Hopkins sports in review (Nov. 17-23)

Yes, I know it's almost Thanksgiving and the main thing on your mind is when can you go home. When are you able to sit on the couch all day, maybe catch some NFL or NBA games, and drift into daydreams about never going back to school. As tempting as this sounds, you'll be more thrilled to know about the success of our Hopkins sports team. Embrace your team spirit and combine it with your love for the school and you will realize that these Hopkins Sports games are can't miss thrillers.Women's Basketball: W (75-59), W (59 - 35)The women's basketball team faced Morgan State in an exhibition game at the opposing team's campus, also in Baltimore. This game proved the Jays' dominance, as they are a DIII team and they conquered a DI team. In the first two quarters, Hopkins outscored the Bears. Morgan State did put up a good fight during the second half, but the Jays had scored enough to maintain their lead.Saturday's game was also away, but this time further in York, PA. Seniors Macie Feldman and Emily Collins each had 10 rebounds. Additionally, six Blue Jays recorded steals for a total of twenty by the team (compared to York's 7) which kept the game moving and the ball in Hopkins' possession. Junior Layla Henderson put up the most points for a total of 11. Women's basketball returns to the court next against Washington College for a conference matchup.Women's Field Hockey: W (2-1 (2 OT)), L (1-2 (OT))This week brought the final four matchup at Trinity College in the national DIII tournament. Hopkins senior Zoey Bennet scored in the second minute of play to put the Jays on the board first. Babson tied the game later in the first quarter. Both teams had stunning defense at work as the game went into not one, but two overtimes. Junior Sophia Albano scored her sixth goal of the season in the seventy-seventh minute of play to send the Blue Jays to the final.With Sunday came the long-awaited championship game. Starting the game, Hopkins was ranked #2 with a 22-1 record, and Tufts was ranked #6 in the national DIII standings. This game was Hopkins field hockey's fourth national championship appearance. The action in the game started with a goal by a Tufts player in the first quarter. Not two minutes later, junior Eliza Vander knocked one into the net to even the score. The next three quarters would go scoreless, but not with a lack of trying. Each team had eight shots on goal, but Tufts was able to capitalize on the reduced number of players on the field during OT. Field hockey's season may not have ended exactly how they wanted, but there's no denying they put up an amazing fight throughout the season.Men's Cross CountryCross country took on the National DIII Championships this weekend. Senior Emmanuel Leblond became the first Hopkins student ever to take the individual national title. After being named the Centennial Conference Runner of the Year, he took the success from the season and channeled it into speed. Leblond had placed sixth at last year's National Championship, but a cheetah-like stride and smart pacing landed him a time of 23:35.0, which won him the honor. His victory helped the Jays to take sixth as a team, which is the second-highest the team has ever placed at Nationals. With over two-hundred competitors in this 8K race, a nineteenth place finish by freshman Anthony Clark was also a remarkable feat. He was the fastest freshman in the entire field, so don't forget to look out for him next year and watch him rise.Men's Basketball: W (79 - 73), W (77-69)After a 1-1 start to the season, this week was a strong confidence boost for the men's basketball team. Their first matchup was away against Rowan University in NJ. Hopkins scored six more points in the first half, but both teams put up an equal number of points in the second. Help from senior Charlie Jackson and junior Nick Klaiber cemented the win for the Jays as they both put up a game leading sixteen points. Jackson was also a beast on rebounds getting thirteen, with the next top Hopkins player getting eight.Their second matchup was against Eastern University in PA. Hopkins put up a similar amount of points as the last game, and the max (22) came once again by Jackson. Also playing with power was sophomore Wyatt Eglinton Manner who scored twenty-one points. Part of the Jays' success came from a team free throw percentage of 0.875, a whopping lead on Eastern's 0.471. While the Jays had a lower field goal percentage, their three point shooting percentage was superior.