Irish Boast Three Tewaaraton Trophy Nominees

April 20, 2011

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame senior captains Zach Brenneman (M), David Earl (M) and Kevin Ridgway (D) are among the 25 nominees for the 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player.

All three were on the initial 58-man Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List. Five finalists will be selected from the list of nominees. The 11th annual Tewaaraton Award will be presented on June 2, 2011 at the historic Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. Event details and ticket information can be found at www.TewaaratonAward.org. Fans can also follow the Tewaaraton Award on Facebook for daily updates and news.

Brenneman (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) has nine goals and four assists in seven games played this season. He missed two contests due to injury. The senior midfielder earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 21 after notching a career-high five points on three goals and two assists in the 12-7 season-opening win over Duke. He was named to the league’s weekly honor roll on April 4 following a two-goal, one-assist performance in a 12-8 triumph of Villanova.

Brenneman was tabbed as the 2011 BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in addition to garnering preseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse. He was selected fifth overall by the Long Island Lizards in January’s Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft.

David Earl

Earl (Simsbury, Conn./Westminster School) has compiled 10 goals and a team-high seven assists this season. He has registered seven points on five goals and two assists over the past two games. The senior midfielder on Monday was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after he tallied three goals and an assist in Saturday’s 10-7 win over St. John’s. He has been selected to the conference honor roll twice this season.

Earl was named a preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse and he was a unanimous selection to the all-BIG EAST preseason team. The Hamilton Nationals selected him in the third round of the 2011 MLL draft.

Kevin Ridgway

Ridgway (Kensington, Md./Georgetown Prep) has been a key reason why the Notre Dame defense ranks second nationally by surrendering just 6.22 goals per game. He was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 28 after helping the Irish limit Penn State to two goals in a 6-2 victory. He missed two games earlier in the season with an injury, yet has been a starter in the other seven contests.

Ridgway’s preseason accolades include All-America and all-BIG EAST honors. Ridgway joined Earl as a third-round pick of the Hamilton Nationals.

The trio has helped the Fighting Irish to a 9-0 record this season and the first No. 1 ranking in program history. Notre Dame is the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. The Irish return to action on Saturday at Providence. The BIG EAST tilt is slated to begin at noon (ET).

The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 by The University Club of Washington, DC and is the pre-eminent lacrosse award, which is awarded annually to the NCAA male and female lacrosse players of the year. 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. The 11th annual Tewaaraton Award event is set to recognize the Year of the Tuscarora.

Men’s 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy Nominees

Peter Baum, Colgate University – Sophomore (Midfield), Portland, Ore.
Billy Bitter, University of North Carolina – Senior (Attack), Manhasset, N.Y.
Jeremy Boltus, United States Military Academy – Senior (Attack), Baldwinsville, N.Y.
Zach Brenneman, University of Notre Dame – Senior (Midfield), East Hampton, N.Y.
Jay Card, Hofstra University – Senior (Attack), Caledon, Ontario, Canada
Grant Catalino, University of Maryland – Senior (Attack), Webster, N.Y.
C.J. Costabile, Duke University – Junior (Midfield), New Fairfield, Conn.
Kevin Crowley, Stony Brook University – Senior (Midfield), New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
David Earl, University of Notre Dame – Senior (Midfield), Simsbury, Conn.
Brian Farrell, University of Maryland – Senior (Midfield), Baltimore, Md.
John Galloway, Syracuse University – Senior (Goalkeeper), Syracuse, N.Y.
D.J. Hessler, Tufts University – Senior (Attack), Monkton, Md.
Zach Howell, Duke University – Senior (Attack), Huntington, N.Y.
Shayne Jackson, Limestone College – Junior (Attack), Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Brian Karalunas, Villanova University – Senior (Defense), Dewitt, N.Y.
Stephen Keogh, Syracuse University – Senior (Attack), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
John Lade, Syracuse University – Senior (Defense), Randolph, N.J.
Rob Pannell, Cornell University – Junior (Attack), Smithtown, N.Y.
John Ranagan, Johns Hopkins University – Sophomore (Midfield), Yorktown, N.Y.
Adam Rand, Stony Brook University – Senior (Midfield), Niantic, Conn.
Kevin Ridgway, University of Notre Dame – Senior (Defense), Kensington, Md.
Steele Stanwick, University of Virginia – Junior (Attack), Baltimore, Md.
Garret Thul, United States Military Academy – Sophomore (Attack), Flemington, N.J.
Joel White, Syracuse University – Senior (Midfield), Cortland, N.Y.
Ryan Young, University of Maryland – Senior (Attack), Manhasset, N.Y.

— ND —