The Wingate Memorial Trophy was the award given to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) national champion in men's college lacrosse from 1936 to 1970, and the NCAA Men's Champion in 1971-1972.
The first intercollegiate lacrosse tournament was held in 1881, with Harvard beating Princeton 3-0 in the championship game.
[1][2] In 1936, the family of W. Wilson Wingate, a longtime Baltimore sportswriter who had played the sport in college and often covered it, donated a memorial trophy in his name to be presented to the USILA champion.
Wingate is credited with nicknaming lacrosse "the fastest game on two feet.
The Wingate Memorial Trophy was presented to the first two NCAA champions, and retired following the 1972 season.