Oct. 29, 2001

St. Louis, Mo. - Defender Alex Yi (Easton, MD) of the UCLA men's soccer team and forward Mary-Frances Monroe (Tariffville, CT) of the UCLA women's soccer team, have been selected as candidates for the Missouri Athletic Club men's and women's Collegiate Soccer Player of the Year awards.

Yi, a 6-2 sophomore and member of the U.S. Under-20 National Team, has started 15 games for the Bruins, contributing to five shutouts. Last season, Yi earned All-Freshman honors from Soccer America and was voted the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Yi, one of only three Bruins to start all 19 games a year ago, was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2000.

Monroe, a 5-1 senior transfer from the University of Connecticut, placed third in last year's voting for the M.A.C. Award. This season, she ranks second on the team in scoring with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. She has played and started in all 15 matches this season, registering a team-high 68 shots. She also ranks tied for first on the team with four game-winning goals. Monroe was a two-time M.A.C. Award finalist and three-time All-American at UConn from 1998-2000. A member of the U.S. Under-21 National Team, she was named Big East Rookie of the Year in 1998 and was a three-time first-team All-Big East selection.

The M.A.C. Award is the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas award for Division I players. The winners will be determined in voting by Division I coaches and will be announced in early December. The UCLA men have had only one M.A.C. Award winner - 1999 honoree Sasha Victorine, who was the first-ever West Coast recipient. Monroe is the first-ever UCLA woman to be selected as a candidate.

Both Yi and Monroe are also finalists for the Hermann Trophy, which also honors the national player of the year.

2001 M.A.C. Award Candidates - Men
Brad Davis, Saint Louis
Alecko Eskandarian, Virginia
Mohamed Fahim, SMU
Chris Gbandi, UConn
Gavin Glinton, Bradley
Luchi Gonzalez, SMU
Kyle Martino, Virginia
Lee Morrison, Stanford
Pat Noonan, Indiana
John Barry Nusum, Furman
Oguchi Onyewu, Clemson
Dipsy Selolwane, Saint Louis
Mike Tranchilla,, Creighton
Ricardo Villar, Penn State
Alex Yi, UCLA

2001 M.A.C. Award Candidates - Women
Meghan Anderson, Nebraska
Danielle Borgman, North Carolina
Lindsay Browne, Clemson
Aleisha Cramer, BYU
Jena Kluegel, North Carolina
Christine Latham, Nebraska
Lori Lindsey, Virginia
Mary-Frances Monroe, UCLA
Vanessa Pruzinsky, Notre Dame
Laura Schott, California
Danielle Slaton, Santa Clara
Hope Solo, Washington
Aly Wagner, Santa Clara
Abby Wambach, Florida
Christie Welch, Penn State