6 UNC Lacrosse Players Named Tewaaraton Award Nominees

Six UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse players have been named as nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the national player of the year. On the men’s side, Owen Duffy and Dominic Pietramala both earned nods, while Sam Forrest, Brooklyn Walker-Welch, Chloe Humphrey and Ashley Humphrey are nominated on the women’s side.

Pietramala and Duffy rank first and second among their teammates with 36 and 30 goals this season, respectively (the next closest Tar Heel has 18). The duo has combined for 66 of the team’s 155 total scores and has started all 11 games this season. Duffy also leads the Tar Heels with 19 assists and 49 points, while Pietramala ranks fifth in the country with 3.27 goals per game. Together, that dynamic duo has powered a UNC offense which ranks seventh in the nation in goals per game with 14.09.

Should Duffy or Pietramala take home the Tewaaraton Award, it would be the first-ever win for the UNC men’s lacrosse program.

On the women’s side, Forrest and Walker-Welch have anchored a UNC defense which has allowed 10 or more goals just twice in 14 games this season. The Tar Heels lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.14 goals per game. Walker-Welch leads UNC with 20 ground balls, and she and Forrest are tied for the team lead with 14 caused turnovers.

Offensively, Chloe Humphrey leads the team with 58 goals in 14 games, and her 4.14 goals per game ranks sixth in the nation. Her sister Ashley leads UNC with 56 assists and 79 points (three ahead of Chloe) and is the national leader with four assists per game. UNC’s offense ranks second in the country with 17.64 goals per game and leads all of Division 1 with a +11.50 scoring margin.

In addition to their Tewaaraton nominations, the women’s quartet also earned first team All-ACC honors. On the second team, goalie Betty Nelson, midfielder Eliza Osburn and attacker Olivia Vergano received nods, while midfielder Sophie Student placed on the third team.

The UNC women’s lacrosse program has never had a Tewaaraton Award winner. Five men’s and five women’s finalists will be announced May 8, and the winners will be honored May 29 in Washington, D.C.

Featured image via UNC Women’s Lacrosse on Twitter

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