On Thursday, the Tewaaraton Foundation will announce the 2018 men's and women's award winners during the 18th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
One of the five women's finalists – Sam Apuzzo (Boston College), Kristen Gaudian (James Madison), Marie McCool (North Carolina), Kylie Ohlmiller (Stony Brook) and Megan Whittle (Maryland) – will hear her name called to accept the highest honor in the sport.
Historically, midfielders have won 12 of the 17 honors, which date back to 2001 when Maryland attacker Jen Adams earned the inaugural trophy on the women's side. The Terps have boasted the most winners with eight, including the past six, and Northwestern trails with five recipients.
If Whittle won, she would become the ninth Maryland player to receive the honor, while it would be a program-first if Apuzzo, Gaudian, McCool or Ohlmiller won.
Let's take a look at the five finalists' performances this year.
Sam Apuzzo
Boston College, Junior, Attacker
The ACC Attacker of the Year does it all. Sam Apuzzo may be listed as an attacker for the 2018 national runner-up Boston College, but she plays like a midfielder as the team’s draw specialist. She solidified her case for the Tewaaraton honor in the NCAA tournament, recording 36 draw controls, 17 points on nine goals and eight assists, five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Apuzzo finished the season with team-high marks in five categories – 163 draw controls, 129 points, 88 goals, 41 assists and 31 caused turnovers – while also adding 45 ground balls. The Eagles’ historic undefeated regular season as regular-season ACC champions can be linked directly to Apuzzo’s play, which included a single-game scoring record with nine goals in a 20-14 win over Navy in February.
Kristen Gaudian
James Madison, Senior, Attacker
The first-time national champion has a solid leader in Kristen Gaudian, the walk-on recruit who turned into a Tewaaraton finalist her senior year at James Madison. She was named the CAA Player of the Year after the Dukes won its second straight conference crown. Gaudian then entered the NCAA tournament field with a target on her back as teams liked to faceguard her due to her profilic scoring and Division I-best shot percentage. In four tournament games, including a historic NCAA championship victory, she had 14 points on 13 goals and one assist, plus 12 draw controls and three ground balls. Gaudian finished the year with a team-high 96 points and team-best 80 goals, while also adding 79 draw controls, 20 ground balls, 16 assists and five caused turnovers.
Marie McCool
North Carolina, Senior, Midfielder
North Carolina’s success is rooted in Marie McCool’s play. She was the first player in conference history to repeat as the ACC Midfielder of the Year and was the heart and soul of the team in the NCAA tournament. McCool did everything in her power to push her team onward, tallying a dominating 34 draw controls against her tournament opponents, while adding 17 points on eight goals and nine assists, three caused turnovers and one ground ball. She left a legacy behind for the Tar Heels to embody, finishing her senior season with team-bests in three scrappy categories – 165 draw controls, 35 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers – and also boasted 61 goals and 23 assists.
Kylie Ohlmiller
Stony Brook, Senior, Attacker
Kylie Ohlmiller’s career is flooded with SportsCenter Top 10 moments. In a 22-7 win over UMBC on April 21, she reached 446 career points, passing Maryland’s Jen Adam’s 17-year-old NCAA career scoring mark. In that same victory, she also had six assists for 226 in her career, which broke Northwestern’s Hannah Nielsen’s mark. Her highlight-reel senior season included team-bests with 157 points and 69 assists – which ranked first and second in Division I, respectively – as well as 88 goals, 18 ground balls, seven caused turnovers and seven draw controls. In two NCAA tournament games, she recorded 12 points on seven goals and five assists and added one caused turnover and one ground ball. Ohlmiller was also named the America East Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year.
Megan Whittle
Maryland, Senior, Attacker
The Big Ten Attacker of the Year is every team’s faceguarding target – and for good reason. Megan Whittle is a scoring threat from every angle and that became evident when she became Maryland’s all-time leading scorer on April 15 in a 20-5 rout of Ohio State. With a hat trick in the victory, she passed all-time Terp great Jen Adams, scoring her 268th career goal about five minutes into the game. In Maryland’s three NCAA tournament games, she had 13 points on 10 goals and three assists, plus seven draw controls, five ground balls and one caused turnover. Whittle finished the season with team-high marks in two categories with 84 goals and 99 points, but also tallied 42 draw controls, 18 ground balls, 15 assists and 10 caused turnovers.