Fabian Herbers named Omaha Sportsman of the Year

Philadelphia Union rookie Fabian Herbers was named the Omaha Sportsman of the Year in a ceremony he was unable to attend in Nebraska on Thursday night.

Herbers led Creighton for three seasons, scoring 15 goals and collecting a nation’s best 17 assists during a 2015 campaign that saw the Blue Jays start the season 15-0-0 and reach the Number One national ranking for several weeks. They finished the season 19-4-0, losing in the Big East tournament championship to Keegan Rosenberry and Joshua Yaro‘s Georgetown Hoyas.

The Ahaus, Germany native was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, losing out to Seattle Sounders rookie Jordan Morris, a first-team All-American for the second year in a row and the Big East Offensive Player of the Year. After signing with MLS as part of the Generation adidas class, the Union selected him sixth overall in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.

Over three seasons in Omaha, Herbers scored 28 goals and added 29 assists in 62 appearances. Creighton's 1996 team, the first in school history to advance to the College Cup, was also honored at the banquet along with the 2016 class of the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame.

"I'm very honored to be inducted as a Sportsman of the Year in Omaha," Herbers said in a video acceptance speech shot at the Philadelphia Union Training Center in Chester. "I'm very thankful for what the city gave me. I had two and a half very successful college years at Creighton University."