Hopkins knocked off Centennial Conference foe Bryn Mawr on Saturday, ending their five-game losing streak and getting them back to a .500 conference record of 4-4.
After an exciting three weeks of preseason, the National Hockey League (NHL) has entered the beginning portion of regular season play. Throughout the first two weeks, several analyst’s predictions have come true: the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks have done incredibly well thus far; the Western Conference looks very formidable and the two Stanley cup finalists in Chicago and Boston have continued their winning ways. However, there have been numerous teams currently in the top 10 that have shocked and surprised even the most diehard of hockey fans, players and coaches. With two regular season weeks already concluded, it is time to rank and evaluate the top contenders thus far:
The Hopkins water polo team has had more success than most programs this season. However, like many other good programs, there will always be tough stretches during the course of a long season. Over the weekend, the Jays faced off against two marquee programs: 12th ranked Princeton as well as Bucknell. Game one was against the Tigers from Princeton, and from the start of the first whistle the Tigers were in control. At the conclusion of the first quarter, the clubs were knotted in a tight match, with Princeton leading 3-1.
Is this season a guaranteed three-peat for the big three in Miami, or is the long awaited return of D-Rose enough for Chicago to diffuse the Heat? Or could this be the year for the Western Conference with the always-competitive Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder or the year for the LA Clippers led by championship caliber head coach Doc Rivers? The NBA experienced rather strange moves in the offseason; some were advantageous while others left fans questioning owners and GMs. Now that training camp is over and the league is a week deep into the preseason, there is a better understanding of where exactly teams land in their respective division rankings.
The Hopkins field hockey team battled an in-conference team in the Haverford Fords this past Saturday. The Jays lost the away game to the Fords, dropping their record to 5-7 and 3-3 in the Centennial Conference.
Hopkins sophomore goalie Erik Henrikson continued his impressive season last weekend at the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament in Calif. Henrikson’s stellar performance in the tournament earned him the honor of Defensive Player of the Week, an award given by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. Henrikson led the Blue Jays to a 3-1 record in the tournament, which included wins over first-ranked Redlands, third-ranked Pomona-Pitzer and eighth-ranked LaVerne.
The Hopkins women’s soccer team lost a heartbreaking game against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 2-1 in double overtime. The loss marked the first defeat of the season for the Jays to bring their overall season record to 10-1. The game’s winning goal was scored just 13 seconds into the second overtime period, lifting the Lions over the Jays. Despite a large number of opportunities in the beginning of the first half, the Lady Jays were unable to capitalize on their chances. Superstar junior Hannah Kronick kept her scoring streak going by notching yet another goal for the Jays. As a result of the loss, Hopkins dropped from second to sixth in the rankings.
90 straight minutes of exertion, will and focus can seem like an eternity on a soccer field. After an hour and a half of pure competition, the next 20 minutes of pure stress can break even the strongest competitors will. This environment of “next goal wins” brings the ultimate pressure to a game and a situation. A loss brings deep agony and a defeated psyche to a team. Winning these make-or-break games, on the other hand, can define a season and provide the mental fortitude needed for a deep postseason run. When these games end in a tie, however, it just feels unresolved. Certainly you can take both positives and negatives for this type of scenario, but you really end up feeling like you wanted another 110 minutes in order to find out who the better team was. The only thing you can do, however, is move on with your season and circle the next game with that team on your calendar.
As freshman Jeremy Dubin walked off the court, he thought his team was down 3-1.
Although the games did not count on the record sheet, the Hopkins women’s lacrosse team may have played their most important three games all season this past weekend as part of the Stick It To Sarcoma event, held at Homewood Field on Oct. 6.
The Hopkins field hockey team suffered a slight set back this past Saturday when they were defeated by Ursinus 10-4. The Blue Jays went into the game with an overall 5-4 record and a 3-1 record in the conference, while the Bears held a record of 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference. The field hockey team would not let this fact affect their game plan, as they headed onto the field in need of another stellar conference victory.
The Hopkins women’s tennis team rolled through all opponents this past Saturday at the Swarthmore Invitational in Swarthmore, Pa. The Lady Jays sent sophomore Olivia Kasten and freshman Amanda Austi to the tournament to play against talented players from Dickinson and Swarthmore. Both Kasten and Austi competed admirably, securing a combined 8-0 record in singles matches and 2-0 record in the doubles bracket to go undefeated in the entire tournament. “We really stuck to our game-plan this weekend and it led to great success,” Kasten said. “We stayed focused and relaxed throughout all of our matches and we felt comfortable with all of the shots we took. It was great to sweep the competition this weekend.”
The Hopkins women’s volleyball team squared off against in-conference opponent Ursinus Bears at home on Saturday. The Blue Jays were able to take home an impressive 3-1 Centennial Conference victory, improving their record to 8-7 on the season and 4-1 in Conference.
On Oct. 5, the Hopkins men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Paul Short Run and both turned in impressive performances. It was both team’s first “Résumé-Eligible” race of the season. “It was a tough start having this race be our first Resume-eligible race, we dropped several spots in the rankings. But we’re definitely looking forward to surprising everyone when the post season rolls around,” sophomore Billy Scola said.
Sophomore Caitlin Callihan set the pace for Hopkins athletics this week. The Texas native is a starting outside hitter for the women’s volleyball team. She was recently named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week for her astounding 53 kills in a three game span against opponents Stevenson, Gallaudet and Swarthmore. By the end of her torrid week, in which she recorded more than 20 kills in a match twice, the team had a 3-0 record in the conference.
The Hopkins football team knows a thing or two about winning in October. Prior to Saturday’s game against the Juniata Eagles, the Blue Jays had won nine straight during that month. Juniata came into this game with a 3-1 record and relished the chance to knock off the Centennial Conference leaders. Hopkins, on the other hand, looked to extend their undefeated record to 5-0 and continue their dominant performances in conference matchups. After the dust had settled, the Jays were able to conquer the Eagles 65-10 behind a huge offensive effort and extended their conference record to 4-0.
The Hopkins water polo team embarked on their annual trip to California this past weekend to square off against the top Division III teams in the nation. At the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament in Claremont, Calif., the Blue Jays went 3-1, defeating No. 1 ranked Redlands.
The Hopkins men’s soccer team came back from their five game losing streak last week, winning two games in a row. In Saturday’s game against Ursinus, the Blue Jays defeated the Bears in the Centennial Conference game 3-1. Hopkins improved to 4-6-1 overall and brought their conference record to 2-2-0.
It was a very successful weekend for the Hopkins men’s tennis team, as several players competed admirably at the ITA Southeast Tournament in Fredericksburg, Va. Freshman duo Michael Buxbaum and Emerson Walsh won the doubles championship to take home the team’s third regional doubles title in program history, while junior Ben Hwang rolled through opponents into the singles championship before falling to Abhishek Alla of Carnegie Mellon in the final. Freshman Jeffrey McKenzie added another accomplishment to the list by winning the Blue 1 singles draw.
The Hopkins field hockey team has a simple goal this season: win the Centennial Conference championship. Last season, they fell short of the Conference playoffs. That was last year, and they won’t soon forget the importance of every single conference game they play.
