The Jays water polo team took a 17-8 record into the CWPA Southern Championship this weekend in Annapolis, but they were up against some tough competition with their first game against Navy (who defeated Hopkins 12-8 earlier this season, but lost in Baltimore).
Heading into the 2013-2014 season, head coach Bill Nelson is marking his 28th season with the Jays. Also returning for the Jays are three All-Centennial Conference selections, three previous starters, and an overall veteran lineup. All told, the team boasts a strong collection of veteran experience and younger players as the Jays look to improve from a 16-10 record last season, which saw the squad finish third in the Centennial Conference Tournament.
The Hopkins football team won its fourth straight Centennial Conference Championship this past Saturday with a 45-30 victor over visiting Franklin & Marshall (F&M) College. It also marked the program’s 500th all-time victory.
The Hopkins women’s soccer team captured the first jewel in what they hope will become a national championship crown this past weekend by winning the 2013 Centennial Conference Title. They defeated the Muhlenberg Mules 8-0 on Friday night and defeated Haverford Fords 2-0 on Saturday to win their ninth Centennial Championship in program history.
The Hopkins football team found themselves in unfamiliar territory this past weekend. The 10th-ranked Jays trailed the Ursinus Bears by eight points at the start of the fourth quarter. However, senior wide receiver Dan Wodicka snagged a pair of touchdown catches to give Hopkins a 24-18 victory. “We maintained our poise and kept fighting when things weren’t necessarily going our way,” senior safety John Arena said. “We just focused on working hard to execute our assignments, carrying out the game plan and taking advantage of opportunities when they arose.”
The Hopkins men’s swimming team remained undefeated (3-0) while the women’s team fell to 3-1 at the Thomas Murphy Invitational this past weekend at Loyola University in Baltimore. The men were dominvant in defeating both Marywood and Loyola, winning 16 of the 18 events over the two-day meet. The Blue Jay women won eight out of 18 events en route to defeating Marywood and St. Francis but could not outscore the host Greyhounds.
For the first time in over 50 years, the Hopkins men’s cross country team captured the Centennial Conference Championship. While there have been a variety of contributors that have been crucial to the team’s success this year, the most consistent and dominant runner on the team has been senior captain Max Robinson. Robinson led the way again this past weekend at the Conference Championships where he took third place overall. He has been a leader all year long for the cross country team, and his relentless determination has helped him to finish well in every race regardless of the teams he faced. As a result of his great success The News-Letter has awarded Robinson with the Athlete of the Week title. We were able to catch up with the star distance runner to ask him a few questions about the season and the team’s preparation for the NCAA playoffs.
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Hopkins water polo team first faced off against George Washington (GW) at home.
This is an exciting time for Hopkins in the sport of women’s soccer. The nationally ranked Lady Jays won their final regular season game of the year against Franklin & Marshall (F&M) this past Saturday afternoon in a shutout 3-0. The women will continue to the 2013 Centennial Conference Playoffs next weekend with a record of 16-1-1 in the season and a 9-0-1 record in the Centennial Conference.
The regular season has been kind to the Hopkins women’s volleyball team, but there was still some unfinished business to take care of: notching their status into the playoffs as definite. They achieved that this past Saturday against the Dickinson Red Devils by completing a sweep at home to earn themselves the number four seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs.
In September the men’s soccer team went through a difficult streak, losing five straight games and closing out the month with a 2-6-1 record. It did not look like things were going to get any easier for the Jays, since only one of their eight remaining opponents had a losing record. The team could have accepted a losing season, but instead with the help of the upperclassmen, came together to fix their season, according to sophomore forward Kenny DeStefano.
The Hopkins men’s cross country team made history at McDaniel this past Saturday, winning its first Centennial Conference title in school history. The Jays, who won the meet with a total of 34 points, had five runners place in the top 10.
Fighting hard to win throughout the entire game, the Hopkins field hockey team fell just short, losing to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) with a score of 4-2. Held in Ewing, N.J., the ninth-ranked TCNJ started off the game with force. Scoring in the first seven minutes and twice in the first 20 minutes, TCNJ came out with a 3-0 lead. Two of the three goals came from penalty strokes, so Hopkins had to realize its faults and quickly get its game in check.
The women’s Hopkins volleyball team experienced a tough weekend as they battled in the Wild Guisler Invitational. Held in Hunnington, Pa., the Jays fought hard to represent the Black and Blue away from home.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, the Hopkins men’s soccer team suffered a tough loss away against the Washington College (WC) Shoremen. The game was WC’s first home win over the Jays since 1981 and dropped Hopkins to 7-7-2 on the season with a Centennial Conference record of 4-3-1. It also snapped Hopkins’ six game unbeaten streak and essentially made the season finale against the Haverford Fords a must win to secure a playoff berth.
The Hopkins men’s and women’s fencing teams had plenty of successful season opening performances this past weekend at the Temple Open. The tournament was held in Philadelphia, Pa. and saw seven Hopkins fencers place in the top-10 of their respective weapons.
It’s no secret that the Hopkins Football team has a potent offense that can score at will. This past Saturday, the Gettysburg College Bullets found this out the hard way. The Blue Jays tallied up 574 total yards of offense and won their seventh game of the season by a final score of 34-16. The Jays set a school record with five straight games of 500 or more yards of offense. “I honestly didn't know we accumulated that many yards in the last five games, but it certainly boosts our confidence as an offense and strengthens our trust for the game plan,” Senior lineman Bonaddio. “We've been able to build a strong relationship with the coaching staff while also giving extra carries to various young backs, specifically sophomore Brandon Cherry and freshman Stuart Walters, who have been playing great. We've had great support from the receivers along with solid, consistent play from Robbie (Matey). Truthfully, we don't dwell on stats but focus on our next game and prepare to be the best we can be, locking in specifically for practice on Tuesday. On a side note, one of the biggest reasons we have had success this year is the hard work put in by our look team, coming out to practice day in and day out willing to do whatever it takes.”
As the season’s end loomed in the near horizon, the Hopkins field hockey team took to the field against the Gettysburg Bullets this past weekend. On Senior Day at Homewood field, the team looked for an important win to land them a spot in the Centennial Conference Playoffs. Unfortunately, they could not accomplish their goal. With that said, a lack of effort was not the reason.
By now, there are few words that have not been used to describe the Hopkins women’s soccer team.
It began just like any other meet.
