Georgetown Hoyas

Someone left a comment last night in a post from way back, asking what a 'hoya' was. The return address looks suspiciously like spam, so instead of linking to it or emailing directly as asked, I'll answer the question here, because it is kind of interesting.

Many years ago, when all Georgetown students were required to study Greek and Latin, the University's teams were nicknamed "The Stonewalls." It is suggested that a student, using Greek and Latin terms, started the cheer "Hoya Saxa!", which translates into "What Rocks!" The name proved popular and the term "Hoyas" was eventually adopted for all Georgetown teams.

That's from the official website of the GU athletic department.

Hmmm... I don't think they're named for a family of tropical vines and shrubs found in SE Asia and Australia.