Georgetown Hoyas
The University admits that the precise origin of the term "Hoya" is unknown. At some point before 1893, and likely before 1891, students versed in classical languages combined the Greek "hoia" or "hoya", meaning "what" or "such", and the Latin "saxa" to form "Hoya Saxa!", or "What Rocks!" This cheer may either refer to the stalwart defense of the football team, or to the baseball team, which was nicknamed the "Stonewalls", or to the actual stone wall that surrounds the campus. Father William McFadden, S.J., campus Jesuit and the team's in-house announcer at the Capital One Arena, has disputed the Greek and Latin origin, suggesting the classical words were retroactively applied to a nonsensical cheer.
After World War I, the term "Hoya" was increasingly used on campus, including for the newspaper and the school mascot. In 1920, students began publishing the campus's first sports newspaper under the name "The Hoya", after successfully petitioning the Dean of the College to use it instead of the proposed name, "The Hilltopper". "Hilltoppers" was also a name sometimes used for the sports teams. By the fall of 1928, the newspaper had taken to referring to the sports teams as the Hoyas. This was influenced by a popular half time show at football games, where the mascot, a dog nicknamed "Hoya," would entertain fans.
Georgetown Hoyas women's lacrosse
In 2006, the Georgetown Women's lacrosse team continued to be a household name on the national scene. The team started the 2006 season ranked number 10/12 in National Polls and climbed all the way to earn the number 3 seed in their ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Key regular season wins over Princeton, North Carolina, Maryland and Notre Dame continued to give the Hoyas a strong reputation as the women's game grows across the country. The Hoyas posted a 14-4 overall record, won its sixth straight Big East Conference Championship and made its eighth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The Hoyas defense ranked second in the nation allowing just 7.0 goals per game. During the 2006 season, the team posted a 4-1 record in a program-high five overtime games. Additionally, the squad had a 5-2 record in games decided by one goal.