Oct. 31, 2014 Sophomore Will Bellamy joined the Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications staff as a student assistant not long after arriving at Homewood in August 2013. An experienced writer, he bolsters 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.)
Cross Country
Both the Johns Hopkins men's and women's cross country teams will head to Haverford, PA, this Saturday with the hope of repeating as Centennial Conference champions. However, the Blue Jays will have to outrun a number of dangerous rivals if they are to emerge victorious once again. Teams like Haverford and Dickinson have dominated the conference in the past and will look to regain their position at the front of the pack.
The women are currently ranked 1st in Division III while the men are ranked 26th. Races are scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m.
Football
The Johns Hopkins football team can take a significant step forward in its pursuit of a sixth straight Centennial Conference title this Saturday.
The undefeated Blue Jays will play at longtime rival Ursinus, which trails JHU by a game in the conference standings.
Knocking off the Bears, however, will not be an easy task for the Blue Jays. Ursinus fields a dangerous running back duo in Corey Kelly and Taylor Paul on offense and the conference leader in sacks in Steve Ambs on defense.
Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Live Video & Stats
Swimming
The Johns Hopkins men's and women's swimming teams will kick off their respective seasons at the Thomas Murphy Invitational this weekend.
The meet will pit the Blue Jays against Boston College and Loyola Maryland and will feature races on Friday and Saturday.
The action will start at 5 p.m. ET on Friday.
Fencing
The Johns Hopkins men's and women's teams will get their first taste of competition at the Temple Open this weekend. The women will compete on Saturday and the men will compete on Sunday.
Field Hockey
After a rollercoaster of a fall, the Johns Hopkins field hockey team is on the brink of a berth in the Centennial Conference tournament.
With one match left to play, the Blue Jays (8-8, 4-4 in CC play) are in a four-way tie with McDaniel, Dickinson, and Washington College for fourth in the conference. With tiebreakers against McDaniel and Washington College, the Blue Jays can automatically claim the fifth and final seed by beating Gettysburg in their season finale. They can also land the fourth seed if they win and Dickinson loses.
JHU will play at Gettysburg (4-11, 2-7) on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Live Video & Stats
Women's Volleyball
The Johns Hopkins women's volleyball team can only improve its seeding in the Centennial Conference tournament against Gettysburg on Saturday.
Regardless of what happens against the Bullets, the Blue Jays (16-10, 8-2 in CC play) are guaranteed to at least retain the fourth seed in the tournament. However, they could snag a higher seed depending on how Haverford and Muhlenberg fair this weekend.
JHU and Gettysburg (19-10, 5-4) will face off at Goldfarb Gymnasium at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Live Video
Men's Soccer
With one match left in the season, the Johns Hopkins and Ursinus men's soccer teams are neck and neck for the final spot in the Centennial Conference tournament. The Blue Jays and Bears hold the same record against conference opponents (3-4-1) and played each other to a draw when they faced off several weeks ago.
Both teams will play this weekend, with JHU slated to face Washington College and Ursinus set to take on Muhlenberg. A win by one squad and a loss by the other would automatically decide who makes the postseason. A number of other scenarios involving Haverford and Swarthmore also exisit and the final playoff seedings won't like be decided until 9 pm on Saturday night.
JHU will host Washington College at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Live Video & Stats
Women's Soccer
Soccer fans will have the opportunity to watch the Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg women's soccer teams compete for Centennial Conference supremacy this Saturday.
Whoever wins the match-up between the Blue Jays (15-2, 9-0 in CC play) and the Bullets (12-3-1, 8-0-1) will claim the top spot in the CC tournament.
Both teams have proven to be equally adept on the offensive and defensive ends of the field and feature a number of the conference's top players between them. The Blue Jays will look to longtime star Hannah Kronick to lead them to victory on Saturday.
Game time is 1:00 p.m. ET.
Live Video & Stats
Water Polo
The Johns Hopkins water polo team will take on the U.S. Naval Academy for the second time in a week this Saturday. The Blue Jays beat Navy 15-14 in Baltimore last weekend. This time around, however, JHU will compete in Annapolis. The match will be the team's last heading into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Championship, which will take place next weekend.
Wrestling
The Johns Hopkins wrestling team will see its first action of the year this weekend. The Blue Jays will compete in the Messiah Invitational on Saturday before facing Maryland on Sunday.
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