KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Texas State senior Victoria Meza was named to the 2026 IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Players to Watch List, the organization announced on Wednesday. The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I college coaches at the end of the regular season.

The announcement makes her the second Bobcat in program history to be named to the National Player of the Year watch list since forward Kaylie Davis was named in 2019. Meza was also named to the Preseason Defenders to Watch List by United Soccer Coaches on Aug. 4, 2026.

"It's incredible to have a player of her caliber who represents her country at the highest level compete with us here at Texas State, and it's a well deserved honor," shared head coach Steve Holeman. "Looking forward to supporting her as she advances throughout the season."

Meza is one of 64 Division I players in the country to receive the honor, and the only player representing the Pac-12 Conference. She is one of just five players born internationally.

Through the first three matches in 2026, Meza was one of two players in the country to record two braces in the early going (UTRGV, Texas A&M). The San Salvador, El Salvador native leads the team in goals (4) points (8) shots (16) and shots on goal (6), as she leads the Pac-12 Conference in shots-per-game (4) while ranking inside the top-five in goals-per-game and points-per-game to lead the Bobcats to an unbeaten 3-0-1 record thus far.

Prior to her senior campaign, Meza and the El Salvador Women's National Team secured a bronze medal on Aug. 6 at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She netted two of the team's five goals across 480 minutes and five matches to grow her international resume. Meza would score the game-winning goal by a 2-1 score over Venezuela to claim the bronze medal. Meza tallied five more career caps on the El Salvador Women's National Team as she continues her fourth season with the Bobcats and fresh off of a 2025 First Team All-Conference selection, paired with the Most Outstanding Player award at the 2025 conference tournament.

About MAC Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor, recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by a vote of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. The award is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the St. Louis, Mo., businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League — the first professional soccer league in the United States, which later became the North American Soccer League. Hermann was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.

The 2026 watch list was compiled by members of the Division I Women's All-America Council from a pool of returning 2025 All-Americans and First Team All-Region players. A total of 15 players will be named 2026 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 4, 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 2026 recipient will be announced January 8, 2027, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, Mo.

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