Syracuse University men’s lacrosse senior attackman Joey Spallina was named as one of five finalists for the 2026 Tewaaraton Award, according to a May 5 announcement. The award ceremony will take place on May 28 at the University Club in Washington, D.C.
Spallina is the first Syracuse men’s lacrosse player to be selected as a finalist since Kevin Rice in 2015. The Tewaaraton Award, first distributed in 2001, has previously been won by three Syracuse players: Michael Powell (2002, 2004) and Kevin Leveille (2008).
This season, Spallina recorded 75 points with 30 goals and 45 assists. He holds the second-most assists in Division I this season and ranks fourth nationally for assists per game. He is also the only Division I player with at least 30 goals and at least 45 points this year. His total of 75 points ties him for sixth-most in the country, while his average of 4.69 points per game is ninth-best nationally.
Over his career at Syracuse, Spallina became the program’s all-time leader in career points with a total of 321 entering the NCAA Tournament weekend, surpassing Michael Powell’s previous record of 307. He also leads active Division I players with an average of 4.72 points per game and has tallied a total of 183 assists—just four shy of Tim Nelson’s school record set between 1983-85.
Other finalists for this year’s Tewaaraton Award are Shawn Lyght from Notre Dame, Owen Duffy from North Carolina, Nate Kabiri from Princeton, and Willem Firth from Cornell.
