Free agency in the National Football League started off with a bang this past Tuesday afternoon. At 4 p.m., teams around the league were free to sign free agents to contracts, and GMs did not disappoint.
Two weekends ago, the Hopkins men’s basketball team pulled back-to-back upsets against Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson to win the Centennial Conference Championship for the first time since 2007. From this success, the team secured themselves a spot in the NCAA Division III championships this past weekend.
For the Hopkins women’s lax team, this weekend’s match against George Washington proved to be a prime example of what most of us call a “one-sided affair.” Heading into the matchup 6-0, the Jays looked to extend their season opening win streak to seven, in prime position for the rest of the season.
Led by Centennial Conference Coach of the Year Bobby Van Allen, Hopkins men’s track had an eventful day at the Tufts Last Chance Meet on Thursday evening. For most of the Blue Jays who competed, it would be their last chance to qualify for the national meet March 14-15 in Lincoln, Neb.
In a game that saw the Jays score nearly as many fourth quarter goals as they have all season, third-ranked Hopkins nearly blew a 7-1 lead.
Last weekend, the Lady Jays took off to Greencastle, In to take part in the 2014 ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The event spanned three days and consisted of matches against UC Santa Cruz, Pomona-Pitzer and Carnegie Mellon.
The Hopkins men’s tennis team defeated Washington & Lee 9-0 in Virginia on Sunday. The Blue Jays, currently ranked 10th, improve to 3-2 on the season, while W&L experienced their first loss of the season, falling to a record of 5-1.
For the Hopkins women’s basketball team, this weekend showcased the magnificent season they have had. The season jumped off to a great start for the team, as they won their first 11 Centennial contests to position themselves to do something special.
In defeating the top seeded Dickinson Red Devils, the Hopkins men’s basketball team became just the second team in Centennial Conference history to be a third place team defeating the first seeded team to take home the title.
The Hopkins men’s basketball team went into the Centennial Conference Tournament this weekend seeded third. It has been seven years since Hopkins last won the tournament, and they could only change that by beating the top two ranked teams, Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson. The Jays did just that, playing incredible defense against both teams and outperforming them down to the wire, beating F&M 50-48 and Dickinson 60-55. Many players on the team had strong performances during the tournament, but senior Connor McIntyre’s went unmatched. He put up double-digit points in both games and had 16 rebounds. For his dominating performance last week, The News-Letter is proud to announce Connor McIntyre as our Athlete of the Week.
The game ended the way it began.
The Hopkins wrestling team placed eighth out of 17 schools at the NCAA East regional in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Sunday. Wilkes University, Ursinus College and Delaware Valley College made up the top three, with 106.5, 105.5 and 102.5 points respectively. The Blue Jays turned in a respectable 53.0 points.
Over the past week, the Hopkins Lady Jays picked up two impressive wins against the number five Loyola Greyhounds and the American Eagles. The wins put Hopkins at 5-0 to start the season, as the team is now ranked #14 in the nation. Against Loyola, the Lady Jays held the Greyhounds to their lowest score under Coach Jen Adams, who has headed the Loyola program for six years. The win was also Hopkins’ first against a top-five team since toppling number two Northwestern in 2011.
The Hopkins men’s tennis team was busy at work this past weekend, taking on several formidable opponents. During their numerous matches, the Jays were able to accomplish a feat that many take for granted: making our school proud. The 10th ranked Jays traveled to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Cleveland, Ohio and came away with a result that was not only rewarding, but one that left them hungry and prepared to take their games to the next level.
On Feb. 22, the Hopkins Lady Jays travelled to Chestertown, Md. for their regular season finale against the Washington College Shorewomen. The first half of the basketball game did not go as planned for Hopkins, as the team was behind 27-25 at the half, never once holding the lead. Still, Hopkins fought back in the second half, quickly taking the lead on back-to-back shots by sophomore guards Katie Clark and Liz Tommasi, putting Hopkins up 30-27 with 18:39 left in the game. The lead, however, was short lived as the Shorewomen quickly regained the lead 31-30.
The Hopkins men’s basketball team won their last game of the regular season in a close game against Washington College. The Jays improved to 15-10 overall and 12-6 in the Centennial Conference. In Head Coach Bill Nelson’s 550th career game, the team secured a first round bye in next week’s Centennial Conference Tournament.
The Hopkins women’s lacrosse team has been tough to stop in February. Through the first two games of the month, the Jays have averaged a whopping 16.5 goals per game en route to a 2-0 record. This past Saturday, the Jays returned to Homewood Field after defeating Mount Saint Mary’s University 17-2 in Emmitsburg, Md. last Wednesday to play a winless Bucknell team in the hopes of starting the young season with an impressive 3-0 record. This game started a critical four-game home stand for a Hopkins team that hopes to make it back to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time since 2007.
After another stellar all-around performance, the Hopkins men’s track team looks prepared heading into the Centennial Conference playoffs this weekend. Last weekend, the Jays traveled to Haverford, Pa. to take on several rival schools in the Keogh Invitational, the last meet to train and qualify for conferences. While the day was filled with several memorable moments of play, the record-shattering performance from freshman Andrew Bartnett stood out. Bartnett was spectacular as he broke his previous pole vault record of 4.65 meters with a jump of 4.70 meters to not only finish first overall in the event, but also to top the previous Hopkins freshman record. As a result of his achievement, Bartnett was named the Centennial Conference Field Athlete of the Week. Bartnett was the third Jay to receive this honor during the season. For his recent success and his record-breaking performance at the Keogh Invitational, Bartnett was awarded the honor of Athlete of the Week by The News-Letter. We were able to catch up with the freshman star and ask him a few questions about the Conference playoffs, his personal goals, and the goals of the team moving forward.
The end of the regular season proved to be a strong one for the Hopkins women’s track and field team. Coming off of a very strong performance at the United States Naval Academy last weekend, the Lady Jays found themselves in Haverford, Pa. to conclude their indoor regular season at the Keogh Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
To kick off the team’s playoff season, the Jays’ wrestling team made their way to Collegeville, Pa. this past weekend for the Centennial Conference championships.
