ATLANTA, Ga. - The Georgia Tech men's lacrosse team has elected four players to lead the team as captains for the 2016 season. The group will include three seniors and one junior, which was announced by head coach Ken Lovic.

Senior midfielders Ben Mertz (Grayson, Ga.) and Daniel Radke (Chesterfield, Mo.), senior attackman Chris O’Brien (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and junior defender Will Byars (Worthington, Ohio) will share captain duties this spring season, providing veteran leadership to a Yellow Jackets team that has 15 freshman and five sophomores along with 10 juniors among its 36-man roster.

Mertz is a four-year starter for the Jackets and has recorded six career hat tricks during his time at Tech. Mertz’s biggest game was as a freshman when he scored three goals and notched one assist in the 2013 SELC tournament semifina win versus Virginia Tech. Mertz has increased his scoring in each of his three years wearing the white and gold, and has totaled 61 career points.

O’Brien, a two-time all-conference player and MCLA Scholar Athlete, has a chance to become one of Tech’s most prolific scorers. To date he has notched 126 total points as a three-year starter for the Jackets. His 100th point came against Purdue last spring. Almost half of his points have been assists, showing O’Brien’s ability to both score and also set up fellow teammates. His career high game of eight points came against Florida in 2015.

The final senior captain, Radke, has been a starter during his time at Tech. The hybrid midfielder/attackman has been a versatile player for the Jackets in his three seasons. He has amassed 60 points during his time at Tech, but none bigger than his hat trick in an upset win over Westminster in the opening round of the 2015 MCLA National Tournament powered by Under Armour. Rotating between two positions, Radke has been huge in key games for the Jackets.

Byars, the lone defenseman of the group, is a two-time all-conference pick and an MCLA All-American. Byars is a key leader of a defense that is allowing an average of six goals against since his arrival at Georgia Tech. He has even netted one goal and one assist in his two years, and is a threat to push the ball in transition.

"The team has clearly chosen four young men who are both leaders on and off the field to lead us this season," Lovic said. "All four of these men are a huge part of the identity of what Tech lacrosse is and will continue to instill in the young players what it means to be a Yellow Jacket. I really look forward to see what these men will bring tothe team as we approach a very challenging schedule of quality teams all season.”