Oct. 31, 2005

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Johns Hopkins water polo team suffered an upset loss to Slippery Rock in the first round of the Southern Division Championship to end its chances at an Eastern Championship and NCAA tournament appearance. The Blue Jays finished the tournament in fifth place and ended their season with a 24-6 overall record, the best record among all teams in the East.

Hopkins' 24-6 record includes 17 wins over Division I teams and six losses to teams ranked in the Top 20 at some point of the season. The Blue Jays defeated every team in the East except #1 St. Francis (who they did not play) and #2 Navy, and finished the year with a better record than both of those teams.

Johns Hopkins entered the tournament as the #4 seed in the East Region behind Navy, Princeton, and Bucknell, and met Slippery Rock, the #1 seed in the West Region, in its first game on Friday night. Hopkins defeated Slippery Rock 10-5 in September, but this time lost 10-7 to immediately drop into the tournament's losers' bracket.

The Blue Jays won both games on Saturday, beginning with a 14-11 victory over George Washington and followed by a 13-7 win over Gannon in the nightcap, to earn a spot in the fifth-place game on Sunday. Hopkins defeated Salem International, 11-9, for the third time this season and finished in fifth place.

Navy won the tournament, followed by Princeton, Bucknell, and Slippery Rock.