Ken Clausen and Brittany Kalkstein were each named finalists for the 2010 Tewaaraton Award, as announced today by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and the University Club of Washington, DC. This award is given to the nation’s top men’s and women’s college lacrosse players. Kalkstein has already made her name into the Virginia record books, while Clausen is a multiple All-American honoree.
Kalkstein has been named ACC Player of the Week twice – on March 4 and March 23, as well as the 2010 All-ACC list. Following her performance as the Cavaliers upset 6th-ranked Syracuse, Kalkstein was also named national player of the week by both WomensLax.com and Nike/Inside Lacrosse.
She currently holds the school record for both single-season and career draw controls, at 90 and 280, respectively. She holds the ACC’s career draw controls record, and is currently fourth in the NCAA in that category. She also leads the country in goals (37), and is second in points (56), ground balls (36) and caused turnovers (25).
Clausen is also no stranger to accolades throughout his career. He averages 2.27 caused turnovers per game and is ranked fourth nationally in this category. This includes a career high 7 caused turnovers against the nation’s top-scoring offense, Robert Morris, to conclude the regular season.
Clausen is a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award (fan balloting counts for 1/3 of the total), is a three-time USILA All-American, and a LaxPower.com All-American.
"I truly believe that each of these finalists has showcased the ability to step forward and claim the Tewaaraton Award as their own this year," said Robert Sweeney, President of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, in a statement.
The selection process began with a list of over 100 of the nation’s top men’s and women’s collegiate players, which was then narrowed down to selective list of fewer than 50. Of these, ten have been named as finalists, five men and five women, in which only two will be able to walk away with the sport’s top honor.
The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 with the inaugural presentation taking place at The University Club of Washington DC in June of 2001. 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. Today, the Tewaaraton Trophy is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award honoring the nation's top male and female collegiate lacrosse player for their extraordinary achievements on the field.
Both Virginia lacrosse teams will be hosting first-round NCAA games this weekend. The 6th-seeded women’s team will be hosting Towson at noon on ESPNU, and the No. 1 seed men’s team will be hosting Mount St. Mary’s at 7:30 on ESPNU.