LANCASTER, PA – Johns Hopkins graduate student Abby Birk and junior Alexis Loder have been honored by the Centennial Conference for their performances last week. Birk has been named the Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week, while Loder has been tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Birk led Johns Hopkins to a pair of wins as the Blue Jays secured the number 1 seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament. On Wednesday against Washington College, she scored the game-winning goal just 1:25 into the game. That win secured the top seed in the tournament for the Blue Jays. Birk then scored the game's only goal at Bryn Mawr as JHU completed its third straight undefeated conference slate.
 
Loder led the Blue Jay defense to a pair of shutout wins in the final week of the regular season. She played three quarters of Hopkins' 5-0 win over Washington College and made one save while also snuffing out several passes by the high-scoring Shorewomen. On Saturday, she made one save in 30 minutes of Hopkins' 1-0 win at Bryn Mawr, one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.
 
Birk leads the Blue Jays with 31 points and seven assists and is tied for the team lead with 12 goals. She is tied for third in the Centennial in assists and is tied for fourth in both goals and points. Loder has played in 16 games with six starts and boasts a 0.55 goals against average with a .765 save percentage.
 
Hopkins returns to action on Thursday in the Centennial Conference Semifinals. JHU will host the winner of the Ursinus and Washington College.