The Greater Washington Sports Alliance announced today this year's 2010 Tewaarton Award nominees. The award is given to the nation's top male and female collegiate lacrosse players, and this year features four male Cavaliers and two female. Virginia, along with Syracuse, has the highest number of nominees on the men's list. Of the 26 nominees on men's list and 25 nominees on the women's list, only 5 men and 5 women will be named finalists.
The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 and is the preeminent lacrosse award honoring the nation's top collegiate lacrosse player for his extraordinary achievements on the field. All Tewaaraton nominees are screened and selected by a committee, which is comprised of collegiate coaches.
For the men, Virginia's nominees are Shamel Bratton, Brian Carroll, Ken Clausen, and Steele Stanwick. The Cavaliers are currently 11-0 on the season, the only unblemished program in the nation, and will put their flawless mark to the test in front of an ESPNU audience on Saturday, April 17, when they face Duke at 8:30 p.m., in both school's final regular-season game.
The women are represented by Kaitlin Duff and Brittany Kalkstein.The 'Hoos are 11-3 on the season and are ranked 5th in the country. They sit atop the ACC with a 4-1 conference record, which includes a 13-12 OT win over No. 2 North Carolina and a 8-7 win over No. 4 Duke. Their only ACC loss comes from No. 3 Maryland. The Cavaliers will play top-ranked Northwestern on the road following the ACC Tournament.
Honoring the Native American heritage, the Tewaaraton Trophy symbolizes lacrosse's centuries-old roots in Native American history. Tradition dictates that each year the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy: the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and the Tuscarora.
The award will be presented on June 3rd, 2010 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.