April 28, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Two University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse players, senior Sergio Perkovic and junior John Sexton, are among 25 men’s nominees for the 2017 Tewaaraton Award, presented by Under Armour, announced Friday 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 11 and invited to the ceremony. The 17th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony will be held June 1 in Washington, D.C.
The men’s award nominees include players from 17 different schools. Perkovic is one of eight players on the 2017 list that was also included on the 2016 list. Three ACC schools — Notre Dame, Duke and Syracuse — had multiple players selected as the final 25 nominees.
Perkovic (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) has started all 54 games during his career at Notre Dame. Earlier this season the senior became the seventh player in program history to reach the 100-goal milestone. Perkovic currently has 110 goals in his career, which represent the most ever by a Notre Dame midfielder.
Perkovic turned in the greatest goal-scoring performance of his illustrious career in an 11-10 win over Marquette on April 11, as he scored a career-high six goals to will the Irish to victory. Perkovic is also a Senior CLASS Award finalist and was named to the 2017 All-ACC Team.
Sexton (Sudbury, Massachusetts) leads the Irish on the year in ground balls with 33, in great part thanks to his strong wing play on face-offs. He also has excelled in the attack, scoring three goals on the season.
The long stick midfielder earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 27 after recording a goal and an assist while scooping up a season-high five ground balls to lead Notre Dame to a 12-7 win over No. 4 Ohio State. Sexton is also second on the team in caused turnovers with 14 in 2017. The junior was also a 2017 All-ACC Team selection.
The 25 men’s nominees:
Nick Aponte, Penn State – Sr., Attack
Trevor Baptiste, Denver – Jr., Face-off
Jack Bruckner, Duke – Sr., Attack
Josh Byrne, Hofstra – Sr., Attack
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver – Sr., Attack
Jack Concannon, Hofstra – Jr., Goalie
Zach Currier, Princeton – Sr., Midfield
Connor Fields, Albany – Jr., Attack
Nick Fields, Johns Hopkins – Sr., Defense
Jake Froccaro, Villanova – Sr., Midfield
Justin Guterding, Duke – Jr., Attack
Colin Heacock, Maryland – Sr., Attack
Nick Mariano, Syracuse – Sr., Midfield
Dylan Molloy, Brown – Sr., Attack
Sergio Perkovic, Notre Dame – Sr., Midfield
Benny Pugh, Richmond – Sr., Goalie
Matt Rambo, Maryland – Sr., Attack
Ben Reeves, Yale – Jr., Attack
Sergio Salcido, Syracuse – Sr., Midfield
John Sexton, Notre Dame – Jr., Long Stick Midfield
Michael Sowers, Princeton – Fr., Attack
Patrick Spencer, Loyola – Soph., Attack
Joel Tinney, Johns Hopkins – Jr., Midfield
Zed Williams, Virginia – Sr., Attack
Jake Withers, Ohio State – Sr., Face-off
This year’s initial Tewaaraton Watch Lists were announced on Feb. 28 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, on March 16 and April 6.
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 – the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – 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.