Editor’s note: Get to familiar with the 2017 Men’s Finalists for the Tewaaraton Award, the Heisman of Lacrosse.
Trevor Baptiste, Jr., Denver
A three-time Tewaaraton Award nominee, Trevor Baptiste is winning 73.6 percent of his faceoffs in 2017, and has picked up 141 ground balls on his 242 faceoff wins. The Denver junior and 2017 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year has scored a career-high nine goals this season to go along with two assists, including his first-career hat trick in Denver’s 16-11 win over nationally ranked Villanova.
The two-time USILA First Team All-America selection has won double-digit faceoffs in all 49 career games, has 20-plus faceoff wins in 14 career games (including in four of his last seven) and has won all 14 faceoff matchups in 2017 (45-2-2 in his career). He is Denver’s third Tewaaraton finalist in as many years (Wes Berg, 2015; Connor Cannizzaro, 2016), and would be the Pioneers’ first award winner.
Connor Fields, Jr., Albany
Connor Fields led the nation in points (108) and points per game (6.75) this year, earning America East Player of the Year honors and leading a Danes’ offense that finished the regular season No. 1 with 15.81 goals per game. The three-time first-team All-America East selection is currently tied for ninth all-time on the NCAA Division I record list for points in a season, and he has already become just the seventh player in NCAA DI history to record at least 50 goals and 50 assists in a season.
The NCAA Division I record-holder with 66 goals as a freshman, he’s currently tied for 21st all-time on the NCAA Division I career scoring list with 269 points – with more than a season to go. He looks to become Albany’s third Tewaaraton winner in four years, following Lyle Thompson in 2014 and 2015.
Matt Rambo, Sr., Maryland (pictured above)
The all-time points leader in Maryland’s prestigious history, senior Matt Rambo has led Maryland to the No. 1 overall seed and Big Ten Championship for the second straight season. The 2017 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and two-time USILA All-America selection is looking to lead the Terrapins to their fourth straight NCAA Semifinal, following two straight championship game appearances.
Competing against the nation’s top-ranked strength of schedule, Rambo leads the Big Ten in both points (4.5 per game) and assists (2.2 per game). He is Maryland’s second Tewaaraton finalist (Joe Walters, 2006), and would be the program’s first award winner.
Pat Spencer, Soph., Loyola
Loyola sophomore attackman Pat Spencer enters the NCAA Tournament as the national leader in assists per game (3.67) while ranking No. 3 in points (5.47). He became the first player in conference history to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors in his first two seasons for the Greyhounds and he became the fastest player to 100 assists in conference history.
In the Patriot League Championship Game, Spencer set the school and league record for single-season assists (55), and he is the second player in school history to score 80 or more points in multiple seasons. Prior to the NCAA first round, Spencer scored 27 goals to go with 55 assists for 82 points. He is Loyola’s third Tewaaraton finalist (Mike Sawyer, 2012; Joe Fletcher, 2014), and he would be the school’s first winner.
Ben Reeves, Jr., Yale
Ben Reeves, who was Yale’s first Tewaaraton finalist in 2016 as a sophomore, was this year’s Ivy League Player of the Year and Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Despite missing Yale’s first two games with an injury, he put up 38 goals and 72 points in 13 games, ranking fifth in the nation with 5.21 points per game and sixth with 2.5 assists per game. After less than three full seasons, he currently sits with 195 points, just five away from Yale’s career scoring record.
