Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Rowen Martin
Jul. 24—Rowen Martin likes to act locally.
That's an approach that served the recent Lewisburg graduate well on the lacrosse field. He was a first-team all-Daily Item selection as he posted up behind the goal in his position as the "X" and delivered pinpoint passes for the three-time district champion Green Dragons.
It's also an approach that pays off in his community, as two of Martin's favorite volunteer activities — the Susquehanna River Cleanup and his church's soup kitchen — are within a block of his house.
Because of his dedication to community service, his play on the lacrosse field, and outstanding performance academically (101.24% GPA), Martin was selected as The Daily Item's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, sponsored by SUN Orthopaedics of Evangelical, as well as PPL Electric Utilities.
Martin finished with 21 goals and 26 assists for the Green Dragons, who won the district title each of the three years they competed.
"There was pressure (to three-peat)," Martin said. "It was mostly because we didn't want to lose our title, and we didn't lose any seniors from (2021). We definitely wanted to keep that streak going."
One of the benefits of playing the X is that it gave Martin a good vantage point to see the offensive plays unfold.
"He is the backbone of our team," Lewisburg coach John Vaji said. "He does a lot of the tough work from behind the net."
Martin said what paid off for him was his experience, as he's been playing lacrosse since second grade.
"I like to feed it right in my teammates' sticks just so they can put it right in the goal," he said. "If I see an opening, I know I can just slide it through into their pocket."
Vaji pointed to an intangible as the best part of Martin's play.
"One of his biggest assets is perseverance," said Vaji. "Since his freshman year, he has worked on his skills, and, along with that, has dedicated himself to getting faster and stronger."
As for volunteerism, Martin says his favorite experience has been the annual Susquehanna River Cleanup.
"The family would all go down, and we pull all the trash out of the Susquehanna," he said. "We load up as much as we can into the kayaks and pull it out of the river."
It is a major trash cleanup, not just your typical neighborhood garbage-bag-carry. Martin says they often pull several tires out of the river, in addition to much more.
"There's definitely a lot of trash in the Susquehanna," he said.
Martin also has helped out at the First Presbyterian Church soup kitchen.
"We walk there with the family," Martin said. "There are people who are a lot less fortunate than I am, so it's good to help out when you can.
"It's super-close and local. The river is a block east of me, and the church is a block south of me. So I'm right by my house helping out."
Martin is headed to the University of Vermont to study business — "I'm a big numbers guy," he said — and be closer to another of his passions: skiing.
"I'll go down anything on the mountain," Martin said with a laugh. "I've skied longer than I've played lacrosse.
"There's a lot of rush and excitement, and you get to try new things. ... You get to pick your own path."
Being a Catamount is also in his family.
"My brother goes there, and he makes videos all the time that show how sick it is," Martin said. "My dad also went there, so it's become a legacy school."
Daily Item correspondent Alexandra George contributed to this report.
