May 31, 2007
from press releases and staff reports
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Tewaaraton Award Foundation announced Northwestern's Kristen Kjellman and Duke's Matt Danowski as the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy winners at its annual ceremony Wednesday at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.
Kjellman and Danowski were chosen from an initial list of 42 female and 60 male watch-list nominees. Each list was reduced to 17 nominees and then five finalists who were recognized at the Tewaaraton Awards Banquet.
"Winning an award as prestigious as the Tewaaraton Trophy is certainly very humbling," Danowski said. "This honor could not have been possible without the hard work and dedication put forth by the entire Duke lacrosse team. I'm indebted to my coaches and teammates for their efforts and support."
Danowski had 44 goals and 52 assists this year for the 17-3 Blue Devils, finishing with 139 and 127, respectively, for his career. Danowski's future is uncertain after the NCAA's announcement that 2006 Duke players will be granted an extra year of eligibility. Nevertheless, the senior attackman's numbers would be even gaudier had Duke not been robbed of the remaining games in its 2006 season. Danowski is also the odds-on No. 1 pick in Thursday's Major League Lacrosse draft - not a bad two-fer, if it happens, to make him forget Memorial Day (a 12-11 loss in the national championship game to Johns Hopkins) and realize greener pastures ahead.
Kjellman, the first player - male or female - to win the Tewaaraton in consecutive years, typically drew the best defender on every team she played, and still managed to set a school record for career goals (250) and points (349). She finished with 66 goals and 24 assists for the Wildcats, who won their third consecutive NCAA championship Sunday over Virginia. The three-time ALC Player of the Year also had 80 draw controls this season, boosting her career total to 268, an NCAA record.
Click here for LMO's look at the finalists.
