Boyle, White to Wear Historic Numbers in 2021

by Panchito Ojeda

Blacksburg, VA - For the 2021 Season Seniors Brick Boyle and Austin White will be wearing the numbers 9 and 8 respectively to honor former fallen Virginia Tech players.  

Brick Boyle was selected by his captains and will wear #9 to honor 2018 graduate Wian Coetzer who passed away on November 5, 2019.  Coetzer as a dynamic teammate and friend.  Like Brick he was president of the VT Men's Lacrosse club.  Boyle, who is from Blacksburg, had the opportunity to play with Coetzer during his freshman year.  It was at that time he saw what Wian meant to the program.

"It's an honor to wear Wian's number when I get to step on the field" said Brick Boyle.  "On the first day I showed up to tryout it was easy to see that he had the respect of everyone on the team, and it didn't take me long to understand why.  Wian was one of the best leaders I've know, and the hardworking mindset he helped to instill in this program has allowed us to be successful even after he left.  I'm very thankful that because I was chosen to wear his number, Wian gets to live on through the VT Lacrosse family." 

Austin White was selected by the coaching staff and will wear #8 to honor former VT player, Alex Hable, who passed away on July 4, 2014.  Hable hailed from Richmond, VA and was best known for his hard work and positive disposition at all times.  His jersey was originally retired but has come out of retirement so we can have a living honor of a man who meant a great deal to our program.  Austin has followed in Alex's footsteps with his hard work and positive attitude in the face of all the challenges during this COVID year.  

"Having the opportunity to take the number eight out of retirement is a huge honor for me." said Austin White  "Knowing what Alex Hable meant to this program and the effort he gave daily makes me incredibly motivated to be that role model for my teammates now. Every time I get to put on that jersey I know who I am representing, and it makes the game so much more special to me."

"There aren't two better men I would like to represent the connection to our past in the current." stated Coach Panchito Ojeda.  "Both of these young men put tireless hours into the program.  Their effort is best represented by what you see on the field and the impact they will have on our ability to try to attain our goal of getting back to the MCLA Final Four."