By Kyle Roberts
It was an incredibly special Saturday afternoon for returning players and staff from the 2021-22 Conference USA western division champion Lady Techsters.
Gathered in the Waggoner Room in the Thomas Assembly Center, over 50 players, family members, and staff came together for a traditional family meal and spent two hours visiting and eating before Louisiana Tech Lady Techster head coach Brooke Stoehr addressed the room to celebrate the previous regular season championship with a special presentation at the end.
“Having our families together for our annual family meal was extremely special,” Stoehr said. “We have an incredible group of young women who represent some very special families. I’m so fortunate to be able to lead this group. They brought us great joy as we watched them show up for each other and compete together.”
Stoehr talked at length about the importance of great teams having great teammates while celebrating the success of the program before moving on to the portion of the ring ceremony.
The best part? The players and staff had no idea their families would be the ones presenting them with their championship hardware.
“Being able to have their families with us today and have them be a part of the ring ceremony is definitely something I won’t ever forget,” Stoehr said. “They were with us throughout the whole season and wanted to include them in this special day for our players and staff.”
All returning players from last season, along with staff members were honored with their own championship ring. Emotions were high for everyone in the room as the ceremony brought the end of last season to an official close and tipped off the pursuit of another championship for this upcoming season.
The team was honored on the field at Joe Aillet Stadium at the beginning of the second quarter during Saturday night’s football game between Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin.
“The ring ceremony signifies the close of that chapter, and we’ve already begun the new season with our work this summer and so far this fall,” Stoehr concluded. “This group understands what it takes to win and has now tasted a little success. However, we are not satisfied and know there is more work to do in order to accomplish what we want to this season. I am thrilled to see how this group will come together and develop as the season progresses. Hopefully, our work will allow us to be at our best in February and March when it matters the most.”
The Lady Techsters finished last season 21-12 and 11-7 in conference play for first in the west division. Tech would make it to the finals of the conference tournament and hosted Houston in the first round of the WNIT.
