The Tewaaraton Foundation has announced the 2014 Tewaaraton Award men’s and women’s finalists, presented by Panama Jack. Five men and five women were selected as finalists and will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 14th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony on May 29, 2014.
The five men’s finalists are Loyola University defenseman Joe Fletcher, Princeton University midfielder Tom Schreiber, University at Albany attackman Lyle Thompson, University at Albany attackman Miles Thompson and Duke University attackman Jordan Wolf.
The five women’s finalists are University of Maryland midfielder Taylor Cummings, University of Maryland defender Megan Douty, University of Florida midfielder Shannon Gilroy, Syracuse University attacker Alyssa Murray and Syracuse University attacker Kayla Treanor.
Returning finalists include Schreiber, Lyle Thompson and Murray. Lyle and Miles Thompson are the first sibling duo to be named Tewaaraton Award finalists. Nine of the 10 finalists will compete in this month’s NCAA lacrosse championships, at the conclusion of which the selection committees will vote on and select this year’s winners.
“This was a particularly competitive field of players this year. Its the ultimate recognition for these 10 finalists to have been chosen among many worthy candidates by the game’s top coaches on the Tewaaraton selection committees,” said Jeffrey Harvey, chairman of The Tewaaraton Foundation. “They are all worthy of the sport’s ultimate award, and we look forward to hosting this group in Washington on May 29.”
The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. Finalists were selected from a pool of 28 men’s and 27 women’s nominees. The selection committees are comprised of 11 men’s and 11 women’s current and former college coaches.
Brief bios of the men’s finalists:
Joe Fletcher, the 2014 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, leads all close defenders nationally in ground balls (76) and ground balls per game (4.75). His 28 caused turnovers also rank second on a Loyola squad that concluded the regular season atop the USILA Coaches Poll. The senior defenseman from Syracuse, N.Y., was named to the All-Patriot League First Team and the Patriot League All-Tournament Team. Earlier this year, Fletcher was the lone collegiate player selected to the U.S. Men’s National Team 30-man roster for this summer’s FIL World Championship.
A 2013 Tewaaraton Award finalist, midfielder Tom Schreiber paced Princeton in scoring for a fourth consecutive season, recording a team-high 30 goals and 51 points while finishing second with 21 assists. One of the most prolific midfielders in Ivy League history, the senior from East Meadow, N.Y., earned his fourth first-team All-Ivy League selection and set school records for career goals, assists and points by a midfielder. The number one overall pick in the 2014 MLL Collegiate Draft by the Ohio Machine, Schreiber is one of five players in Princeton history to reach 200 career points.
Jordan Wolf, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, led the conference with 51 goals and 80 points, good for second and third nationally, respectively. A senior attackman from Wynnewood, Pa., Wolf extended his nation’s best point scoring streak to 57 games and is second among active players with 281 career points. Wolf earned his fourth All-ACC selection, becoming the only Duke player to achieve that feat, and led the Blue Devils in scoring for a third consecutive season en route to his team earning the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A finalist for the second consecutive year, Albany attackman Lyle Thompson leads the nation with 69 assists and 114 points. The junior from Onondaga Nation, N.Y., is currently tied with Steve Marohl (1992) for the single-season NCAA Division I points record, and with one point in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament first round game against Loyola would become the all-time leader. He earned his second consecutive America East Player of the Year nod, while also being named first-team All-America East and America East All-Tournament Team.
Albany attackman Miles Thompson ranks first in the nation with 74 goals and second nationally with 108 points. Miles is tops among active players with 282 career points and also holds the longest active goal-scoring streak at 30 games. The senior from Onondaga Nation, N.Y., was named first-team All-America East and America East Tournament MVP, setting conference tournament records with eight goals and 22 points. His 74 goals this season trail only Yale’s Jon Reese (82, 1990) for the all-time NCAA single-season record, and his 108 points this season ranks fourth all-time.
Brief bios of the women’s finalists:
Midfielder Taylor Cummings led Maryland with 101 draw controls, 33 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers and ranked second on the Terps fourth-ranked scoring offense with 51 goals, 23 assists and 74 points. The sophomore from Ellicott City, Md., and U.S. Women’s National Team member earned All-ACC honors for a second time and was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team as Maryland captured its sixth consecutive conference title.
Junior Megan Douty, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, led a Maryland defense that held opponents to a league best 8.00 goals per game, even as the conference featured four other teams in the nation’s top 15 in scoring offense. The defender from Fair Haven, N.J., racked up 27 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers, good for second and third on the Terps, respectively. She also twice earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week.
Shannon Gilroy paced Florida in goals (80), assists (18), points (98), draw controls (75) and caused turnovers (23). The junior midfielder from Northport, N.Y., racked up numerous ALC awards in her junior season, earning first-team all-conference, Midfield Player of the Year and Tournament MVP honors. Gilroy leads the nation in goals and goals per game (4.21), while ranking second with 5.21 points per game. She led the Gators third-ranked scoring offense to the ALC regular season and tournament titles.
A 2013 Tewaaraton Award finalist, Syracuse attacker Alyssa Murray dished out a team-high 37 assists to go with 51 goals for a total of 88 points. A first team All-ACC selection, Murray became just the second player in Orange history to record 300 points, 200 goals and 100 assists in her career. The senior from West Baylon, N.Y., led Syracuse to a program best No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Her 88 points rank fifth in the country, and she currently sits in the nation’s top 20 in points per game, goals, assists and assists per game.
The nation’s leading scorer with 102 points (70 goals, 32 assists), attacker Kayla Treanor was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Tournament Team. Treanor registered four or more goals in nine games this season, and her 70 goals are good for second-best in the nation. Her 102 points rank fifth on Syracuse’s single-season record list. A member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, the sophomore from Niskayuna, N.Y., helped the Orange claim a share of the ACC regular season title.
Guidelines for Finalists and Recipient Selections
•Finalists will be the best five players chosen without regard to institution
•Finalists will be selected based on individual performance and a player’s contribution to the success of their team.
•Finalists are chosen based on current year’s regular season performance (date of selection is at the conclusion of regular season and before playoffs).
•Recipients are chosen based on current year’s regular season and playoff performance.
•Sportsmanship can play a role in the selection process and it is important that the recipient upholds the mission and values of the Tewaaraton Award.
Media credentials are available for the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony in the News and Press section of www.tewaaraton.com. Credential requests are due by Tuesday, May 27.
For more information on the Tewaaraton Award or to attend the ceremony, visit www.tewaaraton.com. Like and follow The Tewaaraton Foundation at www.facebook.com/tewaaraton and www.twitter.com/tewaaraton, respectively.
