OPENING DRAW
• Johns Hopkins is back at home for the first time in 17 days to take on Ohio State in Big Ten action.
• The Blue Jays are coming off a 14-9 loss at top-ranked Northwestern on Saturday afternoon. The win snapped Hopkins' four game-win streak as the Jays fell to 7-3 overall and 0-1 in the B1G.
THE HOME STRETCH
• Saturday's game kicks off a stretch that will see Hopkins play four of its next six games at Homewood Field. Those six games are the final six of the regular season.
• Hopkins is 268-134-2 (.666) all-time at Homewood Field, including 150-77 (.676) since moving to Division I in 1999.
FOR OPENERS
• Hopkins is now 34-14-1 (.698) all-time in season-openers and has won 19 of its last 21 season-openers.
• The game at UAlbany was the first time the Blue Jays opened the season on the road since 2019. In fact, it was just the ninth time since the Jays moved to Division I in 1999 (26 seasons) that they opened the season away from Homewood.
IN MARCH
• Johns Hopkins is 169-72-2 (.699) all-time in the month of March, including 6-5 under head coach Tim McCormack.
• Since moving to Division I in 1999, the Blue Jays are 120-56 (.682) in the month of March.
POLL POSITION
• Hopkins moved up two spots in this week's IL Women/IWLCA Poll and is ranked 10th with 358 points. JHU is also ranked 11th in the USA Lacrosse Poll this week.
• The Blue Jays are ranked in the top-10 in the IWLCA Poll for the first time since May 5, 2014. JHU was ranked seventh in that poll with a 15-4 record. There have been 317 polls since the start of the 1999 season (when Hopkins moved to Division I). This is just the 28th time in 317 polls that JHU has been ranked in the top-10.
• JHU has been ranked in each of the last 13 IL Women/IWLCA polls and 22 of the last 26 polls.
• Eight of the Blue Jays' 2024 opponents are ranked in the IL Women/IWLCA poll, including four of the top-six (Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan, James Madison).
• Hopkins boasts the third toughest schedule in the nation as the Blue Jays' 2024 opponents sport a combined win percentage of .711 (91-37).
LAST TIME OUT
• Host and top-ranked Northwestern jumped out to a 6-0 lead and went on to beat Johns Hopkins, 14-9, on Saturday afternoon in both teams' Big Ten opener.
• Ava Angello got the Blue Jays on the board with 1:55 to play in the first, capitalizing on a failed clear. That sparked a 5-2 run that bridged the quarter break and made it 8-5 at the half. Angello (2), Marielle McAteer, Campbell Case and Charlotte Smith scored for JHU during the run.
• Northwestern used a four-goal run that spanned 17 minutes to push out to a 12-5 lead with 10:41 to play. Angello ended the run with her third of the afternoon to ignite a spurt that saw the Blue Jays outscore the 'Cats 4-2 in a six-minute span. Maeve Barker scored what turned out to be the final goal of the game at the 3:47-mark and made it a 14-9.
• Angello led the Blue Jays with a hat trick while Case added three points (1g, 2a). Bailey Cheetham (1g, 1a), McAteer (2g) and Barker (1g, 1a) also had multi-point games for the Blue Jays. Jordan Carr had two caused turnovers, to go with two ground balls and five draw controls. Madison Doucette finished with 10 saves and five ground balls.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
• Junior Ashley Mackin, senior Abbey Hurlbrink and sophom*ore Ava Angello reached double digit points just three games into the season. Last year, it took Mackin until the sixth game of the year to reach that mark and it took Hurlbrink until the 14th game. Angello meanwhile, needed just four games into her freshman campaign to reach the double-digit mark.
• Mackin leads JHU with 36 points and ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 4.00 points per game. Angello ranks second with 32 points and Hurlbrink is third with 25 points. Senior Campbell Case is fourth (23) and graduate student Bailey Cheetham is fifth (22). Eight Blue Jays have now reached double digits in points.
• Mackin also leads the team with 27 goals and is fifth in the conference with 3.00 goals per game. Her 27 goals are already a career high, eclipsing her 2023 total of 19 (13 games). Mackin scored 19 goals in the first five games, the most by a Blue Jay through the first five games since 2006. That year, Mary Key scored 21 goals in the first five games of the season.
• Angello ranks second on the team with 23 goals, Case is third (15) and Hurlbrink is fourth (13). Six Blue Jays have reached double digits in goals through 10 games. In addition, 17 players have scored at least one goal and 10 of the 17 have at least five goals.
• As a team, Hopkins ranks third in the Big Ten, and 30th in the nation, in scoring offense with 13.90 goals per game.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
• Johns Hopkins has been picked to finish third in the Big Ten in a preseason vote of the league's head coaches.
• Defending national champion Northwestern is the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten in 2024. Maryland was picked second in the poll, followed by Hopkins, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers and Ohio State.
• All seven teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, with the top team in the final league standings earning a bye into the semifinals. The teams that finish second, third and fourth will host quarterfinal games on Saturday, April 27. Northwestern will host the semifinals (May 2) and finals (May 4).
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Graduate student midfielder Bailey Cheetham and senior midfielders Jordan Carr and Abbey Hurlbrink have been selected as captains for the 2024 season. Cheetham and Carr are both two-time captains. They are the 19th and 20th players in program history to serve as a captain twice.
• Cheetham returns after posting career highs in every statistical category last season. She finished with 17 goals, 19 assists, 24 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers and 19 draw controls. She ranked second on the team in assists and was fourth in points.
• Carr topped a breakout sophom*ore season with a career junior year in 2023. She started 16 games and posted career highs in goals (19), points (21) and draw controls (16). Carr also picked up 17 ground balls and casued nine turnovers.
• Hurlbrink started 15 games a year ago and finished with 14 goals and a career-high 11 assists. She also finished with career highs in ground balls (18) and draw controls (53) and had eight caused turnovers. Hurlbrink's 53 draws ranked second on the team.
PRESEASON HONORS
• The Blue Jays piled up the honors this preseason.
• Graduate student goalie Madison Doucette, senior midfielder Abbey Hurlbrink and sophom*ore attacker Ava Angello were named to the Big Ten Player to Watch list.
• Doucette and Angello, along with graduate student draw specialist Jennifer Barry were named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America Team.
• In addition, Doucette was named a USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American.
HALL OF FAMER
• Johns Hopkins University will induct nine new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2024. The nine-member class will be the 25th inducted since the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame was formed in 1994 and raises the total number of members to 203.
• Among the nine inductees is Dawn Nee, a 1991 graduate of the University and a four-year member of the women's lacrosse team. Nee is the 20th women's lacrosse player to be inducted into the JHU Athletic Hall of Fame.
• In 1991, Nee became just the second defender in program history to earn First Team All-America honors. She also earned First Team All-Region and First Team All-Middle Atlantic Conference honors as a senior. Nee totaled nine goals, two assists, 39 ground balls and 23 draw controls over her final two seasons.
• Nee helped Johns Hopkins to a four-year record of 47-16 with four MAC West titles and two MAC Tournament Championships. She also helped the Blue Jays to three appearances in the NCAA Tournament with the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Semifinals in 1988.
BRING BACK THE O
• Hopkins brought back more than 96 percent of its goals (218 of 226) and more than 97 percent of its assists (118 of 121) in 2024. The Blue Jays returned their top-12 goal scorers and 14 of the 17 players that scored at least one goal last season.
• JHU boasted a balanced attack in 2023 as five players scored at least 30 points. The last time the Blue Jays had five players with 30 or more points was in 2019.
• Ava Angello led the way with 53 points and 40 goals, while Maeve Barker (24g, 21a) and Campbell Case (24g, 19a) also eclipsed the 40-point mark.
• Georgie Gorelick ranked second on the team with 26 goals and added six assists for 32 points. Bailey Cheetham was tied for second on the team in assists (19) and scored 17 goals to finish with 32 points.
LENDING A HAND
• Hopkins ranks second in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation with 7.80 assists per game. Last season, JHU ranked second in the conference and 19th in the nation with 6.72 assists per game. Right now, the 7.80 assists per game would be the best average in program history.
• In addition, the 78 assists are already the 16th best single-season total in school history.
• Hopkins is assisting on 56.12 percent of its goals (139g, 78a) through 10 games this season, the second highest assist-to-goal ratio in program history. The Blue Jays also lead the Big Ten and rank seventh in the nation in assisted goals.
• Fifteen Blue Jays have notched at least one assist this season, led by Bailey Cheetham (15), Abbey Hurlbrink (12), Ashley Mackin (9) and Ava Angello (9). Cheetham ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 1.88 assists per game.
• JHU notched 121 assists and assisted on 53.5 percent of its goals in 2023. The 121 assists are the second most in school Division I history, while the 6.72 assists per game and assist-to-goal ratio of 53.5 are the third best per game average.
• Maeve Barker led the team with 21 assists and is JHU's active career leader with 49 career assists. She ranks 14th in school Division I history in career assists. Campbell Case and Cheetham were tied for second with 19 assists each.
• Angello (13), Hurlbrink (11) and Mackin (10) also reached double digits in assists last season.
• Cheetham has totaled 43 career assists, third most by a midfielder in school Division I history. Hurlbrink is sixth with 28 career assists by a midfielder. Her 12 assists this season are a career high, surpassing her total (11) from last year (18 games).
IN THE CREASE
• Graduate student Madison Doucette is back in the crease after taking a gap year in 2023 and its like she never left. She has started all 10 games this season for the Blue Jays and leads the Big Ten in saves (92) and is second in saves per game (9.20). She also ranks sixth in the nation in total saves.
• Just 10 games into her career in the Hopkins Blue & Black, Doucette already ranks 13th in school Division I history in career saves.
• Doucette also leads Hopkins and the conference in ground balls with 2.60 per game.
IN THE CIRCLE - PART I
• Annie Marshall took the majority of the draw controls for the Blue Jays in 2023 and despite missing three games due to injury, she led the team with 87 draws and ranked third in the Big Ten, and 30th in the nation, with 5.80 draws per game. Marshall matched her 2022 season total (6) in JHU's 2023 opener against UAlbany.
• Marshall's 87 draws were the third most in school single-season history. She had three games with 10 draws last season and is one of only two players in program history with multiple double-digit draw games, joining Shelby Harrison.
• Abbey Hurlbrink ranked second on the team with a career high 53 draws and ranks eighth in JHU history with 132 career draws. Ava Angello finished third on the team with 30 draw controls, which ranks 10th among freshman in program history.
IN THE CIRCLE - PART II
• Hopkins only got stronger in the center circle this summer with the addition of graduate student and draw specialist Jennifer Barry. She came to Baltimore from Boston University, where she earned All-Patriot League honors in each of her last three seasons. She earned IWLCA Northeast Region Second Team honors in 2022 and 2023 and was named a Third Team All-American by Inside Lacrosse in 2022. A three-year starter, Barry totaled 57 goals and 35 assists to go with 378 draws, 55 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers. She holds the BU record for draws in a game (18), season (156) and career (378). In 2023, she ranked second in the Patriot League and eighth in the nation with 7.72 draws per game and in 2022, she led the league and was fourth nationally with 9.18 draws per game.
• Barry jumped right in and made an immediate impact with eight draws in the win at UAlbany. Two other newcomers made their mark in the center circle opening weekend in freshman Kayley Kakac and graduate student Kacie Riggs. Kakac turned in a nine-draw performance in the win at Siena. At the time, her nine draws were two shy of the school record. Kakac's nine draws are also tied for third most in a game by a freshman in JHU history. Riggs controlled six draws versus the Saints in the second game.
• Barry leads all active players in the nation, and ranks 15th in NCAA Division I history, with 443 career draw controls. She also is averaging 7.51 draws per game for her career, the best per game average among all active players. Barry's per game average also ranks seventh in NCAA Division I history.
• Barry leads the Blue Jays and the Big Ten in draws (65) and draws per game (6.50). Nationally, she ranks 18th in draws per game. In fact, her 65 draws already rank eighth in school single-season history. Abbey Hurlbrink ranks second on the team with 26 draws and Jordan Carr is third with a career-high 22 draws.
IN THE CIRCLE - PART III
• As a team, Hopkins ranks second in the Big Ten and 30th in the nation in draws per game (15.20). The 15.20 draws per game is the best average in school history. Hopkins wins 54.7 percent of draw controls, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten. It is also the fifth best draw control percentage in JHU single-season history.
• Hopkins dominated the draw at Siena, outdrawing the Saints, 22-7. The 22 draws are tied for the second most in school history and are four shy of the school record. It is also the third time in the last two seasons that the Blue Jays have had at least 22 draws in a game. On Wednesday, Hopkins outdrew Vanderbilt, 20-8, including 7-2 in the second half.
• Last season, Hopkins ranked third in the Big Ten with 14.61 draws per game. That is the best per game average in school Division I history. The Blue Jays won 52.1 percent of their draws, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten. In addition, Hopkins' 263 draw controls in 2023 are the second most in school history.
AGAINST THE BUCKEYES
• Hopkins takes on Ohio State for the 23rd time in a series that dates back to 2002 and the inception of the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC). The Blue Jays lead the all-time series, 16-6, and have won seven straight over the Buckeyes.
• The two teams met every year from 2002 to 2014 as members of the ALC, including one meeting in the conference tournament. The series took a one-year pause after the breakup of the ALC and then resumed in 2016, the year before Hopkins joined the Big Ten. The Blue Jays are 7-0 against the Buckeyes since joining the B1G.
• From 2002 to 2016, the home team won 12 of the 15 meetings.
• The last four meetings in the series have been decided by a total of just eight goals.
• Hopkins was scheduled to host Ohio State on Saturday, March 14, 2020 when the season was suspended, and ultimately cancelled, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Buckeyes, who had played at Towson on Tuesday (March 10), were practicing on Homewood Field on Thursday when the announcement was made.
• AGAINST THE B1G
• Saturday's game is the 115th game for Hopkins against a current member of the Big Ten.
• Hopkins is 43-71 all-time against members of the B1G, including 21-22 in regular season games since joining the league in 2017.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
• Ava Angello led Hopkins with 40 goals last season becoming the first freshman to lead the Blue Jays in goals 2009. She is just the third freshman to lead JHU in goals since the program moved to Division I in 1999.
• She ranked second in the Big Ten in points (53) by a freshman and was third in goals by a freshman.
• Angello scored three goals in her collegiate debut against UAlbany and was the first freshman to tally a hat trick in their debut since 2016. In fact, she was just the fifth freshman in school Division I history to score a hat trick in their collegiate debut.
• Angello tied the school single-game record for goals by a freshman when she scored six against Monmouth. She joined Meghan Burnett (2000) and Jamie Larrimore (1999) as the only Blue Jay freshmen with six goals in a game.
• In JHU history, Angello ranks third in points, fourth in goals and sixth in assists by a freshman. She also ranks 11th in draws (30) by a freshman.
TAKEAWAYS
• Jordan Carr made the transition from midfield to defense this season and hasn't missed a step. She totaled seven caused turnovers and two ground balls in the Blue Jays' two wins opening weekend. Through 10 games this season, she boasts 19 caused turnovers, 20 ground balls and 22 draws. Carr ranks second in the Big Ten and 24th in the nation with 1.90 caused turnovers per game.
• Reagan O'Brien made her mark on the Blue Jay defense in her freshman campaign in 2023. She notched three caused turnovers and three ground balls in her collegiate debut versus UAlbany and led the team with 25 caused turnovers. She also finished fifth with 23 ground balls in 16 games.
• Last season, O'Brien led Hopkins and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 1.56 caused turnovers per game. This season, she is tied for second on the team with 12 caused turnovers.
• O'Brien tied the program single-game record for caused turnovers by a freshman when she had six takeways at Loyola. Her 25 caused turnovers were fifth most by a freshman in school history.
• Junior Paris Colgain is tied for second with O'Brien in caused turnovers with 12. Graduate student Kacie Riggs is tied with sophom*ore Hannah Johnson for fourth on the team with nine caused turnovers. Johnson's nine caused turnovers are a career high, surpassing her total (7) from last year (18 games).
• As a team, Hopkins ranks second in the Big Ten with 9.10 caused turnovers per game. Last season, JHU ranked third in the Big Ten and 23rd in the nation with 9.11 caused turnovers per game.
D GOALS
• Senior defender Jordan Carr scored a transition goal with 4:25 left in the second quarter at UAlbany in the season-opener. She scored her second goal of the season, also in transition, on March 6 in the win over Vanderbilt.
• This is the third straight year that a Blue Jay defender has scored a goal, as junior Quinlan O'Brien scored last year at Loyola and Jeanne Kachris scored against UMBC in 2022.
• Carr was a midfielder in her first three seasons before moving to defense this season. She scored 31 goals in her first three seasons with the Blue Jays.
• Carr is the 13th Hopkins' defender to score a goal since the program moved to Division I in 1999 (see chart at right). She is the seventh that has multiple goals in their career as a defender.
• Lacey-Leigh Hentz is first among all JHU defenders with 12 career goals (2002-05). She was inducted into the JHU Hall of Fame in 2020.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• The Blue Jays' 2024 roster includes six graduate students, nine seniors, eight juniors, seven sophom*ores and 11 freshmen.
• The 41-woman roster features players from 12 states, the District of Columbia and one Canadian province (Ontario). The Blue Jays also represent all four United States time zones.
• By state, the Blue Jays hail from New York (10), Maryland (9), New Jersey (5), Massachusetts (4), California (2), Pennsylvania (2), Oregon (2), Connecticut (1), Virginia (1), Minnesota (1), Texas (1) and Colorado (1).
WELCOME TO HOMEWOOD - PART I
• Head coach Tim McCormack welcomed three graduate student transfers - Jennifer Barry (Boston University), Madison Doucette (Northwestern) and Kacie Riggs (Cal) to Homewood this Fall.
• A 2022 IL All-American, Barry earned All-Patriot League honors three times and was a two-time IWLCA All-Northeast selection for the Terriers. She totaled 57 goals and 35 assists to go with 378 draws, 55 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers. Barry holds the BU record for draws in a game (18), seasons (156) and career (378). In 2023, she ranked second in the Patriot League and eighth in the nation with 7.72 draws per game.
• Doucette went 32-8 as a starter for the Wildcats. She boasted an 11.83 goals against average and a .407 save percentage while leading NU to the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Final Four. She ranked second in the Big Ten in saves (166) and sixth in save percentage (.422) as a senior. Doucette led the league in goals against average (11.06) as a junior.
• Riggs was a two-year starter on defense for the Bears. She totaled 84 draw controls, 35 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers in her career with the Bears. Riggs ranked second on the team, and ninth in the Pac-12 in draws (45).
WELCOME TO HOMEWOOD - PART II
• The Blue Jays welcomed 11 freshmen to campus this Fall. The group represent five states as well as Washington, DC.
• Joining Hopkins are Jaelyn Bennett, Alexa Christensen, Piper Daskalos, Samantha DiCarlo, Jane Freeman, Taylor Hoss, Kaley Kakac, Nina Palella, Heidi Rosely and Sam Tate.
IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
• Athletics at Johns Hopkins is a family affair and this year's team is no different.
• Sophom*ore midfielder Reagan O'Brien and junior defender Quinlan O'Brien are the 13th pair of sisters to don the Hopkins Blue & Black.
• Sophom*ore goalie Morgan Giardina is following in the footsteps of her father, Scott, who played lacrosse at Johns Hopkins and is a 1992 graduate of the University.
• In addition, senior Liza Regan played alongside her cousin, Caroline Somerville, for two seasons (2021, 2022) at Homewood.
2024 U20 WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
• Head coach Tim McCormack joined Kelly Amonte Hiller's staff as an assistant coach of the 2024 US Women's U20 National Team it was announced last May.
• The US team will compete in the 2024 World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship in Hong Kong, China this summer.
• The US women won five of the seven world championships conducted by World Lacrosse from 1995 to 2019. World Lacrosse adjusted the age groupings for this championship up to the U20 age level.
ON THE TUBE
• Hopkins is scheduled to play three nationally televised games this season. JHU will take on Maryland (April 10) and Michigan (April 14) on ESPNU. In addition, Hopkins' game at Penn State (April 18) will be shown on the Big Ten Network.
FOR THE RECORD
• This marks the 49th season for Johns Hopkins, which sports an all-time record of 479-313-4 (.604) and a 261-176 (.597) record as a Division I program. The Blue Jays are in their 26th season of Division I after making the move in 1999.
• Hopkins will play the 800th game in program history on April 10 versus Maryland at Homewood Field.
• The Blue Jays have posted 36 winning seasons, including 21 straight from 1987 to 2007. Hopkins has also made 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 11 in the Division I Tournament (2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023).
IT'S ALL ACADEMIC
• Hopkins produced 26 Academic All-Big Ten selections in 2023. In addition, thirteen Blue Jays were named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.
• JHU also placed 12 student-athletes on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll and the team earned IWLCA Academic Squad honors for the 10th straight season. Hopkins posted an impressive 3.618 GPA for the 2022-23 academic year.
ON TAP
• Hopkins returns home to take on sixth-ranked James Madison in non-conference action on Saturday, March 30. It is the Blue Jays' last non-conference game of the season.
• Opening draw at Homewood Field is slated for 5:00 pm.
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