The Tewaaraton Award
Founded in 2001, The Tewaaraton Award, presented by Stifel, is an annual honor recognizing the most outstanding American college lacrosse men's and women's players.
​The selection committees are composed of 16 men’s and 17 women’s current college coaches, and are led by chairs and USA Lacrosse National Lacrosse Hall of Fame coaches Jack Emmer (men’s) and Alicia Groveston (women’s), as well as vice chairs Bill Tierney (men’s) and Chris Sailer (women’s).​
2026 Winners
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Madison Taylor, Northwestern Attacker
A Northwestern senior from Wantagh High School, Taylor is the fifth Wildcat to win the award, joining Kristen Kjellman, Hannah Nielsen, Shannon Smith and Izzy Scane. Leading Northwestern to the 2026 NCAA Championship with 139 points this season, Taylor is a three-time Tewaaraton finalist and two-time national champion, tying Scane’s program record with 483 career points after notching an NCAA Championship Game-record six assists. The first player in NCAA history to record more than 450 points and 200 draw controls, Taylor was the No. 1 overall pick in the Women’s Lacrosse League Draft by the California Palms.
Shawn Lyght, Defense
Notre Dame
A Notre Dame junior from Seton Hall Prep, Lyght won his second-straight William C. Schmeisser Award as the nation’s best defensive player in 2026. The first defensive men’s player to win the Tewaaraton, Lyght led Notre Dame to the NCAA Championship Game as the 2026 ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the NCAA All-Tournament Team after locking down a host of top attackmen, including holding Tewaaraton Finalist Joey Spallina without a goal in the national semifinal. Notre Dame’s defense finished sixth nationally against one of the country’s toughest schedules.
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The Trophy
The Tewaaraton Trophy, designed by renowned sculptor Frederick Kail, features a Mohawk lacrosse player and captures the dynamic spirit of the sport. Standing 12 inches tall, the figure is cast in patinaed bronze and adorned with a loincloth and golden eagle feather. Mounted on a hexagonal base of black granite and exotic Cocobolo wood, the base symbolizes the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, while the stick is a replica of a pre-1845 Cayuga stick. To ensure historical accuracy, Kail consulted with Native American lacrosse historian Thomas Vennum.
Original castings of the trophy are part of the permanent collections at the University Club of Washington, DC, and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore, Maryland. Bronze replicas are awarded annually to the top male and female collegiate lacrosse players in the United States.
Previous Recipients
2025
CJ Kirst
Attack
Cornell
2024
Pat Kavanagh
Attack
Notre Dame
2023
Brennan O'Neill
Attack
Duke University
2022
Logan Wisnauskas
Attack
University of Maryland
2021
Jared Bernhardt
Attack
University of Maryland
2019
Patrick Spencer
Attack
Loyola University
2018
Ben Reeves
Attack
Yale University
2017
Matt Rambo
Attack
University of Maryland
2016
Dylan Molloy
Attack
Brown University
2015
Lyle Thompson
Attack
University at Albany
2014
Lyle Thompson and Miles Thompson
Attack
University at Albany
2013
Rob Pannell
Attack
Cornell University
2012
Peter Baum
Attack
Colgate University
2011
Steele Stanwick
Attack
University of Virginia
2010
Ned Crotty
Midfield
Duke University
2009
Max Seibald
Attack
Cornell University
2008
Mike Leveille
Attack
Syracuse University
2007
Matt Danowski
Attack
Duke University
2006
Matt Ward
Attack
University of Virginia
2005
Kyle Harrison
Midfield
Johns Hopkins University
2004
Michael Powell
Attack
Syracuse University
2003
Chris Rotelli
Midfield
University of Virginia
2002
Michael Powell
Attack
Syracuse University
2001
Doug Shanahan
Midfield
Hofstra University
2025
Chloe Humphrey
Attack
North Carolina
2024
Izzy Scane
Attack
Northwestern University
2023
Izzy Scane
Attack
Northwestern University
2022
Charlotte North
Attack
Boston College
2021
Charlotte North
Attack
Boston College
2019
Megan Taylor
Goalie
University of Maryland
2018
Sam Apuzzo
Attack
Boston College
2017
Zoe Stukenberg
Midfield
University of Maryland
2016
Taylor Cummings
Midfield
University of Maryland
2015
Taylor Cummings
Midfield
University of Maryland
2014
Taylor Cummings
Midfield
University of Maryland
2013
Katie Schwarzmann
Midfield
University of Maryland
2012
Katie Schwarzmann
Midfield
University of Maryland
2011
Shannon Smith
Attack
Northwestern University
2010
Caitlyn McFadden
Midfield
University of Maryland
2009
Hannah Nielsen
Midfield
Northwestern University
2008
Hannah Nielsen
Midfield
Northwestern University
2007
Kristen Kjellman
Midfield
Northwestern University
2006
Kristen Kjellman
Midfield
Northwestern University
2005
Katie Chrest
Attack
Duke University
2004
Amy Appelt
Midfield
University of Virginia
2003
Rachael Becker
Defense
Princeton University
2002
Erin Elbe
Attack
Georgetown University
