Georgetown University Softball: A Comprehensive Overview

Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C., boasts a rich athletic tradition, and its softball program is an integral part of the Georgetown Hoyas. This article delves into the history, structure, and opportunities within the Georgetown University softball program, providing valuable information for prospective student-athletes and fans alike.

Georgetown University Athletics: A Dual Model

Georgetown University's athletic department operates under a dual model, incorporating both "Competitive" and "Participatory" athletics. "Competitive" athletic teams are well-funded and capable of winning conference and NCAA championships. The "Participatory" athletic teams are not well funded and are not expected to win. "Participatory" teams are centered around the idea of providing student-athletes an opportunity to compete in a sport they enjoy playing. The exposure of the program and the University on national television broadcasts gives Georgetown a tremendous amount of publicity. Revenues from ticket sales and merchandising have also proven to be very lucrative.

The Georgetown Hoyas: Team Name and Mascot

The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University. The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant "Hoya Saxa" (meaning "What Rocks"), which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century. The name "Hoyas" came into use in the 1920s. Their mascot is an anthropomorphic bulldog. Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the 1940s. In 1964, the school permitted exhibition football games to resume, and students financed the purchase of a young English bulldog named Royal Jacket, whom they intended to rename "Hoya", but he only responded to the callname "Jack". This breed was chosen to represent the school because of their "tenacity." The athletics department subsequently adopted as its logo a drawing of a bulldog sporting a blue and gray freshman beanie. The original Jack retired in 1967, but the name was carried over to his successors. The current bulldog is named "John S. Blue and gray are the official colors of Georgetown University and its athletic teams. The colors are an important reminder of the school's past. The basketball and lacrosse teams use gray as their primary color in home jerseys, with blue in away jerseys. White is also frequently used as an accent to these colors, and is actually the main color in the football and baseball teams' away jerseys and the soccer team's home jerseys.

Conference Affiliation and NCAA Division

Georgetown's athletics department fields 24 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Big East Conference, with the exception of the Division I FCS Patriot League in football and women's heavyweight rowing. The University also fields 5 non-NCAA varsity teams in men's heavyweight and lightweight rowing, women's lightweight rowing, women's squash, and sailing. In late 2012, Georgetown and six other Catholic, non-FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference. The rowing and sailing teams also participate in east coast conferences.

Softball Program Overview

The Georgetown University softball program is a NCAA Division I team competing in the Big East Conference. As a "Participatory" sport, the softball team faces challenges in terms of funding and resources compared to some of its conference competitors. As a result Georgetown's "Participatory" sports are not successful in terms of wins and losses and securing Big East and NCAA tournament berths. Losing programs generally have trouble attracting top recruits, raising funds and attracting fans. Internal studies show that the student athlete experience for members of the "Participatory" teams is not as good as those on the "Competitive" teams.

Coaching Staff

Key softball personnel at Georgetown University include:

Head Coach: Karla Ross
Assistant Coach: Camryn Dolby-Johns

If you're thinking about becoming a member of Georgetown University Softball program they are the people you must contact.

Recruiting Information

If you are interested in getting recruited by Georgetown University Softball, you should get to know more about the school, what academic programs are offered, and important members of the coaching staff - these are the people you need to connect with. It’s important you build a relationship with the coaching staff. This is one of the ways SportsRecruits can help. You can certainly start by filling out the Georgetown University Softball’s recruiting questionnaire and getting on their list, but that’s only the start. To get actively recruited, a college coach needs to see you compete, which is why it’s important to have an online athletic recruiting profile. High school student-athletes have a discoverability problem. And discoverability is the key to college exposure and recruitment. Just having a recruiting profile doesn’t guarantee you will get recruited. You need your profile to showcase all of your academic and athletic achievements, and be able to instantly connect to college coaches who are interested. If you can’t quickly find and message any college coach you want, then you’re not solving your biggest problem in getting recruited for Softball. The Head Coach of Georgetown University Softball is Karla Ross - make it as easy as possible for them to learn about you as an athlete, and be able to start a conversation with you. 100% of college coaches and programs are on the SportsRecruits platform. Aug 2025 pitching reps. Contact any college in the country in just a few clicks. Show college coaches your game. Questions? If you want to join the Georgetown University Softball program you need to start building relationships and a highly-visible, professional quality recruiting profile. Starting that process as soon as possible is crucial to your success. So make your free profile to become a verified NCSA Softball athlete and start connecting with coaches at the Georgetown University Softball program today. NCSA offers student student athletes the information and tools they need to enhance their chances of being recruited by a Softball program, whether it's at Georgetown University or another school. Since 2000, NCSA has been connecting coaches and athletes which is a vital component of the recruiting process. This year alone you'll find 127627 Softball high school athletes utilizing the NCSA network, technology and scouting professionals to get their highlights before 5112 coaches at 1790 colleges Softball programs nationwide.

Scholarship Opportunities

Georgetown University does offer athletic scholarships for Softball. Need-based and academic scholarships are available for student-athletes. Athletic scholarships are available for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NAIA and NJCAA.

SportsRecruits Platform

100% of college coaches and programs are on the SportsRecruits platform.

Academics and Admissions

Academic Environment

Georgetown University is situated on a 104-acre, urban campus in Washington, DC (population: 588,292). The location is served by airport, bus, and train; other airport serves Dulles, VA (25 miles). The school operates transportation to local subway stations.

Admissions Information

Admissions Phone:(202) 687-0100
Application Deadline: January 10
Application Final Date: January 10
Application Priority Date: February 1
Rolling Admissions: Yes
Early Action: Yes
Early Action Closing Date: November 1
Common Application: Yes

Academic Averages

Average ACT Composite: 32-35
Average SAT 1 Combined: 1410-1560

Most Popular Majors

Economics, English, Finance, International Business, International Relations, Liberal Arts and Humanities, Management Sciences and Information Systems, Marketing, Political Science and Government, Psychology

Pre-Professional Programs

Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine

Other Georgetown University Sports Programs

Georgetown University fields 29 varsity level sports teams; 13 men's teams, 15 women's teams, and one co-ed team.

Baseball

Baseball is Georgetown's oldest sport, with the first recorded game taking place in 1866, and the team formally organized and sanctioned in 1870. In 1899, Georgetown took the intercollegiate baseball world by storm, winning 18 of 20 games against college teams, beating national powers Princeton and Yale three times each and Virginia twice. Upon their triumphant return from their northern trip at the conclusion of that year, the championship team was escorted from the train station to Georgetown in a torchlight parade led by a carriage of top university officials and included students on horseback, alumni, students from the three schools, and the college band. They were greeted with fireworks once back on campus. The Hoyas have no appearances in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship since the event was established in 1947. The team was once known as the Stonewalls, and is one possible source of the Hoya Saxa cheer famous among all Georgetown sports teams.

Read also: Georgetown Admission SAT

Basketball

Georgetown's first intercollegiate men's basketball team was formed in 1907. Ed Cooley is the team's current head coach. The women's basketball also plays in the Big East Conference, and are coached by James Howard. The team was first formed in 1970, and joined the Big East in 1983.

Football

The football team at Georgetown was first formed on November 1, 1874, with the earliest recorded games dating to 1887. By the 1940s, Georgetown had one of the better college football teams in America, and played in the 1941 Orange Bowl, where they lost 14-7 to Mississippi State. In 1964, Georgetown allowed its students to start a football program as an exhibition-only club sport. Varsity football resumed in 1970 at what later became known as the Division III level. Today, Georgetown plays at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, competing in the Patriot League and perennially plays against Ivy League schools. The Hoyas have also begun a cross-town rivalry with Howard University for a championship known as the D.C.

Golf

The men's golf team has won four Big East Conference championships: 1998, 2010, 2016, and 2018. The women's golf team has won two Big East Conference championships: 2017 and 2018. They are coached by Tommy Hunter, who was named Big East Coach of the Year in 2010. They have crowned two national champions: Maurice McCarthy Jr.

Lacrosse

Both the men's and women's lacrosse teams have been highly competitive in recent years, both in conference and tournament play. A men's lacrosse team was first organized in 1951, and entered Division 1 play in 1970. The team played in the Eastern College Athletic Conference until the 2010 season, when the Big East Conference created a men's league. The women's lacrosse team was formed in 1977, and won the first 6 consecutive Big East titles from 2001 to 2006. The Lady Hoyas reached the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship final in both 2001 and 2002.

Rowing

Rowing at Georgetown has a distinguished history dating back to the founding of the Boat Club in 1876. The men have won 8 national championships at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta, the most recent being the men's varsity lightweight fours with coxswain on June 1, 2025. Georgetown's four crew teams have seen success in recent years, including trips to the Henley Royal Regatta and entry into the Eastern Sprints for the men's heavyweight and lightweight teams and second-in-the-nation finishes for both men's and women's lightweight teams. Many Georgetown oarsmen and -women have gone on to represent the United States on national and Olympic teams. The lightweight women's team has earned bronze medals at Women's Eastern Sprints in the Lightweight Women's Varsity 8+ in 2013 and the Lightweight Women's Varsity 4+ in 2015. The university rents space in Thompson Boat Center, though it has ongoing plans to build a new boathouse closer to campus. For land workouts, Georgetown rowers have an erg room in the Thompson Athletic Center.

Sailing

The sailing team competes in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). Campbell helped lead the team to the first of their 14 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association National Championships since 2001, and are the reigning national co-ed champions as of 2016. During this time the team also won seven MAISA conference championships, known as the America Trophy. After the team's 2013 national championship, they were invited to participate in the 2014 World University Match Racing Championships in Trentino, Italy, on Lago di Ledro, which they won 7-1, besting nineteen teams from fourteen countries. The Hoyas won the Leonard M.

Soccer

The men's soccer team was organized in 1952, and won a national championship in 2019. That year was their second national title game, having been runners up in 2012, with nine total NCAA Tournament appearances. They play in the Big East Conference, and have won the conference tournament four times and the regular season seven times. They are coached by Brian Wiese, and play their home games on campus at North Kehoe Field. The women's soccer team began play in 1991, have been coached by Dave Nolan since 1999, and share the same home field. Six players from the men's soccer team have played professionally for Major League Soccer: Phil Wellington (drafted in 1996), Brandon Leib (1997), Eric Kvello (1999), Dan Gargan 2004 (Selected 43rd overall in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft), Jeff Curtin 2005 (1st round draft Pick #14 overall), and Steve Neumann 2014 (1st round draft pick in 2014 MLS SuperDraft, 4th overall pick). Ricky Schramm, who played on the 2006 Hoyas, was drafted in the 3rd round by D.C.

Track & Field and Cross Country

Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in recent years, both nationally and in the Mid-Atlantic Region. In 2011, the women's cross country program won the NCAA Championship by besting Big East rival Villanova. Chris Miltenberg, women's cross country coach, won the 2011 NCAA coach of the year for women's cross country. Patrick Henner is the director of men's and women's track and field as of 2012. Georgetown track and field has won 21 individual NCAA National Championships, being 15 by male athletes and 6 by female athletes. The first individual NCAA National Champion was Charles Capozzoli in cross country in 1952.

Club Sports

Georgetown University fields numerous club sports teams. They range from club versions of varsity sports, such as tennis or basketball, to sports for which there is no varsity equivalent, such as men and women's Water Polo Clubs or Ultimate Frisbee. The men's and women's boxing teams compete as part of the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association. The Georgetown University Rugby Football Club is the intercollegiate men's rugby union team that represents Georgetown in the USA Rugby Division II competition. It was founded in the spring semester of 1967 by former members of the Washington, D.C., Rugby Football Club, including graduate student Michael Murphy. In 2005, Georgetown's first reached the Final Four of the USA Rugby Collegiate Division II National Tournament. A women's rugby team was founded in 2000, and plays in Division II in the Potomac Rugby Union (PRU). They have won the PRU championship four consecutive times from 2006 to 2009. Georgetown's ice hockey team plays in the ACHA Division II in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) as one of three teams whose primary conference is not the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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