Lyle and Miles Thompson

Lacrosse Legends

By Carol Olechowski

Photo credit: John Strohsacker

UAlbany senior Miles Thompson and his brother, junior Lyle Thompson, are sociology majors who will graduate in Spring 2015. They are also standouts in Great Danes athletics: In May, the attackmen became the first joint winners of the Tewaaraton Award, lacrosse’s version of the Heisman Trophy, and the first Native Americans to earn the honor. (“Tewaaraton” is the Mohawk name for the sport.) 

The siblings had a spectacular 2014. With cousin Ty Thompson, they led UAlbany to a second consecutive America East championship and first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament over top-ranked Loyola. Twenty-one-year-old Lyle, the only player in Division I history to claim two 100-point seasons, was one of five finalists for ESPN’s Best Male College Athlete (ESPY) Award. Miles, 23, finished the season with 82 goals in 18 games, matching the all-time Division I record for goals in a season set in 1990 by Yale’s Jon Reese.   

In the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships, Lyle and Miles spurred the Iroquois Nationals to their first medal, a bronze, 
with a 16-5 victory over Australia.