Mason Rowland was a force every time she stepped on the basketball court, soccer field or volleyball court during her time as a Durango Demon. The state took notice, and the Durango High School graduate recently earned one more award to cap off her high school career. Rowland scored the most prestigious award for a high school senior student-athlete in Colorado: the Steinmark Award.
The award is given to the best female and male student athletes in the state. It’s presented by the Colorado High School Coaches Association and selected by a committee of athletic directors, coaches and former Steinmark Award winners.
“I was extremely happy and grateful to be given the award,” Rowland said. “It was shocking. I had done the work for it and even being considered was an honor. (Winning) was a good feeling.”
Rowland was a three-sport star for the Demons. In basketball, she earned All-State honorable Mentions as a freshman and sophomore, Second Team honors as a junior and then First Team honors as a senior.
In soccer, Rowland earned First Team All-State honors as both a junior and a senior.
In volleyball, she earned a pair of All-State Honorable Mention honors.
This volleyball season, however, broke her L2 vertebrae in her back diving for a ball and missed most of the season.
“I came up definitely hurting and knew something was wrong,” she said.
In the eight sets she played before getting injured, Rowland had 53 assists, 10 kills, 22 digs, two aces and a block. Rowland also continued to help the team out when she couldn’t play.
“I tried to stay involved and be a leader on the sidelines and help my teammates anyway I could,” she said.
The Demons finished 19-8 overall. The team won the 4A/5A Southwestern League with a 7-1 mark and won a regional title to advance to the Class 4A state championships.
“It was hard to watch from the sidelines at times,” she said while also crediting her teammates. “They dealt with so much adversity and they handled it so well.”
After three months on the sidelines, Rowland admitted “there were some doubts” about returning to action.
“I took some things for granted, but after I got hurt I treated every game and every practice like it was my last and I put in all of the effort I could,” she said.
She recovered from the injury in time for basketball season, however, and led the Demons all the way to Class 5A state semifinals.
The Demons finished 23-3 overall in basketball, won a 6A/5A SWL title and three state playoff games before falling to the eventual state champion, Roosevelt of Johnstown, in the Final Four.
“Making it to the Elite Eight and Final Four was a surreal experience to play at the Denver Coliseum,” she said. “The connection within the team was strong, and that helped on and off the court.”
Rowland averaged 17.9 points per game this winter, shooting 49% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line. Rowland also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.8 assists per game. In total, she scored 466 points, grabbed 135 rebounds, had 92 steals, 48 assists and seven blocks – all team highs. Making the stats more impressive is the fact many opponents double-teamed Rowland to try and contain her.
“To have a kid like Mason; you don’t get to coach kids like that often in a career,” said DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick after the season. “She’s the best basketball player I’ve ever coached. She did so much for us. Every team (in the playoffs) eventually went Box-and-1 on her and Roosevelt double teamed her the whole game, and she still averaged over 20 points …”
Rowland also scored 507 points as a junior, 225 in her COVID-shortened sophomore year and 214 as a freshman, leading DHS in scoring all four years to finish with 1,412 points in a Demon jersey.
On the soccer field, Rowland played as a midfielder and still led the team in scoring with 23 goals, averaging 1.6 per match. She assisted another seven goals. With the strength of her throw ins, teams were also forced to defend her throws like they were corner kicks.
Rowland was also an integral piece of the team’s semifinal run as a junior, when DHS went 16-3 and barely lost to the eventual state champ, Northfield, 1-0.
“This team, we have been playing together since sixth grade so we’ve all grown up together,” she said. “The ability to finish how we started was definitely a good experience.”
Rowland will play college basketball for Colorado Mesa University.
“I always enjoyed team sports, and I think basketball is the biggest team sport; you can’t do it on your own,” she said.
She said she’ll help at a camp at Mesa and get to stay in the dorms this month and then head to Grand Junction full time in August.
“As sad as I am to lose the other sports, I think it will benefit me to focus on one,” she said.
“Growing up in Durango, the community is so supportive,” Rowland said. “Everyone wants you to reach your goals. My coaches encouraged me to pursue what I love. They have given me a passion for sports and the town and helped me in so many ways.”
The Steinmark Award honors Freddie Steinmark, who excelled in football, basketball and baseball while attending Wheat Ridge High School in the early 1960s. Steinmark also was an outstanding student and was active in several school and community oriented endeavors before attending the University of Texas, where he helped the Longhorns to the national football title in 1969. Steinmark died from cancer in 1971 at age 22.
Joseph Capra of Denver South was named best male athlete, earning recognition alongside Rowland. Capra played lacrosse, hockey and football in high school. He will play football for the Colorado School of Mines.
