April 15, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

At a Glance: Johns Hopkins is on the road again as the Blue Jays travel to Evanston to take on the three-time defending national champion Northwestern Wildcats. Hopkins is 0-1 in the American Lacrosse Conference, while Northwestern sits atop the standings at 3-0.

Against the Wildcats: Johns Hopkins won the first two meetings between the Blue Jays and the Wildcats. However, it has been all Northwestern since then as the Wildcats have won five straight in the series. The two last met in the inaugural ALC Championship game last May at Homewood Field. Northwestern beat Hopkins 22-6 to claim its fourth consecutive ALC title.

Last Time Out: Virginia jumped out to a 9-0 lead on Sunday and went on to defeat visiting Johns Hopkins 17-6. Senior Kadie Stamper led the Blue Jays with two goals, while sophomore Lizzie O'Ferrall and freshman Julianne Wisner combined for 11 saves in the cage. Hopkins closed the gap to 10-4 thanks to a 4-1 run midway through the game. But a five-goal Cavaliers spurt in the second half put the Blue Jays away.

Helpers: Eleven different Blue Jays have tallied an assist so far this season, with sophomore Brett Bathras leading the way with a career-high 17 assists. Sophomore Danielle Ensley ranks second with seven assists, also a career-high. Bathras now has 22 career assists, tied for 11th in school Division I history.

Youth Serves: So far this season, sophomores and freshmen have been doing the majority of the scoring for the Blue Jays. The two classes have scored 53 of the Blue Jays last 89 goals (59.5 percent). On the season, the classes of 2010 and 2011 have contributed 78 of the team's 138 goals or 56.5 percent of the scoring.

Century Club: The Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse 100-point club has gotten two more members this season - seniors Lauren Schwarzmann and Kadie Stamper. Stamper scored three goals in Wednesday night's win at UMBC. Her second goal of the night was the 100th point of her career. Schwarzmann totaled five points in Hopkins win over #19 Denver on March 30, scoring four goals and dishing one assist. Her free position goal, her fourth of the game gave her 100 career points.

Scouting the Wildcats: Northwestern has won 34 consecutive games entering this week's action and 37 straight at home. The Wildcats are averaging 17.08 goals per game this season, while holding their opponents to just 6.62 goals per game.

Hannah Nielsen and Hilary Bowen lead the way this season for Northwestern with 62 and 61 points respectively. Bowen has scored a team-high 49 goals and Nielsen has a team best 35 assists. Morgan Lathrop has played all but 36:34 in cage this season and boasts a goals against average of 6.38 and a save percentage of .470.

Tough Row to Hoe: Johns Hopkins has had a tough row to hoe this season. To date, the Blue Jays opponents boast a combined record of 133-77 (.633), including two unbeatens (Princeton, Northwestern). Hopkins strength of schedule ranks fifth in the nation, behind Penn State, Duke, Northwestern and Georgetown. Nine of JHU's 13 opponents so far this season were ranked in the top 20 by the IWLCA at the time of the game.

Records Watch: Senior Kadie Stamper ranks second all-time in JHU history with 196 career draw controls, just six shy of tying the program's all-time record of 202 (Jamie Larrimore `02). Stamper is also tied for eighth in school Division I history with 86 goals, 10th in points (103), eighth in caused turnovers (61) and ninth in ground balls (132).

Senior Lauren Schwarzmann ranks seventh in JHU DI history with 37 career assists. She is also 11th in career goals (73), eighth in points (110) and fifth in draw controls (81).

On the Road: Friday night's ALC match-up is the third of a four-game road swing for Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays have traveled to UMBC and Virginia before heading to Evanston. Hopkins is 3-3 away from the friendly confines of Homewood Field.

Tewaaraton Watch List: Senior middie Lauren Schwarzmann has been named to the 2008 Warrior Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List. She is one of 44 players named to the list. The Tewaaraton Trophy is presented annually to the top male and female lacrosse players in the nation.

Schwarzmann has tallied 16 goals and six assists in nine games after missing four due to illness. She has also scooped up seven ground balls, controlled 16 draws and is 5-of-10 on free position shots.

All-Time Record: The Blue Jays are in their 33rd season of lacrosse with an all-time record of 324-194-4 (.624). As a Division I program, Johns Hopkins boasts a 107-59 (.644) record in 10 seasons.

21 In a Row: Johns Hopkins has posted 21 consecutive winning seasons overall, including nine as a Division I program. Among DI schools, the Blue Jays streak of nine consecutive winning seasons is tied for eighth all-time. Among all divisions, Hopkins' streak of 21 consecutive seasons with a winning record ranks fourth all-time.

Snowed Out: Johns Hopkins was slated to host Ohio State on March 9 in both teams' American Lacrosse Conference opener. However, due to heavy snow in Ohio, the Buckeyes were unable to make the trip to Baltimore. The game has been rescheduled for Monday, April 28 at 3:00 pm as part of a double-header with the men's lacrosse team. The men will host Mount St. Mary's at 7:00 pm that night.

10th Anniversary: The 2008 season is the 10th anniversary of Johns Hopkins' move to the Division I level. The Blue Jays are 107-59 (.644) in 10 DI seasons. Hopkins was a Division III team from 1976 to 1998 and posted a 217-135 (.616) record. The Blue Jays made nine trips to the NCAA DIII tournament and won two MAC and four Centennial Conference titles.

We're Going Streaking: Six Blue Jays have active scoring streaks entering Sunday's game. Senior Kirby Houck leads the way with an 11-game point streak. While sophomore Brett Bathras is on a 10-game point streak. Bathras had tallied an assist in nine consecutive games entering Sunday's game at Virginia. That is the fourth longest in Hopkins Division I history.

Preseason Honors: Seniors Lauren Schwarzmann and Kadie Stamper, along with sophomore Sam Schrum have been named to the American Lacrosse Conference Preseason All-Conference Team. In addition, Stamper was named a preseason Third Team All-American by Inside Lacrosse. She earned All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse in 2005 and 2006.

Red, White and Blue: Senior Lauren Schwarzmann was named to the U.S. Developmental Team last August. She is the second player under head coach Janine Tucker in the last two years to represent the United States. Mary Key `07 was named to the Developmental Team in 2005 and 2006. Last fall, Key was named to the U.S. Elite Team.

Preseason Pickings: Johns Hopkins has been picked to finish second in the ALC behind three-time NCAA Champion Northwestern. The Blue Jays, who were the runners-up at the inaugural ALC Tournament last May, just edged out the Vanderbilt Commodores for the number two slot. Penn State is picked to finish in fourth, followed by Ohio State in fifth.