Maryland’s Megan Taylor became the first goalie ever to win the prestigious Tewaaraton Award, earning the recognition in a special ceremony Thursday at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Taylor, the four-time Big Ten Goalie of the Year and presumably a three-time IWLCA All-American, turned heads all season with spectacular saves and standout performances. Only the second goalie ever to be named a Tewaaraton finalist, Taylor was named most outstanding player of the NCAA championship after making 14 saves against Northwestern in the semifinals and then backstopping a stifling defensive effort with 10 saves against Boston College in the final. She led the Terps to their 14th NCAA title.

Much as she did earlier in the week, Taylor deflected much of the praise and thanks on her coaches, family and teammates.

“I would give anything, and I mean anything, to step on the field with you one last time in a Terps jersey,” she said.

Taylor finished the season with a save percentage of 55.1. For much of the season, she was hovering at or about 60 percent, a threshold not reached by any qualifying Division I goalie since 2001. She recorded double-digit saves in 10 games.

Taylor beat out reigning Tewaaraton winner Sam Apuzzo (Boston College), Dempsey Arsenault (Boston College), Jen Giles (Maryland) and Selena Lasota (Northwestern) for the Tewaaraton Award. All five finalists attended the ceremony Thursday after all five also competed in NCAA championship weekend at Johns Hopkins.

Florida’s Mikey Meagher (2013) is the only other goalie to be named a Tewaaraton finalist.

Maryland players have accounted for nine of 19 Tewaaraton Award recipients, including eight of the last 10. The list includes inaugural Tewaaraton winner Jen Adams, three-time winner Taylor Cummings and two-time winner Katie Schwarzmann.

Also on Thursday, sisters Jacelyn and Mirabella Lazore, who were featured in US Lacrosse Magazine’s series on what it means to be Native American in the sport, were named recipients of the Tewaaraton Native American Scholarship, presented by US Lacrosse. The Lazore sisters, who play at IMG Academy (Fla.), and men’s scholarship recipient Isaiah Cree, who plays at Sierra Canyon (Calif.), are of the Mohawk nation at Akwesasne.

National Lacrosse Hall of Famer Feffie Barnhill was honored with the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award, while Karen Emas Borbee (Delaware) and Tom Sears (North Carolina) received the Tewaaraton Legends Award for their feats as two of the top players in the game during the 1980s. They too are in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.