WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Nine days after signing a Generation adidas contract with Major League Soccer, junior defender Damion Lowe of the University of Hartford men's soccer team was drafted by the Seattle Sounders as the eighth overall pick of the SuperDraft Thursday. The pick was a milestone one for the Hartford men's soccer program as he is the first Hawk in 17 years to get drafted by an MLS squad.

Andre Blake, a goalkeeper from UConn, was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft by the Philadelphia Union.

"Damion being selected eighth in the first round is a testament to his hard work, commitment and dedication," commented head coach Tom Poitras, who will be entering his fourth year at the helm of the Hawks this season. "I could not be happier for Damion and am proud of what he has done for Hartford Soccer. We always talk about leaving the program better than you enter it, and he has surely done that for us."

In three years at Hartford, Lowe started and played in 43 matches, totaling 20 career points on eight goals and four assists while helping the defense shut out 15 opponents.

As a tri-captain last fall, he was named second-team All-Northeast region and first-team All-America East while leading the defense to a 0.81 goals-against average, a new school record dating back to the program's first year in Division I in 1984. Hartford posted the most wins since 1996 last season, earning its second America East Championship title game appearance in three years.

As the anchor of the back line, Lowe and his fellow linemates shut out 11 opponents in 2013, a school-record. Offensively, Lowe scored five goals in his final season, adding two assists for the third-highest point total on the team.

In his sophomore season, Lowe produced three goals and an assist to rank third among Hawks in scoring.

As a freshman, Lowe missed the first 12 games of his career due to injury, but rebounded to make starts in the Hawks' final nine games. That season, he helped lead Hartford to its first America East Championship title game appearance since 1999, contributing to back-to-back shutouts in the Hawks' run to the finals. He was named to the league's All-Championship Team at the conclusion of the tournament.

Lowe's father, Onandi Lowe, played for the Jamaican National Team and spent time with the Kansas City Wizards of the MLS. He will join the Sounders when the club commences training camp on January 25. Last season, Seattle lost in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, finishing fourth in the conference with 52 points at 15-12-7.

"Damion goes to one of the best organizations in the MLS and gets to play in a great soccer environment," continued Poitras. "Damion has his best soccer still ahead of him. He will be a tremendous representative of our soccer program and the University of Hartford."

The last Hartford men's soccer player to get drafted by the MLS was Rob Jachym, who was selected by the Columbus Crew in the first round. The third overall pick of the 1997 MLS College Draft, Jachym is listed in Hartford's Division I single-season record books in points, goals and assists after spending four seasons with the Hawks.

Check out Lowe's reactions to getting drafted in this interview by the Seattle Sounders.