It may not ease the pain of losing a National Championship, but being named the best player in the country can't hurt.
Irish senior forward Kerri Hanks won the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the best Div. I player, for the second time in four years, becoming the fourth player ever to win the award twice. She joins Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow from North Carolina and Christine Sinclair from Portland State, the other two-time recipients.
"I'm grateful to everyone at Notre Dame - my teammates, coaches, staff and our fans who are the greatest in the country - for all of their support, not only this year but throughout my career," Hanks said in a statement released by the athletic department. "I will always treasure the friendships I made at Notre Dame and will carry those memories with me forever."
Hanks led the Irish to the National Championship game against North Carolina, where the Irish lost 2-1 on Dec. 7. Before that, the Irish had not lost all season.
Hanks beat out North Carolina's Casey Nogueira and UCLA's Christian DiMartino. She holds 67 school records and was a four-year All-America selection. She ranked fifth in the nation in 2008 with 20 goals, third in assists with 15 and second in points with 55.
"I'm just so proud of her and all that she's accomplished during her four years at Notre Dame," Irish coach Randy Waldrum said in the statement. "She's evolved into a complete player on the field and a complete person off of it. The caring, compassion and generosity she shows, not only to her teammates, but to everyone she comes in contact with, is second to none. She is someone that has set a standard that others will be compared to for years to come."
She was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, a four-time conference Offensive Player of the Week and was a first-team all-conference selection.
Hanks also won the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented to the senior athlete who combined on-field performance with service.
Hanks is the fourth Irish women's soccer player to win the Hermann Trophy, presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo.
