Denver Summit FC is not just adding undeniable talent to its roster; it is welcoming the making of iconic history. Jasmine Aikey’s athletic and collegiate careers hold massive weight, and now her legacy will forever be recorded in Stanford University history. At just 20 years old, Aikey is creating inspiration regarding everything the modern athlete can be while breaking against every barrier set against her. She is intrigued by a challenge and never backs down from obstacles. This resilience and dedication to her craft has made her the first Black woman in history to achieve the MAC Hermann Trophy and Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year in the same season.
“I’m definitely super grateful, it’s kind of surreal and sometimes I forget,” she shared. “I’m back with a new team at a higher level. I’m just trying to get through each practice and trying to play well. It’s kind of a bit of a 180 from winning a few awards to oh I’m getting my butt kicked at practice, so gotta adjust.”
It is almost unheard of for a Division I athlete to capture both awards in the same season. She joins an exclusive lineage that includes icons like Christine Sinclair and Jason Garey. The prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy is widely regarded as college soccer’s equivalent to the Heisman. While dominating defenses across the country, Aikey was also completing one of the most rigorous academic tracks in higher education by earning her degree in Computer Science from Stanford University. In an era where athletes are often forced into a false choice between sport and scholarship, she refused the premise altogether. Not only did she choose both, she mastered them.
“I was homeschooled since I was 13. So if I wasn’t self-driven, it wasn’t going to get done. That definitely helped going into college,” Aikey explained. “I learned that it’s so important how you manage your time and what you give your energy to because you only have so much of it. For me, I had to sacrifice a lot of things socially, but in the end I really enjoyed my time at Stanford. And for women, my mom does this very well, but you can’t let yourself be contained by these glass ceilings, break through them.”
For Aikey, greatness has never been about highlight reels alone. Behind every award lies a discipline most people never see: the quiet and boring repetitions, the extra drills when you feel like passing out, and the days when progress feels invisible. There is always that one thing that sets an athlete apart from being great to being extraordinary.
“I would say you kind of have to embrace the hard parts and the boring parts. Also, you can’t get too caught up in the bad days. My dad always tells me that the bad days lead to the good days; you have to go through those hard moments to get the moments you want,” Aikey said.
Ironically, the clarity that propelled her toward a professional career did not come during a championship run. It came in stillness. The unexpected space created by an injury forced her to step back from the game she had spent years mastering. However, this only fueled her drive and focus for the love of the game. What could have been a setback instead became confirmation.
“I honestly didn’t really imagine myself playing professional soccer seriously until about a year ago. I went through an injury and kind of realized how much I loved it. That was what actually really motivated me to go pro,” she expressed. “I think it’s kind of like controlling what you can’t control. I ended up having my best season yet after that injury, so you have to have faith and hope that your hard work will eventually pay off. It’s like delayed gratification.”