Women's Tewaaraton Stock Watch: And the Winner is...

Northwestern attacker Izzy Scane was relentless all season.

She was a force in her first game back against Syracuse in February. She was explosive on offense, twisting and dodging her way past defenders and shooting missiles from the eight-meter. She was tenacious on the ride, keeping up with opponents and causing turnovers. In the end, she was a hero for the Wildcats in the NCAA championship game on Sunday, scoring four goals to power the program to its first national title since 2012.

Just a year removed from an ACL injury, Scane played arguably her best season yet. After a dynamic 2023 culminating in a national championship, the Northwestern attacker is USA Lacrosse Magazine’s pick to win the 2023 Tewaaraton Award.

“It’s been the most fun year of my life, and I wouldn’t change it for anything,” Scane said following the championship game. “I’m very thankful I chose Northwestern to be the place where I tried to strive towards [winning a title].”

Scane is a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award alongside teammate Erin Coykendall, James Madison attacker Isabella Peterson, Boston College attacker Jenn Medjid and Syracuse attacker Meaghan Tyrrell. Each player had a phenomenal season featuring postseason runs, but Scane’s Championship Weekend performance certainly set her apart.

This is her second go-round as a Tewaaraton Award finalist. She was also honored in 2021, a season in which she scored a then-school record 98 goals en route to an NCAA semifinal appearance. She surpassed that single-season goals record in 2023, tallying goal No. 99 on Sunday.

Beyond her scoring chops, Scane put together a balanced effort. She caused 14 turnovers, fifth among all Northwestern players, and was otherwise a pest when teams tried to clear. She also had a keen eye on attack, dishing timely assists and totaling 35 this season.

Scane put together multi-goal outings in 19 out of 20 of the games she played. The exception was the Wildcats’ 8-7 victory against Michigan in the second round of the NCAA tournament, when she scored once.

From there on, Scane was unstoppable. She scored 17 goals with seven assists in Northwestern’s final three games against Loyola, Denver and Boston College.

She managed seven goals against Loyola, which, at the time, was the country’s No. 2 scoring defense. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said Scane’s struggles against the Wolverines inspired that performance.

“She has a high standard,” Amonte Hiller said. “She went out there and was like, ‘I’m gonna play for my teammates.’ She did some amazing things.”

Scane, a Michigan native, could become one of a handful of players raised outside of the East Coast to win the Tewaaraton Award. Boston College attacker Charlotte North, who won the award in 2021 and 2022, is from Texas. Like North, Scane’s victory could represent even greater growth for lacrosse in the United States.

After Sunday’s national championship game, Scane praised her former youth coaches in the Midwest for believing in her and noted the many talented players emerging from her home state.

“It’s really fun to see the game grow,” Scane said. “It’s just skyrocketing. It’s such a fun, amazing sport.”