October 25, 2018

Rowan McDonnell of the DC Breeze is the winner of the 2018 AUDL Most Valuable Player award. During the regular season, McDonnell collected 47 assists, 38 goals, 11 blocks, and 393 completions (95.50%) for the Breeze as he captained the team to their third consecutive playoff berth. McDonnell joins Jonathan Helton (2012 & '13), Beau Kittredge ('14, '15), Dylan Tunnell ('16), and Jonathan Nethercutt ('17) as the fifth recipient of the league MVP award.

As a team leader, McDonnell typically saved his best performances for the biggest games in 2018. In Week 7 Game of the Week matcup against the favored Raleigh Flyers, McDonnell totaled two assists and 10 goals in a 25-24 Breeze win. In Week 11, the Breeze hosted the then 8-0 Toronto Rush, and not even a leg injury could prevent McDonnell from leading his team to a 25-24 victory over the top team in the league at the time by throwing eight assists and a career-high 72 completions compared to just two throwaways.