Welcome back Hopkins fans! One week after returning from winter break, the Blue Jays are back in action. Winter sports are entering conference play with Centennial Conference and NCAA tournaments right around the corner. Hopkins teams are jockeying for positions down the stretch, with key wins over Centennial foes. Here’s the latest in Blue Jay action over the past week.
Women’s Basketball: W (79-42), W (50-48), W (97-55)
Hopkins improved to a record of 14-3 in the season with a handful of conference wins this week. The Blue Jays began with a 79-42 dismantling of Franklin & Marshall College on Jan. 18 behind a triple-double from junior guard Macie Feldman. Senior forward Greta Miller also made a strong contribution pulling down eight boards to go along with 15 points and four steals.
The Blue Jays extended their winning ways just a few days later on Jan. 22 with a close 50-48 win over McDaniel College. This was a defensive battle all the way. The Blue Jays couldn’t find their shot all night but still found a way to win despite shooting a combined 0/15 from behind the arc. The turnover battle kept them in the game as Hopkins forced 23 turnovers to McDaniel College’s 13. A late rally after going into the half down by eight was just enough for the Blue Jays to slip past McDaniel College with a win.
To wrap up the week, Hopkins got back to their dominant ways, bludgeoning Muhlenberg College to the tune of a 97-55 win. This one was over early, as the Blue Jays jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Senior forward Michaela O’Neil was the star in this one putting up 20 on an efficient 9/13 clip while also snagging 11 rebounds.
Men’s Basketball: W (77-70), W (64-41), W (90-67)
Men’s basketball had a similarly dominant week, beating the same three opponents as the women’s team. Franklin & Marshall was the first casualty, as the Blue Jays took care of business with a 77-70 victory. Junior guard Charlie Jackson and senior guard Brian Johansson were the 1-2 punch, scoring 25 and 18 points respectively.
Hopkins followed that up with a comfortable 64-41 win over McDaniel College on Jan. 22. Charlie Jackson stayed hot, putting up another 20-point effort. A dominant first half was the recipe for success for the Blue Jays, as they jumped out to a 35-13 lead going into the break. From there, the Blue Jays put on cruise control en route to a 23-point win.
Muhlenberg was dealt another tough defeat — this time by a 90-67 score. The Blue Jays were efficient across the board, shooting 50% from deep to go along with 53% from the field. Johansson led the way, scoring 22 points on his own.
Dr. Sander Scorcher Invitational
Hopkins Track and Field continued their season at the Dr. Sander Invitational in New York with many strong showings across a multitude of events.
The Blue Jays had particularly strong showings in the mile, where junior Mackenzie Setton ran a 4:58.00 — the seventh-best time in the nation. Emma Kothari ran a 5:01.34 — the eleventh-best in the nation at that time.
On the men’s side, graduate student Lucas Rackers ran a 4:09.83 mile with junior Emmanuel Leblond finishing less than a second behind him with a 4:10.06. These two times were fourth and fifth-best in the nation, respectively.
The men’s Blue Jay distance medley relay team ran a time of 10:10.85, placing them at the top of the Division III rankings. Despite being the only Division III team in a field of ten, the Blue Jay distance medley relay team finished in fifth place.
In the women’s long jump, sophomore Chloe Zhang and senior Sara Bartlett both had strong performances. Chloe Zhang jumped 5.39 meters — good for seventh in the nation — and Sara Barlett jumped 5.30 meters, putting her at 11th in the nation.
