The Tewaaraton Foundation has announced the 2013 Tewaaraton Award men's and women's watch lists. The lists include the top players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse and highlight the early contenders for the 2013 Tewaaraton Award.

The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Committees will make additions to these lists as the season progresses and athletes earn a spot along side these elite players. Both lists will be narrowed to 25 men's and women's nominees in late April. In mid-May, five men's and five women's finalists will be announced. These finalists will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 13th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, May 30 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.

Each year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy : the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora. While 2013 is The Year of the Mohawk, the men's watch list includes three members of the Onondaga Nation in Lyle, Miles and Ty Thompson from Albany. Lyle and Miles are brothers, and Ty is their cousin. All three Thompsons are attackmen for the University of Albany. On February 17 the Thompson Trio led the Great Danes to an upset of mighty Syracuse, taking the match, which went to double overtime, 16-15. Watch this savvy goal scored by Miles:

Among 2013 watch lists returnees are reigning Tewaaraton Award winners Peter Baum (Colgate) and Katie Schwarzmann (Maryland), as well six former finalists. On the men's side, 2012 finalists Will Manny (Massachusetts) and Mike Sawyer (Loyola) are joined by 2011 finalist Rob Pannell (Cornell). Three 2012 women's finalists Brittany Dashiell (Florida), Taylor Thornton (Northwestern) and Michelle Tumolo (Syracuse) all return to the watch list this year.

"The national reach of quality players is evident in this list, with players from all regions of the country, along with a strong group of eight former winners and finalists," said Jeff Harvey, chairman of The Tewaaraton Foundation, in a press release. "As the season unfolds, we are excited for another deserving group of Tewaaraton Award candidates to emerge."

First presented in 2001, the Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. Endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and US Lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse's centuries-old roots in Native American heritage. The Tewaaraton Foundation ensures the integrity and advances the mission of this award. Each year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy – the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – and presents two scholarships to students of Native American descent. To learn more about the Tewaaraton Foundation, visit Tewaaraton.com.

Tewaaraton Foundation
The Tewaaraton Foundation is a non-profit organization tasked with fulfilling the mission of the Tewaaraton Award. This mission is to: 1. Recognize excellence in the game of lacrosse by annually honoring the most outstanding men's and women's NCAA players. 2. Celebrate Legends of the game who would have won the Award had it existed in their playing days. 3. Honor the Native American history of the sport through the Awards name and through the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award which recognizes those who have contributed to the advancement of the sport. 4. Give back to the Native American community by providing scholarships to Native American college bound students who play lacrosse.
http://www.tewaaraton.com/