The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Rachel Fus

Gary Chatnick knew the team he was watching, Bethlehem Central (N.Y.), had just come off a strong season, but he was baffled by the goals racked up by this girl he'd never heard of, let alone seen before.

"They were playing, and I thought 'Who's this girl with long blonde hair playing for Bethlehem?'" Chatnick said. "I remember seeing her for the first time and saying, 'Oh my gosh, this kid is good.'"

At that summer tournament seven years ago, Chatnick, the women's lacrosse coach at Guilderland (N.Y.) High School, said he remembers Katie Rowan quietly posting seven or eight goals. Rowan's numbers in less than three years at Syracuse justify Chatnick's reaction.

The Syracuse junior attack has set the single-season scoring record at SU for the second straight year and now holds the career scoring record as a junior, currently with 252 points in three years. Rowan has the career and single season record for assists also, and she is a nominee for the Tewaaraton trophy, awarded to the nation's best player.

Despite the numbers, Rowan is as unassuming as athletes come. Quiet and soft-spoken, Rowan has never been an emotional leader. She would rather set up her teammates than score goals, and sometimes her flashes of unstoppable scoring talent are suppressed by a desire to help others excel.

"I really like pleasing others and being around people," Rowan said. "I want everyone to do well around me. I look for others first."

It's all a function of Rowan's personality. Former coaches, current coaches, teammates and friends describe Rowan as the "nicest kid you'll ever meet."

"When her teammates look to her, she's still calm and won't let her feelings get the best of her or act in a rash way," Katie's brother, Brian Rowan, said. "(My two sisters and I) really are competitive, but at the same time not being one of those people that wears their emotions on their sleeves."

Rowan's kind nature can be deceptive. Her play may sometimes lack emotion, but Halley Quillinan, who played with Rowan at Bethlehem Central and now SU, said she can tell when her friend is frustrated or upset.

Oftentimes that emotion translates into success on the next play instead of a temper tantrum, her father, Marty, said. Against Colgate, Rowan was stuffed point-blank by the Red Raiders' goalie. As Colgate tried to clear, Rowan hunted down the goalie, stick-checked the ball away and scored.

Continued...

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