The 2014 Olympics in Sochi looked to be, like every Olympics, an opportunity for the United States to prove their athletic prowess on the world stage.
In what was sure to be one of the most competitive games of the season, the Hopkins men’s basketball team welcomed the Swarthmore Garnet into Goldfarb Gym on Saturday afternoon, as the two teams got ready to face off for the second time this season. In the first matchup between these Centennial Conference rivals earlier in January, the Jays cruised to an impressive 76-47 rout of Swarthmore in front of the Garnet’s home crowd. However, the second time around proved to be a much tougher test for the Blue Jays, as they were able to slip past the resilient Swarthmore squad for a 60-53 win. Hopkins improved to 13-8 on the season with a record of 10-4 in conference play. As a result of this critical win, the Blue Jays maintained third place in the Centennial Conference standings.
On Feb. 7, the Hopkins men and women’s track teams travelled up north to Boston to compete in the Boston University Valentine Invitational. It was a record setting day for both squads, as both teams set numerous season, personal and school records. For the men, sophomore Trevor Holmgren set the school record in the 800 meter with a time of 1:53.04, breaking the record set by teammate senior Andrew Carey in the Bison Open at Bucknell just over a week before. The two runners now rank in the top five nationally in the event, and the top two in school history.
Amid chants of “D-Fense!” from the roughly 1,400 in attendance, the ball went soaring into the air.
The Hopkins women’s fencing team went undefeated at the 2014 Eastern Women’s Fencing Conference to claim its fifth consecutive title. Going 6-0 on the day, the Blue Jays are now 16-7 and are also finished with the dual-meet portion of their season. With a 45-6 record through six matches, Hopkins won its fourth strait Foil title.
The Boston University Valentine Invitational, which runs every February on one of the quickest indoor tracks in the country, always produces some of the fastest times in the nation year after year. This past weekend, the Hopkins track and field team certainly used the track to their advantage when they shattered eight school records during the meet.
The Hopkins’ wrestling team traveled to Grantham, Pa. on Friday night to take on third-ranked Messiah in a non-conference wrestling match. While the Blue Jays fell at the hands of the undefeated Eagles by a score of 33-9, two Jays were able to come away from their matches victorious. Senior Duncan Crystal beat Greg Kabakjian, 4-2, in the 149-pound weight class, while freshman Jordan Forman was able to pin Jeremy Bailes in the 174-pound weight class. Forman’s pin brought the Blue Jays within 11 points of the Eagles, but three Messiah wins quickly followed Forman's excellent performance, putting the match out of reach for the Jays.
The Hopkins women’s basketball team dominated against Bryn Mawr on Saturday afternoon, finishing with a score of 83-24 and improving their record to 15-6. This was the highest point total of the season for the Lady Jays, as every player scored at least two points in the game. It was without a doubt one of the most dominant performances that the team has had all season long.
Two weeks ago, the men’s and women’s swim teams capped off their dominant regular seasons with a win against Mary Washington. The women’s team finished with a 6-2 record, and the men ended with a 7-1 record. This past weekend, the teams went to Virginia Tech for one last meet before conferences begin. Hopkins was up against some tough D1 competition, but they were able to stay up front with the rest of the competition the way they had done all season.
From Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hit streak, to Brett Favre’s 297 consecutive regular season starts, and now the Hopkins men’s lacrosse team consecutive playoff berths, every streak must eventually end.
On Friday, Jan. 31, the Hopkins men’s swimming team took on Mary Washington. The meet turned out to be a complete sweep for the Jays, helping them continue their already successful season.
After starting off the season by winning 13 of their first 16 games, the Hopkins women's basketball team has not been able to sustain their winning ways as the team lost two games in a row against Muhlenberg and McDaniel. To the team's dismay, the stretch of losses continued after facing off against Swarthmore on Jan. 30. The Lady Jays were simply not able to match the firepower of the surging Garnet as Haverford downed Hopkins by a score of 75-47. Two seniors on Haverford, Katie Lytie and Ellie Larson, notched 20 points a piece as the Garnet held onto the lead for the rest of the game halfway through the first half.
The Hopkins wrestling team began their most important month of the season this past weekend with a dual meet split with two nationally ranked Centennial Conference opponents. The Blue Jays, who hosted the tri-match at Goldfarb Gymnasium, started their Saturday with a narrow victory over 29th ranked Stevens Institute of Technology 21-19. In their second match of the day against 20th ranked Ursinus College, Hopkins was not able to maintain its early lead over the Bears en route to a 24-6 defeat. At the end of the day, the dual split brought the Jays record to 7-4 overall and an impressive 4-1 in the Centennial Conference.
The Hopkins women’s track and field team went into this weekend’s race at Bucknell University ranked tenth in the nation. After their impressive performances this weekend, the team should only improve in the rankings. The Blue Jays had many top performances and now have runners in the top 10 in the conference in every track event from the 60-meter dash to the 5k. When asked how the team was able to be competitive in every event, sophomore Alex Popkin said it is due to their commitment and hard work.
After a week of hard work and preparation, the Hopkins men’s track team hiked to Bucknell University to take part in the 16th Annual Bison Open. This was a two-day event that closed out January and kicked off February for the Blue Jays.
A first place finish in the men’s 800 meter run is great; however, finishing in first place while also beating the Hopkins record is incredible.
On Jan. 31, the fourth-ranked Hopkins women’s swimming traveled to Fredericksburg, Va. for a dual meet with Mary Washington. It was the team’s final dual meet, finishing at 6-2 on the season.
The Hopkins men’s basketball team has endured a hard fought season against tough Centennial Conference opponents. However, they've battled through and currently hold an impressive record of 7-4 in conference play. Although the Jays are in a good position, the team knows that all opponents in the conference are a threat; that reminder was seen in full force on Saturday, as the Blue Jays travelled to rival Haverford for a rivalry matchup against the Fords.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? This is the first question that comes to mind when the high-octane Denver Bronco’s offense faces off against the top ranked Seattle defense. Super Bowl XLVIII will showcase the brilliance of Peyton Manning and the Denver receiving core against the star-studded Seahawks defense, led by the talented and boisterous Richard Sherman.
Junior distance runner Frances Loeb found herself in a less than desirable situation at the Haverford Invitational.
