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(03/15/12 5:00am)
The Hopkins men's and women's fencing teams have each had very impressive seasons thus far, both earning spots in last Saturday's NCAA Mid- Atlantic Regional at Lafayette College. The regional marked the end of the 2011-2012 season for both the men's and women's squads, despite the valiant effort made by both teams. Beginning with the men's side, the Blue Jays were led by freshman Alex Szigeti, who recorded an eighth place finish in the Epee division. Szigeti faced off against opponents from all Divisions of Collegiate Fencing, and his eighth place finish was the best among all Division III participants in the Epee division at the NCAA Regional. He unfortunately fell just shy of an NCAA Championship bid, which would have been an incredible accomplishment in a very competitive field. His eighth place finish marked the best finish by a Blue Jay since Ben Dorfman finished in sixth-place of the Foil division at the 2008 regional. By the end of the day, Szigeti's overall statistics included a 16-11 record, which was enough to earn him a position in the final round. Also placing in the Epee division for the Blue Jays was sophomore Jay DeYoung, who recorded a 2-4 record in the first round to finish in 27th place. In the Foil division, the Blue Jay fencers of junior Ben Wasser, freshman Robert Goldhirsch and sophomore Evan Stafford placed 28th, 29th and 30th, respectively, while freshman Zachary Goodman finished in 32nd place. All four of these Blue Jay fencers recorded career-best performances among regional finishes. In the Sabre division, freshman Aravind Menon led the Blue Jays with a 19th place finish. His 5-5 in the opening round earned him a spot in the second round. When all was said and done, his finish marked the third best among all of his Division III counterparts. Also placing in the sabre division for the Blue Jays included junior Nicolas Barbera and freshman Paul Vitale, who culminated their seasons with 27th and 33rd place finishes, respectively. On the women's side, the Blue Jay's were led by sophomore Liz Caris and freshman Rachel Kalina, who each recorded top 20 finishes. Caris spared in the Epee division and finished the day with a 6-9 record. Unfortunately, she fell just short of the final round, but her finish was good for 16th place to bring her season record to 55-38 She is now 111-73 for her career. Also placing in the Epee division for the Jays was freshman Gianna Puzzo, who advanced to the second round and ended up finishing 22nd. Her 4-6 record on the day made her 80-38 for the season. Also advancing to the second round was senior Lauren Chinn, who placed 24th. Her career concludes with a 43-13 season record, improving her to 260-86 during her four years in black and blue. The other top-20 Blue Jay performer was Kalina's 17th place finish in the Sabre. Kalina finished with a 7-8 record for the day and advanced to the semifinals. Her season record of 53-13 gives her one of the best rookie seasons in Hopkins history. Sophomores Katherine Simeon, the EWFC Sabre Fencer of the Year, and Kathleen Rand also placed in the sabre, finishing 24th and 26th, respectively. The Lady Jays were also very competitive in the foil division, led by sophomore Jackie Heath's 22nd place finish. Seniors Jen Hession and Colleen Stone ended their Hopkins careers on a high note, adding their final contributions to the team with 29th and 35th place finishes, respectively. Both the men's and women's Blue Jay squads finished their 2011-2012 campaigns with competitive finishes in the Mid- Atlantic Regional. The Lady Jays ended the year as EWFC champions and should compete for another title in 2013.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
The Hopkins women's basketball team opened play in the annual NCAA Division III playoff tournament on Friday, Mar. 2nd. The Blue Jays travelled to Medford, MA to take on first round opponent, University of New England. In a game that came down to the final seconds, the Lady Jays held off theNor'easters and advanced to the second round of the tournament. Unfortunately, Hopkins ran into a wall the next night, as a heartfelt second round game was lost to Tufts University. In the first round game, Hopkins took an early lead, jumping out to a 21-9 advantage over the University of New England early in the first quarter. Throughout the first half the Nor'easters clawed back into the game, holding off the Blue Jay scoring attack and going on an 8-0 run of their own, making the score 21-17 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Senior point guard Stephanie Fong led her Lady Jays in a game that would become hard-nosed and physical. Hopkins regained their composure and ended the scoring drought, adding six more points before half and heading into the locker room with a 27-20 advantage. Fong played 37 minutes for the Blue Jays, quarterbacking her team and establishing her role as a game manager, compiling six points, five assists, a block and one steal. Fong's well-rounded game was complemented by her teammate, junior forward Alex Vasilla, as she added a tenth double-double to her season, totaling 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Chantel Mattiola was one of the most integral pieces to the Hopkins offense, as she played hard for 38 minutes, scoring 10 points, and getting her teammates involved with seven assists. The second half seemed to be dominated by the Blue Jays. Hopkins extended its lead to 11 points three different times in the second half, controlling the tempo and flow of the game. New England slowly began to chip away, scoring eight consecutive points to narrow the lead to three points, 45-42, with just over five minutes to play in the game. The final four minutes would be a defensive battle, as a one-point Hopkins lead was extended to four with a three-point play from Vasilla with only three minutes remaining. The Nor'easters once again cut the lead to one point, and regained possession with just 23 seconds on the clock. A possession was set up for New England to take the last shot of the game, and the ball was taken to the basket for a buzzer-beating attempt. As the ball was released by Nor'easter point guard Kari Pelletier, the hand ofVasilla swatted away the final attempt, and Hopkins regained possession with two seconds. An intense and hard fought battle advanced the Blue Jays to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The very next day the Lady Jays went back to work, this time facing off with the Tufts University Jumbos. Tufts set the tone in the first half, opening up a 29-19 lead at halftime. The intensity was lacking for the Blue Jays, and they could not figure out how to stop Tufts on the defensive side of the court. Once again Fong and Mattiola led the way, scoring 14 and 13 points respectively. The Jumbos shut down Vasilla, a rare sight for the Blue Jay faithful, as she totaled only three points but added nine rebounds. As the second half opened, a spark was seen in the Blue Jays' attack. Realizing the season was on the line, Hopkins began staging a comeback. The half opened with a 12-4 run, as the score was suddenly tied at 33 with 11 minutes on the clock. From that point Tufts' lead began to grow, and the season started slipping away from the Blue Jays' grasp. When the final buzzer sounded Tufts had extended its lead to 9 points, eliminating Hopkins from the tournament and crushing the hopes of a national championship season. The Blue Jays should not feel defeated after an extremely successful season, a 24-5 record and Centennial Conference powerhouse, the Hopkins Blue Jays look to remain a national force in the coming years.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
The second-ranked men's lacrosse team held off a late surge by the 12thranked Princeton Tigers on Friday, besting them 10-8, before shutting out Manhattan at home, on Tuesday, 11-0. Hopkins remains unbeaten and improved their record to 5-0. Hopkins has now won 12 straight regular season games dating back to last year. Against their Ivy League foe, the Jays held a relatively comfortable lead late in the game, despite Tiger advantages in shots taken, 36-to-29, and ground balls won, 31-to-24. The Jays scored 10 goals on the strength of a balanced attack with eight Hopkins players notching scores on the day. Senior midfielder Mark G o o d r i c h and junior at t ac k m a n John Kaestner stood out, tallying two goals apiece.Kaestner was making his first career start after starting attackman WellsStanwick was lost to injury. Part way through the first quarter, a Hopkins penalty gave the Tigers an extra-man opportunity. Junior Tucker Shanley took advantage of it, finding the net for his fifth goal of the season. The Jays responded, however, firing off three unanswered goals. Goodrich set the tone with a quick-stick, no hesitation goal off a dish from juniorattackman Zach Palmer. Soon after, Palmer got in on the scoring himself, notching an 18-footer to the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Rob Guida then added his third goal of the season to extend the Blue Jay lead to 3-1. Just eight minutes after Princeton had scored its first goal of the game, Hopkins roared back to take a two-goal advantage that they would not relinquish. Princeton whittled the score to a one goal game with just 15 seconds remaining in the first quarter, as junior Jeff Froccaro squeezed one past junior goalie Pierce Bassett on what was the last shot for the Tigers in the first half. The second quarter remained scoreless until just less than five minutes remained in the half. Palmer notched his second assist on a goal from junior midfielder John Greeley. Fellow junior midfielder JohnRanagan would cap the Jays' first half scoring with a score at the 2:03 mark. The Hopkins defense absolutely stifled the Tigers' attack in the second quarter, holding them to zero shot attempts, as the Jays went into halftime with a 5-2 advantage. Goodrich continued his strong showing with an unassisted eight-yarder midway through the third quarter to give the Jays a four-goal lead, 6-2. Princeton answered with two straight goals in the final five minutes of the quarter, one from junior ForestSonnenfeldt and the other from senior Mike Grossman with just seven seconds left in the period.Kaestner ignited the fourth quarter Hopkins offense with an impossibly angled score from behind the goal to give the Jays a 7-4 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining. Tiger senior Alex Capretta responded three minutes later with a score of his own to keep the Hopkins lead at two, but the Jays answered with three shots past Princeton senior goalie Tyler Fiorito to give Hopkins a 10-5 lead with 6:38 left on the clock. The first of these goals came on a rocket shot from sophomore attackman BrandonBenn from the high slot to extend the lead to three goals. The second was tallied just a minute-and-a-half later, with Kaestner recording his second score of the game off of a short drop-off from Ranagan. Junior attackman Lee Coppersmith found the top corner of the net off of Palmer's third and final assist of the day to finish the Hopkins scoring fest. Princeton attempted a comeback in the closing minutes of the game, asFroccaro scored again with six minutes left to cut the lead to four goals. A huge save by Bassett highlighted the tense and scoreless next four minutes, however, stopping the Tigers from clawing their way back in the game. Still, Princeton's relentless rally continued. Grossman netted one more with two minutes left on the clock, and sophomore TomSchrieber juked through the defense to find the net a minute later. For the next 60 seconds, though, the Hopkins defense remained steadfast to seal the impressive victory - their first over a ranked opponent this year. On Tuesday, the Blue Jays hoped to continue their winning streak and keep their perfect record in-tact, as they returned home to face the Jaspers of Manhattan. Against the Jaspers, Hopkins' perfect record looked to be in jeopardy as Manhattan managed to shut down the Blue Jay offense for the first 11 minutes to the tune of a 0-0 tie. However, at the 11:35 mark, Guida opened the floodgates with his fourth goal of the season to give Hopkins a 1-0 lead. From there, two goals by Greeley and goals from Kaestner and junior midfielder Lee Coppersmith in the final two minutes of the first quarter put the Blue Jays ahead 5-0. The rest of the game played out much like the first, with spurts of offense from the Blue Jays intermixed with periods of scoring droughts. Two Hopkins goals in the second, followed by four in the third and a scoreless fourth brought the final score to an 11-0 Blue Jays victory. By game's end, Greeley had picked up his second career hat-trick, while fellow first-line midfielderRanagan tallied a goal and an assist for two points. After a slow start to the season, the highly touted midfield unit finally produced points in the last two games. While the group managed only 11 goals in the team's first three games, against Princeton and Manhattan the midfielders broke through with 14 of the teams 21 goals, carrying an offense that recently suffered a string of injuries to several key players. At the attack position,Kaestner once again shined in only his second career start, recording a goal and an assist. Despite being the fifth attackman on the depth chart, the junior was forced to start after senior Chris Boland and freshman Wells Stanwick were lost to injury earlier in the year. The story of the day was the play of the defense. While Bassett seemed to struggle with the Princeton shooters on Friday, giving up a season high eight goals, Tuesday's game against the Jaspers was an entirely different story. With the help of a total team defensive effort, Bassett stopped all seven shots he faced while the Blue Jays as a team allowed only 14 shots total. All told, the 11-0 win was the team's first shutout since 1988, a 9-0 victory against Princeton. Coincidentally, current head coach Dave Pietramala and associate head coach Bill Dwan were both members of that 1988 squad. Hopkins will return to action this Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. The sixth annual Inner Harbor classic will feature some of college lacrosse's top squads and will conclude with Hopkins' 4 PM match with UMBC. The matches preceding the Blue Jays': at 11 AM, Princeton will take on the eighth-ranked Tar Heels of North Carolina, and at 1:30 PM, top-ranked Virginia and third-ranked Cornell will clash. The Jays will next be on Homewood Field the following Saturday, Mar. 17th, against sixth-ranked Syracuse in what should be one of Hopkins' toughest tests of the year.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
The Hopkins Blue Jay baseball team looked to take their victory over York last Wednesday into the weekend and beginning half of this week in order to gain some momentum before their annual spring break trip to Arizona. However, the past three games did not end exactly how the Blue Jays had planned. On Friday, the Jays took on the Mustangs of Stevenson. Hopkins jumped out to an early lead in the first inning behind junior first baseman Jeff Lynch. Senior catcher and co-captain Aaron Borenstein reached base, and Lynch drove him home with a double in the left-center field gap. In the second inning, the Jays brought in two more runs off of a couple of hits and walks. At the end of the second inning, the Blue Jays were up 3-0 on the Mustangs. Senior right-hander and co-captain Alex Eliopolous was on the hill for the Blue Jays. Eliopolous was dominant throughout the game, leaving the Mustang hitters guessing on every pitch. The Mustangs did not cross home until the seventh inning. Eliopolous finished with eight strikeouts through seven innings while only yielding one run. The sixfoot- six, 205-pounder felt strong after his outing. "I felt like I pitched really well, but late in the game the ball bounced Stevenson's way," he said. "We got really unlucky with the rest of the game, but knowing our team, we will bounce back." Once Eliopolous exited the game in the eighth inning, the Mustangs saw their chance to come back and used the pitching change to their advantage. The Mustangs led off the inning with a home run on Eliopolous' final pitch of the game, and they did not stop there. Stevenson put up three more runs in the inning to take a 5-3 lead after the eighth inning. The Blue Jays then retook the lead in the ninth once again behind the bat of Lynch. Lynch finished the day two-for-three with three RBIs. Going into the bottom half of the inning, the Blue Jays were up one run, and it looked like they were going to close out the victory. However, the Mustangs had other plans. Stevenson manufactured a run in the ninth and tied the game. The game would end there due to darkness. Oddly enough, this was the second time this season that Hopkins had tied a team this season. The Blue Jays then returned to the field in the Nation's capital, taking on the Catholic Cardinals. Once again, the Blue Jays jumped out to an early lead with junior catcher Ryan Zakszeski launching his first home run of the season to bring around two runs. The Cardinals then cut the lead in half, scoring one run in the second inning. The Blue Jays responded by scoring two more runs in the third. Hopkins put together three straight singles courtesy of junior middle- infielders Kyle Neverman and Mike Kanen, followed by a knock from Borenstein. The Blue Jays had two runners cross home plate in the inning and left the top half of the inning leading 4-1. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Goldstein made his first career start for the Blue Jays and had solid stuff. Goldstein was throwing with good velocity and off-speed pitches, but, the second time around the line-up, Catholic started piling on hits. The Cardinals entered the game with a solid lineup - averaging nearly six runs per game - and this day was no exception. The Cardinals put up five runs in the third inning on six hits to take a 6-4 lead. Each team tacked on one more run on the day, but, ultimately, the Cardinals left the field with a hard-fought victory, 7-6. The Blue Jays then traveled to Ashland, Virginia to face Randolph-Macon on Tuesday to complete their four-game road trip. For the third game in a row, the Blue Jays started with runs. The Blue Jays struck first with a double from Kanen, driving in Neverman. The Blue Jays then racked up four more runs and posted five runs total in the first inning. Senior right-hander and co-captain Sam Eagleson was on the mound for the Blue Jays and was lights out for the first few innings. After two innings, Eagleson had struck out five batters. The Yellow Jackets responded in the next few innings, however, stringing a few hits together to cut the Hopkins to one, 5-4. In the top of the fifth, senior designated hitter J.R. Santaniello belted a deep home run to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 6-4. However, the two run lead was not enough for Hopkins. Randolph-Macon responded with nine runs on seven hits in the bottom half of the frame and cruised to victory from then on, 15-8. Despite the back-to-back losses, the Blue Jays know they can bounce back and quickly become a dominant force during their Arizona spring break trip. Hopkins has been jumping out to quick leads, but unlucky breaks have crippled them in the later innings. The Blue Jays leave for Arizona this coming Thursday and play ten games in Tempe, including games at the spring training complexes of the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. Their first game will be on Friday against Springfield at 11 a.m. MT. Once the Blue Jays return, they will begin Centennial Conference play against Dickinson on Tuesday, Mar. 27th.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
Why live more than a mile high when you can live less than a mile from the beach. As the clock is ticking on Peyton's decision to pick his next team to play for - which should take less than a week as he has stated - teams are starting to drop out of the race while the Dolphins have held their position from the beginning. The Jets recently locked down Mark Sanchez for three years, even to the dismay of their own fan base. The Redskins just traded the Rams an arm and a leg, three first round picks along with a second round pick (which some argue may be worse), to acquire Robert Griffin III. So now it looks like it's going to be a showdown between Miami, Arizona and Denver, and from the looks of it, things are looking brighter for the Sunshine State. However, the tables are probably shifting as I write this article. Although Peyton met with the Broncos front office this past Friday, he flew directly to his second home in Miami right after being released earlier in the week.Phins' owner, Stephen Ross, is currently drooling more just thinking about Peyton than when he sits behind Jennifer Lopez - a part owner in the Dolphins - in the press box. Also, Peyton is known to be great friends with all-time Dolphins legend, #13, Dan Marino. 13 is a meaningful number to Dolphin fans. Not only does it represent our bragging rights in Dan Marino - with our only other source of pride being the '72 undefeated season - but also marks a 13 year hiatus from acquiring anything resembling a franchise- type quarterback. Over the past 13 years, Dolphins fans have shouldered the burden of watching 16 different starting QB's try-out in a sense, and watched each fail miserably: Huard, Fiedler, Lucas, Griese, Feeley, Rosenfels, Ferotte, Harrington, Culpepper, Lemon, Green, Beck, Pennington, Henne, Thigpen, Moore. Basically, if the Dolphins can't land Manning, their choices for starting QB will be comparably worse than the GOP pool of candidates.So here goes nothing, a ballad to Peyton Manning from a hopeful Miami Dolphins fan: Hey Peyton, If you are reading this, than it may not be too late. Please come to Miami; it's warm and it's fun. Will Smith didn't describe it as, "The city that keeps the roof blazing" for nothing. Who will appreciate you more than a fan base that has been through years of disappointment? Denver has Tebowmania; they have their fun. Arizona made the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. The most Miami has had to celebrate in a long time was our win over the Packers in 2010 in the fifth game of the season. That's it! That's all I can think of that has went in our favor recently. Please Peyton! We need you. We need you like Mark Sanchez needs a mid-game hotdog. We need you like the Patriots need a video camera on the opposing coaching staff (they have yet to win a Super Bowl since Spy- Gate, you know). You'll have Reggie Bush, you'll have a solid defense, and you'll have the best left-side blocker in the league, Jake Long. Come on Peyton, we need you! I'm not sure how much more rejection Dolphin fans can take. Please come to Miami and win us a Super Bowl. Your soon-to-be biggest fan, -Ryan
(03/15/12 5:00am)
It is no surprise to fans and opponents alike that the Hopkins men's lacrosse team is off to a great start. With a huge win over UMBC this past weekend in the annual Konica- Minolta Face- Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium, 12-5, the Blue Jays further displayed their dominance in the Division I lacrosse scene, imroving their record to 6-0. The secondranked Jays kept pace with the top-ranked Cavaliers of Virginia, who won early in the Classic against Cornell, 9-8. Zach Palmer, a junior attackman from Oshawa, Ontario stepped his game up on the big stage of the Baltimore Ravens' home turf and ESPN3.com. The Hill Academy graduate is having a stellar season and was relentless in Saturday's victory. Palmer's career-high eight points helped the Blue Jays in their lob-sided win over the Retrievers. It is for his great play in the match, in addition to his already successful season and career, that The News-Letter has selected Palmer as their Athlete of the Week. Palmer, a stocky fivefoot- eight and 168 pounds, scored the first goal of the game - putting the score at 1-0 - just about five minutes into the game with a great assist from Brandon Benn, a sophomore and fellow Canadian attackman from Orangeville, Ontario. To begin the second quarter, the Canadians roles were reversed. This time, it was Palmer with the well placed assist to Benn, putting the Blue Jays up by two, 3-1. As if the two were connecting on a different level at this point, Benn assisted Palmer nearly six minutes later, pushing the To begin conference play March 27 against Dickinson lead to 4-2. Later, Palmer weaved through the Retriever defense to find Lee Coppersmith, a junior midfielder from Boca Raton, FL, for the Blue Jays' fifth goal of the game. Relative to earlier in the game, the third quarter started off rather quietly for Palmer and the Blue Jay offense. But that changed nearly nine minutes in when Palmer once again led a Blue Jay to the net, this time finding junior attackman John Kaestner. Just under a minute later, Palmer decided to take one for himself and score unassisted, nearly putting the game out of reach with a 9-2 lead in favor of the Blue Jays. Ten seconds after the unassisted goal, Palmer once again connected with Benn for an assist. S h o r t l y into the fourth quarter, Palmer helped his fourth teammate of the game, senior m id f i e ld e r Mark Goodrich, with his fifth assist of the game. So all in all, Palmer finished with five assists and three goals for eight total points. On the season, this puts Palmer at 10 goals, 15 assists and 25 points. Palmer's early 2012 success comes on the heels of an impressive sophomore season, in which Palmer led Hopkins with 25 assists and was second on the team in points with 47, trailing only senior attackman Chris Boland who is currently out with a collarbone injury. It is numbers like these (and many other sizable statistics from teammates) that have the Blue Jays off to such a great start. Palmer was unavailable to comment.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
Two members of the Hopkins women's indoor track and field team, sophomore Holly Clarke and freshman Hannah Eckstein traveled to Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa this weekend to compete in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Both women were selected to run in the 5,000 meter event last Saturday night.Eckstein finished fifth and earned All-American honors with a time of 17:18.72. Clarke placed eleventh with a time of 17:50.05. Prior to the race, Eckstein was ranked third in the country and Clarke was ranked twelfth. Clarke had qualified just this past weekend in an exciting win at theECAC Regional Championships. The sophomore won the race with a time of 17:15.06, a personal best by 37 seconds. She was ranked tenth in the ECAC field prior to taking the event by storm a week ago. "It is an amazing experience to be able to race alongside your teammate and the other top girls in the country," said Clarke. "I was hoping to make All- American honors, but my race did not go as well as I had hoped. We went out pretty slow in the first mile then two of the Wartburg girls started hammering the last two miles. [The two girls from Wartburg] ended up going one and two in the race. Hannah represented Hopkins well. . .Hopefully she and I will be able to come back even stronger in the 10k and 5k at Outdoor Nationals in California!" The NCAA Championships marks the conclusion of a prolific indoor track and field season. The women's team won the Centennial Conference Championships while the men's team placed second. In addition, Head Coach Bobby Van Allen was named Mideast Region US Track and Field Coach of the Year for the women's side by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) after leading Hopkins to a 25th place national ranking in the USTFCCA Poll. Despite the success achieved in the winter, the men's and women's teams have already gone back to work as the spring outdoor track and field season gets underway very soon. Both teams will compete in multiple meets during March and April, beginning on Mar. 30th with the Raleigh Relays.
(03/15/12 5:00am)
Hopkins lady lacrosse posted its second consecutive victory over a top-25 ranked team on Wednesday night when the Jays powered past 15th-ranked Georgetown, 16-12, in Washington, D.C. The Blue Jays improved to 5-2 on the year, while Georgetown, who had previously played two top-five opponents, slipped to 2-3. Before Wednesday, the Lady Jays had last played a week prior, taking down 19th-ranked Towson in a defensive stalemate, 5-4, and carried their momentum for seven days into their contest with the Hoyas. Against Georgetown, Hopkins dominated the first-half, going into the locker room with a 10-4 advantage. The Blue Jays scored the game's first four goals, all from different sticks. Sophomore midfielder Taylor D'Amore started the onslaught, one of five goals the Canandaigua, N.Y. native notched on the night. Also scoring early and often for Hopkins was junior midfielder Courtney Schweizer, who collected the second goal of the game and a hat trick when all was said and done. Sophomore midfidler Sammy Cermack also added a goal early on, as did senior attackman Rachel Ballatori. Cermack netted four scores on four shots in the match, while Ballatori had two goals on two shots and two assists. The Jays continued their stellar play throughout most of the game, leading by as much as seven goals with seven minutes to play before the Hoyas slowly crept back into the conversation. Despite three goals in the final three and a half minutes of play for Georgetown, it was too little too late. Senior midfielder Candace Rossi led Hopkins in assists with three shares. Also contributing for the Jays was freshman goalie KC Emerson, who added 13 saves in 60 minutes of action. Hopkins returns to action this weekend at Homewood Field to take on the Crimson of Harvard in search of their third straight win. The game is slated for Saturday at noon.
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The 13th ranked Hopkins men's tennis team took on their most daunting opponent of the young Spring season this past Sunday. Fifth ranked North Carolina Wesleyan College traveled to Homewood campus to challenge the Blue Jays, only to be defeated 6-3, becoming the highest ranked opponent Hopkins has ever beaten. NC Wesleyan took advantage of a timid Hopkins team, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead by sweeping the doubles matches. Hopkins freshman Erik Lim and junior Jeffrey Kamei took a loss at second doubles, while senior Jacob Barnaby and freshman Noah Joachim were downed at first doubles. Freshman Tanner Brown and senior Warren Elgort allowed NC Wesleyan to sweep doubles with a loss at third. From there the Blue Jays began to bounce back, regaining composure and stepping up the level of intensity. Lim started what would be a bolstering Hopkins comeback at sixth singles, as he defeated Clayton Sonn of NC Wesleyan 6-1, 6-1. Elgort went on to win at fifth singles 6-2, 6-1, and the Blue Jays saw some life. Freshman Jensen Reiter stepped up and delivered a win to tie the match at 3-3, beating NC Wesleyan's Fred Lemongo 7-6, 6-2 at fourth singles. At this point the momentum had begun to shift; an early advantage had slipped away from the fifth ranked Battling Bishops. Unfamiliar with playing in a tie, NC Wesleyan was clearly unprepared for the situation at hand. Having dominated in the previous 3 matches 9-0, and winning all five matches on the short season, NC Wesleyan was facing adversity and could not handle the pressure. On the other side of the spectrum, Hopkins was prepared for a hard fought battle. Another freshman decided to bring his Agame to the court, Hopkins' Ben Hwang battled from behind and eventually won third singles 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to put the Blue Jays on top 4-3. Junior Andy Hersh went on to clinch the match for the Blue Jays, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 at first singles. The unimaginable comeback was an impressive feat for the powerful Blue Jays, but there are many more tests in the coming weeks for Hopkins to establish itself as a top tennis team in the country. The Blue Jays travel to Claremont, California for the Stag Hen Invitational this coming weekend. Hopkins will take on fourth ranked Claremont- Mudd-Scripps and attempt to improve on their 2-1 record and earn another quality win.
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Sophomore swimmer Taylor Kitayama and The News-Letter sports section go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. Not a week goes by where The News-Letter does not cover Kitayama in some way and for good reason. For the past two years, this sophomore from Boulder, CO has been dominant both in the pool and in the classroom. This past weekend at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship,Kitayama added even more honors to her already stellar career. Along with being named the BGMC Swimmer of the Year, she helped lead her team to 818 points and their second consecutive conference title (fifth all-time). Taylor paved the way with three individual titles in the 100 Fly, the 100 Back and the 200 Back. Kitayama was also part of three record setting team titles. In the 400 Medley Relay, her 100 Back split set a school record with a time of 55.04 seconds; in the 200 Free Relay she helped Hopkins set a team school record finishing in 1:34.97; and in the 200 Medley RelayKitayama was again part of a Hopkins record setting relay with a time of 1:43.93.Kitayama will also be representing Hopkins this upcoming March in Indianapolis, IN for the NCAA Playoffs. We were lucky to sit down with her amidst her busy schedule and ask a couple of questions. The News-Letter (N-L): How do you feel this season went as a whole? Did you and the team do what you set out to accomplish? Taylor Kitayama (TK): Our head coach's quote: "unbelievably expect the unexpected" sums this season up very well. We had an unbelievable season both in terms of team dynamics and fast swimming. We started off the season setting a goal to win the Blue Grass Mountain Conference championship title again, and that's exactly what we accomplished this past weekend. We wanted to be a group of people who work hard, swim fast and have fun together, and I would definitely say that we did just that. N-L: In which events are you advancing in the playoffs? What do you need to improve upon to put yourself in the best position to win? And which event are you looking forward to most? TK: At NCAAs next month, I will be competing in the 100 Butterfly, 100 Backstroke and 200 Backstroke individually, as well as the 200 and 400 medley relays as the Backstroker. In order to do my best, I need to work on my s t r e n g t h and endurance. I am most looking forward to the relays - relays are always very high energy because your team is right there b e h i n d the block with you and you're all swimming more for each other than you are for yourself. N-L: Best part of this season so far? TK: Our training trip to Florida is always a major highlight. It's the time when we really get to know one another and our team chemistry really solidifies. This past week at Conferences also stands out in my mind. We had such a great meet - nearly everyone swam personal best times, and, needless to say, being named Conference Champions for the second year in a row was very rewarding. N-L: Any spring break plans yet? How about the summer? TK: We'll be in Indianapolis for the majority of spring break at NCAAs, so those are some pretty exciting plans! As for the summer, I'll most likely be sticking around here, trying to survive the Baltimore heat, maybe taking a class or two. N-L: How do you mentally prepare before a race, and which song is on your iPod? TK: I do a "think through" before every race. I find a quiet spot and think through every part of my race, from start to finish, seeing myself executing a perfect swim. I also have a few of my favorite verses in my head (Philippians 4:13 and 1 Corinthians 10:31) to calm and focus my mind. I actually don't own an ipod. . .surprise! (Laughing) N-L: Favorite movie? TK: The Ultimate Gift. Or any of the old Disney movies. N-L: Favorite Food? TK: Ice cream - any kind, any flavor - is my greatest weakness.
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The Hopkins men's basketball team traveled toChestertown, MD to face Washington College this past weekend. The Blue Jays took down the Shoremen, 71-67. This was the final regular season game for the Blue Jays before the Centennial Conference Tournament. In the early going, the Blue Jays found themselves trailing 15-6 to the Washington College Shoremen. It was senior day for the Shoremen so the team was amped up during the early minutes. However, WC could not sustain their lead for long allowing Hopkins to go on a 11-2, led by junior Mike Rhoads and classmate Adam Spengler. At the half, the Blue Jays were down three, 31-28, but after the initial minutes went, the team was happy with their position. Freshman George Bugarinovic dominated the second half for the Blue Jays. He scored 18 points on the day, 12 of which came in the second half. Bugarinovic has started 23 of 25 games for the Blue Jays, and his proven success throughout the year was spotlighted when he took control of the second half. Bugarinovic accompanied his 18 points with a career high 13 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double of the season. Anchored by the performance of Bugarinovic, the Blue Jays were able to defeat the Shoreman in Chestertown for the first time since 2008. The Hopkins Blue Jays and the Washington College Shoremen will square off for the second time in a week on Wednesday. If the first game was any indication of how the second game will play out, then the Blue Jays will find themselves in a close battle till the final buzzer. However, facing the Shoremen again in such a narrow time frame may give the Blue Jays the upper hand. Sophomore Daniel Corbett thinks the team can use this to their advantage. "This time we will know what to expect. Our game plan will be the exact same as it was the first game and if we execute like we did this past Saturday, we know we can win." Corbett also noted that it is a challenge to face the same team twice in a short time span because they will try to revamp their game plan in hopes of a different outcome. However, the Blue Jays do not have an easy offense to contain. "They (the Shoremen) know our offense well. But we are a versatile team with multiple offensive sets," Corbett went on to say. It certainly will be a tough game for the first round of the Centennial Conference Playoffs, but, if the Blue Jays stick to their game plan, they will be successful. It has been a busy start to the Centennial Conference Playoffs for the Blue Jays. Many accolades have surrounded this past victory to finish off the regular season. Head coach Bill Nelson was named Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. Nelson led the team to a 15-10 record overall and an 11-7 record in conference. This is the first time since 2008 that the Blue Jays will finish above .500. The Blue Jays also had Bugarinovic and Corbett selected to the Honorable Mention All-Centennial Conference team. Bugarinovic is just the third freshman in Blue Jays' history to be named to the All-CC honorable mention team, and for good reason. He leads the team in scoring averaging 9.9 a game and rebounding with 5.9 a game. Daniel Corbett leads the team in assists with 63 and steals with 38. The Blue Jays will take their recent accolades and season success into Goldfarb Gym Wednesday night to once again battle the Shoremen in the first round of the Centennial Conference Playoffs. Coverage of the game can be found in next week's issue of The News-Letter.
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It is a recurring theme in NCAA sports that a solid team must first mature and acclimate before their talent starts to shine through. In football, it has been the Texas Longhorns in 2005 and the Auburn Tigers in 2010. In basketball, it has been the UNC Tar Heels in 2009. All three began with modest beginnings but evolved into championship winning squads that eventually etched their way into the record books. The same is to be said of the Hopkins women's lacrosse team. After a couple years of building a strong system through experience and chemistry, the Blue Jays are poised for a very successful season. If Saturday's game is any indication, the Blue Jays are starting off as hoped. The George Mason Patriots were outplayed, outhustled and outmatched as the Blue Jays began their season with a 19-6 victory. Amidst the blowout, Candace Rossi also made her way into the JHU record books, becoming the seventh player in school history to score 100 career points. Hopkins jumped to an early 2-0 lead after skillfully placed goals from junior Monica Fischer and Rossi; this was Fischer's first and only of the game and Rossi's first of five. Though George Mason's goals were few and far between, they jumped out early to make the score 2-1 after Mary Schwartz connected at 14:11. Hopkins to set the tone and was quick to answer back as sophomore Taylor D'Amore scored to push the lead to two. The Patriots - looking strong in the beginning - bounced back and put two of their own on the board after goals by Rachel Obregon and Schwartz scored within a minute of each other. But this seemed to be all that the Patriots had left in the tank, as the 3-3 tie started to diminish. After the Patriots tied the game, the Blue Jays netted three goals in a total of 80 seconds scored by Senior Colleen McCaffrey, Sophomore Sarah Taylor and Rossi. The Patriots then rounded out the first half with a goal from Obregon putting the score at 6-4 Hopkins. "The game was a little too close for comfort at halftime, but. . . we made adjustments our offensive strategies to play to our strengths and push our fast break and get into more of a flow," said junior Courtney Schweizer, who had two goals on the day. "We came out strong at half and capitalized on our strengths and their mistakes." Rossi started the second half with back-to-back goals which was her third and fourth of the game. Freshman Sarah Biron then scored her first goal as Blue Jay, coming from a solid free position shot. McCaffrey then struck again with a goal off of a nice feed from D'Amore. This capped a 7-1 Hopkins run that spanned both halves and put the team at a commanding 10-4 lead. Obregon furthered her already stellar day with another goal to make It 10- 5. Hopkins then went on to score eight goals consecutively. McCaffrey scored her third and fourth, both within 28 seconds, and both from sophomore Sammy Cermack assists. This was Mcaffrey's Rossi then scored her fifth of the game, which also was her 100th career goal which makes her just the 20th Division I player in history to reach this milestone. With continuous offense and a strong defensive effort from junior Sophia Sheery and senior Alyssa Kildare along with goalie Cosette Larash, the Blue Jays finished out the game with a massive lead. The Blue Jays are pleased about their performance but know that more work is needed. "Our ride (when midfield defense clears it) was definitely a strength of ours. We managed the gaps and got some knock downs and forced turnovers. We also played well together with the philosophy 'what can I do to help my teammate' in each play," said Schwiezer. "However, there is always room for improvement. Offensively we need to find a balance between patience and losing flow, we need to control tempo a little more, and need to improve communication in our ride. Defensively, we need to improve our man-down defense, we can also work on better anticipating what offenses will do in order to stay one step ahead." On Tuesday, the Lady Jays once again proved their mite, stomping on inter-state rival Mount St. Mary's, 18-8. Hopkins was led by D'Amore who scored four goals and three assists in the contest, good for a career-high seven points. Although the Mountaineers grabbed an early 1-0 lead, the score-de-force of D'Amore, McCaffrey and Rossi quickly turned the advantage in favor of JHU. With the game knotted at one apiece, McCaffrey scored two goals, both on nifty assists from Rossi, to extend the lead to 3-1. The Mount rallied back to make it a 5-4 affair in the middle of the first half, but after a brief timeout called by Coach Tucker, the Jays scored six goals in just over two minutes to put the game away for good. Goals from the sticks of D'Amore, sophomore midfielder Sarah Taylor and senior attackman Rachel Ballatori gave Hopkins an 11-5 heading into the half. The Lady Jays ran away with the game in the second half, outscoring Mount St. Mary's 7-3 in the second stanza. Hopkins received hat tricks from D'Amore, McCaffrey, Taylor and Ballatori. Hopkins will return to action this Friday in their home-opener against Denver College at 3 PM.
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In the team's fourth meet in five weeks, the Hopkins women's fencing team showed no signs of slowing down at the Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC) Individual Championships in Hoboken, N.J. this past weekend. After claiming the team's third consecutive EWFC Team Championship the previous weekend, Hopkins returned to New Jersey for an individuals meet against some of the best fencing Division III had to offer. Unlike last weekend's team meet, this time around each fencer would face everyone in their respective weapon group, including teammates. Each fencer would be ranked as an individual, regardless of school affiliation. Despite the individual nature of the meet, however, senior foilist Jen Hession emphasized that every Blue Jay has each other's back. "Even in individual tournaments where you compete against each other, we still help each other out and pump each other up," Hession said. "It's not hard to feel proud of your teammates when they do well." For the foils, Hession captured fourth place while classmate Colleen Stone finished ninth. "Everyone seemed to hold up in the face of pressure and the pace...You have to consistently perform at your best because each little mistake can really hurt you in the final standings," Hession said. That consistent effort led to Hopkins winning recognition as the best foil team at the meet. In the sabre category, sophomore Katherine Simeon took home the first place finish with a 15-2 overall record, followed by fellow sophomore Kathleen Rand who finished third. With two finishers in the top five, Hopkins also won best sabre team. As a result of her impressive play, Simeon, a native of Basking Ridge, N.J, was named EWFC women's fencer of the year. In addition to her athletic prowess, Simeon also doubles as one of the News and Features editors of The News-Letter. Finally, the epees were led by sophomore Liz Caris who placed fourth while freshman Gianna Puzzo finished seventh. The Blue Jays finished second as a team behind host Stevens Institute of Technology. If tallying six top ten finishes wasn't enough, all of it was done without the team's head coach, Austin Young. That same weekend, Young was in Salt Lake City, UT coaching several members of the Hopkins fencing team competing in the Junior Olympics. In his place, graduate students and former team members Ian McCue and Max Wieder stepped up and coached the team during their successful day. They were also aided by senior captain Lauren Chinn, who sat out the meet due to her nagging hip injury, and senior Marion Trumbull, who had been plagued with severe knee problems. Both upperclassmen opted to travel with the team and offer advice and support for their respective weapons; Chinn aided the epeeists and Trumbull the foilists. The ride continues for the Blue Jays, as they travel to New York for the US Weapon Squad Championships
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The Hopkins wrestling team made history this past Saturday in Gettysburg, PA with the capture of their first-ever Centennial Conference championship. After the Blue Jays were awarded the Centennial Conference Title, Head Coach Keith Norris was honored as the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. The top five finishers - Hopkins, Ursinus, Stevens, Gettysburg and Merchant Marine - were separated by narrow point margins. Because of this, a true team effort was needed to take the trophy. Hopkins' 10 wrestlers all played pivotal roles on Saturday, but it was junior Reid Mosquera, The News-Letter's Athlete of the Week, who sealed the victory for the Blue Jays.Mosquera had a daunting task in the 197-pound division, taking on topseeded Connor McNamara of Ursinus. McNamara had already taken downMosquera in a previous match this season in just 90 seconds. Unfortunately for McNamara, however,Mosquera battled for an 11-8 victory in the final three seconds. The victory sealed the conference for Hopkins, as well as an individual championship for Mosquera. Leading up to the final match, the preceding events put Hopkins in a position to take the conference crown. All of the points won in the previous matches were crucial for the chance to take the title in the final match. Individual accomplishments also made program history for the Blue Jays. Freshman Paul Bewak took the first-ever championship in the 125-pound weight class for the Blue Jays. Bewak has been outstanding this season, and his two victories on Saturday did not stray from his consistency. Bewak moved to 27-7 on the season. Junior Paul Marcello, wrestling at 141 pounds, also made Blue Jay history with the third individual championship of his career. Marcello won three wins by decision to claim his individual title. The sophomore class yielded two great performances from Henry Stauber and Matt Fusaro. Both won individual titles, at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, but their performances spurned the points needed to get to the final match and set up Mosquera's finale.Stauber, the lone Blue Jay to win an individual title not seeded first or second, also faced an opponent who had beaten him in a previous match this year: C.J. Caserta of Stevens. Caserta came in seeded second, and Stauber, like Mosquera, reversed that former outcome. It is meaningful to note that the Blue Jays stepped up when it mattered this past weekend. Facing opponents that have had the upper hand in the past is not an easy task and to beat them on the biggest stage is even more impressive. The individual titles took the spotlight in the final matches, but all of the Blue Jay's efforts were necessary for capturing their first ever Centennial Conference championship. Hopkins took the title with 79 points, while Ursinus came in second-place with 73.5 points, just short of their tenth overall title. Through ups and downs - Hopkins entered the bouts with a 6-15 record - Hopkins never lost confidence and fought until the very end. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament, which begins next Friday, Mar. 9.
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While the rest of the student body at Hopkins returned home to recover from a long fall semester, the Lady Blue Jay basket- ball team took little time off. In fact, the ladies took advantage of the down time from school to contin-ue improving their game. Though the weather got colder outside, the Lady Jays turned up the heat in gyms throughout the Cen-tennial Conference and be-yond, compiling a record of 10-1 over the break. This hot play raised their record to 18-2 overall and 13-2 in the Centennial Conference - good for first place. As recently as this past week, Hopkins earned a spot in the USA Today/ ESPN WCBA top 25 at #23 nationally. After spending the holidays at home, the Blue Jays made a trip to sunny Southern California where they took down two West Coast powerhouses in Oc-cidental College and Chap- man University in a couple of closely contested games. The Jays then returned home only to hit the road again with a win at Ursi-nus before two home Cen-tennial Conference wins against Washington Col-lege and Swarthmore. The lone rough spot in the month of January was a road loss against rival Haverford College by a score of 41-37. Despite be-ing 13-6 (8-6 CC), Haver- ford has given the Lady Blue Jays fits this season, accounting for their only two losses on record. In those teams the Haverford defense has been the difference, hold-ing Hopkins to 39.5 points per game, down from their season average of 62.8. The Lady Jays wasted no time bouncing back, win-ning their next five games in relatively easy fashion, including three games against the next two top teams in the Centennial Conference in Muhlenberg and Franklin & Marshall. Leading the way for the Blue Jays this season has been senior shooting guard Chantel Mattiola who has averaged 12.5 points per game and 3.5 re- bounds per game. Mattiola also set a Hopkins record during the break for most career three-point baskets made. She is the Jays' sharpest shooter, accounting for 41 of the team's 56 total made three pointers this season, including an impressive streak in which she has hit at least one trey in each of her last 28 games played dating back to the 2010- 2011 season. Right behind Mattiola is junior center Alex Vassila, who is second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg), ranks second in the conference in blocked shots (45 on the season), and ranks seventh in rebounding (8.8 rpg).Her impressive play, es- pecially in the past week, earned her Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors. She was also named The News-Letter's Athlete of the Week. This past week against the other two teams at the top of the Centennial Con- ference, Vassila was at her best, collecting 16 points and 13 rebounds against Muhlenberg and 12 points and 11 rebounds against F&M. These two games ac- counted for half of her dou- ble-doubles on the season. Perhaps the most in- triguing aspect of the Lady Jays this season is their impressive depth that may have been missing in pre- vious years. Eight players have seen playing time in every game this season, and two of the top five scorers on the team, sopho- more guard Fatu Conteh (7.2 ppg) and freshman for- ward Maggie Fruehan (5.3 ppg), come off the bench. Senior point guard Stephanie Fong has ex- celled in her role as team leader and floor general, as she ranks second in the Ccentennial Conference in assists and eight all-time in career assists at Hopkins. She also leads the confer- ence in free throw percent- age with a by shooting at a 91.1% (51-56) clip from the line. On Wednesday night, the Lady Jays faced off with Gettysburg, a team batting for playoff position, and handed the Bullets a 67-57 loss. Hopkins was led by Mattiola, whose three-point skills were once again on display, and Fong. Mattiola hit a decisive deep-ball to put the game away for good late in the second half. On the game, Mattiola notched 11 points. Fong was the team's leading scorer with 16, and she also topped the Jays with seven assists. Again, it was her prowess at the free-throw line that boost- ed Hopkins. Half of Fong's points came on foul shots. Nine Jays scored in the game, including a great performance from fresh- man forward Haley Bush. Up next this week for the Lady Blue Jays is an- other tough couple games against Centennial op- ponents on their home courts. On Saturday the Jays travel to Swarthmore College to take on the Garnet before making a trip on Wednesday 2/8 to Westminster, MD to take on the Green Terror of Mc- Daniel College. After this road swing the Lady Blue Jays Basket- ball team will return home to finish out the regular season with the hopes of securing the top spot and potentially hosting the conference tournament.
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After a much needed winter break, the men's and women's track and field teams got back to the action earlier this month to kick off their winter seasons. The men opened up the New Year on Jan. 13th at the NYU Gotham Cup in New York, NY where sophomore Andrew Carey came in first in the un- seeded 800 meter run with a time of 1:59:37. Follow- ing their New York meet, Hopkins came back home to the state of Maryland for the Terrapin Invitational on Jan. 21st. Led by fresh- man Ryan Walsh's record breaking high jump of 6' 4.25", besting the former school record of 6' 2", the Blue Jays placed 10th with a team total of 32 points. This past weekend, Hopkins sophomore sen- sation Max Robinson par- ticipated in the Penn State National Invitational, an invite-only race whose field was chosen from the best runners in Division I programs such as Wis- consin and the University of Pennsylvania. In the 17 person, 5000 meter race, Robinson was able to hold his own among some of the top runners in the nation, finishing 10th with a time of 15:18.44. While Robinson was racing in Pennsylvania, the men jumpers made their way to the University of Delaware for the Thomson Invitational. As a team, the men placed 14th with a to- tal of 22 points. The meet was especially memorable for freshman pole vaulter Paul Vozzo who jumped 14' 3.25" in the pole vault, setting the Hopkins fresh- man record and the fourth highest jump in Hopkins history. For the women, the winter season began along- side the men at the NYU Go- tham Cup. Across the board, the Hopkins women moved up in Blue Jay history with record setting runs. Freshman Megan Kelly recorded the 6th fastest time in Hopkins history in the 500 meter dash with a run of 86.51 seconds while Junior Monika Sullivan followed her with a time of 86.84 seconds, good for 7th all-time. In the 1000 meter run sophomore Deidre Caffrey ran a 3:22.21 to put her in 9th all-time in Hopkins history while sophomore Sa- mantha Brandon moved into 10th with a run of 3:27.76. In the following week, the Lady Jays arrived on the campus of the Univer- sity of Maryland for the Terrapin Invitational and came away with a 7th place finish among the 18 com- peting schools. Leading the way was junior shot put- ter Alana Merkow who set the Hopkins record with a throw of 41' 1.5", besting the former record set in 2007 by Amarachi Onyima. On the women's side of the Penn State Invita- tional, freshman Hannah Eckstein, sophomore Holly Clarke, and sophomore Lara Shegoski were select- ed to compete against the best distance runners the nation had to offer. Clarke finished 13th with a time of 17:54.26 while Shegoski finished with a time of 18:52.44. Eckstein had a ca- reer day, finishing 3rd with a time of 17:19.68. Her run shattered the freshman re- cord in the 5000 meter run by 15 seconds while also being good for 3rd best among all Division III run- ners for 2012. This past weekend the Lady Jay jumpers compet- ed in the Thomson Invite at the University of Delaware where the team placed 17th in the 22 team field. Junior Kristin Spera led Hopkins with a season best long jump for her and among all of Division III competitors at the event, leaping 15' 10". Along with Spera, ju- nior Emily Kashka had an impressive showing with a 4th place finish in the pole vault, followed by class- mate Tracey Vill who had a 10th place finish. After two weeks of see- ing the Hopkins Track and Field team split up among various events, the entire team will compete recon- vene to compete in the New Balance Invitational this weekend, February 3-4.
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A year removed from one of Hopkins women's basketball's best seasons in recent memory, a campaign that included 22 wins - the last of which came in the first round of the NCAA Tournament - the Lady Jays entered their 2011-2012 schedule with expected nerves. Not only did Hopkins need to live up to the hype they created for themselves, but they also had to replace 1,000-point scorer Lyndsay Burton. Burton, who led the Jays in points and rebounds per game and was an honorable mention all-American last winter, was an impact power forward, a true game-changer teams needed to prepare for. So when junior forward Alex Vassila was awarded the task of filling Burton's shoes at forward this season, it was a daunting task. "To be honest, I know that a lot of us thought this year would be very difficult, picking up without great team leaders likeLyndsay Burton," Vassila said. "And going from that, I think it is impossible to replace such an outstanding player and teammate [as Burton]." However, as the season Jays have learned how to deal without a top-flight scorer like in years past. Instead, the Jays have relied on several hands to pick up the slack, most notably Vassila and senior guard Chantel Mattiola. "I think last year with Lyndsay on our team, we all felt that if we ever got stuck or needed a go-to player to bring a spark into the game, we could turn to Lyndsay," Vassila said. "Now, it can be any one on our team on any given day. Our starters all contribute, as well as our players who come off the bench. One secret weapon, you could say, that our team has which makes us so hard to beat is how deep we are on the bench." But as widespread as the Hopkins offense has been this season, the past few games have been Vassila's show. Beginning on Jan. 16th against conference rival Muhlenberg, the six-foot-one Maryland native has recorded four double-doubles in her last six games, reminscent of Burton's former dominance. Vassila posted her second double-double of the season on the 16th, a 10 point-10 rebound performance, before scoring 11 with eight rebounds in just 18 minutes of play against Bryn Mawr days later. In her next three games, Vassila led the Jays to key conference victories over Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall and Muhlenberg again with three more doubledoubles. On We d n e s d a y night, she just missed yet another doubledouble against Ge t t y s bu r g , but Vassila did manage to move into second place in school history with 111 career blocks. Her second meeting with the Mules was even more impressive than the first, as Vassila put up 16 points and a season-high 13 boards to lead the Blue Jays to a convincing win, 67-43, and comfortable first-place lead in the Centennial. The girls, she said, were playing with a chip on their shoulder. " G o - ing into t h a t game all of the r e t u r n - ers knew that we o w e d them a b e a t i n g on our c o u r t . Last year, we lost in the conf e r e n c e f i n a l s to them and had to watch them celebrate and cut down our net," Vassila recalled. "From the tipoff, I felt that our team was so aggressive and fighting for every loose ball, just playing the best basketball that our team could collectively play." For her individual performance on the court, Vassila was named the Centennial Conference's Player of the Week. "It was actually really shocking to me [to hear I won the award]," the junior said. "If someone had told me to pick someone on our team to give the honor to, I would have picked one of our amazing seniors that I've been so lucky to play with. So I guess it was a really exciting surprise that someone thought I deserved this honor." In the midst of a sixgame win streak, however, Vassila feels the team's breakthrough into the nation's top 25 rankings is a greater accomplishment. "I think I am more excited about our team finally getting the recognition it deserves," she said. Vassila's recent emergence and Burton-esque numbers are hardly surprises. Last season, she notched nearly nine points and eight rebounds a game in limited time, a sign of things to come. She then began this season with a double-double, scratching by York, 67-62. "I wish I could say there is something specific that has spiked a change in making me play the way that I have, but I don't think it is something I p e r s o n - ally have done. I think as a team we have had some g r e a t c h emi s - try on the court, and we have just been playing with all our hearts," she said. "Besides all the team's hard work that we have been putting in throughout the season, I have just been trying to keep working on things that I can control. Putting extra time in the gym to practice things as simple as making my layups, being consistent with free throws and crashing the glass." Heading into the final weeks of the regular season, the Lady Jays stand at 18-2 overall and have their sights set on the Centennial Conference playoffs. But with Vassila playing like past Blue Jay greats, the team hopes to compete in the NCAA Tournament come March. "I expect our team to finish off the regular season strong, and I do believe that we have a shot at winning the conference title this year," Vassila said. "I think if we continue to play the way we have been in our last few games, we can go very far into the postseason - yes, farther than last year."
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The Hopkins women's swimming team had a grueling three matches this week against formidable opponents Navy, Towson, and Washington and Lee. The Jays began this stretch on January 25th against the Division I Navy Midshipmen. The Midshipmen defeated the Jays, 137-76, handing Hopkins their first loss of the season and first defeat since January 28, 2011. The loss dropped the Jays to 7-1, while Navy improved to 7-4. Notable performers for the Jays included freshman Ana Bogdanovski, who placed second in the 100-meter Free and the 200-meter Free. The Lady Jays looked to rebound against Towson just two days later, but unfortunately fell short, 117-172. TheJHU loss marked the Tigers' fourth straight win, improving their already impressive record to 9-1. The Jays were led by sophomore Taylor Kitayama, who won three individual events. The Lady Jays did not despair, however, and turned things around the following day with a hard fought victory over Washington and Lee, 137-122. The Jays improved to 8-2 on the season, while the Generals fell to 9-3. Hopkins was anchored by sophomore CristinaCusumano, who won the 100-meter Breast and finished second in the 200-meter Breast. While Hopkins' women's swimming team certainly deserves recognition, the Hopkins men's swim team is on an unprecedented run. The men's squad began the week with a perfect 6-0 record and a numberfive national ranking. They looked to continue their already historic season against Towson and Washington and Lee this past weekend and did not disappoint, winning both matches to improve to 8-0 on the season. The first victory came against Towson on Friday, which featured 10 Blue Jay wins in 12 events, allowing them to swim exhibitions in the final two events. The point totals favored Hopkins, 148-127. The Blue Jays' most notable performances occurred in the 200-meter Medley Relay and the 50-meter free, in which Hopkins swept the top three spots in each event. Other noteworthy performances included junior Nick Schmidt's two first place finishes in the 200-meter free and the 100-meter fly. The team built off their performance the next day against 19th-ranked Washington and Lee. The Jays seemed unaffected by racing on backto- back days, defeating the Generals, 154-105. The win improved the Jays to 8-0, giving them the most wins in a season since they went 9-4 in the 2004-2005 season. The Jays won 11 out of 12 scoring events. The Jays were led by junior Dylan Coggin and freshman Dylan Davis, who each won two individual races. The match was a total team effort, featuring seven different Hopkins swimmers winning the other seven events.
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While many Hopkins students were relaxing at home enjoying a break from studying and work during intersession, the Hopkins men's and women's fencing teams were hard at work, training and participating in highly competitive tournaments. After a short break for the holidays, the Blue Jays opened up the second half of their respective seasons at the Philadelphia Invitational on Sunday, Jan. 22nd. The meet was held at the University of Pennsylvania and boasted strong competition from nationally ranked teams such as Duke, North Carolina, Sacred Heart, NJIT and Haverford. Even going up against such highly ranked Division I and Division III schools, the Blue Jays held their own, fending off some stiff competition. On the men's side, the day began with a disappointing loss after a close match with Duke. However, the team rallied to crush UNC, 20-7, with impressive showings in the sabre from both junior Nicolas Barbera and freshman Aravind Menon. Another freshman, Robert Goldhirsch, also helped lead the team to victory with an impressive win in the foil. The win over Chapel Hill was finally secured by freshman Brian Reddick, who posted a 6-3 win in the Epee. The men then sliced their way to victory against the NJIT Highlanders. The Highlanders stood little chance against the duo of Barbera and Menon, who led team to a 2-1 lead, sweeping the team to victory. Despite closing the day with a loss to Penn, the men ended up with an impressive 3-2 record for the meet, an improvement from their last meet at Haverford in November when they went 2-2. On the women's side, the Lady Jays opened the day with a loss to Penn, but they did put up a good fight. Despite losing to three D-I schools, the women's team had a strong victory against Haverford, the only other D-III school in the meet. Two standouts from the Invitational were senior Lauren Chinn and freshman Rachel Kalina. Both girls sliced their ways to nine wins apiece, including a clean sweep in the epee against Haverford for Chinn. The match against Haverford was a tight one, but the girls fought hard to earn their victory. After losing by a small margin in the Sabre (5- 4), Hopkins responded with a 5-4 win in the foil. This success in the foil was largely due to a strong performance from sophomore Jackie Heath, who sealed the deal in the ninth and last bout, clinching the match. The secret to the team's success may have something to do with the rigorous practice regimens that the teams followed over winter break and during intersession. "Fencing is a year round sport so there was little transition from home to training here at Hopkins," freshman Aravind Menon said, not to be confused with his older brother, Sid, who is a junior on the men's team. With two practices a day, including two hours of technique based work and two hours of lifting and conditioning, the teams put forth the effort and have the work ethic to see great results at bigger events as they proved in the Philadelphia Invitational. Although the team is very talented, it is a surprisingly young team. Coach Austin Young did an excellent job of recruiting a very talented group of freshman this year, including Paul Vitale, Alex Szigeti, Brian Reddick, Robert Goldhirsch and Menon. On the women's side, freshman Rachel Kalina and Gianni Puzzo have made huge contributions to the team thus far. These freshman have been holding their own and have shown great improvement throughout the year. In addition to these newcomers, the men's team is held together by key returners such as sophomore Jay Deyoung and Barbera. The women are led by seniors Chinn, Jenn Hession and sophomore Katherine Simeon. With such young, talented teams going up against fierce competitors, men's and women's fencing are suiting up for an excellent second semester of matches. This past weekend the teams also competed in the Stevens Tech Invitational. The men blew away the competition, beating all five opposing schools. One noteworthy performance was sophomore Evan Stafford, who went 13-0 at the meet. For their next big meet, the men's and women's teams will be traveling to Waltham, Massachusetts for the Eric Sollee Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 4th. The event will feature more D-I schools who will keep these Blue Jays on their toes.
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During the next mid- term period, take a good look around campus. Be- sides the fact that it looks like a zombie apocalypse has just swept across cam- pus - with all of those bulging red eyes and mo-notonous gaits - a lot can be learned from observing each student. Many are filled with disappointment, regret and anxiety. It is not un- common to hear, 'Damn, how did I miss that ques- tion?' or 'Man, my parents are going to be pissed!' Here at Hopkins, we have all done well enough in our pasts in order to gain admission to one of America's most esteemed institutions. This would entail answering thou- sands and thousands of different questions cor- rectly throughout the years. This includes tests, quizzes, pop-quizzes, standardized tests, spell- ing bees, mathletics and more (insert tormented middle school experience here). Despite all of our prior experience, however, we all slip up one time or another and miss those "gimme" questions on an exam. We are not immune to miss- ing a question every now and again that our second grade selves would have certainly gotten. It is often referred to as a brain fart, and we are all victims. Nothing stings as bad as missing those questions, and we constantly beat ourselves up over them. Now imagine missing wide left on a 32-yard field goal to put your team into the Super Bowl. Instead of just disappointing your- self, and possibly your par- ents, as with a test ques- tion, now you would have let down your friends, your teammates and your coaches - nonetheless in a television event that re- ceived one of the highest viewership ratings since last year's Super Bowl. Not to mention, you have let down your entire city - suffering from eco- nomic despair, elevated rates of crime and a high rate of unemployment - that looks at football as much more than a sport. Regardless of the scale, we have all had experienc- es that teach us the despair that Baltimore Ravens place-kicker Billy Cundiff must be going through. So here are three reasons why we still love Billy and so should you. First, Cundiff has had two phenomenal regular seasons for the Ravens in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, Cundiff connected on 26 of 29 (89.7 percent) field goals and even broke an NFL record at the time with 40 touchbacks on kickoffs. Af- ter his stellar season, Cun- diff was honored with an AFC Pro Bowl selection. He then returned to have another strong sea- son in 2011. With a long of 51 yards, he connected on 28 of 37 (75.7 percent). Cundiff also made some huge kicks throughout both the regular and post- seasons each year, and it is difficult to tell if the Ravens would have made such a deep playoff run in 2011 without these. But such is the mantra of a kicker: fail and you will be the goat, but win and you will rarely be con- sidered the hero. Second, Billy Cundiff still has a bright future ahead of him, and many people within the Ravens' organization still look to him as one who can help them win the big one. Ever since its instatement in 1920, the National Foot- ball League has been filled with "rags to riches" type stories that continue in- spire the public. Tales like Kurt Warner's, who went from supermar- ket bag boy to two-time Super Bowl MVP, and the journey of former New England Patriot place-kick- er "Automatic" Adam Vina- tieri, which may relate more directly towards Cundiff. After a record break- ing career at South Dakota State University, Vinatieri was disregarded and re- jected by the NFL, so he pursued a kicking posi- tion for the European Foot- ball League's Amsterdam Admirals in 1995. After a season overseas, Vinatieri signed as an undrafted free agent to the Patriots, where he later went on to arguably become one of the game's greats, winning an unprecedented four Super Bowls (three with the Pa- triots and one with Colts). Nobody knows what the future holds, but we all hope that the 2012 season will hold Cundiff's chance for a comeback into Super Bowl glory. Third, with a five-year 15 million dollar contract, Cundiff falls into the top taxing bracket within the city of Baltimore. Outside of giving back to the com- munity through football, Mr. Cundiff provides some of the highest taxable in- come to a city in dire need of security, public educa- tion and infrastructure. Though he has no say in the matter, a small amount of recognition should be paid in this respect. So Mr. Cundiff, if you are somewhere out there reading this, just know that we at the JHU News-Letter, as well as the Johns Hop- kins University student community, have your back and fully support you. ?
