Ewing, NJ… In a rare Friday night game, the third-ranked The College of New Jersey women's lacrosse team will take center stage on campus as the Lions entertain fourth-ranked Franklin & Marshall College in a 6 p.m. start at Lions' Stadium.
Not only does the game feature two highly-ranked opponents, but it also includes the only two NCAA Division III players among the candidates for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award
TCNJ junior Ali Jaeger (Hampton, NJ/North Hunterdon) and F & M's Blake Hargest are on the list for the award, which is presented annually to the top player amongst all three divisions.
The Lions enter Friday's game with a 12-1 record and have already scored a pair of wins over ranked teams. TCNJ registered a 13-10 win over then sixth-ranked Gettysburg College and upset top-ranked Salisbury University 16-12 in the span of eight days.
The Diplomats faced Gettysburg on Wednesday and fell to the Bullets by a narrow 8-7 margin dropping them to 11-2 on the year and 7-1 in the Centennial Conference.
Earlier in the season, F & M also traveled to Salisbury to face the Sea Gulls and lost by the score of 16-11.
Jaeger is having a banner season for the Lions as she leads the team in goals (66) and points (86), in addition to working her way into the program's top 10 in all three scoring categories. She currently sits eighth in career points (228), ninth in goals (177), and 10th in assists (51).
Hargest, who is a senior attack, is having a very balanced season for the Diplomats leading the team in both assists (32) and points (68). She has also scored 36 goals and is second on the team in draw controls with 25.
With what started as a list of over 100 of the nation's top men's and women's collegiate players is now a list of fewer than 50. Of these nominees, only 10 will be named as finalists; five men and five women of which only two will walk away with the sport's top honor. All Tewaaraton nominees are screened and selected by two Selection Committees. The Selection Committees are comprised of collegiate coaches, one committee for the men and one committee for the women.
