Newcomer Oneda shines for women runners

This past Saturday, the 26th ranked men’s cross country team participated in the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, MD. As the only Division III competitor, Hopkins took fourth place out of seven schools with 104 points, finishing ahead of neighboring schools UMBC and Loyola University. Navy finished on top winning the team title with thirty-four points. American University finished in second with Malone University taking third place. Navy and American got out to a fast start, but the Blue Jays were able to stay close to them, with the vast majority of the runners keeping a 4:55 pace on the first mile. Unfortunately, they slowed during the second mile and all but one Blue Jay fell behind. Standout junior Max Robinson finished ninth overall and first for the Blue Jays with a time of 25:22. Sophomore Austin Stecklair finished 16th overall with a time of 25:53. The top six for the Blue Jays was rounded out by senior Josh Baker, juniors Julian Saliani and Ryan Alvarez, and sophomore Andrew Ceruzzi who all finished within 17 seconds of each other. After cruising to an easy first place finish two weeks ago at the Baltimore Metro Invitational, this meet was a solid measuring stick for the Blue Jays to see where they stand at this point in the season. Hopkins’s next competition will be the famous Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. in two weeks on Sept.28. The women’s team also competed this past saturday in the Salty Dog Invitational in Annapolis, Md. They took second place overall behind Navy and ahead of Division I programs from the University of Maryland, Loyola, George Washington University, and UMBC. The Blue Jays were headed by the freshman phenom, Hannah Oneda, who finished first overall in the 6K race with a time of 21:50. A testament of her recent dominance, this was her second first place finish in as many meets. Junior Holly Clarke stressed the importance of Oneda’s skill set, “We lost our top runner from last year, Hannah Eckstein, who transferred to Notre Dame. But, this year we’ve found her replacement, another Hannah (Oneda) who is just as fast as the old one.” Keeping pace with the front, Oneda fell behind two Navy runners in the second mile. Yet, she pulled ahead in the final mile and kept her pace going down the home stretch to take first place by two seconds. Hopkins was also headed by juniors Clarke and Lara Shegoski. Clarke and Shegoski kept pace at the front of the pack with Navy’s top three runners throughout the entire race. Clarke finished fourth overall with a time of 22:10 and Shegoski finished eighth with a time of 22:57. Hopkins was also led by senior Annie Monagle, who finished 12th overall with a personal record time of 23:05. As the national qualifier in the 800-meter outdoor event, Monagle used her experience to race a strong finish and pass Maryland and Loyola’s number two runners. Sophomore Ashley Murphy rounded out the top five for Hopkins with a finish time of 23:23. Sophomore Lindsey Sanborn and freshmen Sophia Meehan and Courtney Kelly had gritty performances as well. When questioned about the difference between last year’s team and this year’s team, Clarke responded, “Last year we thought we were a young team, but this year we’re even younger. Our depth has grown significantly with the talent of the new freshmen and sophomores.” Hopkins will compete in the Paul Short Invitational in two weeks against several top ranked Division I programs including Georgetown University, Villanova University, and the University of Tennessee. The teams are excited for the challenge. “I’m excited for Paul Short because we get to race the top Division I programs in the nation and it really puts into perspective how good our team is even though we’re Division III,” said Clarke. “I’m hoping we can contend with the Ivys, especially Brown and Harvard. “It’s also nice to see where we individually match up to these Division I runners. If Hannah and I work together I think we could easily place in the top 100. It’s a huge race, but our girls, as young as they are, know who to race with and how to race smartly. We placed 29th as a team last year and I’m looking for a top 20 finish this year.” Clarke’s ambition bodes well for a young team looking to climb the national D-III rankings. Currently sitting at sixth overall in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Hopkins could jump if Clarke and the Blue Jays can deliver against difficult competition at the Paul Short Invitational

Water Polo off to strong 12-2 start

On the heels of two solid showings at the Navy Labor Day Open and Princeton Invitational to begin the year, Hopkins water polo cruised through five opponents in another Navy Invitational this past weekend. The Blue Jays entered the weekend with a 6-2 record, but promptly swept through the Annapolis, Md.-based tournament by outscoring their competitors 91-31. They then defeated George Washington University, 19-11, on Wednesday night at home to improve to 12-2 on the year. The Jays finished the previous weekend at Princeton with a tough 13-11 defeat at the hands of MIT, and came out full-throttle in the first game of the weekend against Washington and Jefferson College to regain some momentum. Led by sophomore Wes Hopkins who scored three goals and added a career-high six assists, the Jays dominated the Presidents, 22-6. For Hopkins, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Silver Spring, Pa., it was the start of a career afternoon in which he scored 11 times and dished eight assists. Also adding goals in the game were freshman Blake Range, and seniors Kielan Crow and Ross Schofield. Schofield took the reigns in game two against Northern Virginia. Behind his four goals, the Jays dodged University of Northern Virginia, 18-12, the closest contest of the weekend. Hopkins also saw six other players notch two scores each, and received solid goal play from freshman Erik Henrikson who has been splitting time with last year’s starter, sophomore Danny Ovelar. Henrikson had seven saves and one steal in the game. To complete the first day of action, Hopkins then tackled Notre Dame of Ohio in a showdown of unfamiliar foes. However, unlike the rest of the tournament, the Blue Jays had a distinct advantage in their 20-6 romp — they played in their home pool. The Jays gained an early lead and ran to a 17-1 lead at the half. Sophomore Hopkins was at the forefront of the offense’s efforts, scoring a career-best six goals, just one off the all-time single-game mark for the program. Schofield also impressed with four goals and four assists, and the Jays used four goalkeepers: Ovelar, Henrikson, and sophomores Jacob Dorn and Scott Weigel. The Blue Jays’ dominance continued on Sunday when the team defeated Fordham University, 13-3, and Connecticut College, 18-4, to give them five straight wins. Against Fordham, the Jays were led by senior Alex Whittam, freshman Kevin Lee, and sophomore Johnny Beal. Whittam and Lee scored hat tricks apiece while Beal added four assists and a goal of his own. Beal and Whittam were back it again later that afternoon against Connecticut College, scoring a hat trick and recording five steals, respectively. Crow and Range also added hat tricks. On Wednesday, Hopkins’ winning ways continued against the Colonials of George Washington led again by Schofield. The Jays’ unique blend of upperclassmen and rookies has them sitting pretty as they head into league play. With just three home games remaining on the schedule, Hopkins will play two of them this Sunday against Bucknell and Princeton. Game times are slated for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Cerrone leads Jays over Haverford, 2-0

This past Sunday, the Blue Jays men’s soccer team welcomed Haverford College to Homewood Field for the opening game of the Centennial Conference. With a quick pair of second half strikes, the Blue Jays were able to dismantle Haverford’s defense, securing a 2-0 victory for the Jays. The win was a perfect way to start off the Conference season and helped the team improve to 3-2 on the season overall. In the first half of the match, neither team took control of the game. Both teams seemed to have equal scoring opportunities without being able to find the back of the net. Haverford had a strong attack force against the Blue Jays in the beginning of the game but were soon neutralized by a solid wall of defending from Hopkins defense and sophomore goaltender Nick Cerrone. With many chances wasted and no goals to show for hard work, the two teams went into halftime deadlocked at 0-0. However, the Jays opened up the second half with solid possessions and a good amount of scoring chances, putting the Haverford defense back on their heels. Finally, senior Nick White scored the first goal in the 60th minute in beautiful fashion for his team leading third goal of the season. The goal was made possible by crafty possession and a perfect cross from junior Danny Reategui who found White at the edge of the box for a header that snuck by far post to give Hopkins the 1-0 lead and the momentum. After withstanding a flurry of shots from the Haverford offense, the Jays struck again in the 73rd minute when freshman Josh Hong crashed the net for a rebound to put Hopkins up 2-0. Sophomore Kotaro Mitsuhashi made some excellent dribbles and kicked a hard initial shot towards the goal. The Haverford goalkeeper got his glove on the ball for a brilliant save, but Hong was left wide open to put away the rebound, giving Hopkins some breathing room to finish out the game. Hopkins’s defense played well and deservs high praise for limiting Haverford’s scoring chances. Haverford ended up firing more shots on goal with a slight 15-11 advantage but couldn’t get on the board. Cerrone finished with five saves on the day and his third shutout of the season after recently being named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week. His recent shutouts against St. Mary’s and now against Haverford certainly make him a worthy recipient of this award. He has been a wall in net and has kept Hopkins in games when it has mattered the most. His statistics in net are excellent: posting a .900 save percentage and a 0.58 goals against average with three shutouts over the first five games are impressive to say the least. Hopkins looks to build off of this recent surge of shutouts in games this coming week against York and Muhlenberg. The Jays have had a solid start to the season posting a 3-2 record. White and Mitsuhashi who lead the team in goals and points scored, have helped tremendously in securing key victories for Hopkins against Kean, St. Mary’s and Haverford. However, the team has also had to overcome tough losses, including an overtime defeat in the season opener against William Paterson and a double-overtime loss to Elizabethtown.

Field Hockey opens with OT split

A week and a half into the season, the Hopkins field hockey team has already hit the ground running, winning three of their first four games in impressive fashion. Looking to improve from last year’s season record of 10-8, the team has already shown skill, determination, and a “never give up” attitude,  leading to key victories. Hopkins bested Centre College 4-3 in overtime, Eastern Mennonite University 8-2 and most recently, Washington and Lee University 3-0.

Sophomores lead M. Soccer past St. Mary’s

Polo sweeps first tournament of new season

In the opening tournament of the 2012 water polo season, the Blue Jays went undefeated in all four matches of the Navy Labor Day Open on September 1 and 2.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jasmine Warmington - Volleyball

A year ago, Hopkins volleyball played the role of underdog. Although the Blue Jays were picked to finish second in the Centennial Conference preseason coaches’ poll in 2011, Hopkins had never won a Centennial title and was last competing for a league crown in 2004— seven years in the making.

Blue Jays race to dominant 2-0 start

A year ago, Hopkins football enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in program history. The Blue Jays hosted a NCAA tournament game, a reward for their undefeated regular season (10-1 overall). But the Blue Jays lost several players from their Centennial Conference title team, including two of the most prolific offensive players in program and conference history in quarterback Hewitt Tomlin and wide receiver Sam Wernick, so no one would have blamed 2012’s version for any early season struggles.

Volleyball off to historic start

The Hopkins women’s volleyball team has started off the season 8-0, the best opening to a season in school history after winning two straight tournaments in consecutive weekends.

W. Soccer ranked third in nation

The Hopkins women’s soccer team, after racing out to a 2-0 start and a number three national ranking, faced a major test on September 5 against number five nationally ranked Messiah in a marquee matchup at Homewood Field.

X-Country wins Metro Invitational

After racing in the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1977, the Hopkins men’s cross country team looked to build on the success of 2011 as they opened the 2012 campaign at the Baltimore Metro Invitational in Cockeysville, Md.

MLB dog days roll into Playoff push

With three weeks remaining in the Major League Baseball season, we take some time to look at how the playoff picture is shaping up. Certain divisions have been locked up for quite some time, but others are far from determining a division winner. This year’s postseason race has become even more intense with the MLB’s addition of a second wild card team.