This Season Just Means More for Virginia's Ben Wayer

Every season is different, a fact Virginia long stick midfielder Ben Wayer appreciates as much as anyone.

In the fall of 2023, he returned to Charlottesville after leaving school the previous year to enter a wilderness therapy program to address a substance abuse problem.

There was a lot to think about. How would his teammates welcome him back? How would he handle the demands of a college athlete’s schedule?

“This fall was a lot different,” Wayer said. “It was still the same enjoyment and excitement for lacrosse, but more at a team level and being excited to be around the guys every day. Or even excited to hang out with them outside of practice. I was so focused on myself two falls ago, whereas this fall, I was enjoying it with the team.”

He’s also a central figure for this year’s Cavaliers after leading all non-faceoff men in Division I with 98 ground balls as a junior. Wayer also caused 26 turnovers as Virginia advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the second consecutive season.

Perhaps the most noteworthy lacrosse-related development has nothing to do with statistics or even team success. It’s that Wayer was voted a captain for the 2025 team.

“[When] I really look at why I took time off and what I really wanted to change [in] myself, it was how I showed up for others,” Wayer said. “I think that’s why being a captain meant so much to me. My goal wasn’t to be the best lacrosse player I was when I stepped away, it was to become the best person I can. I think being voted captain by my teammates shows the progress I’m trying to make in that area and at least some of it’s working.”

Friends and family already knew Wayer’s story when he discussed it publicly last May, but his sobriety touched many others beyond the lacrosse world. He said strangers still reach out with an e-mail or a direct message on social media to thank him.

One response that was particularly touching came from Blue Ridge Therapeutics.

“They were like, ‘We hear so many negative things about wilderness therapy, and when we read this article, it made all of us cry. We were so happy that you look back at your time here positively and you’re spreading the positive impacts that they see every day with wilderness therapy,’” Wayer said. “I thought that was something that was also great to hear.”

Wayer admitted he’s a bit sad to be heading into his final semester in Charlottesville, and he’s taking time to savor as much of his final months in college while also remaining bullish on the Cavaliers’ chances to make a deep postseason push.

He’s studied real estate and hopes to pursue a commercial real estate career while playing in the PLL after graduation.

However things unfold, there’s no doubt Wayer has come a long way in his college journey.

“I felt more secure with who I am,” he said. “Two falls ago, I had so much to prove to everyone. Now I want to uplift those around me and just try to enjoy it as a whole team.”