WEST POINT, N.Y. – In light of the canceled NCAA lacrosse season, the Tewaaraton Foundation has announced updates to the 2020 Tewaaraton Award, including publication of the final 2020 watch lists for the best men's and women's college lacrosse players of the year.
Brendan Nichtern and Wyatt Schupler represented Army West Point men's lacrosse on the final watch list for the 2020 season.
"This is a very deserved recognition for both Brendan and Wyatt," said head coach Joe Alberici. "They are two young players who have already had an enormous impact in our program. Wyatt's meteoric rise in his first season as a goalie has been exciting for the entire team to see.
"Brendan has a unique skill set of toughness, vision, intelligence and the ability to make others better around him. He is amongst the very elite at his position in the country and will continue on for us in what promises to be a storied career at West Point. Having these two anchors on both ends of the field for the next two years is something the coaching staff is very excited about."
The Tewaaraton Award annual ceremony that was scheduled for May 28 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., will not be held, and no college awards will be presented in 2020. And while the Foundation will also postpone recognition of the Legends and Spirit honorees until 2021, plans will continue to award the 2020 Tewaaraton Native American Scholarships, presented by US Lacrosse.
Nichtern was recognized for the second straight season as an All-American by Inside Lacrosse. The Massapequa, N.Y., native ranked fourth in the nation with 3.38 assists per game, while his 5.75 points per game average slated him ninth.
The youngest player to eclipse 100-career points in Army lacrosse history, Nichtern led the team with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points during his sophomore season. He continues to climb in Army's record book and ranks 24th all-time with 126 points. Nichtern's career assist count is now at 77 which puts him seventh for the Black Knights in their 103-year history.
Schupler made his collegiate debut this season and earned All-American status. He backed the second-best scoring defense in the country (7.25) and individually ranked second for his 7.18 goals against average.
The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., native boasted a .617 save percentage which was good for seventh nationally. Schupler and the Cadets' defense held ranked opponents to 5.67 goals per game in 2020. The sophomore earned three Patriot League Goalie of the Week honors this year.
The Cadets went 2-1 against ranked opponents in 2020 season with their one loss coming to then-ranked No. 5 Syracuse. Army finished the season ranked 14th with a 6-2 overall record before the season ended for programs across the country.
