WASHINGTON, D.C. — Charlotte North might have been the most popular person at Thursday night’s Tewaaraton Award ceremony.

Fifteen minutes after receiving her second consecutive Tewaaraton, North stood outside the auditorium of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian. She was flanked by her Boston College teammates.

An informal yet orderly line formed. Friends and adversaries alike waited to congratulate the transcendent superstar. Even a few strangers offered their praise and admiration.

“You’re just special to watch,” one man said.

North, a senior from Dallas, finished second in the nation with 92 goals for Boston College, the NCAA runner-up that made its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA championship game. North compiled a career-high 115 points and 139 draw controls and was named the IWLCA’s Player of the Year.

On Tuesday night, she was the first pick in the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse College Draft after amassing 358 goals in her college career — an NCAA record.

Still, the expression on her face after hearing Tewaaraton Legend Award honoree Kelly Amonte Hiller call her name was priceless. North looked to be in disbelief. She heard her name, looked to her left and right with her mouth agape, and hugged each of the other finalists — Jamie Ortega (North Carolina), Ally Mastroianni (North Carolina), Aurora Cordingley (Maryland) and Meaghan Tyrrell (Syracuse).

“I’m standing next to four of the best players,” North said. “They’re so talented and inspiring. To be standing there next to them, it was such an honor to begin with.”

BACK. TO. BACK.

CHARLOTTE NORTH

The @bcwlax star takes home her second straight @tewaaraton Award. pic.twitter.com/OZHOrZijdH

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) June 3, 2022

Her acceptance speech was brief. She congratulated the other finalists, thanked the committee and showered praise upon the people at Boston College who shaped her career. Humble, soft-spoken and appreciative of where the sport has taken her, North still can’t believe the status to which she’s been elevated in the lacrosse world.

“To be able to make the memories that I did at Boston College with my teammates, it’s definitely a dream come true,” she said. “I would not be here without all those people pushing me toward this amazing sport that has the ability to push you beyond your own belief. It’s incredible.”

Her place within the pantheon of the sport’s greatest could be further established this summer with the U.S. women’s national team, which aims to win a gold medal on home soil in Towson, Md. North joins U.S. team leader Taylor Cummings — the only three-time Tewaaraton winner in the award’s history — as multi-time Tewaaraton winners on the U.S. roster.

North will spend significant time in the Baltimore area this summer. After the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, she’ll head straight to USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., for the second season of Athletes Unlimited.

“I think the game’s in such a great spot, and it’s just going to take off from here,” North said. “It’s not just the people who were here tonight. It’s the people who came before us and the people we looked up to and studied and were inspired by. They allowed us to believe we could do something and achieve our dreams.”

TEWAARATON AWARD WINNERS

2022: Charlotte North, Boston College
2021: Charlotte North, Boston College
2020: No award due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Megan Taylor, Maryland
2018: Sam Apuzzo, Boston College
2017: Zoe Stukenberg, Maryland
2016: Taylor Cummings, Maryland
2015: Taylor Cummings, Maryland
2014: Taylor Cummings, Maryland
2013: Katie Schwarzmann, Maryland
2012: Katie Schwarzmann, Maryland
2011: Shannon Smith, Northwestern
2010: Caitlyn McFadden, Maryland
2009: Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern
2008: Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern
2007: Kristen Kjellman, Northwestern
2006: Kristen Kjellman, Northwestern
2005: Katie Chrest, Duke
2004: Amy Appelt, Virginia
2003: Rachael Becker, Princeton
2002: Erin Elbe, Georgetown
2001: Jen Adams, Maryland