The Tewaaraton Award is an annual award for the most outstanding American college lacrosse men's and women's players, since 2001. It is the lacrosse equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy. The award is presented by The Tewaaraton Foundation and the University Club of Washington, D.C.

Lacrosse is the oldest sport played in North AmericaHinton, R., & Sutton, K. M. Lacrosse Injuries. and the award honors the Native American heritage of lacrosse in the name of its award, "Tewaaraton," the Mohawk name for their game and the progenitor of present-day lacrosse. The Tewaaraton Award has received the endorsement of the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders. Each year, the award recognizes one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy: the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribes.

Trophy

The award winners each receive a trophy of a bronze sculpture depicting a Mohawk native playing lacrosse. It was designed and created by Frederick Kail with the assistance of Thomas Vennum, Jr., a Native American lacrosse historian and author.

Replicas of the trophy are given to the winners each year. The original castings of the trophy are part of a permanent collection and are currently on display at the University Club of Washington, D.C.

Nomination and selection process

Players are nominated for the award by coaches, and winners chosen by selection committees made up of coaches.

In addition to recognizing the top men’s and women’s collegiate lacrosse players, the Tewaaraton Award in the past has also recognized the High School All-Tewaaraton team for both boys and girls lacrosse. This was a regional team which was composed of the best players from both private and public schools in the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia area. However, no such list has been released since 2010, and there is no mention of it on either the Tewaraaton Awards website nor the University Club of Washington, D.C.'s website.

Ceremony Each year the ceremony takes place at the National Museum of the American Indian. Anyone can purchase a ticket to attend the ceremony.

USILA versus Tewaaraton There is debate in the lacrosse community as to whether the Tewaaraton Award is an outstanding player award or whether it should be called a postseason award. The controversy stems from the fact that the award is usually given to a male player who plays well during the season-ending NCAA tournament and from a team which is the winner or runner up in the NCAA Tournament. The Lt. Raymond Enners Award is the USILA Outstanding Player of the Year Award selected by the NCAA coaches, and the Tewaaraton Award recipient was not the same as the Raymond Enners Award recipient in 5 out of the first 11 years that the Tewaaraton was awarded.Men's Lacrosse: Player of the Year Watch Since then, the two awards have agreed almost exactly; in each season but one from 2012 through 2022, both awards were won by the same individual. The only exception in this span was in 2014, when the Enners Award went to one of the two brothers who shared the Tewaaraton Award.

Tewaaraton Award recipients YearMen's winnerSchoolPositionWomen's winnerSchoolPosition 2001 Doug Shanahan Hofstra Midfield Jen Adams Maryland Attack 2002 Mike Powell Syracuse Attack Erin Elbe Georgetown Attack 2003 Chris Rotelli Virginia Midfield Rachael Becker Princeton Defense 2004 Mike Powell Syracuse Attack Amy Appelt Virginia Attack 2005 Kyle Harrison Johns Hopkins Midfield Katie Chrest Duke Attack 2006 Matt Ward Virginia Attack Kristen Kjellman Northwestern Midfield 2007 Matt Danowski Duke Attack Kristen Kjellman Northwestern Midfield 2008 Mike Leveille Syracuse Attack Hannah Nielsen Northwestern Midfield 2009 Max Seibald Cornell Midfield Hannah Nielsen Northwestern Midfield 2010 Ned Crotty Duke Attack Caitlyn McFadden Maryland Midfield 2011 Steele Stanwick Virginia Attack Shannon Smith Northwestern Attack 2012 Peter Baum Colgate Attack Katie Schwarzmann Maryland Midfield 2013 Rob Pannell Cornell Attack Katie Schwarzmann Maryland Midfield2014 Lyle ThompsonAlbanyAttackTaylor CummingsMarylandMidfield Miles Thompson 2015 Lyle Thompson Albany Attack Taylor Cummings Maryland Midfield 2016 Dylan Molloy Brown Attack Taylor Cummings Maryland Midfield 2017 Matt Rambo Maryland Attack Zoe Stukenberg Maryland Midfield 2018 Ben Reeves Yale Attack Sam Apuzzo Boston College Attack 2019 Pat Spencer Loyola Attack Megan Taylor Maryland Goalie 2020 No Awards Due to COVID-19 2021 Jared Bernhardt Maryland Attack Charlotte North Boston College Attack 2022 Logan Wisnauskas Maryland Attack Charlotte North Boston College Attack2023 Brennan O'Neill Duke Attack Izzy Scane Northwestern Attack2024 Pat Kavanagh Notre Dame Attack Izzy Scane Northwestern Attack2025 CJ Kirst Cornell Attack Chloe Humphrey North Carolina Attack2026 Shawn Lyght Notre Dame Defense Madison Taylor Northwestern AttackSource:

Men's awards by university Rank School Number of AwardsWinning yearsT-1 Cornell 2009, 2013, 2025T-1 Duke 2007, 2010, 2023T-1 Maryland 2017, 2021, 2022 T-1 Virginia 2003, 2006, 2011T-1 Syracuse 2002, 2004, 2008T-6 Albany 2014 (2x), 2015T-6 Notre Dame 2024, 2026T-8 Loyola (MD) 2019T-8 Yale 2018T-8 Brown 2016T-8 Colgate 2012T-8 Johns Hopkins 2005T-8 Hofstra 2001

Women's awards by university Rank School Number of AwardsWinning years1 Maryland 2001, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 20192 Northwestern 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2023, 2024, 20263 Boston College 2018, 2021, 2022T-4 North Carolina2025T-4 Duke 2005T-4 Virginia2004T-4 Princeton 2003T-4 Georgetown 2002

Notable achievements

2014 was the first year that the award was given to a Native American player. It is also the first, and so far only, time the award has been given to two players to share: Lyle Thompson and Miles Thompson, who are both part of the Onondaga Nation, won the award that year. In 2016, Taylor Cummings became the first and so far only three-time recipient of the award.

Tewaaraton Legend Award

Since 2011, the Tewaaraton Legend Award has been presented to one recipient each year who played collegiately prior to 2001 when the first Tewaaraton Award was presented, whose performance during their college years would have earned them a Tewaaraton Award had the award existed when they played. All awardees received the Enners Award when they played except for Jim Brown and Jimmy Lewis whose playing days preceded the first Enners Award in 1969. In 2016, the foundation began presenting both a men's and women's Legend Award.

Tewaaraton Legend Award Recipients YearMen's WinnerSchoolWomen's WinnerSchool 2011 Jim Brown Syracuse - - 2012 Eamon McEneaney Cornell - - 2013 Joe Cowan Johns Hopkins - - 2014 Jimmy Lewis Navy - - 2015 Brad Kotz Syracuse - - 2016 Frank Urso Maryland Candace Finn Rocha Penn State 2017 Peter Cramblet Army Cherie Greer Brown Virginia 2018 Larry Quinn Johns Hopkins Amanda Moore O'Leary Temple 2019 Tom Sears North Carolina Kare Emas Borbee Delaware 2020 No Awards due to COVID 19 2021 No Awards due to COVID 19 2022 Dave Pietramala Johns Hopkins Kelly Amonte Hiller Maryland 2023 Doug Schreiber Maryland Kathleen Geiger Temple 2024 Bill Miller Hobart Francesca DenHartog Harvard 2025 Gary & Paul Gait Syracuse None 2026 Mike French Cornell None

Legends awards by university Rank School Number of AwardsWinning yearsT-1 Johns Hopkins 2013, 2018, 2022T-1 Maryland 2016, 2022, 2023T-1 Syracuse 2011, 2015, 2025T-4 Temple 2018, 2023T-4 Cornell 2012, 2026T-6 Navy 2014T-6 Penn State 2016T-6 Army 2017T-6 Virginia 2017T-6 North Carolina 2019T-6 Delaware 2019T-6 Hobart 2024T-6 Harvard 2024

Spirit of Tewaaraton The Spirit of Tewaaraton is presented each year to an individual who has contributed to the sport of lacrosse in a way that reflects the spirit of the values and the mission of the Tewaaraton award. The award was first presented in 2003. Although there have been some years it was not presented, it has been presented each year since 2012 with the exceptions of 2020 and 2021.

Spirit of Tewaaraton WinnersYearWinner2003A.B. “Buzzy” KrongardDiane M. Geppi-Aikens2005Sid Jamieson2009Roy D. Simmons, Jr.2010Dick Edell2012Richie Moran2013Bob Scott2014Brendan Looney2015Chief Oren Lyons2016Tina Sloan Green2017George Boiardi2018Welles Crowther2019Ethel “Feffie” Barnhill2022Bill Belichick2023Alfred "Alf" Jacques2024Chris Sailer2025Paul Rabil, Mike Rabil2026Jack Emmer

Native American Scholarship Program

Since 2006, The Tewaaraton Foundation has given over $130,000 in scholarships to Native American high school lacrosse players through its Tewaaraton Native American Scholarships program. The $10,000 scholarships are awarded annually on a highly competitive basis to one Native American female and one Native American male lacrosse player who are enrolled members of a U.S. tribe. All awards are not only based on the student's athletic performance, but also on their merit, academic achievement, and ambition.

Tewaaraton Native American Scholarship Recipients Year Boys' Winner Nation Girls' Winner Nation 2006 Justin Gill Oglala Sioux and Seneca Nation of Indians Lindsey Steeprock Mohawk Nation 2007 Alexander Jamieson Seneca Nation of Indians, Wolf Clan Mia McKie Tuscarora Indian Nation, Turtle Clan 2008 Emmett Printup Tonawanda Seneca Corinne Abrams Tuscarora Indian Nation 2009 Isaac "Ike" Hopper Onondaga Nation Trenna Hill Mohawk Nation 2010 Kyle Henry Tuscarora Indian Nation, White Bear Clan Taylor Hummel Tuscarora Indian Nation, White Bear Clan 2011 Christopher White Oneida Nation Kristiana Ferguson Tuscarora Indian Nation 2012 Bradley Thomas Tuscarora Indian Nation Marissa Haring Seneca Nation of Indians 2013 Robert McMicking Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan Cassandra Minerd Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan 2014 Kason Tarbell St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Alie Jimerson Cayuga Nation, Bear Clan 2015 Chaunce Hill Six Nations Seneca, Turtle Clan Lynnzee Miller Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan 2016 Emerson Shenandoah Mohawk Nation, Snipe Clan Jade Haumann Seneca Nation of Indians, Wolf Clan 2017 Liam Anderson Tuscarora Indian Nation, Turtle Clan Shayla Scanlan Seneca Nation of Indians, Wolf Clan 2018 Lyle Warrior Seneca Nation of Indians Ivy Santana Seneca Nation, Wolf Clan 2019 Isaiah Cree Akwesasne Mohawk, Wolf Clan Jacelyn and Mirabella Lazore Akwesasne Mohawk, Wolf Clan 2020 Cobie Cree Mohawk Nation, Bear Clan Yanenowi Logan Seneca Nation, Deer Clan 2021 Peter Thais Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan Fantasy Jimerson-Kenjockety Seneca Nation, Beaver Clan 2022 Crayton Cree Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, Bear Clan Savannah Swamp Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, Bear Clan 2023 Vernon Cooke Onondaga Beaver Clan Wynter Jock Akwesasne Mohawk, Wolf Clan and St. Regis Mohawk Tribe 2024 Brett Bucktooth Jr. Akwesasne Mohawk, Wolf Clan Avery Doran St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Bear Clan 2025 Winter Rivera Wolf Clan, Seneca Nation of Indians Jianna Lazore Wolf Clan, Akwesasne Mohawk Nation

See also Lt. Raymond Enners Outstanding Player Award Jack Turnbull Outstanding Attackman Award Lt. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Outstanding Midfielder Award William C. Schmeisser Outstanding Defender Award Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goaltender Award F. Morris Touchstone Outstanding Coach Award

References

External links