Fansided

College lacrosse: Pat Spencer and Megan Taylor win 2019 Tewaaraton Award

By Hutton Jackson

WASHINGTON, DC - Loyola attackman Pat Spencer and Maryland goalie Megan Taylor pose with their 2019 Tewaaraton trophies. Both were honored as the most outstanding players in college lacrosse this season. (Photo courtesy of the Tewaaraton Foundation)
WASHINGTON, DC - Loyola attackman Pat Spencer and Maryland goalie Megan Taylor pose with their 2019 Tewaaraton trophies. Both were honored as the most outstanding players in college lacrosse this season. (Photo courtesy of the Tewaaraton Foundation) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Loyola’s Pat Spencer and Maryland’s Megan Taylor win the 2019 Tewaaraton Award, awarded to the best college lacrosse players each year.

The Tewaaraton Award, given to the most outstanding college lacrosse players each season, has two new recipients: Loyola University (Md.) attackman Pat Spencer and University of Maryland goaltender Megan Taylor.

Named after the Mohawk name for lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award is often called the “Heisman of college lacrosse” and is awarded to the best men’s and women’s lacrosse players in the country. A committee of 17 coaches and one chairperson in each men’s and women’s lacrosse is responsible for narrowing down a list of college lacrosse players to five men and five women finalists prior to the start of the NCAA lacrosse tournament. A winner is then selected upon the completion of the tournament based on their performance throughout the regular season and NCAA lacrosse tournament.

This year, Pat Spencer, a three-time finalist, finally won the award in his final season at Loyola. The senior attackman recorded 49 goals and 65 assists for a total of 114 points this season, second only to fellow finalist Penn State’s Grant Ament. Spencer also broke 2014 and 2015 Tewaaraton winner Lyle Thompson’s record for most assists in college lacrosse all-time with 231.

Spencer was deserving of the award after effectively carrying the Greyhounds throughout the season and helping them achieve an at-large bid in the NCAA lacrosse tournament. Loyola would ultimately fall to Penn State in the quarterfinals 21-14, despite Spencer recording six goals and five assists.

This season, Megan Taylor played an important role in the Terps’ NCAA lacrosse tournament run and came up with 10 saves in the championship game, including a clutch save with 30 seconds remaining to deny Boston College’s comeback. Her 217 saves this season were second in the nation and she finished second in save percentage with .551.

With her reception of the award, Taylor became the sixth Terp in Maryland women’s lacrosse history to win the Tewaaraton and the first goalie in both men’s and women’s lacrosse to ever win the award.

The 19th Tewaaraton Award ceremony was held at the National Smithsonian of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and featured numerous tributes to the sport’s Native American roots.

A young Native American boy recited a Mohawk nation poem to begin and end the ceremony and three Native American high school lacrosse players were awarded scholarships to attend college and play lacrosse at the collegiate level.

The ceremony also featured three former lacrosse players Feffie Barnhill, Karen Emas Borbee and Tom Sears receiving Tewaaraton Legends awards.

Do you agree with the Tewaaraton committee’s picks for the 2019 Tewaaraton Award winners? Let us know in the comments.

Home/College