Rowan McDonnell: DC's Ironman

Photo by Alan Bloodgood

JUNE 20, 2024
By Marley Pope

From Roxbury Road in Connecticut to Carlini Field in DC, Rowan McDonnell lives on a field playing sports and having fun with those close to him.

McDonnell’s first taste of ultimate frisbee came from his brother, Chad. Rowan tagged along for a pickup league game and described that moment as love at first sight. 

“I had no idea what ultimate frisbee was. I was 22 at the time and as soon as I saw the first pull go off and it went so far, I was like ‘wow those frisbees can fly,’” McDonnell said.

In his eighth season with DC, McDonnell will become the first DC Breeze player to reach 100 games for the team this Saturday when they host the Montreal Royal at Carlini Field.

To date, McDonnell has played 99 combined regular and postseason games for the Breeze, setting the stage for a monumental night this weekend.

McDonnell holds nearly every Breeze record in both career regular and postseason play. No one has scored more goals (205), assists (288) or blocks (79). He holds the team record for most goals in a season too, when he scored 59 times in 2019, a year removed from his MVP season - the lone MVP in Breeze history. He is the face of the franchise.
 
McDonnell comes from an athletic background, including basketball, baseball, and lacrosse, which helped him transition to ultimate with no difficulty and quickly become a star. As he finished his college career in those other sports, this athletic lifestyle was in jeopardy, but he realized the outlet ultimate can provide.

“When you’re 22-23 years old, right after university or towards the end of university, you run out of a lot of options to play sports and be around amazing teammates,” McDonnell said. “So, the team sport background is definitely the main reason why I wanted to do it, I wanted to stay athletic and I wanted to stay around motivated people.”

Rowan’s father coached him up in the beginning, developing a mindset to consistently focus on mastering the fundamentals and looking for ways to improve.

“[Rowan] brings something different every year and grows his game. When he first started, he was a pure D-liner and now he is whatever we need him to be,” longtime teammate Jeff Wodatch said.

As one of the veterans of the team, McDonnell has seen it all. DC has qualified for the playoffs every year of his tenure but has been unable to get over the hump and win a championship.

Players have come and gone, but the Breeze always found a way into the playoffs and built themselves into a machine of winning. The only thing missing is winning when it matters most.

Their division rivals, the New York Empire, have ruled the East for years. This year is a different story, as DC defeated New York for the first time in three seasons. In that game, McDonnell recorded 260 total yards and led the team with 39 completions.

“He can bring this fire and joy and does a great job of setting the tone of what the Breeze is about,” Breeze head coach Lauren Boyle said. 

McDonnell is active in growing the game whether it's running a YouTube page with 21,000+ subscribers or creating an ultimate frisbee academy to teach the game's nuances for those looking to play professionally.

“When I started playing, I wanted to learn so much about the sport; how to throw, how to cut, how to read the field, but there were no resources. I started learning by myself and eventually started sharing everything I was learning on YouTube and then Excel Ultimate,” McDonnell said.

Excel Ultimate offers several services related to ultimate, ranging from a subscription-based video library to consulting ultimate coaches on strategies. Excel also posts content on its Instagram page of 15,000+ followers to engage fans.

“He has such an amazing social media platform, teaching people and being available for the fans. Rowan is easy to root for,” Boyle said.

McDonnell is one of few players across the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) who is a full-time ultimate player. Early in his career, he worked part-time for several years in the food and restaurant business before carving out a lifestyle where he could provide for himself from ultimate alone.

With his ultimate career being formed from scratch, McDonnell’s progression showcases his pure love of the game and commitment to becoming the best player he can be, which is now a superstar and ambassador for the sport.

McDonnell is a creative player who isn’t afraid to attempt unconventional throws in-game. That flair is what makes him special and makes him different.

“There are certain times where he gets a fire in his eyes and when you see him flip that switch, it's cool,” Wodatch said.

The Breeze are now 7-2 on the season and winners of three straight. They hold a half-game lead in the East Division over the Boston Glory heading into the last month of the regular season. 

Not including the coronavirus-altered 2021 season, this is the closest the Breeze have ever been to making Championship Weekend. He may not be as spry or as flashy as he was in years prior, but McDonnell’s performance and leadership will be a crucial part of whether this is the year that DC can finally make the final leap.