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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s lacrosse player Ken Clausen is one of five players named as finalist for the 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy as announced by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and the University Club of Washington D.C. The Tewaaraton Award is presented to the most outstanding men’s collegiate lacrosse player as determined by two selection committees, consisting of collegiate coaches throughout all divisions of the sport. Clausen and Ned Crotty of Duke are the lone players from the ACC to be named finalists.

The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 and is the preeminent lacrosse award honoring the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player for his extraordinary achievements on the field.

The selection process began with a list of over 50 of the nation’s top men’s collegiate players, which was then narrowed down to selective list of 26. Of these, five have been named as finalists in whom only one will be able to walk away with the sport’s top honor. Earlier this season when the list of 26 candidates for the men’s award was released, Clausen (Downington, Pa.) was one of four Cavaliers mentioned. Only Syracuse matched the UVa contingency on the candidate list with four mentions.

Clausen is in the midst of a stellar season on the defensive side of the ball. He ranks No. 4 nationally with 2.27 caused turnovers a game for a defense that has held all of its opponents except for Towson under their scoring average for the season. Clausen caused a career-high seven turnovers against Robert Morris, the nation’s top-scoring team, on May 1. Robert Morris came into the game scoring nearly 16 goals per game, but Clausen and company limited the Colonials to single digit scoring and zero goals in the third quarter, both first and only time such feats were accomplished against Robert Morris in 2010.

A finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, Clauen is already a three-time USILA All-American, including becoming the 12th two-time first-team USILA All-American in UVa history. Clausen, along with teammate Shamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.), were recently named All-Americans on LaxPower.com’s inaugural NCAA Men’s Division I Lacrosse All-American list.

The other finalists in addition to Clausen and Crotty are Kevin Crowley of Stony Brook, Curtis Dickson of Delaware and Joel White of Syracuse.

“I truly believe that each of these finalists has showcased the ability to step forward and claim the Tewaaraton Award as their own this year,” stated Robert Sweeney, President of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance. “As I have stated throughout the season, the selection committees have done an extraordinary job at selecting the top contenders battling for this year’s award. Everyone is welcome to come out and see which of these finalist has stepped forward to claim their place in history at the June 3 Award Ceremony.”

Virginia and Syracuse are the only schools to have two different players win the Tewaaraton Trophy. Matt Ward won the award after leading Virginia to an undefeated national championship three years ago, while midfielder Chris Rotelli won it as a senior in 2003 after leading the Cavaliers to the national championship.

All finalists will be invited to the June 3 Tewaaraton Award Ceremony taking place in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. This is the third time that the ceremony has taken place in the Museum, which includes an exhibit on the Native roots and history of lacrosse.

In addition, 2010 will host the 10th annual awards ceremony and is considered the “Year of the Seneca.”



Honoring the Native American heritage, the Tewaaraton Trophy symbolizes lacrosse’s centuries-old roots in Native American history. Tradition dictates that each year the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy: the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and the Tuscarora.



For additional information on the award or to purchase tickets please visit: www.tewaaratonaward.org.

Virginia returns to action against Mount St. Mary’s in the first round of the NCAA Championship Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game is being televised in HD by ESPNU.

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall or by calling (800) 542-8821. Tickets can also be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com Reserved seat tickets offering stadium chair seating under cover are $9 each; general admission tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth 18-and-under, seniors 60-and-over and students of participating schools with a valid student ID.

There will be a $5 cash parking charge for the University Hall parking lots, the JPJA surface lot and the JPJA Parking Garage for the men’s lacrosse game Saturday night. Parking is available in the Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage and the Culbreth Road Parking Garage at no charge. Increased parking should be available for the men’s lacrosse game beginning at 4:30 p.m. when the Sesame Street Live show and the Virginia baseball game are expected to be finished.

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