Colorado seniors Faith Leyba and Hope Leyba have landed on the 2026 MAC Hermann Trophy Mid-Season Watch List, giving the Buffaloes a rare double dose of national recognition in one of college soccer’s biggest individual awards.
The announcement came Wednesday, with the twins from Phoenix, Ariz., among 30 players from 21 schools honored for what they’ve done in the first half of the season. Colorado is one of seven programs with multiple selections and the only Big 12 school to place two players on the list.
The MAC Hermann Trophy, presented each year by the Missouri Athletic Club, is college soccer’s top individual prize and goes to the Division I National Player of the Year. This mid-season list features 24 holdovers from the preseason group of 62, plus six new names.
Hope Leyba has been the engine up top for Colorado. Through 11 matches, she is tied for the team lead with seven goals, has added three assists and sits at 17 points. She also leads the Buffs with 50 shots and 26 shots on goal, and her best burst came in Colorado’s 6-0 win over Denver on Sept. 11, when she scored a hat trick.
Her resume already includes a semifinalist nod for the Hermann Trophy in 2025. Last season, she led the nation with a school-record 22 goals, earned first-team United Soccer Coaches All-America honors and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Faith Leyba has been just as important on the other end of the field. The senior defender has helped Colorado post seven shutouts and hold opponents to nine goals through 11 matches.
She has started every game, leads the team with 920 minutes played and has chipped in two assists. As team captain, she also helped the Buffs string together five straight shutouts from Sept.
3-24.
Faith was a third-team United Soccer Coaches All-America selection last season and has been a first-team All-Big 12 pick in each of the past two years.
The list will be trimmed to 15 semifinalists on Dec. 4 after NCAA Division I All-America voting. From there, Division I head coaches will vote on three finalists, and the winner will be revealed Jan. 8, 2027, at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
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