KANSAS CITY – Following the conclusion of the most successful seasons in Wake Forest women’s soccer history, junior forward Caiya Hanks has been named a 2024 MAC Hermann finalist, as announced by United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Wednesday afternoon. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA […]
KANSAS CITY – Following the conclusion of the most successful seasons in Wake Forest women’s soccer history, junior forward Caiya Hanks has been named a 2024 MAC Hermann finalist, as announced by United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Wednesday afternoon.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer
and has been awarded annually since 1967.
Hanks is the first player in program history to achieve the feat.
The 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Jan. 3, 2025, to formally announce this year’s winners.
After an incredible NCAA Tournament that saw Wake Forest make its first NCAA Championship match in program history, Hanks propelled herself into the top 10 in program history in points, goals and assists for a single season.
Her first-half strike against USC in the quarterfinals was her 11th goal of the season, which moved her into sole position of third in Wake Forest history with 33 total points and finished the season behind only Katie Stengel’s 2010 (37) and 2011 (46) seasons. She then recorded her 11th assist of the season in the semifinals, which broke Elizabeth Remy’s (2005) record for the most ever as a Demon Deacon in a single season.
Additionally, she finished the 2024 NCAA Tournament tied for the most total points (11) and led in assists (5), while also sitting tied for sixth in goals (3).
After coming in and earning ACC All-Freshman honors in 2022, Hanks has developed into a remarkable all-around player, teammate and student.
Caiya Hanks Through the Years
| Season | Goals | Assists | Points | Awards |
| Freshman | 1 | 3 | 5 | ACC All-Freshman |
| Sophomore | 6 | 4 | 16 | Second-Team All-ACC |
| Junior | 11 | 12 | 34 | First-Team All-ACC |
| Totals | 18 | 19 | 55 | — |
With her assist in the second round, she became just the sixth player at the D1 level this season to reach 10 goals and 10 assists, and third to do so in program history, joining Anne Shropshire (1998) and Kaley Fountain (2009).
Hanks finished the season ranked fourth out of all players in the ACC in total points and assists and seventh in goals. Additionally, her 18 points in conference play ranked second in the ACC and her seven goals were tied for the most.
Hanks also added four game-winning goals this season, which ranked third in the conference. The Hawaiian also recorded seven games this season with multiple goal contributions, including two in the NCAA Tournament alone against Morehead State (two goals, two assists) and USC (one goal, one assist). Of note, her four goal-contributions in the first round earned her a spot on TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week.
Despite only being a junior, she is already tied for fifth all-time in program history in career assists with 19. She is also now four points away from cracking the top 10 in that category as well, currently sitting at 55.
Earlier this year, Hanks became the 10th Wake Forest player to be tabbed All-ACC First Team and first since Aubrey Bledsoe in 2013. She also became the second player named First Team All-America, with Katie Stengel (2010) the other Demon Deacon to do so.
Full List of MAC Hermann Finalists
- Kate Faasse (North Carolina)
- Maggie Graham (Duke)
- Caiya Hanks (Wake Forest)
Caiya Hanks 2024 Timeline
- Scored her first goal of the season with a late equalizer against Rutgers (8/18) and followed that up with her first assist of the campaign in the next match against Temple (8/22).
- Logged two assists in the 5-0 victory over UNC Asheville (9/8).
- Recorded her first-career brace with two first-half goals in the 3-0 road win over No. 2 Virginia (9/15).
- Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week (9/17)
- Helped Wake Forest earn its first-ever win over a No. 1 team as she assisted Emily Colton’s winner against Stanford (9/19).
- Had five goals and three assists over a four-game span as Wake Forest continued to prove their contender status.
- Was exceptional and played a role in all three goals against Syracuse on the road, scoring twice and picking up another assist (9/29).
- Notched a goal and helped Wake Forest knock-off the defending national champions Florida State (10/3).
- Had a goal and an assist in back-to-back road games against SMU (10/19) and Pitt (10/24).
- Became the first Wake Forest player in over a decade to be named First Team All-ACC (11/6).
- Shined in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring twice and notching two assists all in the first half as Wake Forest defeated Morehead State (11/15).
- Named to the CSC Academic All-District Team (11/19) and TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Week (11/20).
- Became just the sixth player in the nation to reach 10 goals and 10 assists on the season as she logged an assist in the second-round win over Colorado (11/22).
- Helped Wake Forest advance to the second College Cup in program history with a goal and an assist at USC (11/29).
- Tabbed First Team All-Atlantic Region (12/3)
- Named MAC Hermann Semifinalist (12/4).
- Broke the program record for assists in a single-season following her secondary assist on the winner against Stanford and helped Wake Forest reach the first National Championship in program history (12/6).
- Became just the second Wake Forest player to be named First Team All-America, joining Katie Stengel (12/7).
