The semester may just be kicking into gear, but the spring sports are just starting to bloom and the winter sports are putting up some chilling wins. It’s the best of both worlds: thrilling lacrosse matches with a snowy and gorgeous Homewood campus as a backdrop, or an indoor gym where you can cheer in comfort.
Men’s Lacrosse: W (17–2)
The men’s lacrosse season opener and home opener was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31 but it was rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 2 due to the extremely cold temperatures and the winter storm. Monday’s game was still under freezing temperatures, but Hopkins didn’t let this faze them. The forty eight extra hours of practice for the Blue Jays may have allowed them to maximize the skill they brought to the game, as they dominated both halves.
By the time the Colonials scored their second goal, Hopkins had already notched 14 points. Offensively, juniors Matt Collison and Hunter Chauvette are the first Hopkins duo to both score more than 5 times in one game since 1999. Freshman Max Wickersham started his first game today and managed to score, so it will be interesting to follow his season and see how he develops. On the defensive side, Hopkins let in the fewest number of opponent goals since 2014. This is an impressive statistic, since RMU still had 25 shots — however, accurate goal tending and defense blocked the net.
In pre-season rankings, Hopkins was #15 and their opponent Robert Morris was unranked. These are only preliminary rankings, and if the Jays keep their momentum and beat other ranked opponents, soon they’ll be moving up the list.
Women’s Basketball: W (60–40), W (83–50)
The women’s basketball team is having a dream season; as of this week they were 18–0, with 9 of these games being in conference. On Wednesday, they faced Dickinson, and on Saturday they faced Haverford, both games occurring here at the Goldfarb Gymnasium. Saturday’s game was more than just a regular matchup, it was the kickoff of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration. It’s convenient and perfect for the situation that the Blue Jays won, as the day is meant for recognizing female athletes and coaches. The University scheduled a clinic for young athletes who signed up. They were allowed to go on the court during halftime and afterwards participate in events run by other women’s sports teams.
During the game itself, the Jays outscored the Fords in every quarter. However, this momentum came late after a surge of energy and defensive skill forced many turnovers. Game leaders include two freshmen, impressive in their first season on the team: Faith Williamson who notched 16 points, and Jocelyn Goldstein who put up 13. Interestingly, Hopkins had better statistics and percentages than the Fords in all but free throw percentage. However, we had enough shots to outweigh this difference.
Fencing: MACFA Round Robin
The women’s fencing team put up brilliant fights and won 6 rounds in this long day of matchups. They are now 19–3 for the season. Each win was practically unmatched in skill. Against Rutgers, the Jays won 26–1, led by multiple people in each weapon: Sabre, Foil and Epee. This streak and dominance continued throughout the day against five more schools. Senior Rosy Cepero is at 277 wins for her time at Hopkins and only needs a few more to tie the record for the most Foil wins in program history. Senior Bethany Lee is close behind, currently in third.
On the men’s side, four rounds were won against Lafayette, Cornell, Rutgers and Drew. As of this week, they were 18–4 for the season, a group effort within athletes fencing the same weapon and between all the weapons. Key athletes fencing Epee were juniors Ethan Insler and Ayan Bhatnagar, as well as seniors Jorge Gana and Matthew Dao. For Sabre, sophomore Alex Pan, juniors Leonid Kotov and Miles Zhou, and senior Alex Jeffords showed immense skill. Lastly, for Foil, the pair of sophomores Omar Reyes and Alastair Thompson made a huge dent in their opponents.
