Coming off their second straight National Championship, the Hopkins Lady Jays entered the season as the top ranked Division III team in the nation, and expectations are high for another successful season on Homewood Campus. Hopkins did not disappoint in its first two meets of the season at the Baltimore Metro Invitational and the Salisbury Fall Classic, easily cruising to victories in both of this past weekend’s races.
At the Baltimore Metro Invitational on Friday, the Lady Jays claimed the top five spots in a race featuring both Division II and Division III competition including McDaniel, Stevenson and Goucher. Leading the way was senior Ingrid Johnson, who finished the 5K with a time of 19:36.33, followed by freshman Caroline Smith, who began her Hopkins career with a second place finish at 19:52.50. Sophomores Veronica Boswell and Shannon Martello finished third and fourth with times of 20:07.44 and 20:08.80, respectively, and freshman Argentina Chrappa rounded out the top five with a time of 20:13.15.
The following day at the Salisbury Classic, the team turned in a dominating performance against runners from schools such as Loyola, Salisbury, St. Mary’s and others. The Lady Jays claimed the top nine spots overall, and 11 of the top 15, leading to a perfect score of 15. Senior Francis Loeb led the way for Hopkins with a time of 21:06.43, a performance strong enough to earn her the Centennial Conference Runner of the Week award. Junior Sophia Meehan finished second, and senior Grace Hancock set a personal record with a time of 21:37.41. Rounding out the top five were junior Hannah Oneda and freshman Bridget Gottileb, with sophomore Tess Meehan finishing just a few seconds behind in sixth (21:44.09).
Despite the high expectations that come with a number one ranking, Loeb said that she was excited. The team has set lofty goals for the season, such as winning nationals again and having as many All-Americans as possible. Though the goals may be hard to accomplish, Loeb remained positive.
“[Having] six girls under 21:45 in the 5K on the first meet is a very exciting starting point for accomplishing our goals this year,” Loeb said.
Additionally, the team has a number of meets scheduled against Division I opponents this year, and they hope to “beat as many as them as possible.”
The Lady Jays have a small break in their schedule before their next meet at Navy on Sept. 13. We wish the number one ranked Blue Jays the best of luck as they begin their quest to bring the National Championship title back to Homewood once again.
