WASHINGTON, D.C. -- University at Albany's Taylor Frink and Stony Brook University's Kevin Crowley and Adam Rand are nominees for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award, the Greater Washington Sports Alliance announced Monday. The award, whose candidates were selected by panels of men's and women's coaches across all three divisions, is given to the top player in both men's and women's lacrosse.
Frink, a senior attacker, is one of 24 women's nominees and the first-ever from Albany. She leads America East with 26 goals and 26 assists and ranks 13th nationally with 4.33 points per game and eighth with 2.17 assists per game. A second-team all-league selection last season, Frink ranks eighth among Albany's all-time scoring leaders with 140 points (71 goals, 59 assists). She has led the Great Danes, who at 12-0 are just one of three undefeated team remaining at the Division I level, to their first-ever appearance among the national top-10 in both polls.
Crowley, a senior midfielder, was chosen as one of 25 men's nominees and is a candidate for the second straight season. A finalist in 2010, Crowley is Division I's active leader with 218 career points. The reigning America East Player of the Year has a team-best 24 goals and 18 assists on the season and leads the league and ranks fifth nationally points per game (4.2 ppg), ninth in assists per game (1.8 apg) and 10th in goals per game (2.4 gpg). In January, Crowley was selected first overall in the Major League Lacrosse Draft by the Hamilton Nationals.
Rand, a senior faceoff-specialist, is a two-time All-America East performer who recently became just the fifth player in Division I history to record 700 face-off wins. Rand, who ranks seventh nationally winning 63.8 percent of his draws this season, ranks third all-time in Division won with 746 draws won and 1,224 attempts. He is also second in America East averaging 7.5 ground balls per contest for the Seawolves, who are ranked 14th in the USILA Coaches' Poll and can wrap up a share of their third straight America East regular-season title with a win over Albany Saturday.
The 2011 Tewaaraton Awards will be presented on June 2 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.