Women's Tewaaraton Stock Watch: Last Week's Chaos Makes Little Impact

Conference championship season has already caused chaos in the polls and projected bracketology.

On the flip side, the Tewaaraton Award Stock Watch has changed very little. Many of the country’s top players have already established a strong body of work that anchors their case for the Tewaaraton Award.

Syracuse’s Meghan Tyrrell has delivered nothing but excitement, driving past defenders with ease and frequently dishing out assists. An electric attacker, Northwestern’s Erin Coykendall has managed several highlight-reel worthy behind-the-back goals this season. Notre Dame’s Kasey Choma has been relentless on both ends of the field, playing tough defense and seemingly able to score from any angle on attack.

Tyrrell and Choma’s efforts for the ACC title came up short, and Coykendall didn’t compete last week because of the Wildcats’ bye in the Big Ten tournament. But these are three among several players whose season-long efforts speak volumes about what kind of players they are. Read on for more on the top candidates jockeying for the Tewaaraton Award.

1. Izzy Scane, A, Northwestern

Whether working her way through multiple defenders or shooting rockets from the top of the eight-meter arc, Scane is thrilling to watch. The Michigan native leads the nation with 73 goals and 5.21 goals per game and could break the NCAA Division I single-season goals record of 103 if the Wildcats make a deep postseason run. Scane has scored in every game she has played and has yet to meet a defense that can effectively manage her.

2. Meaghan Tyrrell, A, Syracuse

The all-time points leader at Syracuse, Tyrrell has been key to igniting the program’s attack. While the Orange didn’t advance to the ACC championship game, Tyrrell ensured her team didn’t go down without a fight. She posted two goals and three assists against Virginia Tech, then she chipped in a pair of goals in Syracuse’s semifinal loss to North Carolina. Tyrrell is equally comfortable in front of the goal or at the X, posting 49 goals and 47 assists.

3. Belle Smith, M, Boston College

Boston College is peaking at the right time. Smith certainly deserves credit for the Eagles’ recent success, tallying a goal and an assist in a semifinal win against Notre Dame and a goal and caused turnover in the ACC championship game against UNC. A crafty midfielder, Smith excels at everything from relentless pressure in transition to perfectly positioning herself inside the eight-meter.

4. Jenn Medjid, A, Boston College

Like Smith, Medjid has been crucial to the Eagles’ upswing heading into the postseason. A key on attack, Medjid tallied a hat trick against Notre Dame in the ACC semifinals but was surprisingly held scoreless by a tough North Carolina defense in the conference championship. Medjid ranks third in the country and first in the ACC with 71 goals, leaving the rest of her conference in the dust (the next closest ACC player has 60 goals).

5. Meghan Ball, D, Rutgers

A newcomer to the our top five, Ball is leading a resurgent Rutgers team on defense. In an upset victory over Johns Hopkins in the Big Ten tournament, Ball recorded three ground balls, four caused turnovers and five draw controls. She’s been tallying video game-like numbers all season, as she leads the country with 3.69 caused turnovers per game and has notched 97 total. A fearless defender, keep an eye on Ball as Rutgers continues its Big Ten tournament run against Maryland on Thursday — a must-win game for Rutgers’ NCAA tournament hopes.

Next five: Emma Ward, Syracuse, A; Isabella Peterson, James Madison, A; Sam Thacker, Denver, D; Erin Coykendall, Northwestern, A; Ellie Masera, Stony Brook, M
Five to monitor: Hailey Rhatigan, Northwestern, A; Emily Nalls, North Carolina, D; Delaney Sweitzer, Syracuse, G; Kasey Choma, Notre Dame, M; Ashlyn McGovern, Virginia, A