WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University men's lacrosse team welcomed the newest member of the program on Monday as five-year-old Zach Hirsch officially became a Hoya. Zach, who hails from nearby Alexandria, Virginia joined the men's lacrosse program through Team IMPACT.
 
At a press conference on Georgetown's campus in front of his family, new teammates, coaches and other members of the Georgetown athletics department, Zach officially signed his national letter of intent (NLI) and donned a Georgetown hat, officially becoming a Hoya. As a member of the program, Zach will attend Georgetown practices, games and other team events.
 
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 2,300 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 49 states, reaching over 60,000 participating student athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.