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Princeton University Athletics
Rachael Becker Wins Tewaaraton Trophy
June 05, 2003 | Women's Lacrosse
June 4, 2003
Washington, D.C. - Rachael Becker was named the 2003 Tewaaraton Trophy recipient as lacrosse's most outstanding athlete. The award, given annually to the sport's top male and female college lacrosse players in the nation, was given to Becker and Virginia senior midfielder Chris Rotelli after they led their respective teams to NCAA Championships this past spring.
Becker is also this year's Honda Award winner for lacrosse and is a first-team All-America selection for the third year in a row. She led her team to a second straight national championship as the anchor of a defense that allowed 4.5 goals per game during the 2003 NCAA tournament. For her efforts, she was named the NCAA Tournament MVP.
Known for her one-on-one defensive play and her ability to neutralize opponents' top scoring threats, Becker was named the 2003 Ivy League Player of the Year and shared the coveted Von Kienbusch Award as Princeton's top senior female athlete. She ended the season tied for the nation's lead in caused turnovers and finished her career as Princeton's all-time leader in ground balls and interceptions. Captain of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams, she started all 78 games of her lacrosse career, played in five Final Fours, won seven Ivy League titles and two national championships.
She joins past winners such as Maryland's Jen Adams (2001) and Georgetown's Erin Elbe as Tewaaraton recipients. The Trophy considers every male and female college varsity player in Divisions I, II and III while a selection committee comprised of coaches for both male and female candidates oversees the voting process.
The Tewaaraton Award Foundation, in conjunction with The University Club of Washington, DC, formally established the "Tewaaraton Trophy" on August 29, 2000. Today, the Tewaaraton Trophy is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award honoring the top female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse player in the United States. Simply, it is the lacrosse equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The Foundation committee honors Native American heritage with the name "Tewaaraton," the name the Mohawk nation gave to their game and the progenitor of present day lacrosse and has received approval from the Mohawk Council of Elders.
The entire Tewaaraton Awards ceremony will be aired on College Sports Television (CSTV) on Saturday, July 4. Coverage from the National Geographic Building in Washington D.C. will begin at 4 p.m. EST. CSTV is channel 610 on DirecTV.