March 1, 2017
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Three Penn State women's lacrosse standouts were named to the 2017 Tewaaraton Award Watch List on Tuesday evening. Senior classmates Abby Smucker (Bel Air, Md.) and Steph Lazo (Stevensville, Md.) join sophomore Madison Carter (Davidsonville, Md.) as part of the 50 candidates on the list this season.
On April 27 the field will be narrowed to 25 nominee's, which can include players on the initial list or late additions with a final five being announced on May 11 and invited to the 17th Annual Tewaaraton Ceremony held in Washington, D.C. on June 1.
PSU's three nominee's tie Maryland for the most out of Big Ten school's while North Carolina leads the way with six players on the list and Florida a close second with five. Smucker, Lazo and Carter were each selected to the preseason Inside Lacrosse Magazine All-America Teams earlier this winter.
Smucker makes the watch list for the second consecutive season as she was joined by Emi Smith '16 and 2016 nominee Madison Cyr '16 as part of the 2016 watch list. Smucker is in her second season as co-captain of the Nittany Lions and has asserted herself as one of the top defensive midfielders in the country over the past two seasons. She has also added four goals through the first five games of the season.
Lazo and Carter have paced the Lions on offense to the program's first 5-0 start in 24 years as they are ranked first and second in the Big Ten in points and goals. Lazo is third in the nation with her 34 points while Carter's 20 goals is seventh best in the country, Lazo is tied for ninth with 18.
Carter earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades last season as well as being an All-Big Ten selection and a Second-Team IWLCA All-Region while Lazo was also an All-Big Ten selection as well as a First-Team IWLCA All-Region honoree and a Third-Team IWLCA All-American following the 2016 season.
During Penn State's 9-8 victory over No. 14 Cornell last Saturday, Lazo also cemented herself among Penn State's all-time greats as with a four assist outing she jumped into 12th on the all-time list for career assists with 62. She is just three helpers shy of cracking the top-ten. Her 16 assists on the season also tie for the most in the country.
The Nittany Lions return to action this weekend as they close out their three-game road swing with a trip to Loyola on Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest. Penn State looks to begin the season 6-0 for the first time since 1991.