Nov. 22, 2013
Freshman Will Bellamy joined the Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications staff as a student assistant not long after arriving at Homewood in August. An experienced writer, he will bolster the efforts of the office with a preview of each weekend's events (please note that this is not intended to be an exhaustive in-depth preview of every game or event. Rather, it provides a quick overview for fans with key links and things to look for. Key games, especially those against nationally-ranked teams or those with playoff implications, will lead the column each week).
Football
For the Johns Hopkins football team, the real season begins on Saturday afternoon, when the Blue Jays take on the Wesley Wolverines in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division III playoffs.
JHU will have the advantage of playing this one at Homewood Field, after turning in an undefeated regular season and finishing first in the Centennial Conference.
However, the game will be by no means easy. The Wolverines (8-2) have averaged 31.3 points per game while allowing only 18.8 thus far this season and feature a slew of players that could give the Blue Jays trouble, from quarterback Joe Callahan to wide receiver Steve Koudossou to pass rusher Aamir Petrose.
JHU will have to rely on what has worked for it all season - swarming, hard-hitting defense and tireless hurry-up offense - and avoid any potential miscues in order to advance to the next round. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m.
Johns Hopkins-Wesley Live Video
NCAA First Round Tournament Central
Women's Soccer
The Johns Hopkins women's soccer team travels to Middlebury, VT, this weekend to take on Williams College (14-3-2) in the NCAA Sweet 16.
The game, which will be played on Saturday, should be a challenging one for the Blue Jays as the Ephs have been strong all year and even more so as of late. Williams secured a 5-1 victory over Lesley and a 3-0 victory over Keene State in the first and second rounds of the tournament to advance to this weekend.
A win will put Hopkins in the NCAA Elite 8 where JHU will face either host Middlebury (15-1-3) or Misericordia (19-2-2) with the hope of making it to the NCAA Women's Soccer Final Four in San Antonio, TX.
The Blue Jays will play on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Johns Hopkins-Williams Live Video
Cross Country
This Saturday is it for the Johns Hopkins men's and women's cross country teams. The Blue Jays travel to Hanover, IN for the 2013 NCAA Division III Championships, where they will face off against their best competition of the year and attempt to prove their prowess on the national stage. JHU will take on teams from Emory, Dickinson, NYU, MIT, and a host of other schools.
The women, who are currently ranked first in DIII, are seeking their second straight NCAA Championship. The men, ranked eighth and in the midst of an historic season, are looking to cap the year with the program's first-ever NCAA title.
NCAA Championship Site
Basketball
The Johns Hopkins men's and women's basketball teams make their first foray of the year into Centennial Conference play during a double-header against Ursinus on Saturday afternoon at Goldfarb Gym.
In their first three games of the year, the women have gone 2-1 and have gotten impressive performances from a number of players, including junior Clara McCullagh and sophomore Katie Clark. McCullagh and Clark lead the team in scoring, with 12.7 and 12 points per game, respectively.
The men have struggled a bit more, winning one of three against tough competition. The Blue Jays first three opponents won a combined 58 games last season and include a pair of NCAA Tournament qualifiers. However, junior Jimmy Hammer has averaged 20.3 points per game and the rest of the team has frequently flashed its potential. The women will play first on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. followed by the men at 3:00 p.m.
Women's & Men's Basketball Live Stats
Women's & Men's Basketball Live Video
Water Polo
The Johns Hopkins water polo team make the trip to Providence, RI, for the 2013 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Eastern Championship, which will run from Friday to Sunday.
On Friday (10:00 a.m.) the Blue Jays will take on the George Washington Colonials, against whom they have gone 2-1 this year, with the hope of advancing into the winner's bracket.
The Blue Jays, who have competed in the Eastern Championship 11 times, are back in the field after missing last year's tournament. The winner of the CWPA Eastern Championship earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
CWPA Eastern Championship Live Video (PPV)
Fencing
The Johns Hopkins men's and women's fencing teams will host and compete against a slew of schools on Sunday in the teams' only home meet of the year.
The men will take on Army, Stevens Tech, Hunter, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Yeshiva and the women will face off against NJIT, Yeshiva, Virginia, Army, and Navy.
The competition will start at 11:00 a.m. and go until after four p.m.
Swimming
Both the Johns Hopkins men's and women's swimming teams will travel to Gettysburg College for the Gettysburg Invitational this weekend. Last year, the men's and women's teams combined to break 20 pool records as they cruised to the invitational title. The Invitational starts at 6:00 pm on Friday and continues with two sessions (10 am & 5 pm) on Saturday.
Men's & Women's Swimming Live Video
Wrestling
The Johns Hopkins wrestling team will compete in the Doug Parker Invitational on Saturday. Junior Paul Bewak (125 lbs) will look to improve on his runner-up finish from a year ago which helped the Blue Jays to a fifth-place finish.
