Canadian forward Levante Johnson, who helped Syracuse University win the NCAA College Cup on Monday, is one of three finalists for the 2022 MAC Herman Trophy.
The award is the highest individual honor in NCAA Division I football.
Johnson, a senior from Brampton, Ont., will play against Creighton junior forward Duncan McGuire and Duke junior midfielder Peter Stroud.
The three women’s finalists are Notre Dame sophomore midfielder Korbin Albert, Duke sophomore forward Michelle Cooper and Florida State senior midfielder Jenna Nighswonger.
The winner will be announced at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on January 6.
Johnson scored 11 goals for Syracuse this season, earning first-team All-ACC honors, eight of which were NCAA game-winning goals. He also contributed six assists and finished second in the ACC in points and goals.
Johnson’s 86th-minute goal gave Syracuse a 3-2 victory over Creighton and sent Orange to the NCAA Finals. He also hit a target in the championship game in Cary, North Carolina, where Syracuse beat Indiana 7-6 in a shootout after the game ended 2-2.
Johnson also earned All-ACC first-team and All-South Regional first-team honors.
McGuire topped the NCAA Division 1 scoring and scoring rankings while setting a Creighton single-season scoring record with 23 goals. Stroud was named ACC Midfielder of the Year and earned United Football Coaches First Team All-American honors.
Finalists are voted on by NCAA Division I men’s soccer coaches.
Johnson is Syracuse’s second MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, following former Toronto FC goalie Alex Bono in 2014. Johnson arrives in Syracuse after completing his junior college program at Seattle University for the 2021 season.
Edmonton forward Gloire Amanda is an OSU forward who won the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2019.
Teal Bunbury (Akron, 2009) is the only other Canadian-born men’s champion. Thiel is the son of former Canadian international Alex Bunbury, who has lived in the United States since he was 10 and has represented the country at international level.
Canadians Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia, 2016) and Christine Sinclair (Portland, 2004 and 05) won the women’s prize.