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(03/15/12 5:00am)
The quest for a 10th Division I men's lacrosse National Championship began in earnest on Friday night, Feb. 17th, as the second-ranked Blue Jays dominated the outmatched Towson Tigers on their way to a 12-6 win at the Nest. The win marked the150th career victory for legendary Head coach DavePietramala. Hopkins then faced off with Delaware on Tuesday, earning a hard-fought 8-6 win over the Blue Hens. Against the Tigers, the Jays fielded an imposing defense for much of the game, holding Towson's offense to just three goals and 12 shots total until partway through the fourth quarter. At one point, Hopkins kept the Tigers off the scoreboard for over half an hour of game time. The opening quarter was a back-and-forth slugfest, with Towson taking a one-goal advantage three times, leading 3-2 after 18:30 had passed. Senior attackman Chris Boland responded to Towson's RobbyZoppo's goal in just 15 seconds, as the Jays tied it up and never looked back. Hopkins went on an impressive 9-0 run in which the Tigers were held scoreless for 31 minutes. The Boland strike came off an assist from junior attackman Zach Palmer, who scored a hat trick in both the goals and assists department in total. Boland also cataloged a stellar performance, scoring four times in the rout. Palmer scored again, as did classmate and midfielder Lee Coppersmith, in the remaining 11 minutes of the half to extend the Jays' lead to 5-3 going into the break. Boland registered two more scores, one on extra-man strength on another assist from Zach Palmer just 21 seconds into the half, to widen the gap to 7-3 in the third quarter. Another Coppersmith goal - his second of two on the day - gave Hopkins a five-goal edge midway through the third, at which point the Tigers offense had been held in check for close to 18 minutes. A third assist from Palmer set up a goal by sophomore attackman Brandon Benn with just under four and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter. Benn tallied another goal as the fourth quarter got underway to put the game out of reach and launch the Jays into double-digits in their first regular season match. The Blue Jays' starting attack of Palmer, Boland and Benn did their job as they combined for nine goals and three assists total. The Jays continued their torrid pace, as senior MarshallBurkhart found the back of the net from 35-feet out just nine seconds afterBenn's second goal, making the Hopkins lead 11-3 to the delight of the home side. The Tigers' scoring drought remained dry for another three minutes before Towson's Sean Maguire snuck one past Hopkins junior goalie Pierce Bassett. Nine seconds later, Towson's Matt Hughes recorded a quick score after a face-off. These late scores were meaningless, however. The two teams traded goals in the remaining 10 minutes, with Palmer completing the fourth hat trick of his career. The 12-6 victory gave the Blue Jays an auspicious start to a season filled with championship aspirations. Hopkins imposed their will on the Tigers in almost every meaningful category. Its starting defense of juniors Tucker Durkin and Chris Lightner and senior Gavin Crisafulli holding Towson to just 18 shots total whereas the Jays got 42 shots off. Hopkins also recovered 30 ground balls to Towson's 21, and freshman Drew Kennedy had a strong showing at midfield, finishing 9-for-14 on face-offs. The Jays also played penalty-free throughout the entire game, and they gained three extra man situations off of three Towson miscues, two of which led to Hopkins scores. While the win marks a positive start to 2012, fans should take the game with a grain of salt. According to InsideLacrosse's QuintKessenich, Boland suffered a broken collar bone during the game and will be out for four to six weeks. The loss is certainly a difficult one considering the senior also missed all of the 2010 season due to injury. Despite losing their team captain and scoring leader, Hopkins was forced to make a quick turnaround, taking on Delaware Tuesday afternoon at home. JHU won their ninth straight meeting with the Blue Hens, 8-6, improving to 2-0 whileUDel dropped to 2-2. Even without Boland, the Blue Jay offense still performed well, building a five goal lead midway through the third quarter. At the forefront of the Hopkins attack was Benn, who knocked home his first career hat trick, while freshman attackman Wells Stanwick notched a goal of his own and two assists in his first career start. Tied at two with just over nine minutes to play in the first half, the Jays started to pull away off goals from Benn, already his second of the afternoon, and sophomore midfielder Rob Guida, his first of the young season. Hopkins received three more goals in the second half from sophomore midfielder Greg Edmonds, Benn and Coppersmith to extend their lead to 7-2. However, after a nearly 30-minute scoreless streak, Delaware climbed back in the game with four consecutive goals in the third and fourth quarters. With just five minutes to play, the Blue Jays clung to a one goal advantage. Despite two late possessions for the Blue Hens, Hopkins' defense once again stepped up, staving off the upset. Junior midfielder John Ranagan added the game's final goal with 30 seconds to play for the 8-6 win. The Blue Jays will take on the Siena Saints this Saturday at 3 PM on Homewood Field in an attempt to end their opening homestand undefeated.
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The Hopkins women's basketball team closed out the regular season playing host to visiting BrynMawr last Thursday. The 0-23 Owls were no match for the 25th-ranked Jays, as Hopkins pummeled the Owls, 74-26, improving to 21-3 overall and 17-3 in the Centennial Conference. The game was close for only the first 30 seconds when the score was tied 2-2 before the Blue Jays pulled away with a 15-0 scoring run. By the time the first half buzzer sounded, the Blue Jays were walking into the locker room with a 37-10 lead. Junior forward Alex Vassila led all scorers, tallying 16 points in just 18 minutes, the only player to record double-digit points. Vassila showed off her complete game by also grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out two assists and adding one steal. While Hopkins may not have had many individual high scorers, they definitely knew how to fill the box score as a team. Senior guard Stephanie Fong, sophomore Katie Brooks and freshman classmates Jessica Brown and Ciara McCullagh all added eight points of their own. Senior guards Kat Fox and Chantel Mattiola, junior KaraLea Follmer and sophomore Fatu Conteh also scored six points each. Fong led the game with four steals to go with her eight points, while Mattiola dropped off eight assists, and Brooks added two blocks. Hopkins shot 45.8 percent from the field on the game but struggled at the free throw line, shooting just 55 percent. In the second half, Hopkins continued to add to their impressive lead. Forcing turnovers and playing stifling defense, the Blue Jays were able to capitalize on a fantastic game plan to score a number of fast break points. Rolling over the already demoralized Owls, Hopkins led by 48 points by the time the final buzzer sounded. Dominating the rebounding battle 50-21, the Blue Jays also held Bryn Mawr to just 22.9 percent shooting from the field. After clinching the regular season title, the Lady Jays will host the Centennial Conference Championship tournament this coming Friday, Feb. 24. The women's team put together a fabulous year, twice going on win streaks of more than five games, while their three losses were all by fewer than 10 points. Routinely outscoring opponents and outhustling teams on the floor, the Blue Jays look set to make a powerful run deep into the Centennial Conference Tournament and NCAA playoffs.
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On the heels of our men's lacrosse season preview last week, here is what else and who else Blue Jay nation can look forward to this spring. This feature will be continued next week with previews of the men's and women's tennis seasons. W o m e n ' s Lacrosse Lady Jay lacrosse has yet to become the National powerhouse that the men's program has built through decades of a winning tradition, but the girls may be on their way as soon as this spring. A year removed from a 9-8 season that included upset wins over then fourth-ranked Penn and second-ranked and eventual National Champions Northwestern, Hopkins returns nine starters from the 2011 campaign. The experience certainly showed in their first two games this past week when the Jays crushed George Mason, 19-6, and Mt. St. Mary's, 18-8. Hopkins, brimming with confidence heading into their home-opener this Friday at 4 PM against Denver College, expects to not only improve upon last year's record but also compete at a national level. "We have extremely high expectations for this year," Head coach Janine Tucker recently told Hopkinssports.com. "It should be a culmination of the last couple of years of experience." Leading the way for the Jays this spring will be the dynamic scoring duo of Colleen McCaffrey and Candace Rossi. The two senior attackmen have both posted over 100 points during their illustrious careers and were each named IWLCA All-Region selections a year ago. Joining McCaffrey and Rossi up top will be fellow All-Region selection sophomore Taylor D'Amore. A season ago, D'Amore led the Jays in assists and draws, with 19 and 38, respectively, and broke the school record for points scored by a freshman. On Wednesday against Mount St. Mary's, D'Amore scored a career-high seven points - four goals and three assists - indicative of her aggressive style of play. In the middle of the field for Hopkins will be senior Rachel Serio, junior Courtney Schweizer and sophomores Sammy Cermack and Sarah Taylor. Serio, a graduate of nearby is a veteran who already has 50 starts in black and blue. Schweizer is coming off a 2011 season that saw her start six of the team's last seven games after she struggled with nagging injuries in the beginning of the year. In two games this year, she has already scored three goals compared with four all of last year. Defensively, Hopkins will be led by Tewaarton watch list nominee senior Alyssa K i l d a r e . She had 38 ground balls and 26 forced t u r n o v e r s in 2011. Juniors Sophia Sherry and Sammi Arbitman should also see significant time in the backfield. In goal, the Jays will turn to junior Cosette Larash who played every minute in goal last season while allowing 9.94 goals per game. Baseball Hopkins baseball will open its season against 10th-ranked Alvernia on Monday, Feb. 27th, the first of its four consecutive and only home games for an entire month. Following their first four games, the team will travel for five games and then leave for Phoenix, AZ, where the team will spend a large part of their time between now and their opening home conference match on Mar. 27th against Dickinson. There, they will spend their spring training alternating between the facilities of the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. As the excitement of the season builds, the team looks forward to strong results from an impressive roster. Seniors Sam Eagleson and Alex Eliopoulos, two right-handed pitchers and key starters for the team in the past, look to repeat their combined 22-1 record of their sophomore years, which included an impressive 150 strikeouts. Senior co-captain and catcher/ thirdbaseman Aaron Borenstein is extremely confident in the team's rotation aces as well as the rest of the staff. "Our pitching staff is the best it has been in my four years here," the six-foot-one, 205-pounder said. "Our ability to shorten games by using a very strong bullpen will allow us to win a lot of close games this season." In addition to the pitching staff, junior shortstop Kyle Neverman is expected to have a strong season after hitting .297 with a teamleading 11 stolen bases last season. Borenstein is confident that Neverman's style of play will be indicative of the team's direction this season. "Our offense this season will be unlike any of the past three Hopkins teams I have played on," Borenstein said. "We will not rely solely on power this season and will instead use small ball and our team speed to steal extra runs. Our offense will display a great combination of speed and power." In addition to Neverman, the offense will feature firstbaseman Jeff Lynch, who boasted a .348 batting average with three home runs last season. He was named the Centennial Conference tournament co-MVP in 2011. Borenstein and junior Ryan Zakszeski, both catchers, will split time between the field and behind the plate to keep their potent bats in the lineup as well. Borenstein hit .318 last year while "Z" hit .300. Despite such quality, though, Borenstein is convinced that the team's "biggest strength this season is our unity. This team really loves playing the game together, and that, combined with our depth and experience, will make us a very tough team to beat. This is a team of best friends, and playing the game with people you love is vital for success." These words will be tested as the Blue Jays hope to win their sixth consecutive Centennial Conference tournament and head to the College World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin after a year hiatus.
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The Hopkins men's and women's track teams traveled to New York this past Saturday to participate in NYU's Division III Challenge Meet held at the New York Armory. With the men's side featuring eight teams and two clubs, and the women's side featuring nine teams and two clubs, the meet promised to be very competitive. When the final numbers were tallied, the men's team placed sixth while the Hopkins women finished third. Beginning with the men's side, the Blue Jays recorded 43 points, behind winner TCNJ's 84.5. Other notable participants included fellow Centennial Conference rivals Dickinson and Swarthmore, who placed third and ninth, respectively. Noteworthy individual performances by Blue Jay runners included senior Jacob Kramer's third place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.77. Kramer, along with teammates junior Robert Martin, sophomore Jason Beckman and junior Tobe Madu, also won the 4X400 meter relay with an impressive time 3:27.38. In the high jump, freshman Ryan Walsh's 1.88-meter (six-feet-two-inches) jump was good for second place. Several Blue Jays recorded personal bests in their events, such as freshman Michael Spadaro, whose 3.95 meters (12-feet- 11.5-inches) in the pole vault was good for fourth in the meet and in the conference rankings. Other personal bests included sophomore Andrew Carey and junior Ben Press who finished second and third, respectively, in the 800-meter, as well as sophomore Robert Ferris who ran his best mile with a time of 4:25.87. On the women's side, the Blue Jays placed third with 49 points, also behind winner TCNJ's 81.5 points. Dickinson and Swarthmore didn't fair as well, finishing fourth with 47 points and tenth with 13 points, respectively. Notable individual achievements included junior Alana Merkow's first place finish in the shot put with a throw of 12.25 meters (40-feet-2.25-inches). Senior Devin Meade and junior Kristin Spera placed first and second, respectively, in the high jump, where Meade defeated Spera on a tiebreaker jump off. In the triple jump, freshman Rachel Wolinsky jumped 10.18 meters (33-feet-4.75-inches), which was the best in Hopkins indoor history for a freshman and the sixth best all-time. Other historic performances included senior Alison Smith, whose 8.07 second 60-meter dash was just three-hundredths off the school indoor record. Smith had an active day, also placing third in the 200 with a time of 26.30 seconds, sixth in the long jump with a 4.86 meters (15-feet-11.5-inches) jump, and represented the team in the 4x200-meter relay. These appearances further bolstered her position in the Centennial Conference rankings, where she leads in the 200 and 400-meter dashes and is second in the 60-meter. Junior Paige Boehmeke and freshman Emilee Warner also moved up the Centennial Conference rankings. Boehmeke's fourth place finish in the 800-meter for fourth-place with a 2:21.42 time, moved her into seventh-place in the Centennial Conference rankings, while Warner's 62.65 time in the 400-meter improved her ranking as well. Both the men's and women's teams will compete in the Centennial Conference championship meet next Saturday, Feb. 25 at Ursinus College in Collegetown, PA. Both teams will certainly be very competitive, and the Blue Jay women will look to defend last year's title.
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Our spring sports previews conclude this week with Hopkins' men's and women's tennis squads. Women's Tennis The Lady Jays will enter the 2012 season as the perennial favorite in the Centennial Conference, coming off of their fifth consecutive conference title. Hopkins, who finished last season ranked11th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll, welcomes back a host of contributors from last spring's championship club, including senior captain Courtney Boger, juniorNandita Krishnan and sophomore Hailey Hogan.Krishnan should be one of the Jays' top guns after she competed in the NCAA Singles Championships and was named Centennial Conference player of the week three times in a span of four weeks in 2011. Hogan, along with classmates Lauren Fields and Brooke Pottish, impressed during the Jays' fall season, as Hogan advanced to the ITA Southeast Regional Singles and Doubles - coupled with Pottish - title rounds to become the first player in program history to play in both final matches in the same year. In addition, Fields andPottish won bouts in ITA Southeast Regional play, Fields taking home the Blue 1 Singles draw, whilePottish captured the Blue 2 Singles draw. Hopkins will face some new challenges this season, however, as they lose reigning conference player of the year Carolyn Warren and welcome in new head coach Dave Woodring. Chuck Willenborg, who guided both the men's and women's programs to new heights in his eight years at the helm of Blue Jay tennis, was promoted to Director of Tennis Operations during the offseason. The Jays will kick off their season on Friday, Mar. 2nd in Greencastle, IN against eighth-ranked Washington and Lee. Men's Tennis Hopkins men's tennis began its spring season on Feb. 18th in sterling fashion, defeating Washington and Lee, 7-2. The win comes as no surprise, as the 13thranked Blue Jays are primed to win their sixth straight and seventh overall Centennial Conference title in 2012. Two weekends ago, Hopkins was led by senior WarrenElgort, who won in both third doubles, alongside freshman Tanner Brown, and at fourth singles. Senior Jacob Barnaby and freshman Noah Joachim also added wins at first doubles. In the fall season, the Blue Jays' most impressive showing came from the racket of junior Andy Hersh who finished 9-3 at the ITA Small College National Championships, good for fourth-place. Hersh entered the spring season tied withElgort for third all-time with 54 career wins at singles.Hersh, who was ranked sixth nationally heading into the season, will patrol the first singles position for the Jays in 2012. Like the women's side, Hopkins will be under new guidance this year. New Head coach Jamie Engles and the Jays will return to action Sunday, Mar. 11th against 11th-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan.
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Following impressive double-digit victories against George Mason and Mount St. Mary's, the Hopkins women's lacrosse team squared off against Denver in their home opener this past Friday afternoon. For the fans at Homewood Field, the Blue Jays did not disappoint, tallying a season-high of 20 goals to defeat the Pioneers, 20- 5. The Lady Jays featured goals from seven different players with four players recording hat tricks. Those goals came off impressive runs of six and eight goals, culminating in Hopkins' third win of the season. The Pioneers, playing their season opener, fell to 0-1. Hopkins took the lead very early on and never looked back. Just 35 seconds in, senior attacker Rachel Ballatori, from goal-line extended, found junior Courtney Schweizer wide open on the crease.Schweizer accepted the pass, faked a shot and then snuck a goal past Denver goalie Ashley Harman to put Hopkins up 1-0. After the teams alternated possessions for nearly 10 minutes without a score from either team, the Blue Jays made up for lost time and found the net twice in a span of just 25 seconds. The first came from sophomore midfielder Taylor D'Amore, who dodged from behind the net and scored her sixth of the season with 19:17 remaining in the first half. D'Amore was hardly finished, finding Ballatori just 20 seconds later alone in front of the net. Ballatori did the rest as she quickly found twine to put Hopkins up 3-0. The Jays were sure not to become complacent, as they continued the barrage just five minutes later. Hopkins scored three quick goals in an 82-second span from D'Amore, sophomore midfielder Sammy Cermack and senior attacker Candace Rossi to take a 6-0 lead with 12:28 still to play in the first half. Despite the lopsided score, Denver made sure there would be no shutout, as they scored their first goal with 11:43 left in the first half on a free-position shot by Mikayla Clark. Hopkins responded, just 57 seconds later, when Rossi drove past several defenders from midfield and scored one of her career-high tying five goals on the day. Rossi's goal began what would be an eight-goal run for the Blue Jays, extending their lead to 14-1. The eight goals included two more by both Rossi and Ballatori, giving them hat tricks before the run was complete. The Pioneers found more success offensively in the second half. Denver's Melissa Maier controlled the draw after the Ballatori goal and carried into the offensive end before finding KaraSecora for the Pioneers' second goal with 20:41 left. The goal marked Secora's first of the season; the junior ranked 11th in the nation last season in points per game. Despite the increased offense from Denver, the 13 goal Hopkins lead was too much to overcome. Hopkins responded with yet another run of four goals in just a five and a half minute time period to take an 18-2 lead. The run was capped with D'Amore once again, who notched her fourth goal of the day and ninth of the season at the 9:45 minute mark. The goal came off of a great play by junior Monica Fischer, who found D'Amore all alone in the slot with a great pass. The teams alternated goals over the final nine minutes to account for the 20-5 final. The game featured career performances by Rossi,Ballatori and D'Amore, who each accounted for six points for the Blue Jays. Rossi's points came on five goals and one assist, whileBallatori and D'Amore each scored four times and tallied two assists. D'Amore also grabbed a game and career-high eight draw controls, which was just one shy of the school Division I record of nine.Ballatori's four goals and Schweizer's three goals were both career highs in that category. On the other side, the Pioneers did not have a single multi-goal scorer for the game.Schweizer was elated after the win, and commented that "the win was so rewarding because everyone made valuable contributions, and it was a total team effort." The Blue Jay defense was stellar as well, holding Denver to just 10 shots, while also forcing them into 14 failed clears and a total of 25 turnovers. Hopkins returns to action on Feb. 29 against the Loyola Greyhounds, the first meeting between the two teams since 1982. The game is scheduled for 7:00 pm and marks the second of four straight home games to be played at Homewood Field.
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This past Sunday, Feb.24th, the Hopkins men's and women's fencing teams headed to New York City to compete in one of the season's toughest competitions: the U.S. Weapon Squad Championship. Going into the tournament, the Blue Jay fencers knew that they would have to bring their A-game if they hoped to defeat any of the highly ranked teams they were expected to face. Being a Division III school, Hopkins would be presented with a steep challenge, as they matched up against many Division I schools, including several ranked in the top 10 of the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association Poll. Hopkins got off to a great start, advancing all six of their teams (foil, sabre and epee for both men's and women's) to the top 16. In the first round - the top 32 - the men's foil squad beat Yeshiva to move on and face nationally third-ranked St. John's University. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays were beaten in a valiant fight and were knocked out of the competition. Coincidentally, the women's foil also faced St. John's in the top 16 round and lost as well. The Red Storm women, who are currently ranked fifth in the nation, boast several world-class fencers including two Russian Olympians and a Mexican national team member. Liz Caris, who is a sophomore epeeist on the Blue Jays fencing team, commented that despite the loss, the Blue Jays were all proud of their fellow teammates who, "Put up a great fight and fenced very well." Both the men's and women's epee squads faced the University of Pennsylvania in the top 16 round but were defeated. In an incredibly close bout, the women's team narrowly lost by just one point in overtime. For the sabres, freshman Sarah Hewes made her debut as a starter after former starter and sophomore Kathleen Rand sustained an injury which prevented her from competing. Hewes fenced one of her best matches of the season against the Quakers. The men's sabre team lost in the top 16 round to University of North Carolina, who is currently ranked 12th in the country. While fencing has been a part of the Hopkins athletics program since the 1930s, few people outside of the fencing community seem to know much about the sport. I caught up with the aforementioned Caris to ask her a little bit about how and why fencing has become such a big part of her life. The News-Letter (N-L): How many years have you been fencing? What got you interested in the sport? Liz Caris (LC): I fenced all through high school, and we had a good varsity team. I started fencing the summer before. On a whim, I took a summer class to experiment with something new and fell in love with it. I started out, like most, fencing foil but then switched to epee soon after. I must admit that I liked epee because it did not have as many rules as the other two, and I could hit anywhere on the body (from head to hand to toe) rather than just the torso in foil or the upper body in sabre. It is such a unique sport with such a rich, fascinating history. I mean, it's modern dueling, how can you beat that? N-L: What is your favorite thing about the sport? LC: One of my favorite things about fencing is the duality of its individual nature and team unity. At individual events, it's sometimes nice to rely only on yourself, but team events are just more fun and bring us all closer together. Team dual meets are very exciting, and each squad watches the other team squads, cheering them on. When all of the bout scores matter for a team win, there's a lot more riding on it, and it's a lot more exhilarating. N-L: Do you have any personal goals for this season? What about looking ahead to regionals? LC: I've been having increasingly bad problems with my knees, so I'm actually in the middle of changing my fencing style, so I can continue to fence competitively and not destroy my joints. With only regionals left, I really just want to fence competitively and prove to be a threat among the top-ranked fencers in our region, an aspiration most of us aspire to. Reaching NCAA's is tough, and it would be absolutely wonderful if any of us make it there, so I know I'll just be taking the meet one bout at a time. I personally feel like I've improved significantly this season from last season and even from the beginning of the season. My goal is to remain consistent while improving my style and garnering good results. N-L: Do you and your teammates have any collective goals? LC: We've been plagued with injuries this year, so it's important for everyone to get healthy again. Of course, we would love to have anyone advance from Regionals to NCAA's next weekend and will fence our hardest to do so. It's a rough tournament and a long day, but I know we'll bring the heat. Women's fencing won the EWFC (Eastern Womens Fencing Conference) for our third year in a row, which was definitely one of our team goals. We also won best foil and sabre team at EWFC individuals; winning all three teams would be ideal next year. Hopefully, next season we have a healthier team and remain consistent and on the rise - I know we're capable of it!
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The women's indoor track team posted its second consecutive Centennial Conference Championship on Saturday, with senior Alison Smith, sophomore Emily Wenson and freshman Hannah Eckstein as standouts, each garnering first place finishes. Sophomore Alex Jebb shined for the men, as the Blue Jays rolled to their best Centennial Conference Indoor Track Championship finish in history, placing second and winning four individual titles in the process. Jebb bested the field in the triple jump and long jump competitions with those two titles earning him the recognition of Most Outstanding Field Performer. Jebb is the first Blue Jay since Adam Waddell in 2008 to be chosen for the honor. His long jump length of 13.8 meters was just shy of his seasonbest of 13.9 meters. Freshman Michael Spadaro also had a strong showing, jumping 13.71 meters to grab second place. Sophomores Brendan Evans and Jonathon Lee placed sixth and seventh with jumps of 12.97 meters and 12.94 meters, respectively. The Blue Jays also had four top 10 finishers in the long jump, with Jebb leading the way, jumping 6.62 meters, a season-long for him. Other Hopkins top 10 finishers included freshman Alex Naticchia (5th, 6.36 meters), Evans (8th, 6.09 meters) and Spadaro (9th, 6.06 meters). Freshman Ryan Walsh got gold in the high jump, with a height of 1.9 meters. Classmate Paul Vozzo earned Hopkins' fourth individual first place finish in the pole vaulting competition with a height of 4.1 meters. Hopkins also medaled in three other relay events. The 4x200 relay team of junior Rob Martin, Naticchia, junior Tobe Madu and Spadaro came in third with a mark of 1:32.89, just behind the second place finishers by a mere nine one-hundredths of a second. The 4x400 team placed third as well, registering a time of 3:28.50 for Martin, Naticchia, senior Jacob Kramer and Madu. Hopkins also earned silver for their second place finish in the 4x800 relay, as freshman John Corbett, sophomore Wes Butler, junior Ben Press and sophomore Andrew Carey combined for a time of 8:02.19. The Hopkins men totaled 132 points to place second overall at the meet, their best finish in school history, topping a bronzemedal finish in 2008. Haverford claimed the championship with 161 points, while Dickinson finished in third place with 113.50 points. On the women's side, Smith would nab the Blue Jays' first gold finish of the meet, running the 200-meter dash in a stellar 26.32 seconds. She would also medal in both the 60-meter and 400-meter competitions, coming in second and third with times of 8.19 seconds and 61.35 seconds, respectively. Hannah Eckstein finished first in the 5,000-meter run, posting a time of 17:41.25. Sophomore Holly Clarke also medaled, coming in third with a time of 17:52.52. Clarke and Eckstein also put together strong performances in the 3,000-meter run, recording times of 10:19.03 and 10:22.01 to place second and third, respectively. Swenson would round out the gold medal showings for the women, coming in first place in the shot put competition with her own season-best throw of 12.42 meters. Senior Alana Merkow came in just behind Swenson, placing second with a distance of 12.29 meters. The Blue Jays' 4x200 meter relay team of Smith, freshman Kelley Hussey, sophomore Chloe Ryan and junior Leah Sibener brought home a bronze medal with a season-best mark of 1:49.82. Junior Kristin Spera jumped a school-best season length in the long jump with a measurement of 4.92 meters, taking fourth. Junior Alexa Tzaferos brought home bronze in the triple jump with a distance of 10.37 meters. The Blue Jays women, as a whole, tallied a dominating 143 points, with second place Dickinson only totaling 92 in comparison. Ursinus (87), Franklin & Marshall (86) and Haverford (80) rounded out the top-five of the meet.
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If last year was any indication, this season was junior ReidMosquera's for the taking. After making it all the way to the NCAA N a t i o n a l s in the 2010- 2011 season,Mosquera, a native of Andover, MA who competes in the197-pou nd w e i g h t class, was happy with his success but hungry to improve and advance even further. This past w e e k e n d ,Mosquera's r e s i l i e n c e and vision came to fruition, as he defeatedUrsinus's Connor McNamara for the conference 197-pound title. On a greater scale, Mosquera's victory helped pave the way for the Blue Jays to win their first ever Centennial Conference wrestling championship in program history. Mosquera could not be more proud of the guys on the team and to be a part of Blue Jay nation. For Mosquera's accomplishments, leadership and selflessness, he was an easy choice for this week's Athlete of the Week. The News-Letter (N-L): How does it feel to help the Blue Jays win their first Centennial Conference title in program history? What do you think are some of the most special things about the team that led you guys to accomplish this feat? Reid Mosquera (RM): This is the most talented wrestling team that I have ever had the opportunity to be a part of. It was not just the skill of each individual that allowed us to win the championship this year, however, but rather the team chemistry that we have developed over the past two seasons. I can personally say that the majority of my focus and motivation going into my finals match was driven by a desire to match the intensity and dedication of my teammates. There is a unique understanding among this group of wrestlers that each member has a role to play that can only be accomplished through hard work and commitment. N-L: How did your experience in the NCAA playoffs last year help your performance and the team's performance in the conference title matches? RM: I believe our trip to the NCAA tournament last year left myself and my teammate, [junior] Paul Marcello, with an unsatisfied hunger to get back to Nationals and prove ourselves as some of the best wrestlers in the country. This instilled within us an attitude that refused to accept defeat and set the tone for the team as we entered the conference championship. How else can you explain [freshman] Paul Bewak's two pins, [sophomore] Henry Stauber's upset of both the first and second seeds or [sophomore] Matt Fusaro's avenging pin over an opponent who had stuck him only weeks before? N-L: What do you think are some things you need to build on in order to compete to the best of your abilities later into the postseason? RM: I have c o m p l e t e faith in [Head coach Keith Norris]'s ability to prepare us for the National tournament over these next two weeks. He emphasizes mental toughness, physical stamina and c o n f ide nc e in the game plan we have worked on all season. It will certainly be a grueling two weeks of practice, but I know it will only increase our chances of coming home with five national placers. N-L: What has been your favorite part of this season so far? RM: My favorite part of the season was our match against Franklin and Marshall, which turned out to be the first time in our program's history that we defeated a D-I squad. I believe it ended up being the only time we put our full lineup out all season, and we could see the incredible potential our team possessed if we stayed healthy. N-L: How do you get mentally prepared before a big match? If there is one song on your iPod, which is it? RM: Before my matches, I like to visualize myself executing each takedown, escape or reversal to perfection. I always feed off the crowd's energy and make sure to watch each of my teammate's matches before I take to the mat. If you went through my prematch playlist, you'd find plenty of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Wale.
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The Hopkins women's basketball team hosted the Centennial Conference tournament last weekend for the second consecutive year. The Lady Jays, who were regular season conference champions, finished as tournament runners- up in 2011 after falling to rival Muhlenberg in the championship match. History was doomed to repeat itself this year, as Hopkins beat Haverford, 55-47, in the semi-finals but ultimately fell in the finals once again to Muhlenberg, 74-53. The Lady Jays concluded the weekend with a 22-4 record but discovered Monday they would not be concluding the season. The team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and will travel to Medford, MA to play the University of New England this Friday in the first round of the tournament held at Tufts University. The Conference Championships posed two large challenges to the Lady Jays in the form of the Haverford Fords and the Muhlenberg Mules. Haverford, at 18-9 overall, was responsible for two of Hopkins' three regular season losses and had previously held the team to a seasonlow 37 points. Hopkins came out strong and led 11-4 within four minutes of the start of the game with points from junior forward Alex Vassila, junior forward Sarah Higbee and senior guard Stephanie Fong. The Fords then fought back and tied the game at 11, but Vassila scored two points off of a layup to put the Lady Jays back in the lead, 13-11. The team never looked back from there, as Hopkins did not give up the lead for the remainder of the game. Vassila led the Lady Jays to victory by making two free-throws early in the second half to extend Hopkins' lead to 29-24 and spur a 10-2 run that would pull the team away from Haverford for good. The junior ended up scoring a game-high of 18 points and pulling down a careerhigh of 17 rebounds. She also c o n t r i b - uted four b l o c k e d shots, including an impressive series in the second half that consisted of Vassila bl o c k i n g a Haverford layup a t t e m p t and subsequently r u n n i n g up the court to score a layup of her own off of a pass from senior cocaptain Chantel Mattiola. Mattiola had eight points, eight rebounds and three assists in the game versus Haverford. Senior co-captain Stephanie Fong joined Mattiola and Vassila among the leaders of the game with 13 points and nine assists. The Lady Jays then turned their attention to Muhlenberg (22-5), a team seeking revenge of their own, as Hopkins had beat the Mules twice in the regular season. The teams had vied for conference and national rankings all season, as both schools had been ranked in national D-III polls during the year. Muhlenberg came out strong, and, while the Lady Jays made a valiant effort, Hopkins could not bounce back from an early deficit. At halftime, the game was close at 30-23, with freshman Jessica Brown sinking a jumper, as time expired to pull Hopkins within seven. Vassilla and Mattiola hit a jumper and a three-pointer, respectively, early in the second half to close the gap to four points. However, the Mules surged back and jumped out to a 15 point lead with 9:08 play. With just two minutes remaining in the game, Muhlenberg was ahead 63-45 and had ensured victory. Fong and freshman Haley Bush scored 10 points each, while Fong also handed out nine assists. Vassila had three blocks and grabbed a game-high of 15 rebounds. Even with the loss, good news was in the Lady Jays' future. "It definitely hurt to lose to Muhlenburg. They are a really talented team, and we simply didn't play our signature game that day," Kat Fox, senior co-captain, said. "It is important for us to use that game as a learning experience and motivation to improve in practice this week. We are all thankful for the opportunity to continue our season, and we are really looking forward to playing in [Medford] this Friday." The team will depart on Thursday for Massachusetts. Tip-off Friday is scheduled for 6 PM with a potential second round match-up ready for 7 PM on Saturday.
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After a comfortable 12-6 win against Towson was followed by a very tight 8-6 victory against Delaware, the Hopkins men's lacrosse team looked to find more consistency against Siena College this past Saturday at Homewood Field. Hopkins opened with a great first quarter, dominating time of possession against the Saints en route to a 3-1 lead through the first 15 minutes. With team captain and senior Chris Boland out due to injury at the attack position, freshman Wells Stanwick took his place next to sophomores Zack Palmer and Brandon Benn. The freshman fit right in, scoring the opening goal less than a minute into the game to bring the Hopkins student section to their feet. Following the stellar first quarter in which the Blue Jays won all five faceoffs and took a 10-to-4 advantage in ground balls, Hopkins came out for the second quarter looking like a different team. But not in a good way. From the start, play was sloppy on both ends of the field. Perhaps from the cold, the wind or some combination of both, several times the Blue Jays committed uncharacteristic mental errors, such as dropped passes or missed stick checks. Junior defenseman Chris Lightner said the Siena offense, "Has a lot of really skilled players and they were really able to move the ball around and capitalize on their opportunities." Overall, the second quarter statistics were completely different from the first. Siena went threeof- four on face-offs while forcing seven Hopkins turnovers, using those opportunities to cut the Blue Jay lead to 4-3. Despite the poor second quarter, junior goalie Pierce Bassett and junior defenseman Tucker Durkin provided two bright spots for the team. Bassett made several difficult saves off his feet, frustrating Siena shooters and maintaining the Blue Jay lead, while Durkin looked unbeatable, routinely stripping his man and pounding up-field for a clear. After a halftime that seemed like an eternity for fans sitting in the ice-cold bleachers, the two teams were back for more in the third. Hopkins opened the scoring with a play that will be talked about for weeks. During a Siena clear attempt, Hopkins' Palmer picked off an errant Siena pass at midfield. With Siena goalie Tom Morr out of goal during the clear, Palmer fired a one-skip shot from 50 yards away that found the empty net. Not only did the goal elicit a raucous round of the Hopkins fight song from the stands, it had the entire Blue Jay sideline jumping with excitement. From there, the two teams traded goals to give Hopkins a 6-5 lead entering the final frame. While the first three quarters saw a relatively consistent pace of play with no team truly pulling away from the other, the fourth was a different story. Hopkins used the first five minutes of the quarter to separate themselves from Siena off of goals from Palmer and Benn. Junior midfielder Lee Coppersmith's goal with eight minutes to go ended up being the final tally of the game, giving Hopkins the 9-5 win. When asked about the difference between the first three quarters and the last quarter, Lightner said, "We just locked it down in the fourth knowing it was crunch time." The biggest positive coming from the game may have been the team's success at face-offs. The coaching staff turned to junior Mike Poppleton for the job, and his line-mates' hustle was key in allowing Hopkins to win most of the draws. Head coach Dave Pietramala liked the effort he saw from his faceoff group. "Mike Poppleton and [freshman] Drew Kennedy have made strides. Now the key is they continue to make strides." Offensively, the loss of Boland did not seem to be much of an issue, at least on the playing field. While his leadership will most certainly be missed, Stanwick stepped in admirably for the sixth year senior. In fact, the entire unit stepped up in a big way to lead the offense with five of the team's nine goals. Pietramala praised the job of offensive coordinator Bobby Benson. "[Coach Benson was] working four or five guys in there because, when you lose a guy like Chris, it's not one guy that's replacing him." On the defensive end, through three games the Blue Jays have been among the stingiest teams in the nation. Anchored by Bassett, Durkin, Lightner and senior Gavin Crisafulli, the team has allowed only 17 goals all season. Furthermore, by moving former starting close defenseman sophomore Jack Reilly up to long stick midfield, Pietramala has solidified an area some considered a question mark during the preseason. On Friday night, Hopkins heads up to New Jersey to take on the Princeton Tigers. The game will match two of the best defenses in the nation in what will surely be a very tight contest.
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One of the best seasons in recent years for the Hopkins men's basketball team came to an end last Wednesday night, Feb. 22nd, as the Blue Jays dropped a Centennial Conference tournament first round game to Washington College by a score of 56-53. The loss, however, should not overshadow what was an extremely successful season for the Blue Jays. The Conference quarterfinal game was played in front of a raucous crowd in Goldfarb Gymnasium. It was tightly contested, as the contest saw 12 lead changes and 11 ties, with neither team being able to stretch a lead larger than seven points. The Jays took an evanescent two-point lead after freshman forward phenomenon George Bugarinovic sank a pair of freethrows with 1:10 remaining in the game only to see the Shoremen drive down the court and nail a three-point basket to put Washington on top for good. This came after a few missed Blue Jay jumpers and made opposing free throws. Bugarinovic led all Blue Jays in scoring with 14 points while also collecting eight rebounds, while senior forward and co-captain Tim McCarty notched 13 points and 11 rebounds in his final game as a Blue Jay. Although the Jays outrebounded the Shoremen, Hopkins was hurt by poor free throw shooting, as they went 12-for-24 at the charity stripe. The 2011-2012 campaign for Blue Jay Basketball was an up-and-down season, one which ultimately saw the team finish with a winning record for the first time since 2008 at 15-11 and 11-7 in conference. JHU also made the Centennial Conference Tournament for the first time since that same year. This season saw the Jays notch two All-Centennial Conference players in their top two scorers: Bugarinovic and sophomore guard Daniel Corbett. The accolades kept on coming for a team that was chosen by the coaches in the preseason to finish ninth in the conference, as coach Bill Nelson, in his 26th season at the helm of the program, was named Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. The team benefited from a unique combination of veteran leadership and youthful talent, as they improved their average scoring per game by five points while also holding opponents to four fewer points per game. This was partly due to stifling defense on the perimeter that led to the Jays being ranked second in the nation in threepoint field goal defense. "We had great leadership from our seven juniors and seniors," coach Nelson said. "Practices were sharp and we had very few distractions over the course of the season. . .Although we were still very young, the team vastly matured both on and off the court." While looking back on a successful season is well and good, the Jays are not ready to rest on their laurels. Hopkins is already looking forward to next season, a campaign that will see the team lose only one of their starters in McCarty and return 10 guys who played double-digit minutes per game in 2011-2012. However, a veteran coach like Nelson knows that there is always room for improvement. "We must get stronger inside," the skipper recounted, "and we need to find another scoring threat inside other than Bugarinovic. Hopefully the guys have already started getting ready for next year in the weight room." A final factor that contributed to the Blue Jays success this season was an enormous increase in fan support at home games. The group that has become known as 'The Goldfarb Gang' made their presence felt at many of the home games, both through their vociferous cheers and flamboyant costumes, making opposing teams feel uncomfortable as if there was a proverbial 'sixth man' on the court. The support only increased as the season wore on, and the Jays made their push towards the players prompting junior guard Adam Spengler to say "They're crazy. I love it." The future looks bright for the Jays of the hardwood, as they return a strong nucleus and hope to build on their recent success in pursuit of their dream: to make a run through the NCAA tournament in 2013. "We'll be looking for more consistency and focus if we want to reach the NCAA tournament next year," Nelson added. The Blue Jays will be back with a vengeance next year after getting a taste of postseason play, and, this time, they'll be ready to take the whole thing
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Blue Jays baseball remains unbeaten in its last seven season-openers after their game on Feb.27th against 10th-rankedAlvernia, albeit in a rather unconventional fashion. The game was ended at 7-7 after the end of the ninthinning due to darkness, notching Head coach BobBabb's 11th career tie, one of only 25 in all of Hopkins baseball history. Despite the decent results, though, the game itself was considered disappointing for a team that is expected to do very well this season. "Although we still tied, it wasn't our best game by far," said senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Kahn.Alvernia appeared first on the scoreboard off of an error by senior right-handed pitcher Alex Eliopoulos in the top of the second. The Crusaders squeezed across another two runs in the top of the sixth to lay claim to a 3-0 lead. The Blue Jays soon responded, however, off the bats of juniors Jeff Lynch, Hank Sanders and Ryan Zakszeski. Lynch, a first baseman, and Sanders, the team's left fielder, each had RBI base hits, with Lynch's a double to the right-center field gap. Zakszeski added a sacrifice fly to even the score at three apiece. Hopkins eventually gained a 7-4 lead over Alvernia from junior second baseman Mike Kanen's three-run home run, the first of his career. However, the lead was lost as the re-sult of several Blue Jay wild pitches and a bases-loaded walk. This back-and-forth of errors and walks ended up playing an important role in the game. "If you look at it on paper," Kahn said, "if you compare the statistics, the game could have easily gone their way." Each team had four errors, all of which resulted at least indirectly in a run for the opponent. Despite the sloppy play on each side, though, Kahn asserted that Hopkins had "the intangibles," which accounted for the results; intangibles that were very important in a game where the tangibles couldn't be found. If Hopkins hopes to consistently do well in its upcoming games, it will have to refocus itself and return to the fundamentals it boasted before their first game, including both strong pitching and leadership. Despite the negatives, though, the season is early, and the Blue Jays earned a good result against, "One of the top teams in the region and country," according to Kahn and the Division III polls. The season has just begun and some strong points can be found in both the Jays' hitting and pitching. Understanding their flaws, Hopkins hopes to capitalize on its strengths and to start winning over the next few weeks.JHU returns to action on Thursday against Messiah before facing off with Rutgers-Newark for a double- header on Saturday. Both games are at home.
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The Hopkins' baseball team went 1-1 at home versus Messiah and Rutgers- Newark this weekend before kicking off three weeks on the road. The team will play five away games on the East Coast before heading to Phoenix, AZ for their spring trip. The Blue Jays went 1-1 away as well, falling to 13th-ranked Rowan in Glassboro, NJ on Tuesday before defeating York College in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Hopkins baseball was ranked #22 in the country in the p r e s e a s o n and opened their season in a chall e n g i n g fashion. " [ W e are] playing against tough competition in our first 10 games of the year," said junior first baseman Jeff Lynch. "All [the teams] except Rutgers-Newark played in the NCAA tournament in the last three seasons. It will prepare us well for conference play and hopefully the NCAA tournament." The Blue Jays were looking for a win in their second game against the Falcons of Messiah following an exciting game versus10th-ranked Alvernia College that was cut short at a 7-7 tie due to darkness to begin the year. Hopkins came out strong, jumping out to a 2-0 lead only two batters into the game as junior second baseman Mike Kanen hit a two- run home run in the bottom of the first. Junior shortstop Kyle Neverman brought the Blue Jays' total number of runs up to three when he scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third. However, Messiah battled back with two runs of their own and only trailed 3-2 entering the fourth inning. The Falcons then went on to score three runs in the top of the fourth and clinch the lead for good. Junior third baseman Chris Wilhelm hit a solo home run in response to Messiah's comeback during the bottom of the fourth and narrowed the gap to 5-4, but Messiah scored another run in the top of the eighth to solidify a 6-4 win. It was Messiah's first win of the season and the Falcons improved to 1-3. Senior co-captain and right-handed pitcher SamEagleson took the loss for the Blue Jays. After a loss and a tie, the team was more than ready for a win at home. That 'W' would come two days after the Messiah game, as Hopkins defeated Rutgers- Newark 5-4 for their first win. Another senior co -captai n and righth a n d e d pitcher, AlexEliopoulous, pitched seven innings, giving up just a twoout two-run double in the fourth before getting all but two batters out the remainder of the time. However, it was yet another senior co-captain and right-handed pitcher Blake Platt, who came on in the eighth to earn the win, and senior closer Aaron Schwartz, who came in to shut the door in the ninth inning to close out the game for Hopkins and secure the Jays' first win. Trailing 2-0, Neverman sent a ball soaring over theright-centerfield fence in the bottom of the eighth to kick off the scoring for the Blue Jays. The men kept the runs coming throughout the half-inning withKanen, Wilhelm, junior catcher Ryan Zakszezki, junior pinch-runner Adam Weiner, junior outfielder Matt Ricci, senior outfielder Mike Musary and junior outfielder Chris Vonderschmidt all contributing to a five-run inning. "This team has a ton of potential," said senior cocaptain and catcher AaronBorenstein. "We are starting to live up to it and are making strides toward becoming the team we all expect to be." The team was looking to build off their win when they travelled to New Jersey to take on the Profs of Rowan College. Hopkins had defeated Rowan in the 2010 NCAA Regional Tournament to advance to the World Series. Rowan was eager to avenge the loss. Unfortunately for Hopkins, the Profs came out determined and scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to break a 3-3 tie and win 9-3. Eagleson pitched six strong innings and gave up three runs on five hits to take the nodecision, while sophomore right-hander Tyler Goldstein took the loss after giving up four runs on some tough-luck, bleeder hits. In the top of the third, senior outfielder Scott Barrett scored off of a single byBorenstein to tie the game at one. The Jays would later gain a 3-2 lead on a Barrett double to the right-centerfield gap, but Hopkins remained scoreless in the final five frames. Hopkins baseball rebounded from the loss with an 8-5 win over York on Wednesday evening. The team opened up scoring in the first inning to pull ahead 2-0 after Lynch fired off a single to bring in Kanen and then scored off of a Musary hit. Lynch and Kanen both had big days for the Blue Jays, with Lynch driving in four runs and Kanen scoring three times. The duo, along with Neverman, combined for nine of the team's 12 hits. Senior righthanded pitcher Luke Henneman took the win for the Blue Jays after he pitched 3.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowed just three hits. Henneman struck out two in the process. "It was a big team effort today," Henneman said after the game, "The hitters hit and fielded. It's easy to pitch when I know all the plays will be made behind me. [Our other pitchers] Kevin [Gillen] and Aaron {Schwartz} were dominant too." Hopkins baseball takes the field next Friday when the team faces Stevenson College at Stevenson. Game time is set for 3 PM, and the probable starter for the Jays is Eliopolous. The six-foot-six ace has 16 strikeouts in 12.1 innings this year, but he will be searching for his first win of the 2012 season in the game. They will then travel to Catholic University and Randolph-Macon College next week before departing for the desert.
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The Hopkins women's tennis team traveled toGreencastle, IN this past weekend to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The competing teams were Denison University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Washington University, University of Chicago, Washington & Lee University, Carnegie Mellon University,DePauw University and Hopkins. This nationwide tournament featured some of the best teams in the country, including eight of the top 16 teams in the latest Campbell/ITA Division III women's team rankings, half of which sit inside the top 10. Last year's champion, the Emory Eagles, did not get slated into the tournament, so a new champion would be crowned. In the opening round on Friday afternoon, Hopkins drew a tough opponent, the eighth-ranked Washington & Lee Generals. Hopkins found themselves down, 4-2, but they did not give up. The Blue Jays eventually tied the match at 4-4. This late surge was led by Hopkins sophomore Abby Clark and freshman Shannon Herndon. Clark beat Washington & Lee'sTrelsie Sadler 6-4, 6-3 to win at fifth singles. Herndon then followed with a victory over Lindsey Burke in three sets, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 at fourth singles. Despite cutting the deficit, the Washington & Lee Generals ultimately prevailed 5-4 over the Blue Jays. With the opening round loss to the Generals, the Jays next faced off against the University of Chicago in the consolation semifinals. Chicago jumped out to an early 2-1 lead with wins at first and second doubles. Hopkins freshman Elaine Baik and senior Courtney Boger tied the match at one with an 8-6 win over Chicago's Maggie Schumann and Linden Li. But Chicago came back with another win to take the lead back to 2-1. Chicago never looked back after taking the early lead. They stayed in the lead until the end, earning a 6-3 final score over Hopkins. After two tough losses in their first two matches, the Blue Jays sought revenge against sixth-rankedDension University and got the much needed win. This was the highest ranked opponent that the Blue Jays had ever beaten in the program's history. Hopkins took an early lead with a decisive 8-2 victory in the opening match. After Denison took the second match, it was all Hopkins. In the end, Hopkins defeated Denison, 5-1. This victory gave the Blue Jays a seventh place finish in the ITA National Indoor Championship. Although the Blue Jays did not finish as high as they hoped, their performance showed great promise heading into the rest of the season. The Blue Jays faced some of the best teams in the country and they were barely edged out in their two losses. The tournament also gave the Blue Jays the opportunity to get acclimated with their team before going into Centennial Conference play. The Blue Jays will be back in action on Saturday Mar. 17th at Haverford. This will start conference play. Hopkins is looking to build off of their performance at the ITA Indoor Nationals and carry that momentum throughout the season.
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The Hopkins women's lacrosse team entered this week's action riding a three game winning streak, breezing to wins by margins of at least ten goals in their early season contests. However, the Lady Jays ran into some stiff competition against the 11th-ranked Greyhounds of Loyola University (MD) and Stony Brook, dropping a pair of closely contested games in the friendly confines of Homewood Field. On Wednesday night, however, the Jays returned to their winning ways, knocking off their 19th-ranked neighbor in Towson. The first game pitted Charles Street rivals Loyola and Hopkins against one another for the first time in 30 years, as the Greyhounds made the short bus trip to face off against the Lady Blue Jays. Things got off to a strange start, as lightning strikes in the area delayed the game for more than an hour merely three minutes into the contest. Once play resumed, the Lady Jays tallied the first goal as sophomore Taylor D'Amore scored the first of her pair of goals off a feed from senior Candace Rossi, who also netted a pair of goals to lead the team. The Greyhounds responded quickly and with a vengeance. Loyola rattled off five straight goals to put them comfortably in front by a score of 5-1. From then on out, every time the Lady Jays attempted to build momentum and make a comeback, the Greyhounds seemed to always have an answer whether it be a big save, clear or retaliatory goal. Bright spots for the Blue Jays were three points apiece for Rossi and D'Amore, and a career high seven draw controls by senior Colleen McCaffrey to help Hopkins win a total of 17 of 20 draws overall. Next up for the Lady Blue Jays was a contest against the u ndefeated Stony Brook women's lacrosse team, a game that went right down to the wire. The theme to this game was offense, offense and more offense as the two teams combined to score 29 goals, including 18 in the first half alone. Rossi, the team's goal scoring leader, was once again instrumental in the Lady Jays offensive attack, as she along with junior Courtney Schweizer both notched hat tricks on the day. The contest was back and forth throughout with the Jays holding a 10-8 lead at the half. A turning point for Hopkins to end the first frame was the play of freshman goalie KC Emerson. The Maryland native made three big saves in the final minutes of the half after relieving junior stalwart Cosette Larash, who had some struggles handling the Sea Wolves' offense. However, in the second half, Stony Brook's impressive offensive attack proved to be too much for the Lady Jay defense, as they rallied from the two goal deficit to tie the game with 4:19 to play on a goal by Stony Brook's Janine Hillier. The Sea Wolves fended off the Blue Jay final attack, and called a timeout with 2:51 remaining in the game when Rossi was sent off with a yellow card. Stony Brook then held the ball moving it around the perimeter holding for the last shot until they finally got their chance with a free position shot with 11 seconds to play in regulation time. Claire Petersen was able to net the game winning goal, and the Sea Wolves held on as the final seconds ticked away on a heartbreaking 14-15 loss for the Lady Blue Jay lacrosse faithful. All in all, several impressive individual performances were had, as Rossi totaled seven points on her hat trick and a career high four assists. D'Amore added two goals to go along with four assists as well, and Emerson totaled nine saves while picking up the loss. Hopkins returned to the win column on Wednesday with a defense-driven 5-4 win against the Tigers of Towson. In goal again for the Jays was the young Emerson who notched six saves. On the other end, McCaffrey scored a hat trick alongside single goals from Rossi and D'Amore. Keep your eye on The News-Letter for all your Lady Blue Jay lacrosse coverage this spring as they move through a schedule filled with impressive competition, in hopes of making a run towards a National Championship.
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As any Hopkins affiliate knows, the academics atJHU are rigorous, intensive and time consuming. It would not be an exaggeration to say that a typical daily schedule comprises of sleeping, eating, studying and then repeating the aforementioned activities (sometimes without the sleep). That's why participating in extracurriculars and social activities here is not an easy undertaking. Varsity sports, in particular, present a monumental challenge to those who wish to not only excel in their given sport but also in academics. Chantel Mattiola, currently in her senior year at Hopkins, manages to not only pursue both a major and a minor but also to serve as a co-captain on the women's basketball team. With four outstanding seasons as a Blue Jay under her belt, Mattiola has been named The News-Letter's Athlete of the Week. Mattiola cocaptained the Lady Jays to a 24-5 overall record and regular season Centennial Conference title. In addition, Mattiola led the the Jays in points per game with 12.3 and was also the team leader in free throws made and three-pointers made. Mattiola made 53 shots from behind the arc this winter, good for an astounding 65 percent of the team's total tre-balls. In the NCAA tournament, in which Hopkins advanced to with an atlarge bid for the second consecutive year, Mattiola scored 10 points in the firstround against the University of New England. She also drained 13 in the Jays' final game of the season against Tufts University in the round of 32. We recently chatted with number thirty-two to discuss what it's like to be both a part of the basketball team and a part of Hopkins. The News-Letter (N-L): Where are you from, and why did you decide to come to Hopkins? Chantel Mattiola (CM): I'm from Collegeville, PA, about thirty minutes outside Philly. I chose Hopkins because of its renowned academics, urban location and I was also being recruited by [head] Coach [Nancy] Funk. It was a win-win situation. N-L: What major did you decide to pursue here? CM: My major is International Relations and my minor is Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I have always been interested in diverse cultures, along with human rights, human security and development. I truly believe the combination of my academics propelled me to pursue activism on the topics and issues I am most p a s s i o n a t e about. N-L: How did you first get into basketball? CM: I started playing when I was six years old. I don't really r e m e m b e r why I wanted to play, but my dad tells me that I went up to him one day and said, 'I want to play basketball.' My dad is the only guy in a house of all females, so he probably jumped on that opportunity real quick. Let's just say he has been my number one fan since then. N-L: Do you have a favorite position or a favorite thing about basketball? CM: I'm a point guard at heart, but I have been the shooting guard the past couple years. N-L: Did you have any personal goals for your last season? CM: {Seniors] Steph {Fong], Kat [Fox] and I were named captains for this season, so my number one goal, personally, was to make sure I was a respectable captain and teammate. Especially with a large freshman class; it was really important to me that everyone felt welcomed and like a part of the team. N-L: Did you have any particular team goals for the season? CM: Our team goals for this season were to show up every day at practice, be ready to work hard and to push each other to get better. We never sat down and wrote out any specific goals for where we wanted to be at the end of the season, but just like every other team in our conference we wanted to make it to the Championship game. I think what made us so successful this year was taking one game at a time and never looking past the opponent we had in front of us. Our season is very long, about five months, so it also helped that our team was so close and comfortable with each other. Finishing my career with a season like this onegetting to the conference championship and the second round of NCAA's with a great group of girls and coaching staff - I couldn't have asked for anything better. N-L: Do you hope to continue to play basketball competively, recreationally or otherwise? CM: I definitely think I will take a bit of a break from basketball for now, but I'm sure I will be playing in pick up games whenever I get the chance.
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What do Valentine's day, Mardi Gras and March Madness all have in common? If you said, "they're all on Tuesday," you're probably missing the point. It's hard to explain the excitement consistently generated by each of these quasi-holidays, but it is essentially ineffectual to even try. The majority of us can already feel it. Unfortunately, I fall into the uninformed minority. Not being an avid basketball fan, or a basketball fan at all, I struggle with picking a bracket. To put it delicately, 'I go with my gut.' For those of you who think 'March Madness' is an allusion to mid-term week, you should stop reading here. The rest of you, I'm sure, know it begins officially on Mar. 13th, after 'Selection Sunday' on the 11th. As of right now, there are few things set in stone, although some speculations can be made fairly accurately. With upsets from No. 6 University of North Carolina over No. 4 Duke, No. 10 Ohio State over No. 5 Michigan State and Iowa State likely securing its first NCAA tournament berth in seven long years, we seem to be in for a good month of basketball. Predictions have already placed Kentucky, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Kansas at No. 1 for the South, West, East and Midwest regions, respectively. The North Carolina Tar Heels, with a lineup including big names such as John Henson, Kendall Marshall, Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes, and with their recent win over Duke may be a strong pick this year. They are projected to win the ACC title and expected to do very well in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky, the current number one team in the nation, has done well this year and is also expected to win the SEC tournament, although they will face formidable opponents such as Florida and LSU. While many people have pegged head coach John Calipari and his Kentucky program as a "oneand- done" factory, where college freshman play for a year before leaving for the NBA, this year has proven that sometimes college glory trumps NBA dollars. Sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb returned to school in favor of entering last year's NBA Draft, and together they have given the Wildcats a formidable inside-outside punch. Both Syracuse and Kansas, in the Big East and Big Twelve respectively, are annually formidable competitors and will be, obviously, teams to watch. Additionally, Marquette has been a team of interest lately, winning 12 of its last 13 games in the Big East. The young team might be much more focused during the post-season - with one more year of experience under their belt. And of course, you cannot look at the Big East without acknowledging the play of the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. While the team has struggled after entering the season in the preseason top 5, the return of head coach Jim Calhoun after serious back surgery will surely give the team a new spark. Despite all of these speculations, however, it is important to consider the past when deciding on a bracket. Very few of us can claim to have predicted last year's March Madness final between Butler and University of Connecticut. It is just this type of result which can make or break a bracket, which is why sometimes hard analysis of the facts can lead someone astray. It can sometimes be more important to consider the 'intangibles,' such as team chemistry, possible distractions or style of play - all of which I have referenced in defense of my 'gut picks.' This year Louisville, Marquette, and Missouri all seem like good picks to me. For those of you looking to show your bracket-picking expertise, or simply test out your gut, there are easy ways to do so. On campus, JHU Crossover Basketball, a Center for Social Concern group, is holding a bracket competition with a $5 entry fee and some great prizes for the top three winners. The donations go directly to Barclay Elementary/ Middle School and Greenmount Recreation Center. To take part in this, simply email jhucrossoverbball@ gmail.com before Mar. 14th.
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Following their success at the Centennial Conference championships, Hopkins wrestling continued to impress. Freshman Paul Bewak and junior Reid Mosquera finished seventh and eighth, respectively, at the 2012 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships this past weekend in La Crosse, WI. This brought the program's best season to an end at 27th place nationally with 13.0 points. According to the NCAA rules, the top eight competition finishers receive All- America honors, so both Bewak and Mosquera knew of their All-American statuses before their consolation quarterfinal matches. For Mosquera, though, the successful end was the result of a long, frustrating season. "I had a lot of small injuries that were just big enough to keep me off the mat," said Mosquera, referring to a sprained MCL and bruised ribs that prevented him from competing for a stretch of time. "It really hurt [my attempts at] weight management," he added, which is vital for any competitive wrestler. Bewak alluded to this, saying that Mosquera was "injured for 75 percent of the season. . .[and he] went through more than anyone else on the team. [Still, he is] one of the best wrestlers I've been able to wrestle with." This is emblematic of a team that "never had a full lineup" because of injuries, according to Bewak. "In the end it worked out for us, though," Bewak continued. "And when we did end up winning conferences, it was awesome." The end of the season marked a turnaround for the team in general and Mosquera, in particular, who started a two-week regimen of intensive training leading up to the NCAA tournament. In the end, the training paid off, keeping him healthy and competitive enough to secure a historic finish. Despite the frustrations, Mosquera seemed optimistic overall. "The ending says we have a lot of potential. . .the injury aspect is always a concern and always will be." Bewak seemed to agree, saying that the team should "keep doing what we've been doing," and that, besides the injuries, everything seems to be "working well so far." Besides these few observations, though, both All- Americans seem to have al??ready moved on from their accomplishments. Bewak has formed a simple plan for next year. "[I'll do] everything harder and hopefully have a better tournament next time," he said. As a freshman, the five-footfive, 125-pounder performed incredibly and will look to improve and garner All-America honors again next year. Mosquera will be a senior, and the team will also be returning five other conference champions. The most successful team in program history will be back next year for another fantastic season.
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The second-ranked Hopkins men's lacrosse team continued its regular season dominance with a convincing 12-5 victory over the UMBC Retrievers this past Saturday afternoon. The Jays made the four-mile trek to M&T Bank Stadium to play in the sixth annual Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic, in front of a crowd of 17,138. Hopkins remained perfect on the season, improving their record to 6-0 behind the stellar play of junior Zach Palmer and sophomore Brandon Benn. Palmer would score a career high eight points andBenn would chip in with a hat trick of his own and two assists. The Jays and Retrievers started off neck and neck for much of the first half, with Hopkins maintaining only a 3-2 lead midway through the second quarter. But Hopkins would rattle off three straight goals to finish the half and seven consecutive unanswered scores in total through the third quarter to put UMBC away for good and secure the team's sixth win of the season. The Jays drew first blood four and a half minutes into the first quarter, with an open Zach Palmer on the crease taking an assist from Benn and cashing in to give the Jays the 1-0 advantage in the early going. UMBC would not back down, however, responding with an extra man goal off of a pushing penalty by junior midfielder JohnRanagan to even up the score at one apiece with 8:27 left in the first 15. Exactly three minutes later sophomore Rob Guida would get in on the action by scooping up a ground ball and sprinting 40 yardsdownfield, splitting the defense and netting a goal from five yards out to put the Jays up for good, 2-1. Despite their lead, Hopkins played somewhat sloppily in the early going, committing three penalties to UMBC's zero in the first 17 minutes of the game. Late in the first half, UMBC would squander a 3-on-1 opportunity but would get a chance to redeem themselves when a questionable "illegal hit to the head" call was enforced against Hopkins. The call would give the Retrievers extraman strength, a situation they would capitalize on to close the gap to 3-2. Hopkins would then start a scoring spree and never look back, with their next goal coming at the 6:39 mark on a beautiful, 30- yard cross-field assist from Benn to Palmer who shot it in from the right side of the crease to make it 4-2. Palmer would then notch his second assist of the day, feeding it to junior Lee Coppersmith, who would find the back of the net to make the score 5-2. A Ranagan unassisted goal with just under two minutes to play would cap the first half scoring, as Hopkins would go into halftime with a four-point margin over UMBC. The majority of the third quarter would be a defensive stalemate between these two teams, with the Jays being unable to capitalize on an extra-man advantage off of UMBC's first penalty of the game midway through the quarter. They would get a second chance, however, and would make the most of it this time, with senior John Kaestner receiving a pass from Palmer and rocketing one home on extra-man strength with 3:29 left in the third. Just 21 seconds of game time later, Kaestner would find Benn at the top of the key on a five yard assist, and Benn would score another, making the score 8-2. In one of the highlights of the game, a dropped save by Retrievers goalie Adam Cohen would give Palmer the opportunity to dive in from the top of the crease and scoop the ball into the goal in one motion to extend the lead to seven goals. Another Palmer to Benn combo would net the Jays their tenth score of the game, capping a torrid four-goal run in a 1:21 span. UMBC would break it's scoreless streak as the fourth quarter began, netting its first goal in the second half with 14:26 remaining in the game. Amazingly, the score was the first even-strength goal the Jays' defense had given up in 116 minutes and 37 seconds of game time. Hopkins and UMBC would trade scores from then on, with UMBC scoring three and senior Mark Goodrich and Ranagan tallying two more scores to make the final score 12- 5. After the game, coach Pietramala would laud his teams three-quarter performance, telling the media, "I'm glad we didn't allow what could have happened to happen. . .I'm glad we could play well with a lead." Although his team held a comfortable lead for most of the game, Pietramala did express disappointment in the team's fourth quarter performance where the Blue Jays were out-scored 3-2 by the Retrievers. Pietramala would later recognize the potent combo of attackers Palmer and Benn, saying, "We got two guys we think are pretty good. . .they've started to develop some really nice chemistry, they seem to really enjoy playing with each other." Upon learning of Palmer's career-high 8-point performance, Pietramala looked over to Palmer with an impressed look on his face, saying "That's pretty good," to which Palmer would respond, "Our offense was playing well, getting to the right spots, I was just lucky enough to be in the right spot a few times." Pietramala would address upcoming opponent Syracuse, acknowledging the difficulty the Jays would face in beating the sixth-ranked Orange. Last season's match-up against Syracuse ended in a thrilling 4-5 double-overtime loss for the Jays. This season's game will undoubtedly be a challenging test for Hopkins. Knowing that, Pietramala expressed gratitude that the team would have their first full week of practice in a while. The Jays face off against the Orange at 4 pm on Saturday at Homewood Field.
