Clemson’s Lawrence, Boston College’s North Named ACC Athletes of the Year
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Heisman Trophy finalist Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and national women’s lacrosse player of the year Charlotte North of Boston College are the top Atlantic Coast Conference male and female athletes for the 2020-21 academic year, as voted upon by a select media panel (90 voters).
Lawrence receives the 68th Anthony J. McKevlin Award as the conference’s premier male athlete. It marks the fifth time a Clemson student-athlete has earned the award and the fourth time in six years (football quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2016 and 2017; soccer standout Robbie Robinson in 2020). Lawrence became Clemson's first number one overall pick in the NFL draft after being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars, capping a junior season in which he led the Tigers to their sixth consecutive ACC title and College Football Playoff appearance.
“To be named ACC Male Athlete of the Year among all of the outstanding athletes across all sports in this great conference is a tremendous honor,” said Lawrence. “I am thankful to the conference for this recognition and even more grateful to my coaches, teammates and the entire Clemson Family for their support.”
North, who earned the 2021 Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top lacrosse player and was named the IWLCA Player of the Year after leading Boston College its first-ever women’s lacrosse national title, receives the Mary Garber Award as the ACC’s top female athlete. She joins former Eagle lacrosse/ice hockey standout Kenzie Kent to become the second student-athlete from Boston College to be recognized as the ACC Female Athlete of the Year.
"I am so beyond humbled and honored to receive this award,” said North. “It is a dream come true to play in the ACC, the most competitive conference, with a tremendous amount of talented and inspiring athletes. I would like to thank my coaches here at BC who have shaped me into the player and person I am today. I am so lucky to be a small part of the special program they have built here. I would also like to thank my teammates, who have taught me more than I could ever imagine. They push me. They support me. They inspire me. And they are the greatest athletes I get to play alongside. Without them, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to here. This is because of them. Thank you to the BC family for allowing me to be a part of this!"
The ACC Athlete of the Year Awards are given in memory of two distinguished journalists. McKevlin was a sports editor of the Raleigh (North Carolina) News and Observer, while Garber, of the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, was a pioneer as one of the first female sports journalists in the nation.
Clemson’s Lawrence completed 231-of-334 passes with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions for a pass efficiency rating of 169.2 in 627 snaps over 10 games (all starts). The Knoxville, Tennessee, native and former Cartersville, Georgia, prep star also rushed 68 times for 203 yards with eight rushing touchdowns. Lawrence’s average of 315.3 passing yards per game last season broke Deshaun Watson’s previous school record mark from 2016 (306.2 ypg).
Lawrence became the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining 2015 and 2016 finalist Watson, and finished second in the 2020 voting. A third-team All-America selection by the Associated Press and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Lawrence won the Bobby Bowden Trophy and was a finalist for every major quarterback award.
“I’m super excited for Trevor getting this award,” said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. “Obviously, he is a player that will be remembered in the ACC forever for what he was able to do in this conference. He never lost a regular season game in his career. He only had two losses, was the winningest quarterback in Clemson history and was a national champion. But he was also a graduate in three years and represented everything that I think this league stands for as far as being an ambassador for the game of football and being the epitome of what a scholar-athlete should look like. I’m super proud of him. He’s very deserving and I’m thankful to see him recognized this way.”
Lawrence led the McKevlin Award balloting with 52 votes, followed by Florida State golfer John Pak with 12.
Boston College’s North set the NCAA record for goals in a season with 102 and shattered the record for goals in a single ACC tournament with 31 (previous record was 22). Her 174 draw controls were the second-most in a single season at BC.
North’s other scoring records include the ACC and BC record for goals in a single game with 10, and she set the BC record for goals in a NCAA Tournament game with eight. The Dallas, Texas, senior tied the NCAA Championship game record with six goals.
A four-time IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week, North became the fastest BC player to reach 100 points in a season, doing so in just 19 games.
“I am beyond proud of Charlotte's continued success,” said Boston College head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. “She has a heart of gold and to see her success unwind is incredible. I feel lucky every day that we have the opportunity to coach her and I can’t wait to see what she does next year!"
North received 43 votes to lead the Garber Award balloting. North Carolina junior field hockey standout Erin Matson, last year’s recipient, received 19 votes this year to place second.