Lyle Thompson was awarded yet another Tewaaraton Award on May 28th after sharing the Tewaaraton with his brother Miles the year before. Playing for Albany University, Thompson is the fourth Tewaaraton winner to play for a team that did not obtain the national championship, after eight of the award’s winners came from the year’s national champions.
The ceremony was held at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. The original bronze trophy features a Mohawk native that was sculpted by Frederick Kail, keeping in mind that the word “Tewaaraton” translates to mean “lacrosse.” The award is given annually to the most outstanding American lacrosse player and Thompson was awarded the fifteenth award.
Incorporating Haudenosaunee cultural beliefs with the game is unavoidable for the trio of Thompsons: Lyle, Miles and their cousin Ty. All three came to Albany University together as a “package deal,” as the three work together as one on the field.
Thompson also won the USILA’s (United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association) Enners Award on May 22nd for the second consecutive season as the nation’s most outstanding player. He closed his collegiate career in the NCAA against Notre Dame with a record breaking 400 points and 225 assists. He was also the first to achieve the America East Player of the Year honour for the third consecutive season. In 2014, he was named Person of the Year in Lacrosse Magazine for his performance. He is also the only player in Division 1 history to achieve two 100 point seasons.
Extremely accomplished, the Thompsons are known as major athletic role-models in many indigenous communities and their hometown of the Onondaga Nation. After finishing his senior year at LaFayette High School with 66 goals and 54 assists, Thompson entered Albany University as “the top recruit in the nation.”
