University of Richmond Athletics
O'Neil, Smith Named Top 25 Tewaaraton Nominees
04/18/2026 | Men's Lacrosse
Richmond, Va. — University of Richmond senior standouts and team captains Aidan O'Neil and Hunter Smith have been named Tewaaraton Award Top 25 nominees, placing both Spiders among the top echelon of college lacrosse and recognizing them as two of the most impactful players in the nation on opposite ends of the field. The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the most outstanding players in college lacrosse, and the recognition underscores Richmond's balance of elite offensive firepower and defensive dominance as the No. 4-ranked Spiders continue a historic season backed by O'Neil and Smith.
Richmond is one of only seven programs in the country with multiple Tewaaraton Award nominees, placing the Spiders among an elite group of national contenders. Only two programs—North Carolina and Princeton—have three players on the list, while Richmond is tied with Duke, Notre Dame, Cornell, and Army for programs with two honorees. Smith and O'Neil are just the third and fourth Tewaaraton Award Top 25 nominees in program history, and the first to be named in the same season. Smith is the first non-attackman in program history to earn the distinction. Previous honorees for the Spiders include Ryan Lanchbury (2022) and Dalton Young (2024).
O'Neil, an attackman, has been the centerpiece of one of the most productive offenses in the country this season, ranking third nationally in assists per game (2.91) and sixth in points per game (5.09). He leads a Richmond offense that ranks first nationally in points per game (25.82), shot percentage (35.3%), and scoring margin (+8.55), while sitting second in scoring offense (16.45 goals per game). A Preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection, O'Neil has earned USA Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention and USILA All-America Third Team honors, along with Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America First Team recognition. He is a multiple-time Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week honoree, earning recognition following performances against Virginia and UMass.
This season, O'Neil has recorded 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points, already surpassing his previous single-season best of 51 set last year. O'Neil's name is etched throughout the Richmond record book, holding the program record for points in a game (12). He also ranks fourth in program history for goals and assists in a game (6 each). His 200 career points, 110 career goals, and 90 career assists currently rank fourth all-time. He has started all 62 games of his career.
Smith, a senior defenseman, anchors a Richmond unit that ranks second nationally in scoring defense (7.91), fifth in caused turnovers per game (11.27), and 10th in man-down defense (75.0%). Individually, he ranks ninth nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.20), consistently drawing the assignment of opposing teams' top offensive threats.
A Preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection, Smith has established himself as one of the nation's premier cover defenders, earning USA Lacrosse All-America Second Team, USILA All-America Second Team, and Inside Lacrosse All-America Third Team honors. He was ranked No. 18 in Inside Lacrosse's Top 50 Players list, earned USILA Team of the Week honors following the win over Georgetown, and was named Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America First Team. Smith was also selected 10th overall in the second round of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) College Draft by the Boston Cannons.
This season, Smith has recorded 22 ground balls and caused turnovers, and his 73 career caused turnovers rank fifth all-time in program history.
Together, O'Neil and Smith have been central figures in Richmond's rise to one of the nation's elite programs, helping the Spiders rank second nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense while building one of the most complete resumes in college lacrosse.
The Tewaaraton Award recipients will be selected following the conclusion of the college lacrosse season, with finalists honored on May 28 at the Tewaaraton Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The 25 Men's Nominees are Sean Byrne (Army), Matt Collison (Johns Hopkins), Rory Connor (Georgetown), Owen Duffy (North Carolina), Willem Firth (Cornell), Caleb Fyock (Ohio State), Ryan Goldstein (Cornell), Benn Johnston (Duke), Nate Kabiri (Princeton), Shawn Lyght (Notre Dame), Aidan Maguire (Duke), Grayson Manning (Denver), McCabe Millon (Virginia), Aidan O'Neil (Richmond), Chad Palumbo (Princeton), Dominic Pietramala (North Carolina), Evan Plunkett (Army), Silas Richmond (Albany), Hunter Smith (Richmond), Joey Spallina (Syracuse), Eric Spanos (Maryland), Jack Stahl (Princeton), Brady Wambach (North Carolina), Mikey Weisshaar (Towson), and Josh Yago (Notre Dame).
