On April 29, three Pioneer men’s lacrosse players were nominated for the coveted Tewaaraton Award. This award can be equated to the Heisman Trophy in college football and is given every year to the top college lacrosse player in the country. The first trophy was awarded in 2001, making this the 16th installment of the trophy in history. No DU player has ever received this award.

Junior attackman Connor Cannizzaro (Cazenovia, New York), sophomore faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste (Denville, New Jersey) and junior midfielder Zach Miller (Steamburg, New York) were all nominated for the award. The University of Notre Dame and Brown University are the only other universities with three nominees. In total, 25 student-athletes from 15 different programs are nominated for the Tewaaraton this year.

Cannizzaro and Baptiste were both nominated for the second year in a row. Baptiste was recently named the 2016 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, while Cannizzaro was named the 2016 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year.

Baptiste is the Pioneer’s faceoff man, and this season he has won 220 out of 321 faceoffs, giving him a win percentage of .685 on the year.

Cannizzaro currently leads the team in scoring with 61 points, as of April 30, from 40 goals and 21 assists.

This is Miller’s first time being nominated for the Tewaaraton. He is third on the team in points this season with 37 (19 goals and 18 assists).

All three nominees were named to the All-BIG EAST first team, as well.

Finalists for the Tewaaraton Award will be announced on May 12, with the award ceremony scheduled for June 2 at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.