WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012 – The Tewaaraton Foundation has announced the 2012 Tewaaraton Award men’s and women’s finalists lists, presented by Panama Jack. Five men and five women were selected as finalists and will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 12th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.
The five men’s finalists are Colgate University attackman Peter Baum, Duke University midfielder C.J. Costabile, University of Massachusetts attackman Will Manny, Loyola University attackman Mike Sawyer and University of Virginia attackman Steele Stanwick.
The five women’s finalists are University of Florida midfielder Brittany Dashiell, University of North Carolina attacker Becky Lynch, University of Maryland attacker Katie Schwarzmann, Northwestern University midfielder Taylor Thornton and Syracuse University attacker Michelle Tumolo.
This year marks the first time that 10 different schools are represented among the finalists, as well as the first time finalists originally hailing from North Carolina, Oregon and Texas have been selected. Returning 2011 finalists include Stanwick (2011 men’s winner) and Schwarzmann. All ten 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.
“It is the ultimate recognition for these 10 finalists to have been recognized by the game’s very best coaches,” said Jeffrey Harvey, chairman of The Tewaaraton Foundation. “They are all worthy of the sport’s ultimate award, and we could not be more excited to have this group come to Washington, D.C. on May 31.”
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 25 men’s and 25 women’s nominees. The selection committees are comprised of 12 men’s and 10 women’s current and former college coaches.
Brief bios of the finalists:
Peter Baum (Portland, Ore.) leads the nation in goals (64) and points (93), setting Colgate and Patriot League records in both categories en route to being named the 2012 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. The junior attackman’s 93 points are the most in NCAA Division I play since 2008, when Tewaaraton Award finalist Zack Greer recorded 95. Baum is the first finalist in Colgate lacrosse history.
C.J. Costabile (New Fairfield, Conn.) is looking to become the third Duke Blue Devil to receive the Tewaaraton, following Matt Danowski (2007) and Ned Crotty (2010). On his way to being named the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the senior long-stick midfielder grabbed an ACC-best 113 ground balls along with 18 caused turnovers, 10 points (6g, 4a) and 119 of 231 draws.
Will Manny (Massapequa, N.Y.) led Massachusetts’ third-ranked offense (13.07 goals per game) and the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in both goals (43) and points (75), helping the Minutemen to an undefeated regular season in which his team led the nation in scoring margin. The junior attackman ranked in the nation’s top six in goals (2.87), assists (2.13) and points (5.00) per game and earned 2012 CAA Player of the Year honors.
Mike Sawyer (Waxhaw, N.C.) helped the Loyola Greyhounds land the No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) regular season and tournament titles. The junior attackman was a first-team All-ECAC performer, leading his team and the ECAC in goals (45), and his 3.00 goals per game average ranked third nationally. Sawyer is the first men’s finalist in Loyola lacrosse history.
Steele Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) is looking for a repeat of his 2011 Tewaaraton Award-winning campaign, when he led the Virginia Cavaliers to the national title. The senior attackman claimed his second straight ACC Player of the Year award, leading Virginia with 71 points (26g, 45a). Stanwick led the nation in assists and is ranked second in the country with 5.07 points per game.
On the women’s side, the five finalists represent the top five schools in the final regular season Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) coaches’ poll.
Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) was a catalyst for the Florida Gators third-ranked offense, leading the Gators to the program’s first American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) tournament title and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s lacrosse championship. The junior attacker led Florida with 23 assists and was third on the team with 59 points. Her 27 ground balls and 42 draw controls ranked second on the Gators and helped her garner a first-team All-ALC selection. Dashiell is the first finalist in Florida lacrosse history.
Becky Lynch (Garden City, N.Y.) ranked in North Carolina’s top two in goals, assists, points (team-leading 55), ground balls and draw controls (team-leading 37). The senior attacker became the Tar Heels’ career assist leader (89) en route to first-team All-ACC honors and the ACC regular season championship. She paced the Tar Heels with six points in the ACC tournament and became the only player in program history to earn all-tournament honors in four consecutive seasons.
Katie Schwarzmann (Sykesville, Md.) has the opportunity to join two other Maryland Terrapins as Tewaaraton winners: Jen Adams (2001) and Caitlyn McFadden (2010). Schwarzmann led the ACC and ranked third nationally with 63 goals. Her 78 points were second best in the conference, and she also led the Terrapins in ground balls (29) and recorded 40 draw controls, second on the team. A member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national team, the junior midfielder was named 2012 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and received her third straight all-conference selection. She paced the Terrapins with a tournament-record 11 goals in their run to the ACC tournament title, earning MVP honors.
Taylor Thornton (Dallas, Texas) was the leader for Northwestern’s fourth-ranked defense and was named 2012 ALC Player of the Year, earning her third-straight all-conference selection. The junior midfielder, who in 2011 was named IWLCA Division I Defensive Player of the Year, was also a member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national team. She set a career high with 27 goals and ranked in the top two for the Wildcats in ground balls (team-leading 44), draw controls (59) and caused turnovers (24). She is looking to become Northwestern’s record sixth Tewaaraton winner, following the likes of Kristen Kjellman (2006, 2007), Hannah Nielsen (2008, 2009) and Shannon Smith (2011).
Michelle Tumolo (Mullica Hill, N.J.) paced the Syracuse offense, ranking in the Orange’s top two in goals (43), assists (team-leading 40), points (83), ground balls (20) and caused turnovers (11). The junior attacker made her second appearance on the All-Big East First Team and was named Big East Attack Player of the Year. A member of the 2011-12 U.S. women’s national team, she became only the second player in Syracuse history to record 200 points and 100 assists in her career.
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.
About The Tewaaraton Foundation
First presented in 2001 at the University Club of Washington DC, the Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. Endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and US Lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse’s centuries-old roots in Native American heritage. The Tewaaraton Foundation ensures the integrity and advances the mission of this award. Each year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy – the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – and presents two scholarships to students of Iroquois descent. To learn more about The Tewaaraton Foundation, visit www.tewaaraton.com.
