Syracuse defender Nick Mellen, was named as one of 25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award on Thursday.

Mellen is one of five defenders on the list, joined by Johnny Surdick of Army, and Cade van Raaphorst and JT Giles-Harris of Duke. Since April began, Mellen has yet to allow his match up to score a goal and has held his opponent to less than a point per game.

To boot, Mellen has scooped 24 ground balls this season and caused 14 turnovers, moving him to 50 total and fifth all-time in SU program history.

The Tewaaraton is given annually to the best player in college lacrosse. Five finalists will be selected from the 25 nominees and announced on May 9. The Tewaaraton will be awarded on May 30.

No. 4 seed Syracuse (9-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) opens the ACC tournament on Thursday night against No. 5 seed North Carolina (7-6, 1-3) at 6 p.m.