Colgate's Peter Baum Owns the Tewaaraton

In 5 years, haven't covered a player more respected by other players RT @Inside_Lacrosse: The 2012 @Tewaaraton Trophy winner:@pbaum15

— Terry Foy (@TerenceFoy) June 1, 2025

I think that tweet from Inside Lacrosse's Terry Foy just about says it all.

Last night at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Oregon native and resident Raider nuclear weapon took home what has billed itself as the most prestigious award in college lacrosse. Baum's achievement -- second only to being named National Rocket Scientist Laureate of Major League Baseball Interactive Media -- is notable in many respects:

• Baum is the first winner since Doug Shanahan (2001) to not play in the national title game.
• Baum is the first Tewaaraton winner that grew up west of the Mississippi (or, as I like to call it, "Somewhere Past New Jersey But, You Know, I Never Heard of It").
• Baum is the first Colgate player to ever win the Tewaaraton, which comes on the heels of being the first Raider to ever win the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award.
• He is now in a select group of only seven players -- Max Seibald (2009), Matt Danowski (2007), Matt Ward (2006), Kyle Harrison (2005), Mike Powell (2004), and Doug Shanahan (2001) -- to win both the Tewaaraton Trophy and Enners Award in the same year. He is also the first "Peter" to pull the trick, which is especially impressive.

The Tewaaraton finalist field was a crowded one, with a handful of very worthy candidates for the award this season. There was a bit of dissension among the ranks as to which player should actually win the award, but in the end I think that the Tewaaraton committee ended up making the right choice. There will be contrarians, for sure, and that's attendant in an award that ambiguously defines itself as going to "the top male . . . lacrosse player in the United States." I have no idea what that means, and neither do you, but Baum -- to whatever degree you wish to ascribe -- certainly fit that model in 2012.

So, congratulations to Peter Baum; the honor is well deserved. Now, go get a summer job and make something of yourself.