UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State senior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) has been named to the 2012 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. Renowned nationally as the pre-eminent honor bestowed in collegiate lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award is presented annually to the NCAA female player of the year.
Cahill is one just six goalkeepers to be included on the watch list and is the second Nittany Lion in as many years to receive the recognition. Two-time First Team All-ALC midfielder Maggie Dunbar was a preseason nominee in 2011.
Last season, Cahill established herself as one of the nation’s top goalkeepers, earning First Team All-West/Midwest Region and All-ALC honors in addition to being named ALC Goalkeeper of the Year.
Anchoring a Penn State defense that ranked among the nation’s top 20 for much of the season, the two-time ALC Defensive Player of the Week had several standout performances that highlighted her first season as a starter. In an 11-10 double overtime win over rival Ohio State, Cahill recorded 14 saves, including several late in regulation that allowed the Nittany Lions to come from behind to tie and then later win the game. She earned National Defensive Player of the Week recognition from Synapse Sports following her 13-save effort in an 11-8 upset of Vanderbilt on March 20. In helping Penn State to its fifth consecutive opening round ALC Championship win, a 17-11 rout of Johns Hopkins, Cahill notched a career-high 15 saves.
Cahill finished the 2011 season with a 9.95 goals against average, a .466 save percentage, 150 saves, and a team-high 47 ground balls.
In Penn State’s 2012 season-opening win over Bucknell on Wednesday, Cahill logged over 38 minutes in net, making four saves.
The Tewaraaton Selection Committee, which is made up of top collegiate coaches, will make additions to the list as the season progresses and athletes earn a spot alongside the original contenders. In late April, the list will be narrowed to 25; a group that will officially earn the title of Tewaaraton Award nominees. In mid-May, five finalists will be announced. The finalists will be invited to the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, which will take place on Thursday, May 31, at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
After beginning the season with a 19-3 win over Bucknell on Wednesday, Cahill and the Nittany Lions are back in action this weekend, welcoming No. 2 Maryland (1-0) to Happy Valley for their 2012 home opener on Sunday, Feb. 19 (1 p.m.). The clash of ranked opponents is scheduled to be the program’s inaugural game at the new home of the Nittany Lions, Penn State Lacrosse Field.