Senior attacker Jen Cook notched a hat trick in the women’s lacrosse team’s dominant 16-3 win against George Washington this past Wednesday. With the victory, the Lady Jays improved to 2-1 on the young season and are set to see a bump in their national ranking, which sat at 17 going into the contest.
Cook is entering her third year as a starting attacker for Hopkins and has been one of the team’s most dangerous and consistent offensive players during her time as a Jay. Cook was kind enough to answer a few questions for The News-Letter concerning her college athletics career, her Hopkins experience and any expectations for the upcoming season.
The News-Letter: When did you first begin playing lacrosse? What drew you to the sport?
Jen Cook: I started playing when I was five — in my backyard with my dad. He and his brothers played in college and introduced me to the game. He used to spend hours with me in our yard just throwing and catching and teaching me different things as I was growing up. I always played different sports like basketball, tennis and soccer, but for me lacrosse was the most fun.
N-L: Why did you choose Hopkins? What have you enjoyed most about our University, whether it be on the practice field, in the classroom, or even another extracurricular activity?
JC: I chose Hopkins because of the awesome coaching staff, players and the fact that it is a top university. I also liked the fact that it is close to home so my parents can see all of my games.
N-L: How have you grown as an athlete over the course of your time at Hopkins?
JC: In college the game is a lot different compared to high school. I have learned that it takes a lot of time and commitment to be successful. Working with [Associate Head Coach Tara Singleton] and [Assistant Coach Steele Stanwick] on the offensive end and [Head Coach Janine Tucker] has definitely helped me to improve my game. You also have to be in really good shape to be able to run for an entire game, so working with our strength coach, [Bryan Woolson], has helped to improve my performance as well.
N-L: You have now achieved a hat trick in seven career games. What part of your preparation has specifically helped you become such an excellent scorer?
JC: We spend a lot of time before practice and during practice working on shooting. I think it is the constant reps we get during this time that help to prepare you to shoot well in games. Also shooting on some of the best goalies, KC Emerson and Caroline Federico, is really helpful.
N-L: What expectations and goals do you have for this team in the remainder of your season?
JC: Our team’s goal is to make it back into the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row and compete for a national championship.
N-L: What are some things that you think the team needs to focus on in order to achieve its potential?
JC: I think the team needs to focus on taking one game at a time. Now that we are not in a conference, every game matters because there is no conference tournament for us anymore. We also need to focus on stringing a whole game together and being consistent on both the defensive end, offensive end and in the midfield. We need everyone to be successful and dialed-in the whole game because we will not win with just a few players. Everyone needs to be involved and contributing.
Cook and her teammates will take the field this Sunday, March 1 as they play against American University in Washington, D.C.
