A Tradition of Light: the Number Five Award

“I had no idea they were giving me this award,” said Rowland. “I don’t think anyone did.” Indeed, the recipient of the award, and even the award itself, had been a closely guarded secret throughout the spring of 2023. She received the award at the inaugural Hutchison Sports Awards and Celebration event in April 2023. Rowland said, “When they were describing the person on stage, I was like ‘I wonder who that is,’ but when they said, ‘She goes from track to lacrosse,’ I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was so surprised.”

“I was wearing a spring outfit with lemons all over it, and when I had previously gotten the triathlete award at the ceremony, Liza’s mom told me afterward that when she saw me go up to get that award, she thought to herself, ‘That’s weird, that’s exactly something Liza would have worn.’ She didn’t know I was going to get the Number Five just a few minutes later.” 

That wasn’t the only serendipitous thing about the award. Rowland said that although she didn’t know who Liza was at the time, she actually had met Liza prior to receiving her award. “A few years back, I was walking down the street with my friends, and we saw a man lying on the other side of the road, and he looked—well, it looked like he was dead on the street,” Rowland said. “We went up to him to try to help and he was acting strangely, he was talking crazy, he was in trouble. And as we were there, a car pulled up behind us and I heard a voice saying, ‘Stay in the car, boys.’ It was Liza with her kids. She told us that she would stay with him until help arrived and she told him that everything would be fine. When I got the award, I talked to Liza’s husband, Richie, and told him that story. He said that she would do that type of thing all the time.” 
Being recognized as the Number Five has made for a busy senior year for Rowland. She has been featured in the Daily Memphian, The Commercial Appeal, and on several local television stations. “I knew it would be special to represent something other than myself,” Rowland said. “It’s been so amazing, and I don’t feel deserving of it at all.”

Rowland competed in several sports during her senior year, including cross country in the fall, swimming in the winter, and both track and lacrosse in the spring. She is considered by her coaches and her teammates to be a natural leader, and those leadership qualities really stand out when she’s part of a larger group. Rowland said, “I can step in and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got this. We can do this together.’ When I’m running, I’m doing it for myself, for Liza, and for the Lord, but when you have a team, you’re doing it for everyone else. Everyone has your back. That’s really fun, and I’ve seen the difference going into lacrosse season.”

She continued, “I’m grateful I got to wear it. I would tell girls who get it in the future not to take it for granted. It’s something special. Wear it with pride and use it to push you that extra mile when things are hard.” 

In the 2023-2024 academic year, Rowland was the only Hutchison athlete to compete in four separate varsity sports, and she did so at a very high level. In fact, she signed a scholarship offer in November to run for The University of Alabama. “I was told that the place you should go should really feel like home,” Rowland said. "And Alabama felt like that. It’s going to be a great community for me, and the coach is exactly like my dad.” 

Over the past year, Rowland and her family have become close with the Fletcher family. Well, closer is more accurate, because the two families have been linked for a while. “I guess I knew she had so many friends, but it made me realize how many connections we had in common,” Rowland said. “Some of her best friends are our family’s dearest friends. One of Liza’s closest friends used to babysit me as a kid, and she came to my first cross country race this year.”

Rowland completed the circle by becoming a babysitter herself, this time for Liza’s two young boys. Even for an accomplished athlete, babysitting energetic boys is a challenge. Chuckling, Rowland said, “The kids are so fun, they’re so athletic, and whenever I go over there, I have to put on all my sports gear because they run me around so much!” 

Beyond the fun and games of playing together, she said she learned a lot about life by watching how the kids—and their father—have dealt with an immense tragedy. “Both of Liza’s kids, in everything they do, they never give up. They’re always smiling through everything. I don’t know, there’s a joy inside of them that’s just different,” she explained.

“I kind of feel like I’m the same way,” Rowland added. “It’s interesting that I clicked so well with their family. They always have something kind to say. They’re always polite, they’re always kind, and even though something this terrible has happened to them, they choose to be kind and loving towards everyone.” 

For Rowland, being given the honor of wearing the Number Five allowed her to learn more about life than about sports. And those lessons will stick with her as she goes to college and beyond.