Animated Lacrosse
Plays and Drills for
your Team

The Tewaaraton Foundation has announced the men’s and women’s finalists for the 2017 Tewaaraton Award, presented by Under Armour. Five men and five women were selected as finalists and will be invited to Washington, D.C., for the 17th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony on June 1.

Five men’s finalists:

Trevor Baptiste, Denver – Jr., Faceoff

Connor Fields, Albany – Jr., Attack

Matt Rambo, Maryland – Sr., Attack

Ben Reeves, Yale – Jr., Attack

Patrick Spencer, Loyola – Soph., Attack

Five women’s finalists:

Nadine Hadnagy, Maryland – Sr., DefenseOlivia Hompe, Princeton – Sr., Attack

Olivia Hompe, Princeton – Sr., AttackMarie McCool, North Carolina – Jr., Midfield

Marie McCool, North Carolina – Jr., MidfieldKylie Ohlmiller, Stony Brook – Jr., Attack

Kylie Ohlmiller, Stony Brook – Jr., AttackZoe Stukenberg, Maryland – Sr., Midfield

Zoe Stukenberg, Maryland – Sr., Midfield

Ben Reeves (Yale) is the only returning finalist from 2016, while Kylie Ohlmiller becomes Stony Brook’s first Tewaaraton finalist and Trevor Baptiste (Denver) is the first faceoff specialist to be a finalist for the award. All 10 finalists will compete in this month’s NCAA Tournament, at the conclusion of which the selection committees will vote on and select the 2017 winners.

“The Tewaaraton Foundation congratulates these 10 finalists that have been chosen by our selection committees from such an amazing pool of talented players this season,” said Jeffrey Harvey, chairman of The Tewaaraton Foundation. “We look forward to welcoming each of them and their families to Washington, D.C., on June 1, and we look forward to following along throughout the playoffs to see who emerges in this wide-open race.”

The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. Finalists come from a pool of 25 men’s and 25 women’s nominees that were announced April 28. The selection committees are comprised of 16 men’s and 17 women’s current and former college coaches.

Bios of the men’s finalists:

Trevor Baptiste, Denver

A three-time Tewaaraton Award nominee, Trevor Baptiste is winning 73.6 percent of his faceoffs in 2017, and has picked up 141 ground balls on his 242 faceoff wins. The Denver junior and 2017 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year has scored a career-high nine goals this season to go along with two assists, including his first-career hat trick in Denver’s 16-11 win over nationally ranked Villanova. The two-time USILA First Team All-America selection has won double-digit faceoffs in all 49 career games, has 20-plus faceoff wins in 14 career games (including in four of his last seven) and has won all 14 faceoff match-ups in 2017 (45-2-2 in his career). He is Denver’s third Tewaaraton finalist in as many years (Wes Berg, 2015; Connor Cannizzaro, 2016), and would be the Pioneers’ first award winner.

Connor Fields, Jr, Albany

Connor Fields led the nation in points (108) and points per game (6.75) this year, earning America East Player of the Year honors and leading a Danes’ offense that finished the regular season No. 1 with 15.81 goals per game. The three-time first-team All-America East selection is currently tied for ninth all-time on the NCAA DI record list for points in a season, and he has already become just the seventh player in NCAA DI history to record at least 50 goals and 50 assists in a season. The NCAA DI record-holder with 66 goals as a freshman, he’s currently tied for 21st all-time on the NCAA DI career scoring list with 269 points – with more than a season to go. He looks to become Albany’s third Tewaaraton winner in four years, following Lyle Thompson in 2014 and 2015.

Matt Rambo, Sr, Maryland

The all-time points leader in Maryland’s prestigious history, senior Matt Rambo has led Maryland to the No. 1 overall seed and Big Ten Championship for the second straight season. The 2017 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and two-time USILA All-America selection is looking to lead the Terrapins to their fourth straight NCAA Semifinal, following two straight championship game appearances. Competing against the nation’s top-ranked strength of schedule, Rambo leads the Big Ten in both points (4.5 per game) and assists (2.2 per game). He is Maryland’s second Tewaaraton finalist (Joe Walters, 2006), and would be the program’s first award winner.

Pat Spencer, Soph, Loyola

Loyola sophomore attackman Pat Spencer enters the NCAA Tournament as the national leader in assists per game (3.67) while ranking No. 3 in points (5.47). He became the first player in conference history to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors in his first two seasons for the Greyhounds and he became the fastest player to 100 assists in conference history. In the Patriot League Championship Game, Spencer set the school and league record for single-season assists (55), and he is the second player in school history to score 80 or more points in multiple seasons. Prior to the NCAA First Round, Spencer scored 27 goals to go with 55 assists for 82 points. He is Loyola’s third Tewaaraton finalist (Mike Sawyer, 2012; Joe Fletcher, 2014), and he would be the school’s first winner.

Ben Reeves, Jr, Yale

Ben Reeves, who was Yale’s first Tewaaraton finalist in 2016 as a sophomore, was this year’s Ivy League Player of the Year and Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Despite missing Yale’s first two games with an injury, he put up 38 goals and 72 points in 13 games, ranking fifth in the nation with 5.21 points per game and sixth with 2.5 assists per game. After less than three full seasons, he currently sits with 195 points, just five away from Yale’s career scoring record.

Bios of the women’s finalists:

Nadine Hadnagy, Sr, Maryland

Maryland co-captain Nadine Hadnagy anchored a Terrapin defense that ranks 16th nationally this year with just 9.21 goals allowed. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous All-Big Ten selection and Big Ten All-Tournament team selection, Hadnagy leads Maryland with 23 caused turnovers and is third with 25 ground balls. Often matched against opposing teams’ top attackers, Hadnagy has led the Terps to a 19-0 record, including the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Hadnagy is one of 19 Tewaaraton finalists from the University of Maryland dating back to the award’s 2001 beginning.

Olivia Hompe, Sr, Princeton

Princeton senior Olivia Hompe leads the nation in goals per game (4.12) and is third in points per game (6.06). She has 103 points this season and 70 goals, both of which are Tigers’ single-season records. This year she became Princeton’s all-time leading scorer and goal-scorer with 278 career points and 193 career goals. Hompe was named the Ivy League Attacker of the Year, while also earning unanimous first-team All-Ivy League and Ivy League All-Tournament team honors. She helped lead the Tigers to both the conference regular-season and tournament titles and earn the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Hompe is Princeton’s sixth Tewaaraton finalist and first since 2005, and looks to become the Tigers’ second Tewaaraton winner.

Marie McCool, Jr, North Carolina

The 2017 ACC Midfielder of the Year is one of two current college players on the 2017 U.S. Women’s National Team that will compete in the FIL World Cup this summer. She has done it all for the Tar Heels this year, putting up eight points twice, while ranking second on the team in goals (42), third in points (58), third in assists (16), second in ground balls (30), second in draw controls (48), second in free-position goals (14), second in shots (121) and first in caused turnovers (18). She is North Carolina’s sixth Tewaaraton finalist and seeks to be the Heels’ first Tewaaraton winner.

Kylie Ohlmiller, Jr, Stony Brook

Stony Brook junior attacker Kylie Ohlmiller has paced the Stony Brook offense and the nation in scoring in 2017 to lead the Seawolves the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The junior enters postseason play needing four points to break Jen Adams’ Division I single-season points record of 148 set in 2001. Ohlmiller is the first player in Division I history with 70 goals and 70 assists in a season and was named America East Offensive Player of the Year and America East Championship Most Outstanding Player. Ohlmiller is the first female Tewaaraton finalist from the America East Conference.

Zoe Stukenberg, Sr, Maryland

Maryland senior midfielder and co-captain Zoe Stukenberg led the Terps to a 19-0 record, including the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The senior was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and was a unanimous All-Big Ten selection and Big Ten All-Tournament team honoree. A threat across the field, Stukenberg ranks in the top three of every statistical category for the Terps, including 44 goals, 22 assists, 66 points, 42 ground balls, 62 draw controls and 18 caused turnovers – all of which are career highs. She looks to continue the Terrapins’ five-year run of Tewaaraton winners (Katie Schwarzmann, 2012-13; Taylor Cummings, 2014-16).

The guidelines for finalists and recipient selections are as follows:

• 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 the current year’s regular-season performance (date of selection is at the conclusion of the regular season, before playoffs).

• Recipients are chosen based on the 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.

This year’s initial Tewaaraton Watch Lists were announced on Feb. 28 and included the top 50 men’s and women’s college lacrosse players in the country. Two rounds of additions to the Watch Lists were announced, on March 16 and April 6.

Have a recruiting commitment to report? Send an email to info@laxlessons.com, contact Joe Lombardi directly at joe@laxlessons.com or send a Tweet to @Joe_Lombardi or @LaxLessons.