BEST PERSONALITY
Winner: Sam Swart
The bubbly Syracuse midfielder who has trained with the U.S. national team this summer was a rising star in the college ranks last spring. From her flashy footwear to her postgame chest bumps, Swart — who is also well-versed in TikTok — is quickly becoming a household name.
BEST SAVE
Winner: Sophia LeRose
You’re not alone if you found yourself re-watching the field-level replay of Sophia LeRose’s last-second save against Maryland. LeRose was doing it, too.
Watch the replay a second (or third, or fourth) time and you’ll count four Duke defenders swarming Maryland’s Libby May with just about 3 seconds left in the game and the Blue Devils clinging to a one-goal lead. With four sticks in May’s face, she fired a shot to the top-right corner of the cage from just inside the left wing of the 8-meter arc. It was perfectly placed, putting extra pressure on LeRose. By doing their jobs, the defenders also made LeRose’s job considerably harder.
She got her stick up just in time and popped the ball into the air. Maryland’s Catie May hauled in the rebound, but the buzzer had already sounded, sending Duke to its first NCAA quarterfinal since 2015.
BEST IN ANOTHER SPORT
Winner: Jared Bernhardt
Three months after leading Maryland to the NCAA championship game and winning the Tewaaraton Award, Berhardt started at QB for Division II powerhouse Ferris State and accounted for seven touchdowns. Now, Bernhardt is gearing up for the Division II national championship game on Saturday. He won the GLIAC Player of the Year award, too.
BEST GAME
Winner: Duke vs. Notre Dame
Cameron Mulé scored with 1:55 left in overtime to lift Duke to an ACC win. This one was insane. Trailing 12-7, Duke capped the contest with six goals in the final 8:41. Notre Dame was held scoreless for the final 10:36. Nakeie Montgomery and Michael Sowers scored four of the six goals during the stretch. After not playing all game, Mulé took advantage of the lone extra man opportunity of the night for Duke.
BEST MILESTONE
Winner: Charlotte North
North scored 102 goals in 2021, breaking the single-season record previously held by Courtney Murphy of Stony Brook. Better yet, North achieved the milestone in the NCAA championship game against Syracuse. Can she top her own record in 2022?
BEST INSPIRATION
Winner: Chris Bocklet
Twenty-six days after suffering a traumatic brain injury while longboarding in Delray Beach, Fla., Bocklet, the former Virginia lacrosse star, regaled doctors and nurses — and his Instagram following of nearly 22,000 — with NSYNC hit “Bye Bye Bye” as he was discharged from the Shepherd Center for brain rehabilitation in Atlanta on Jan. 26.
BEST COMEBACK STORY
Winner: Mary Griffin
Three days after testing positive for COVID-19, Griffin found out she had cancer. Both of her parents lost their jobs during the pandemic. The family dog died. Still, Griffin remained optimistic, returning to the field after doctors removed a lacrosse ball-sized tumor, her spleen and 40 percent of her pancreas. We’re not crying, you’re crying. Ready Mary Griffin’s inspiring story here in its entirety.
BEST PLAYER
Winner: Charlotte North
The Tewaaraton Award winner, North’s star gets brighter by the day. From her rocket sidearm shots from the 8-meter arc to her exuberant fist pumps after goals, North is one of the most recognizable figures in lacrosse. She’s looking to lead Boston College to its second straight NCAA title in 2022.