Gowin becomes Dalton lacrosse's first NCAA signee

Daniel Mayes, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

Feb. 4—The first two collegiate signees from the Dalton High School boys lacrosse program both ended up at Reinhardt University, and, for a time, that's where Ian Gowin thought he'd be headed.

"I was just kind of set on that," said Gowin, who had an offer in hand from the NAIA school in Waleska. "It was an hour away from home and I felt pretty good with it."

Before making his final decision — with a little urging from family — Gowin expanded his collegiate search.

He's glad he did.

"I found a school with the major that I intend to pursue, and I really just fell in love with the coach and the players," Gowin said. "It'll be really cool to play Division II ball."

Gowin got an offer from that school he fell in love with — the one that offers a major in mechanical engineering — the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

On Thursday evening, Gowin became the first Dalton boys lacrosse player to sign a scholarship with an NCAA school.

The Chargers, located in Alabama's largest city by population, compete in the Peach Belt Conference at the NCAA Division II level. Last season, UAH finished 10-7.

Gowin put pen to paper at a ceremony Thursday at the school.

"For any coach to have the privilege to have a player sign a scholarship is the highest honor," said Dalton coach Jeff Hutchinson. "He's worked so hard for this over the years since he was just a little kid. He will be an asset for that team and that community."

Hutchinson's son, DJ, was one of the previous two collegiate signees in the seven-year history of the program. He and Logan Cole, a 2019 graduate, both signed with Reinhardt.

"It means a lot to me personally," Gowin said of becoming the first NCAA signee for Dalton. "Our senior group has been playing together since a very young age. We've made family bonds almost."

That group has seen the program grow as a whole. The upcoming season marks the eighth for the team.

"The biggest difference now is it's not really one or two players, the team is just getting better and better as a whole," Gowin said.

The program, which began play in 2016, set a new best with five wins last season.

Gowin heads into his senior season with the weight of a college decision off his shoulders and a chance to become the program's all-time leading scorer.

"I'm looking forward to just going out there and having fun and helping everyone else to grow," Gowin said. "Whenever we leave, I want the program to continue to grow and thrive so we can come back and watch some games."