2026 Inductee David Wolfel

As we begin 2026 we are recognizing each of our Hall of Famers with short bios put together by some of our esteemed alumni and spearheaded by fellow Hall of Famer Kurt Kuhn.  Today we recognize David Wolfel.

David Wolfel started his lacrosse career playing defense for St. Marks (of Catonsville, MD) junior program before attending and playing for Catonsville High School (Class of 1976) which was highlighted by being selected first team all-county (Baltimore).

Joining the Virginia Tech squad during the Fall of 1976, David’s skillful play was quickly recognized and, as a Freshman, became part of the starting defense trio along with David ‘Murph’ Murphy and Doug ‘Otto’ Scheim. Wolfel was part of the starting defense every year that he played for Virginia Tech. Although physically smaller than the average defenseman of this era, David was known for his surgical ability to strip the ball from opponents, skillful stickwork and ability to move the ball quickly up field.

A highlight from David’s Freshman year occurred after a game against NC State when All American Attackman and leading scorer in the country at that time, Stan Cockerton along with the Wolfpack coach, made a point of congratulating Wolfel on his defensive play against Cockerton throughout the game.

As a result of his outstanding play throughout 1981, David was selected for the 1st team USILA All-League Team / Tri State Conference.

After leaving Virginia Tech, David played for Washington Lacrosse Club before retiring from play in 1993. After a bit of a hiatus from the sport, in 2008, David joined the coaching staff of Sports On-The-Hill (SOTH) youth lacrosse program and within a couple of years he became the commissioner of the program, a role which he continues to this day along with coaching. David was also the coach of the Washington Latin Public Charter School’s middle school and high school girls’ teams coach, 2015 – 2020, which gave him a new appreciation of the women’s game.