Dynasty? Blue Jays add 14th DIII Eastern Title

Blue Jays water polo continued to command the Division III Eastern Championship, winning its 14th title in 21 tries. Within the division, Hopkins has undoubtedly morphed into a dynasty.

With three consecutive victories this past weekend, Hopkins steamrolled Penn State Behrend (24-3), Connecticut College (21-6) and MIT (15-13), totaling a combined 60-22 margin.

Senior Ross Schofield added yet another accomplishment to his dominant season totaling 13 goals, five assists, six steals, seven ejections drawn and two blocks en route to MVP honors in the tournament. Adding to the JHU awards, head coach Ted Bresnahan, known for his emotional fire on the bench, was named Coach of the Year in leading the Jays to the title.

The tournament, played in Cambridge, kicked off with senior Kielan Crow leading the way for Hopkins in their opening win against Penn State Brehrend. Crow would score five goals during the match, tying a career high. Senior Alex Whittam would also add to the offense, scoring three goals and totaling two assists. Hopkins benefited from valuable scoring by freshman Blake Range who had an impressive game scoring four goals and adding two helpers.

Overall, the match would mark the sixth time this season Hopkins has scored in the twenty-plus goal range.

In the nightcap Hopkins would add to that margin, making it seven games over the twenty goal mark this season, in a 21-6 win over Connecticut College. The offensive firepower was paced by MVP Schofield who totaled six goals and Crow who added five of his own in another Hopkins blowout. Whittam had a team-high four helpers, while freshman Kevin Yee added three assists and two goals himself. Sophomore Danny Ovlear and freshman Erik Henrikson split time in goal, combining for nine saves.

The title game featured a more even-handed match up as Hopkins met MIT in a battle of the two top seeds in the tournament. The Jays would find themselves in an unfamiliar spot, down early 6-3 at the end of the first quarter and 8-6 at the half-time buzzer. However, in a testament to the emotional makeup of the squad, Hopkins would rally and outscore the Engineers 9-5 in the final 16 minutes. Schofield came up clutch for the Jays, proving his MVP status on the biggest stage of the tournament, leading the Jays with five goals while Crow rocketed four goals and dished two assists. Junior Stephen Kingery tied his career-high with four assists while also scoring a goal. Henrikson made five saves in three quarters of work to assist the Jays victory.

Hopkins concludes the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 27 as the Blue Jays bus to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy. The marquee match is a lock to be high-strung and chock full of intensity as Navy looks for revenge after Hopkins upset them 14-13 in a thriller back on Oct. 10.