The results are in.

You voted in our @USLacrosseMag Best of Lax Twitter polls for 2019 and chose eight winners in categories like Best Women's Breakthrough and Best Men's Performance, among others. Pick up the December 2019 edition to see it laid out in print.

Best Women's Breakthrough
Emily Hawryschuk, Syracuse

Hawryschuk was good enough in 2018 that we had her on the cover of our college preview edition last spring. But even we didn’t know she’d be this good. Hawryschuk led Syracuse with 75 goals, became the team’s draw specialist down the stretch and had people complaining when she wasn’t a Tewaaraton finalist. She’s also suiting up with the U.S. team.

Best Women's Player
Megan Taylor, Maryland

The first-ever goalie — male or female — to win the Tewaaraton Award had a senior season to remember. Taylor hovered at or above 60 percent in save percentage, a threshold not reached by any qualifying Division I goalie since 2001. She turned it on again in the NCAA tournament, including 24 saves during championship weekend.​

Best Men's Coach
Steve Colfer, Cabrini

Steve Colfer’s building project at Cabrini reached the summit in 2019. The Cavaliers won their first NCAA Division III championship after beating Amherst 16-12 in the final. Cabrini avenged its two losses by beating York and Salisbury in the NCAA tournament. Colfer took over as Cabrini’s head coach in 2001 and led the team to a school-record 11 victories. The Cavaliers have won at least 10 games every year since and have played in 18 consecutive NCAA tournaments but had not previously advanced past the quarterfinals.​

Best Men's Player
Grant Ament, Penn State

After missing the entire 2018 season with a foot injury, Ament returned with a vengeance in 2019. He led the Nittany Lions’ rise to No. 1 in the nation and lit the fuse for Penn State’s explosive offense. Ament set the NCAA single-season record with 96 assists and finished just two points shy of Lyle Thompson’s single-season scoring record of 128. Penn State, which averaged nearly 18 goals per game, won its first NCAA tournament game and vaulted into the final four. Ament set the NCAA tournament record with 25 points and tied the mark for assists with 19.

Best Women's Performance
Samantha Mehalick, Marist

Samantha Mehalick had the game of her life, and possibly the game of the NCAA lacrosse year, when her team needed it the most. Marist battled Manhattan in the MAAC quarterfinal, and Mehalick came up huge for her team throughout the day — finishing with 11 goals. Down 13-10 with six minutes left, Mehalick scored four of Marist’s final five goals, including the game-winner on a free position with seven seconds left to seal a wild comeback win for the Red Foxes.

Best Men's Breakthrough
Matt Moore, Virginia

Moore was the ACC Freshman of the Year as a midfielder in 2018, but really broke through after moving to attack this past season. Moore became the first 40-40 player in Virginia history, setting a UVA record with 89 points (46g, 43a) as an honorable mention All-American for the NCAA champs. He scored the OT game-winner against Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals and had a team-best four goals in the title game win over Duke.

Best Women's Coach
Cathy Reese, Maryland

Cathy Reese led her alma mater to its 15th overall NCAA championship and fifth since she became head coach in 2007. The Terps went 22-1 with the only blemish coming against Northwestern in the Big Ten championship game. Maryland avenged that loss in the NCAA semifinals and then beat Boston College 12-10 in the championship game. She was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in October.

Best Men's Performance
Alex Rode, Virginia

Much attention was paid to a star-studded Virginia offense in the Cavaliers’ magical run to the 2019 NCAA championship. But it was goalie Alex Rode who earned MVP honors with 31 saves on championship weekend. Rode came up huge against Duke in the semifinal, making 18 saves in a one-goal victory. He was just as good on Memorial Day against a Yale team that set the NCAA tournament record for goals. He saved 13 shots and held the Bulldogs to single digits for the first time all season.