NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Junior midfielder Andie Aldave, senior midfielder Savannah Buchanan and junior attacker Maddie Howe were each named to the initial watch list for the 2020 Tewaaraton Award, the foundation announced Thursday afternoon (Feb. 13).
All three players earn a spot on the watch list for the second consecutive year. Aldave was named one of the 25 nominees for the honor a season ago.
Aldave, Buchanan and Howe each earned Preseason All-ACC and Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American honors prior to the outset of the 2020 campaign.
The Irish have had at least one player named to the watch list every year during head coach Christine Halfpenny’s tenure in South Bend. The annual watch list includes the top 50 men’s and women’s collegiate lacrosse players in the country.
The Tewaaraton Award is given annually to the best NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse players of the season. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation.
ABOUT ALDAVE
Aldave broke her own single-season program record with 152 draw controls in 2019 en route to being named a First Team IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse All-American. A team captain in 2020, Aldave ranked sixth in the country last season with an average of eight draw controls per game, and helped the Irish earn a draw control percentage of 63.6%, which was second in the nation. Aldave also added a career-high 47 goals and 67 points in 19 games. A First Team All-ACC selection and Tewaaraton Award nominee, Aldave collected 21 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers as one of the nation’s best all-around midfielders.
ABOUT BUCHANAN
A Second Team All-ACC honoree, Buchanan racked up 71 draw controls, 34 points (16G, 18A), 37 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers as a two-way force for the Irish in 2019. Buchanan, a Second Team All-West/Midwest Region honoree last season, earned at least five draw controls in seven contests as a key component of Notre Dame’s dominant year in the circle. A 2020 team captain, Buchanan also collected multiple ground balls and caused turnovers in four games as part of an Irish defensive unit that allowed an ACC best 8.05 goals per game.
ABOUT HOWE
Howe led the Irish with a career-best 59 goals and 78 points in 2019. She netted a hat trick in 13 contests, including six of the final seven games down the stretch. She converted on 17-of-26 free-position shots, and her 65.4% free position percentage ranked seventh in the country. A 2019 IWLCA Second Team All-American and First Team All-ACC selection, Howe notched six goals and six assists on Feb. 22 at Ohio State, which tied Jillian Byers for the most points recorded in a single game in program history. She was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse a season ago.
Players not named to the initial watch lists have the opportunity to play their way into a spot as the season progresses. Watch list additions, if applicable, will be announced on March 10 and April 2. On April 23, the field will be narrowed to 25 men’s and 25 women’s nominees. Nominees can be players on the watch lists or players not on the watch lists, effectively allowing for a third round of additions.
Five men’s and five women’s finalists will be announced on May 7 and invited to the 19th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, which will be held in Washington, D.C., on May 28.
UP NEXT
#7 Notre Dame heads to Evanston, Illinois, to take on third-ranked Northwestern next Friday (Feb. 14) at 8 p.m. ET. That matchup is a rematch of last season’s NCAA Second Round contest, which also took place in Evanston.
Following Friday’s game, the Irish will quickly return home to take on Central Michigan this Sunday (Feb. 16) at noon ET inside Loftus Sports Center. Admission is free for all Notre Dame women’s lacrosse home contests.
—ND—