April 30, 2016
Three University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse players-seniors Matt Kavanagh and Matt Landis and junior Sergio Perkovic-are among 25 men’s nominees for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, presented by Under Armour, announced Friday night by The Tewaaraton Foundation. The Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States.
Five finalists will be selected from this group of 25, announced May 12 and invited to the ceremony. The 16th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held June 2 in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.
The men’s award nominees include players from 16 schools, including 2015 finalists Kavanagh and Myles Jones (Duke), as well as representatives from 14 of the top 20 teams in the April 25 USILA Coaches Poll. Six schools are represented by multiple players, led by Notre Dame, Brown and Denver with three nominees each.
Kavanagh, Landis and Perkovic all are returning first-team USILA All-Americans from 2015-and all three were named earlier this week to the All-ACC Team by the Atlantic Coast Conference (Kavanagh for the third time, Landis and Perkovic for the second time). Landis was named the top defensive player nationally in 2015 by the USILA as well as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Kavanagh leads the Irish in scoring in 2016 with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) from his attack position. Landis has 27 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers on defense. Perkovic has 22 goals and two assists and is a three-time ACC Offensive Player of the Week as a midfielder.
The 25 men’s nominees, with school, graduation year and position noted, are:
Nick Aponte, Penn State – Jr., Attack
Trevor Baptiste, Denver – Soph., Faceoff
Kylor Bellistri, Brown – Sr., Attack
Kyle Bernlohr, Maryland – Sr., Goalie
Scott Bieda, Rutgers – Sr., Attack
Ryan Brown, Johns Hopkins – Sr., Attack
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver – Jr., Attack
Deemer Class, Duke – Sr., Midfield
Dylan Donahue, Syracuse – Sr., Attack
Devin Dwyer, Harvard – Sr., Attack
Connor Fields, Albany – Soph., Attack
Jake Froccaro, Villanova – Jr., Midfield
Myles Jones, Duke – Sr., Midfield
Matt Kavanagh, Notre Dame – Sr., Attack
Jack Kelly, Brown – Sr., Goalie
Matt Landis, Notre Dame – Sr., Defense
Zach Miller, Denver – Jr., Midfield
Dylan Molloy, Brown – Jr., Attack
Sergio Perkovic, Notre Dame – Jr., Midfield
Steve Pontrello, North Carolina – Sr., Attack
Michael Quinn, Yale – Sr., Defense
Ben Reeves, Yale – Soph., Attack
Blaze Riorden, Albany – Sr., Goalie
Challen Rogers, Stony Brook – Sr., Midfield
Gunnar Waldt, Bryant – Sr., Goalie
This year’s initial Watch Lists were announced Feb. 23 and included the top 50 men’s and women’s college lacrosse players in the country. Two rounds of additions to the Watch Lists were announced March 17 and April 7. Under Armour returns as the proud presenting sponsor of The Tewaaraton Award in honoring the top collegiate lacrosse players in the United States. For more information on the Tewaaraton Award, how to donate to this non-profit or to attend these exciting events, visit Tewaaraton.com. Like and follow The Tewaaraton Foundation at Facebook.com/Tewaaraton, Twitter.com/Tewaaraton and Instagram.com/Tewaaraton.
About The Tewaaraton Foundation
Founded at the University Club of Washington DC and first presented in 2001, the Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the preeminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. Endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and U.S. Lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse’s centuries-old roots in Native American heritage. The Tewaaraton Foundation ensures the integrity and advances the mission of this award. Each year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy ââ’¬” the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora ââ’¬” and presents two scholarships to students of Native American descent. To learn more about The Tewaaraton Foundation, please visit www.tewaaraton.com.
About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA), the originator of performance footwear, apparel and equipment, revolutionized how athletes across the world dress. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand’s innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels. The Under Armour Connected Fitness┢ platform powers the world’s largest digital health and fitness community through a suite of applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Md. For further information, please visit the company’s website at www.uabiz.com.