WASHINGTON, D.C. – Saint Joseph's junior face-off specialist Zach Cole has been named to the 2021 Tewaaraton Award Men's Watch List, it was announced by Tewaaraton Foundation officials on Thursday afternoon. The prestigious list includes the top players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse and highlights the early contenders for the 2021 Tewaaraton Award.
 
The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of premier collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. As the schedules of most teams remain subject to state and school-specific COVID protocols, the selection committees proceeded on the assumption that all eligible and enrolled student-athletes will have some opportunity to compete this season.
 
The nation's leader in ground balls per game (12.3), Cole is one of just two face-off specialists on the list (Lehigh's Mike Sisselberger) and one of just two Northeast Conference players on the list (Hobart attackman Jason Knox).
 
The junior face-off specialist out of Mount Laurel, N.J. has been dominant for the Crimson and Gray this spring, averaging 70 percent from the X (65-of-93) to go with 49 ground balls in four games; those numbers average out to 16.3 face-off wins and 12.3 ground balls per contest.
 
In SJU's season opener at Towson on March 21, Cole went 72 percent from the X (13-of-18) with 11 ground balls before following up with a showing of 22-of-32 (69 percent) with a season-high 14 ground balls at Delaware.
 
Cole then went 64 percent (14-of-22) with 10 ground balls at then-#7 Army before dominating Wagner, winning 16-of-21 attempts (76) against the Seahawks alongside a season-high 14 ground balls and an assist right off of a face-off win in the third quarter.
 
A 2021 Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media All-American Third Team selection and 2021 USILA/Warrior and New Balance Preseason All-American Third Team pick, Cole and the Hawks (1-3, 1-0 NEC) return to action this Saturday, March 13 at Sacred Heart. Opening face-off at Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn. is set for 1:00 p.m.