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

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Lacrosse: Women Dominate Boston College, Men Outlast Army
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up wins against ranked foes at Dorrance Field Saturday afternoon. The top-ranked women’s team soundly beat Boston College, while the fifth-ranked men held on to beat Army. Both the Eagles and Black Knights are ranked No. 16 in the national polls. The women led off the […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men, Women Both Dominate in Home Wins
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each picked up comfortable home wins Saturday, with the top-ranked women defeating Pitt 19-3 and the No. 5 men defeating Brown 19-7. The women were up first Saturday, and they quickly took control with two goals in the opening two minutes. The first half was all Tar Heels, […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men's and Women's Teams Both Ranked No. 1 in Latest Polls
As of Feb. 23, 2026, Chapel Hill is the center of the collegiate lacrosse world. The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both ranked No. 1 in the latest Inside Lacrosse polls, which were released Monday. 𝗡𝗼. 𝟭 𝗨!@UNCMensLacrosse joins @uncwlax at the top spot in the Week 3️⃣ @kanefootwear Media Polls. pic.twitter.com/ckKe35KDZT — […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Thump Ohio State and Louisville, Men Beat No. 13 Johns Hopkins
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams both picked up decisive home wins Friday at Dorrance Field, with the top-ranked women beating Ohio State 22-9 and the third-ranked men defeating No. 13 Johns Hopkins 17-9. The women’s team followed up its win against the Buckeyes with another blowout victory against Louisville Sunday. In the first […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Ranked No. 5, Women Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll
The USA Lacrosse Preseason Polls have been released, and voters are high on the UNC men and women as the 2026 season approaches. The men’s team is ranked No. 5, while the women’s team is ranked No. 1 following its national championship 2025 season. The UNC men’s team reached the NCAA Tournament in 2025, breaking […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Earn No. 1 Overall Seed, Men No. 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament
It’s tournament time for the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed Sunday night, with the women earning the No. 1 overall seed in the field and the men earning the No. 8 overall seed. The women are the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in the last […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Cruise Past Hofstra, Women Stay Undefeated vs. No. 14 Virginia
Both the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams earned home wins at Dorrance Field Saturday. The men’s team bounced back from its first loss of the season with a comfortable 18-7 win vs. Hofstra, while the women’s team stayed undefeated by beating No. 14 Virginia 20-8. On the men’s side, Carolina raced out of the […]
UNC Lacrosse: Women Trounce Louisville, Men Split Ivy League Weekend
Both UNC lacrosse teams cruised to wins Friday, with the No. 2 women’s team dominating on the road at Louisville by a score of 20-4 and the No. 4 men’s team rolling past No. 13 Penn 16-8 in Chapel Hill. Against the Cardinals, Carolina seized control early by taking a 6-0 lead after less than […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Beat Stony Brook, Women Win at No. 5 Florida
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams each won again during the weekend, with the men fending off Stony Brook 9-4 and the women earning a 14-9 road win at No. 5 Florida. On Friday night at Dorrance Field, Carolina found itself in an early hole against the underdog Seawolves. Stony Brook held a 2-0 […]
UNC Lacrosse: Men Beat No. 15 Michigan, Women Throttle Liberty
Both UNC lacrosse teams were in action during the weekend, as the no. 16 men’s team opened its 2025 season with a convincing 15-6 home win against No. 15 Michigan on Saturday and the No. 4 women’s team moved to 2-0 on the season with a 23-1 blowout road win at Liberty on Sunday. On […]
›