Jay Heaps was held scoreless in the men's soccer team's shocking, season-ending defeat to Jacksonville in the NCAA Tournament two weeks ago. He scored big time, however, yesterday when he was named the Missouri Athletic Club's Sports Foundation Collegiate Men's Soccer Player of the Year.
"I'm very excited about it," Heaps said. "It definitely came as a surprise."
Heaps became the first Duke player to win the award since 1986, when John Kerr won the inaugural honor. Heaps led the Devils with 13 goals and eight assists for a total of 34 points on the year.
The Longmeadow, Mass., native, however, lost out on his and the team's goal of making the Final Four, to be played this weekend in Richmond, Va. Heaps, who ended his Duke tenure with 45 goals, good for third on Duke's all-time scoring list, and 37 assists, fourth all-time, was not as thrilled as he might have been if the award was coming on the heels of a team accomplishment.
"I would trade places with any of the guys in the Final Four right now," Heaps said of the honor. "But in the long run, it really is nice to look back on something like this [award]."
He finished first in the M.A.C. voting with 51 first-place votes, 12 more than his closest competitor, and a total of 228 points, 33 above Indiana's Lazo Alavanja. He credited the award to his own personal effort on the field, but also to his teammates.
"Every time I stepped on the field, I tried to motivate, lead and win," Heaps said. "I just really did everything I could, 100 percent every time I stepped out on the field. That was what I set out to do since my freshman year, and I've done it for four years.
"We thought we could have won the championship this year. We had a tough first-round game. This is more of a tribute to our team. You can't win individual awards without the 25 guys that are on the team. I should thank every player that I've ever played with."
Although Heaps and the team ultimately did not get the chance to prove themselves as a unit, the award is proof enough of Heaps' ability on the field as a player, and off the field as a leader. His concentration is now on the last year of his basketball career, but he realizes that his soccer future might only get brighter.
"There's a lot of things happening right now for me professionally," Heaps said. "I don't know what's going to happen yet. I'm looking definitely at the MLS, and maybe overseas; I'm not positive yet."
Heaps will be honored at a dinner at the Missouri Athletic Club in January along with two-time women's player of the year Cindy Parlow from North Carolina. He is also in the running for the Hermann Award, which is to be given out later this month. This trophy also recognizes the best soccer player in the country.
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