Briggs, LaPierre and Stanwick Named to Tewaaraton Watch List

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The watch list is out for the heralded Tewaaraton Trophy, awarded to the top male collegiate lacrosse player. Three Virginia men’s lacrosse players find themselves on a list that represents 64 different schools. Senior midfielder Colin Briggs, junior midfielder Chris LaPierre and senior attackman Steele Stanwick have been named to the preseason watch list.

Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) is the reigning Tewaaraton Trophy winner and only the third recipient in the 11 seasons the award has been presented to have eligibility remaining after receiving the award. Syracuse’s Mikey Powell (2002) and Duke’s Matt Danowski (2007) are the other two. Stanwick could become the second Tewaaraton winner to receive the award for a second time. Powell also won the Tewaaraton Trophy in 2004 as a senior.

Virginia is the only school to have three different players win the Tewaaraton Trophy. Chris Rotelli took home the honor in 2003 after UVa’s run to the NCAA title. Matt Ward did the same in 2006 after UVa’s 17-0 title season.

Briggs (Narragansett, R.I.) was a second-team USILA All-American in 2011 and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after scoring a career-high five goals against Maryland in the NCAA title game. Briggs is a team captain in 2012 and a preseason first-team All-American by Face-Off Yearbook.

LaPierre (Medford, N.J.) was a third-team USILA All-American in 2011 and an All-ACC honoree. LaPierre led UVa with 92 ground balls in 2011 and helped UVa in many different factions, between the occasional faceoff (took 36 in 2011), playing on defense and running with the first and second midfields. He is a preseason third-team All-American by Face-Off Yearbook.

Stanwick was a first-team USILA All-American in 2011 and the ACC Player of the Year. He tallied 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in the NCAA Tournament helping UVa to a 4-0 record en route to the program’s fifth NCAA title.

The Tewaaraton Award selection committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed each year by the Tewaaraton Award. “Our selection committees have a passion for this Award and these Watch List players should know that this is a distinction that only the best coaches could provide,” said Sarah Aschenbach, Executive Director of the Tewaaraton Award.

The Selection Committees will make additions to these lists as the season progresses. In late April, both lists will be narrowed to 25 and these men and women will earn the distinction of Tewaaarton Nominees. In mid-May, the 5 Finalists in each category will be announced. These finalists will be invited to the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, which will take place on May 31, at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC.