Tewaaraton Ceremony Colored Orange
5/28/2015 11:49:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse
Syracuse celebrates on college lacrosse's biggest night
WASHINGTON – There was an Orange flavor to the 15th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony.
Several Syracuse University lacrosse alumni, coaches, and friends of the program made their way to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian for Thursday's event honoring the male and female college players of the year. Among those in attendance were John Desko, Gary Gait, Roy Simmons Jr., Brett Jefferson, Matt Palumb, Jeff McCormick, Fred Cambria and Katie Rowan.
They were there not only to support Kevin Rice and Kayla Treanor, who were finalists for the award, but to recognize Syracuse greats Brad Kotz and Oren Lyons as well.
In January, Kotz was named the recipient of the 2015 Tewaaraton Legends Award and Lyons was selected as this year's Spirit of Tewaaraton Award winner. Both men were officially honored Thursday prior to the announcement of this year's Tewaaraton winners.
Presented to a player whose performance would have merited a Tewaaraton Award had it existed at the time, Kotz is Syracuse's second Legends Award recipient, joining 2011 inaugural winner Jim Brown.
Cambria, Kotz's Syracuse teammate, introduced him and said that Kotz led the Orange with "a few words followed by swift action."
That was never more evident than in the second half of the 1983 national championship game. Down 12-5 against Johns Hopkins, Kotz scored five goals on seven shots after the intermission to propel the Orange to a 17-16 victory and the program's first NCAA title.
Kotz finished the 1983 season with 42 goals and won the Raymond J. Enners Award as the national player of the year. He went on to earn three straight first-team All-America nods (1983-85) and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001.
Before Kotz took the stage, Lyons was recognized with the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award, which is presented to an individual who nobly reflects the finest virtues exemplified in the game, and who, over the course of his or her life, has made a significant contribution to society and to the lives of others.
An All-American goalie, Lyons helped lead SU to an undefeated season in 1957. He was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992, but it's what Lyons has done since his playing career ended that has been the most impactful.
The Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, Lyons is a frequent participant in human rights issues and he is a leading advocate of American Indian Causes. Lyons is a past recipient of the United Nations NGO World Peace Prize and he serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival.
"Oren embodies everything I believe this award is about," Simmons Jr. said. "He was a terrific lacrosse player. But more than that, he's a teacher, a mentor, and an ambassador, not just of the game of lacrosse, but of Native American culture."
Lyons could not attend the ceremony due to work he is doing in Australia. His son, Rex Lyons, who ironically was a high school teammate of Kotz's at West Genesee, accepted the award on his father's behalf.
For Rice, Thursday's ceremony put a bow on his sensational Orange career. The Skaneateles, N.Y. native recorded more than 200 points from 2012-15 and he ranks seventh in team history with 126 assists.
The 2015 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Turnbull Award winner as the nation's best attackman, Rice tallied 36 goals and 48 assists as a senior. Most years those numbers would merit a Tewaaraton. However, NCAA career scoring leader Lyle Thompson (Albany) authored another historic season to capture the award for the second straight year.
On the women's side, Maryland's Taylor Cummings was also a repeat winner. Cummings beat out Treanor, who in three years is already one of the most decorated players in Orange history. Treanor is a three-time IWLCA First Team All-American and a two-time Tewaaraton finalist. She led the Orange to a 16-8 record in 2015 and another appearance in the national semifinals.
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Several Syracuse University lacrosse alumni, coaches, and friends of the program made their way to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian for Thursday's event honoring the male and female college players of the year. Among those in attendance were John Desko, Gary Gait, Roy Simmons Jr., Brett Jefferson, Matt Palumb, Jeff McCormick, Fred Cambria and Katie Rowan.
They were there not only to support Kevin Rice and Kayla Treanor, who were finalists for the award, but to recognize Syracuse greats Brad Kotz and Oren Lyons as well.
In January, Kotz was named the recipient of the 2015 Tewaaraton Legends Award and Lyons was selected as this year's Spirit of Tewaaraton Award winner. Both men were officially honored Thursday prior to the announcement of this year's Tewaaraton winners.
Presented to a player whose performance would have merited a Tewaaraton Award had it existed at the time, Kotz is Syracuse's second Legends Award recipient, joining 2011 inaugural winner Jim Brown.
Cambria, Kotz's Syracuse teammate, introduced him and said that Kotz led the Orange with "a few words followed by swift action."
That was never more evident than in the second half of the 1983 national championship game. Down 12-5 against Johns Hopkins, Kotz scored five goals on seven shots after the intermission to propel the Orange to a 17-16 victory and the program's first NCAA title.
Kotz finished the 1983 season with 42 goals and won the Raymond J. Enners Award as the national player of the year. He went on to earn three straight first-team All-America nods (1983-85) and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001.
Before Kotz took the stage, Lyons was recognized with the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award, which is presented to an individual who nobly reflects the finest virtues exemplified in the game, and who, over the course of his or her life, has made a significant contribution to society and to the lives of others.
An All-American goalie, Lyons helped lead SU to an undefeated season in 1957. He was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992, but it's what Lyons has done since his playing career ended that has been the most impactful.
The Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, Lyons is a frequent participant in human rights issues and he is a leading advocate of American Indian Causes. Lyons is a past recipient of the United Nations NGO World Peace Prize and he serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival.
"Oren embodies everything I believe this award is about," Simmons Jr. said. "He was a terrific lacrosse player. But more than that, he's a teacher, a mentor, and an ambassador, not just of the game of lacrosse, but of Native American culture."
Lyons could not attend the ceremony due to work he is doing in Australia. His son, Rex Lyons, who ironically was a high school teammate of Kotz's at West Genesee, accepted the award on his father's behalf.
For Rice, Thursday's ceremony put a bow on his sensational Orange career. The Skaneateles, N.Y. native recorded more than 200 points from 2012-15 and he ranks seventh in team history with 126 assists.
The 2015 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Turnbull Award winner as the nation's best attackman, Rice tallied 36 goals and 48 assists as a senior. Most years those numbers would merit a Tewaaraton. However, NCAA career scoring leader Lyle Thompson (Albany) authored another historic season to capture the award for the second straight year.
On the women's side, Maryland's Taylor Cummings was also a repeat winner. Cummings beat out Treanor, who in three years is already one of the most decorated players in Orange history. Treanor is a three-time IWLCA First Team All-American and a two-time Tewaaraton finalist. She led the Orange to a 16-8 record in 2015 and another appearance in the national semifinals.
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Players Mentioned
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