Tewaaraton Foundation Narrows Field to 28 Nominees for Award

The Tewaaraton Foundation announced its list of 28 players nominated for this year's Tewaaraton Trophy. The announcement comes after the group published an initial list of 50 considered players, then announced an additional cast of 10 players considered for the award, and then announced that four more players would be added to the pool of candidates for consideration. Let's be clear about that: 64 players were, at one point, in the running for an award designed to recognize the best of the hyper elite of the this-guy-changes-physics in the nation. There just aren't 64 players that fall into that tier of ability.

And yet, here we are: The Tewaaraton Foundation has finally cut its list from a totally ridiculous size of 64 to the somewhat unnecessary size of 28 (and this list was supposed to be limted to 25 players). Here are the players that made the cut and are seeking to become one of the five finalists that will compete for the award:

Niko Amato, Maryland - Sr., G
Wesley Berg, Denver - Jr., A
Connor Buczek, Cornell - Jr., M
Mike Chanenchuk, Maryland - Sr., M
Deemer Class, Duke - Soph., M
Mark Cockerton, Virginia - Sr., A
Joe Fletcher, Loyola - Sr., D
John Glesener, Army - Jr., A
Myles Jones, Duke - Soph., M
Matt Kavanagh, Notre Dame - Soph., A
Jesse King, Ohio State - Jr., M
John LoCascio, Villanova - Sr., LSM/D
Kevin Massa, Bryant - Jr., F/O
Kieran McArdle, St. John's - Sr., A
Ben McIntosh, Drexel - Sr., M
Scott McWilliams, Virginia - Sr., D
Jeremy Noble, Denver - Sr., M
Nikko Pontrello, Loyola - Jr., A
Kevin Rice, Syracuse - Jr., A
Joey Sankey, North Carolina - Jr., A
Tom Schreiber, Princeton - Sr., M
Randy Staats, Syracuse - Jr., A/M
Wells Stanwick, Hopkins - Jr., A
Lyle Thompson, Albany - Jr., A
Miles Thompson, Albany - Sr., A
Gunnar Waldt, Bryant - Soph., G
Justin Ward, Loyola - Sr., A
Jordan Wolf, Duke - Sr., A

There are two frontrunners at the moment -- Albany's Lyle Thompson and Duke's Jordan Wolf -- with a handful of cats existing on the fringe or otherwise within striking distance. The favorites and rankings of these players turns on one's interpretation of the Tewaaraton's guidelines for finalists and recipient selections:

Guidelines for Finalists and Recipient Selections

• Finalists will be the best five players chose 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 current year's regular season performance (date of selection is at the conclusion of the regular season and before playoffs).
• Recipients are chosen based on 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.

Based on these guidelines, here's how Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse are handicapping the race (top five only):

• Inside Lacrosse: 1. J. Wolf; 2. L. Thompson; 3. J. Sankey; 4. K. McArdle; 5. M. Chanenchuk
• Lacrosse Magazine: 1. L. Thompson; 2. J. Wolf; 3. M. Thompson; 4. T. Schreiber; 5. K. McArdle