Tamalpais High School junior Rowan Scobie announced her commitment to Northwestern University on Oct. 5. Throughout high school and the complex recruitment process, Scobie’s devotion to the sport and bettering herself has shaped her into a remarkable player. 

In their 2023 women’s lacrosse season, Northwestern went 21-1 in the Big Ten Conference and became the 2023 Division I Champions. These achievements solidified the school as the number one women’s lacrosse program in the country, and, combined with its supreme academics (and a seven percent acceptance rate), launched it to the top of every high school lacrosse player’s wish list. 

For many years it was clear that Scobie was going to be one of a select few for which a school like Northwestern presented a realistic opportunity. Scobie made her career debut in fourth grade through the Southern Marin Lacrosse Club, also known as Wolfpack. 

“I never really thought I had a talent for [lacrosse] … I think I’ve always been a competitive person with anything that I’m doing,” Scobie said.

Her determination and modesty represent two sides of Scobie that would become the defining aspects of her game. It would not be until her years at Tam that these traits would start to contradict. As it turns out, those years were approaching quickly. 

“At the first day of tryouts I remember she played amazing, everyone would cheer for Rowan when she would get in on play or drill because during preseason she was so quiet and shy,” Division I lacrosse player and Tam alumni Annie Shine wrote in an email.

“We identified Rowan in her first tryouts as a heck of a player,” Tam Assistant Lacrosse coach Brian Dayton added. “She’s been a starter from her very first game of her very first season.”

Dayton, who is now entering his fourth season with Tam, noticed quickly that Scobie possessed a unique talent but an innate inability to own it, so he made sure to keep a watchful eye on her development throughout high school.

“Rowan is probably the most humble player I know, and the thing she struggled the most with as a player was probably the spotlight,” Dayton said. “In between her freshman and sophomore seasons, I’d drive by the tam turf or the grass and I see Rowan out there either working with somebody else or working by herself, and it was often in the rain.”

A student athlete’s sophomore season is by far the most important in terms of collegiate attention. Scobie knew this, and entered her second year of high school lacrosse with a completely new package to offer, now readily prepared to trust herself with the skills she had worked so hard to attain. 

“I’d say the biggest thing that Rowan brought to the table last year [her sophomore season] was the ability to step up in the biggest moments, which probably even surprised herself a little bit,” Dayton said.

Rowan’s newfound presence on the squad likely corresponded with the team’s success in their 2023 season, where they conquered the North Coast Section (NCS) Division II and Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) for the first time in program history, finishing with a record of 22 wins and two losses. 

During this unprecedented run, in massive games against Redwood and Marin Academy – both for a one-point victory – Scobie scored three and four goals respectively. Against Marin Catholic for a whopping 14-9 victory, Scobie scored seven. 

At the same time that Scobie was locking things down on Tam’s field, she began taking the necessary steps towards college commitment, which for anybody, no matter how intelligent or skilled, is a serious challenge. 

“Going through camps and travel was rough. I often didn’t see my sister or my dad for a month and a half, and it was hard being away from my family and friends for that long,” Scobie said. 

Underestimating herself yet again, Scobie actually decided to avoid attending Northwestern camps altogether. Luckily, they wound up finding her. 

“When [Northwestern] reached out to me it was really intimidating and I was a little shocked I won’t lie. I got a text from them saying ‘hey we would love to start talking to you’ and I did have a little bit of a breakdown in my room, because it’s Northwestern,” Scobie said. 

Less than two months later, Scobie’s life-long commitment to lacrosse came full circle when she announced her commitment to Northwestern, marking the start of her future, not her past. 

 “It’s a stressful time, and to see her put in the work on the field, of the field, and in the classroom, and for it to pay off, I can’t think of anybody who is more deserving,” Dayton said.