Former Smithtown West lacrosse star Robert Pannell, currently an attackman for Cornell University, is one of 25 nominees for the 11th Annual Tewaaraton Trophy, awarded to the top and collegiate lacrosse player of the year.
Pannell has 32 goals scored, 36 assists and 68 points in 12 games played this season, and has led the Big Red to a 10-2 record and the top of the Ivy League lacrosse standings.
Now in his junior year at Cornell, Pannell has already racked up numerous awards, from the Jack Turnbull Award in 2010, an award given to the top collegiate attackman, to being named a First-Team All-American in 2010, unanimously named Ivy League Player of the Year in 2010 and more.
West lacrosse coach Sean Keenan said he is proud of Pannell's accomplishments and called him "a pleasure to coach."
"It was like having a coach on the field," Keenan said. "He’s just a general out there, one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached in 23 years of coaching."
Patrick Smith, coordinator of physical education, health and athletics for the Smithtown Central School District, said it’s a great honor for Smithtown athletics to have a former player with Pannell’s accomplishments.
“It’s a great honor to have somebody that has gone into his college career, especially at a place like Cornell where obviously there’s high academic standards as well, and do so well as Rob has done,” he said. “Rob has really worked hard to get to that point, he’s got a great work ethic and he’s really excelled. Obviously he was a great player in high school but beyond that he’s really excelled and taken charge of the lacrosse world. It’s great to see.”
The list of nominees for the award was whittled down to 25 men and 23 women from 100 lacrosse players, and will be reduced further to five male and five female finalists who will be invited to the award ceremony in June 2 where one winner in each sex is selected.
“In now its 11th year, the Tewaaraton Award continues to establish itself as the pre-eminent collegiate lacrosse honor,” said Robert Sweeney, President of the Greater Washington Sports Alliance. “This year’s field is one of the best yet, and our selection committees have done a tremendous job sorting through the brightest talent in the college lacrosse world. We are looking forward to another exciting finish to the lacrosse season and seeing what the nation’s best players have to offer.”
The award will be presented on June 2 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.
