Portions of story courtesy of Cornell Athletic
Communications
WASHINGTON -– Cornel senior attack
Rob Pannell has been named the
winner of the 2013 Tewaaraton Trophy, the premier award in
collegiate lacrosse, in a ceremony held Thursday night at the
Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian in
Washington, DC.
He becomes the Big Red's second recipient of the award,
joining 2009 recipient Max Seibald. Cornell
is now one of four schools to boast multiple Tewaaraton Trophy
winners, joining Duke, Syracuse and Virginia.
"It's a tremendous honor to win such a prestigious award and
to be the second Cornellian to win along with my best friend Max
Seibald,” said Pannell. “This award really belongs to
my team, especially the senior class. It speaks volumes about the
great team we had this year and to the success that we had. Without
them I would not have received this award tonight. I couldn't be
happier to represent Cornell University and the Cornell Lacrosse
family and need to thank everyone that has helped along the
way."
The award is the latest in a long list for Pannell, who was
recently named the winner of the USILA Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award,
for the Outstanding Division I Player of the Year, as well as the
Ivy League Player of the Year. He is the first-ever three-time Ivy
League Player of the Year in men's lacrosse and just the fourth
player in the history of Division I college lacrosse to be named
conference player of the year three times during their
career.
The other finalists for the award included Princeton's
Tom Schreiber, Albany's Lyle
Thompson, North Carolina's Marcus Holman,
and Syracuse's JoJo Marasco. The
winners are chosen by a selection committees comprised of 12 men's
current and former college coaches, appointed by The Tewaaraton
Foundation.
The all-time NCAA Division I career points leader (354,
surpassing the previous mark set by 2007 Tewaaraton winner
Matt Danowski of Duke), Pannell became one of just
four Cornell players to earn All-American honors four times during
their career when the teams were announced last week. A two-time
Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, he has been named first-team
All-American for the past three seasons, after earning a third-team
selection as a freshman. Pannell is also just the third men's
lacrosse player in the history of the Ivy League to be named a
four-time first-team All-Ivy selection.
One of the greatest to ever play the game at Cornell,
Pannell has proven to be one of the most consistent players in the
country, having registered at least one point in all 72 games of
his career. He capped his senior season by ranking third in the
nation in points per game (5.67), third overall in assists per game
(3.06), and 14th overall in goals per game (2.61).
Pannell finished the 2013 campaign with 102 points, just
three off the school record, set by Mike French in 1976. His 55
assists during the season are good for fourth overall in Cornell
history, while his 47 goals rank 10th best in a single
season.
Pannell's 102 points this season are the most ever for a
Tewaaraton Award winner. He is the fifth player in Ivy
history to surpass the century mark and the first since 1992 to do
so. It is tied for the second-most points in League
history.
Pannell finished with 150 career goals, which is
tied for fourth all-time in Ivy League history. His 204 career
assists finished second in League history, one shy of
Brown's Darren Lowe (205,
1989-92). It is also third all-time in NCAA
history.
With his collegiate career officially at a close, Pannell
begins his professional career this weekend, when he plays his
first game for the MLL's New York Lizards on Friday. When he does,
he will join Seibold on the Lizards and will face Danowski, a
member of the Charlotte Hounds, at Hofstra University's Shuart
Stadium.
First presented in 2001, the Tewaaraton Award is
recognized as the preeminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the
top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States.
Endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and US Lacrosse,
the Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse’s centuries-old
roots in Native American heritage. The Tewaaraton Foundation
ensures the integrity and advances the mission of this award. Each
year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations
of the Iroquois Confederacy – the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida,
Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – and presents scholarships to
two students of Iroquois descent.
Previous Tewaaraton Award recipients (men's
lacrosse)
2001: Doug Shanahan, Hofstra, Midfield
2002: Mike Powell, Syracuse, Attack
2003: Chris Rotelli, Virginia, Midfield
2004: Mike Powell, Syracuse, Attack
2005: Kyle Harrison, Johns Hopkins, Midfield
2006: Matt Ward, Virginia, Attack
2007: Matt Danowski, Duke, Attack
2008: Mike Leveille, Syracuse, Attack
2009: Max Seibald, Cornell, Midfield
2010: Ned Crotty, Duke, Attack
2011: Steele Stanwick, Virginia, Attack
2012: Peter Baum, Colgate, Attack
2013: Rob Pannell, Cornell, Attack