OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The list of 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award for women's soccer was released on Thursday and Navy midfielder
Victoria Tran (Clarksville, Md.) was amongst this select group of student-athletes. Tran, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and the reigning Patriot Midfielder of the Year, was selected to this elite group for her well-rounded efforts both on and off the field.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in the areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and the reigning Patriot League Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Tran thrives in the classroom as an Honors Robotics & Control Engineering major. Through six semesters at the U.S. Naval Academy, Tran has posted a 3.97 cumulative GPA and has been named to the Supt's List five times. She currently ranks top-10 in both the Naval Academy's Overall Order of Merit and Military Order of Merit for the Class of 2022. Tran was selected as a third-team Academic All-American as a sophomore in 2019 by CoSIDA before reaching first-team Academic All-America status as a junior in 2020-21. She was the only non-senior or grad student honored on CoSIDA's first team last year. Additionally, she was selected to the 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches Women's Scholar All-America Second Team.
Tran is described by her coach and fellow teammates as a humble, thoughtful and extremely responsible member of the program, both on and off the field. Tran is part of Navy's senior leadership council and takes pride in helping her teammates through all of the hills and valleys that come with being a midshipman at the Naval Academy. A quiet leader, Tran illustrates to her teammates the determination, discipline and work ethic needed to succeed on a daily basis.
Tran and her teammates are active in the community as Navy Women's Soccer is an avid supporter of GiGi's Playhouse, a Down Syndrome Achievement Center in Annapolis. The team volunteers at a variety of events, including the center's annual Holiday Party. Additionally, Tran and her Navy teammates have been involved with the Athletes for Hope and Honor Flight programs. As part of the Honor Flight organization, the Mids travel to local airports to greet military veterans as they arrive into Washington, D.C. Individually, she has volunteered with the Mids for Kids program helping tutor, instruct and befriend local children at their elementary or middle schools throughout the year. She has also participated in the Boy Scout Troop 35's 40-mile hike, accompanying the scouts over the lengthy event.
On the field, Tran has stood out for her play throughout her career with the Mids. Beginning with her freshman season in 2018, Tran has been selected to the All-Patriot League team in each of her first three seasons, as she was All-PL Second Team in 2018 and 2019 before earning the nod as the Patriot League's 2020-21 Midfielder of the Year this past campaign. Tran's success in the Patriot League has carried over into regional voting as she has garnered selection to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team and the 2020-21 All-North First Team. Throughout her three-plus seasons of collegiate action, Tran has played in 61 games and registered 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Rarely leaving the field from her center midfield position, she has played 4,680 minutes, including more than 980 in each of her first three seasons. The Mids have posted a combined 34-17-10 record over those 61 games, in which she has appeared and has won back-to-back Patriot League Championships in 2019 and 2020-21.
Tran joins, Natalie Dzhandzhapanyan (USNA '21) and Sydney Fortson (USNA '20) as recent members of the Navy women's soccer program to earn a spot as one of the nation's top-30 seniors. This past season, Dzhandzhapanyan made the list of the top-30 candidates, while Fortson was the ultimate winner of the 2019 Senior CLASS Award for NCAA Division I women's soccer. She was the first-ever recipient from the Navy women's soccer program to win the overall award and just the third Navy student-athlete to win the award after goalkeeper Evan Barnes won for men's soccer in 2007 and quarterback Ricky Dobbs won for football in 2010. Six years earlier in 2013, Elizabeth Hoerner earned a spot on the Senior CLASS Award First Team Women's Soccer All-American team.
On the 2021 list, Tran is the lone candidate from the Patriot League.
The Senior CLASS Award 2021 Women's Soccer Top-30 Candidates
