Soccer League. He was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
 
The 2025 midseason watch list was compiled by members of the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List Committee. A total of 15 players will be named 2025 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 9 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 2025 recipient will be announced January 9, 2026, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, Mo.
 
All-time High Point MAC Hermann Trophy Candidates
 
2011, Karo Okiomah
2017, Siggi Benonyddon
2020-21, MD Myers (Semifinalist)
2021, MD Myers
2021, Sebastian Chalbaud
2025, Daniel Lugo
 
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.
 
About United Soccer Coaches
Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., United Soccer Coaches is the trusted and unifying voice, advocate and partner for coaches at all levels of the game. The largest community for soccer coaches in the world, we united coaches of all levels around the love of the game. For more information go to UnitedSoccerCoaches.org.