BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala announced the addition of Ohio State and Villanova to the Blue Jays’ 2014 schedule today. Both games will take place at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field. The addition of the Buckeyes and Wildcats will end the current scheduling agreements Johns Hopkins has with Siena and Army.

Tentatively, the Blue Jays will open the 2014 season against Ohio State with a late-season midweek game against Villanova. The complete 2014 Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse schedule, with game dates and times, should be available in October.

Johns Hopkins and Ohio State have meet four times previously with all four meetings taking place between 1999 and 2002. Johns Hopkins won all four of those games, including a 12-9 decision at Ohio State in the teams’ last meeting during the 2002 season. PIetramala is 3-0 all-time against Ohio State, with two of those three wins coming during his tenure as the head coach at Johns Hopkins. Ohio State posted a 13-4 record, won the ECAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2013.

Villanova was a regular on the Johns Hopkins schedule from 1997-2002 as the teams met six times during that period. Johns Hopkins won all six of those games and took a 10-7 decision at Villanova in the teams’ last meeting midway through the 2002 season. The Wildcats shared the 2013 BIG EAST regular season title and advanced to the league championship game before falling to eventual national runner-up Syracuse. Villanova ended the 2013 season with a 7-8 record.

Ohio State finished the 2013 regular season ranked third in the USILA Coaches Poll, while Villanova was ranked 20th in that poll (the USILA does not release a poll after the NCAA Tournament). The Buckeyes also drew a number eight national ranking in the final Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, while the Wildcats were listed as receiving votes. The final Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll was released after the NCAA Tournament.

In the final 2013 Men’s Lacrosse RPI rankings (also issued after the NCAA Tournament), Ohio State was ranked sixth, while Villanova was ranked 21st.

BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels announced today that the Blue Jay men’s lacrosse team has been accepted by the Big Ten Conference as a sport affiliate member. The announcement comes on the same day that the Big Ten announced the addition of men’s lacrosse as an official conference sport. Big Ten play is scheduled to begin during the 2015 season.

Johns Hopkins will join current Big Ten schools Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan as well as future members Maryland and Rutgers in competing for the Big Ten Championship in men’s lacrosse. Hopkins will officially become a Big Ten sport affiliate member on July 1, 2014.

“This decision may represent the single greatest change in Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse in more than a century,” Daniels said. “I am grateful for the thoughtful process that has led us to this historic place, and I am confident in the success of our shared endeavor in the years to come. ”

Johns Hopkins has competed as an independent in men’s lacrosse since the program began play in 1883. Since then, the program has produced 44 national championships, nine NCAA titles, 183 First Team All-Americans and 65 members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The Blue Jays rank first nationally in overall national titles, First Team All-Americans and Hall of Fame inductees, while JHU’s nine NCAA titles rank second all time. Johns Hopkins has also appeared in 41 of the 43 all-time NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships since the NCAA began sponsoring the national tournament in 1971.

“We are pleased to announce that the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse program will become the Big Ten’s first sport affiliate member,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “Johns Hopkins University is one of the top academic institutions in the country and their men’s lacrosse program has been one of the nation’s best since it was first founded in 1883. Lacrosse is a unique part of the culture on the East Coast, and is an emerging sport both among our current schools and across the country. The addition of Johns Hopkins will give us the opportunity to launch Big Ten men’s lacrosse in 2015, and we look forward to working with their administrators, coaches, student-athletes and fans in preparation for their first conference season.”

The ever-changing landscape of college lacrosse led Johns Hopkins Director of Athletics Tom Calder and men’s lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala to begin discussing conference affiliation in the spring of 2012. While fully aware of the storied history of the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse program as an independent, both realized that national conference realignment was making the challenges of scheduling even more difficult and the opportunity most other teams had to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship through a conference was something that needed to be explored.

With six men’s lacrosse teams, the Big Ten will receive one of the automatic bids to the NCAA Championship. Currently, 16 teams are selected to compete each year in the tournament. NCAA rules allow for up to 50-percent of the tournament field to be comprised of teams receiving an automatic bid.

“The goal each season for our men’s lacrosse team always has been and always will be to compete for the national championship,” Calder noted. “Our administration is fully committed to providing Dave Pietramala and our men’s lacrosse program the resources and opportunities necessary for us to compete at that level. We are proud of the history and accomplishments we enjoyed while competing as an independent, but we feel the opportunity to align with members of the Big Ten as the conference adds men’s lacrosse best positions the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse program to maintain the standards that have been established here.”

Johns Hopkins and Maryland have competed in men’s lacrosse since 1895 and the Blue Jays also added Michigan to the schedule during the 2013 season. In addition, Ohio State and Penn State are currently slotted as the team’s two preseason opponents, while Johns Hopkins and Rutgers have met 34 times dating back to 1920. The familiarity with those programs was a key element in the decision-making process.

“This is a very exciting day for Johns Hopkins University as we combine two traditions of excellence – the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse program and the Big Ten, which are both committed to excellence in the classroom and on the field” Pietramala stated. “As the head coach and a former player here, one of the things that is truly exciting is the challenging schedule we have been able to maintain. This move allows us to maintain the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse with the University of Maryland, add several nationally-recognized programs to our schedule and maintain a number of national and local rivalries we have in place. All of those things were important considerations and I am thankful to our administration for the time and effort they have put into this process and the unwavering support we have received in making this decision.”

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland’s men’s and women’s lacrosse teams will compete in the Big Ten Conference beginning with the 2015 season, following an announcement from the conference office on Monday that the Big Ten has secured six men’s and six women’s lacrosse teams.

Earlier today, Johns Hopkins was accepted as a sport affiliate member for men’s lacrosse only beginning with the 2014-15 academic year to give the Big Ten six men’s programs, joining Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers, which also field women’s programs and will be joined on the women’s side by Northwestern. Big Ten rules allow for a conference championship when six institutions sponsor a program in any given sport.

“The Big Ten is an outstanding conference and we’re thrilled that it will be able to be the conference home for two of our most successful programs in men’s and women’s lacrosse,” said director of athletics Kevin Anderson. “Lacrosse is important to our university and to our state and the addition of Johns Hopkins as a sport affiliate member for men’s lacrosse shows that it is important to the Big Ten now and in the future.”

The six programs that will comprise Big Ten men’s lacrosse boast 56 national championships, with schools that have competed for more than a century. Johns Hopkins has been an independent since 1883 and leads all schools with 44 national championships. Maryland has claimed 11 national titles, while Rutgers has also won a national championship. The Scarlet Knights launched men’s lacrosse in 1887, followed by programs starting in 1913 for Penn State, 1924 for Maryland and 1953 for Ohio State. Michigan instituted a men’s lacrosse program in 2012. Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State each qualified for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship this season, with the Buckeyes advancing to the quarterfinals.

“This is an exciting development for the sport of lacrosse,” said Maryland men’s head coach John Tillman. “We’re looking forward to competing as a Big Ten program against Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan and Johns Hopkins and embrace the challenges that lie ahead in the future.”

Big Ten women’s lacrosse will feature teams that have won 23 national championships and 19 of the 32 NCAA championships, including eight of the last nine. Maryland has won 11 national championships, with 10 NCAA crowns, including seven straight from 1995 to 2001 and most recently in 2010. Northwestern has claimed seven NCAA titles, highlighted by five consecutive from 2005 to 2009 and most recently in 2012. Penn State has earned five national championships, including NCAA titles in 1987 and 1989. The Terrapins, Wildcats and Nittany Lions earned berths in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship this season. Penn State advanced to the quarterfinals, Northwestern reached the national semifinals and Maryland was edged in triple overtime in the national championship game.

“To be a part of a conference from the ground up is exciting for our program and we are anxious to put our thumbprint on Big Ten lacrosse,” said Maryland women’s head coach Cathy Reese. “It is going to be a highly competitive league and with former Terps coaching at five of the six institutions, I believe there is a lot to be excited about as we make this transition in 2014-15 and begin a new chapter in the rich history of Maryland women’s lacrosse.”

With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers in 2014, the broad-based athletic programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will sponsor nearly 350 teams in 42 different sports with almost 9,500 student-athletes, more than any other conference. The Big Ten currently features 25 official conference sports, 12 for men and 13 for women, but is set to add men’s ice hockey as the 26th conference sport in the fall. Men’s and women’s lacrosse will become the conference’s 27th and 28th official sports in 2014-15.

BALTIMORE, MD –Tucker Durkin (Huntingdon, PA/La Salle College HS), a senior on the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team, had already established himself as one of the top defensemen in school history before Friday. Now, the fraternity of individuals he’s referenced with will be even smaller as he became just the fourth player in Johns Hopkins history and the eighth player in college lacrosse history to twice win the William C. Schmeisser Award as the nation’s top defensive player when the USILA’s major award winners were announced today.

A three-time All-American, including a first team selection as a junior and senior, Durkin joins Hank Kaestner (1966, 1967), Mark Greenberg (1979, 1980) and Dave Pietramala as the only Johns Hopkins players to win the Schmeisser Award twice. Johns Hopkins’ four two-time recipients represent half of the eight who have grabbed the award more than once as Fred Allner, Jr. (1944 – Cornell, 1947 – Princeton), Chris Kane (1977, 1978 – Cornell), Tom Haus (1984, 1986, 1987 – North Carolina) and ∫ (1992, 1993 – Princeton) round out this exclusive list.

This season, Durkin led a Johns Hopkins unit that ranks third nationally in scoring defense (7.79). Durkin led the team in caused turnovers (16) and finished fifth in ground balls (32) while regularly drawing the assignment of marking the opposition’s top attackman. While matchups can change throughout a game, the three attackmen he primarily marked in his final three games combined for a total of just two assists in that time.

Durkin is the 13th Johns Hopkins player to win the award (the 13 have combined for 17 selections) and the Blue Jays lead all schools in number of recipients and selections. In addition, this is the third Schmeisser Award for a Johns Hopkins player in the last five years as Michael Evans grabbed the award in 2009.

Johns Hopkins’ All-Time Schmeisser Award Recipients

1943 – George Riepe
1949 – Lloyd Bunting
1951 – Joseph Sollers
1958 – Walter Mitchell
1961 – Michael Byrne
1966 & 1967 – Hank Kaestner
1969 – Michael Clark
1979 & 1980 – Mark Greenberg
1985 – John DeTommaso
1988 & 1989 - Dave Pietramala
1997 – Brian Kuczma
2009 - Michael Evans
2012 & 2013 – Tucker Durkin

BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins senior defenseman Tucker Durkin was named a First Team USILA All-American on Thursday and four other Blue Jays were named to the team as well. Joining Durkin were senior faceoff specialist Mike Poppleton, who grabbed second team honors, and senior goalie Pierce Bassett, senior defenseman Chris Lightner and sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick, who all earned honorable mention status.

Durkin earned his third straight All-America honor as he nabbed second team honors as a sophomore and first team honors last season, when he was also named the William C. Schmeisser Award recipient as the nation’s top defensive player. This season he led a Johns Hopkins unit that ranks third nationally in scoring defense (7.79). Durkin led the team in caused turnovers (16) and finished fifth in ground balls (32) while regularly drawing the assignment of marking the opposition’s top attackman. While matchups can change throughout a game, the three attackmen he primarily marked in his final three games combined for a total of just two assists in that time.

Durkin is the first Johns Hopkins defenseman since Michael Evans (2007-09) to earn All-America honors three times, the first since Rob Doerr (1998-99) to earn First Team All-America honors in back-to-back seasons and the first to earn first and second team honors a combined three times since Dave Pietramala grabbed first team honors from 1987-89.

Poppleton is making his first appearance on the All-America team with his second team selection. He won 161-of-235 (.685) faceoffs this season and grabbed a team-high 89 ground balls. He ranks second in the nation in faceoff winning percentage and 15th in ground balls per game (6.85). His .685 winning percentage is a Johns Hopkins single-season record, while his 161 faceoffs won are the eighth-highest single-season total in JHU history. He finishes his career having won 351-of-545 (.644) faceoffs and is the school record-holder in career faceoff winning percentage.

Bassett is also making his third appearance on the All-America team after earning second team honors as a sophomore and honorable mention status last season. He posted a 7.59 goals against average and a .604 save percentage this season and currently ranks fourth in the nation in GAA and third in save percentage. His .604 save percentage is the best at Johns Hopkins and the first above 60% since 2005, when Jesse Schwartzman posted a .626 mark. He is the first Johns Hopkins goalie to earn All-America honors three times since Brian Carcaterra turned the trick from 1998-2000.

Lightner is making his first appearance on the team as well after enjoying a strong final season at Homewood. He teamed with Durkin to give the Blue Jays one of the most experienced and effective defensive tandems in the nation. Lightner started all 13 games he played in this season and had a career-high 36 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. His 36 ground balls ranked third on the team, while he was fourth in caused turnovers.

Stanwick took over as the leader of the Blue Jay offense and led the team in scoring with 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points. He had 11 multi-point games to his credit and had seven games with four points or more on the year. Stanwick is the first sophomore attackman at Johns Hopkins to earn All-America honors since Kyle Wharton in 2009 and he currently ranks fourth in the nation in shooting percentage (.500).

In a letter to the Johns Hopkins community on Friday, May 17, President Ronald J. Daniels announced that he has accepted the recommendation of a special committee that the Blue Jay men’s lacrosse program seek conference affiliation. The text of President Daniels’ message and the committee report follow.

Dear Member of the Johns Hopkins Community:

In some circles, Johns Hopkins is known best for healing. In others, we are recognized for discovery or for the amazing achievements of our students.

In still others, the name “Johns Hopkins” means lacrosse, Homewood Field and 44 men’s national championships. As with healing, discovery and achievement, that is a very special association and one that we are determined to preserve.

I wrote to you in early March to say that the changing face of intercollegiate athletics and the immense growth in the sport of lacrosse had made it necessary for Johns Hopkins to consider a step it had never taken in 130 years of competition: foregoing our independent status and affiliating with a conference for men’s lacrosse.

It would be a big step, a departure from history and Blue Jay tradition. We would never take such a step lightly. I announced the formation, therefore, of a special committee to examine all aspects of the issue and to provide me with an informed recommendation.

I also invited you to participate in the process by sharing your views with the committee. I am pleased to say that more than 300 of our students, alumni, faculty and staff did so.

In the two months since it was formed, the committee has worked diligently to understand the landscape and to consider whether we should make a change. Its members and staff, in addition to considering your feedback, have consulted with faculty athletics representatives at other universities, with officials of a number of conferences, and with traditional Johns Hopkins rivals. They have compiled and analyzed relevant statistical information; they have engaged in detailed discussions with Athletics Director Tom Calder and Coach Dave Pietramala, A&S ’90.

The committee’s unanimous conclusion, transmitted to me last week, is that Johns Hopkins and its men’s lacrosse student-athletes would best be served by our seeking affiliation for men’s lacrosse only with an NCAA Division I conference. That conclusion was based on committee members’ conviction that such a move will provide our university and history’s most-successful lacrosse program the best opportunity for continued leadership at the highest level of intercollegiate competition. It was based on their conviction that joining a Division I conference for men’s lacrosse is the best course for our athletes, our program and our university, and that it can be done without compromise to our academic integrity or athletic traditions.

I agree with the committee’s analysis and have accepted its recommendations. Tom Calder and Dave Pietramala are also in agreement. Together, we intend to pursue an affiliation. As I mentioned in my March message, there already have been expressions of interest. I will report to you when there is a conclusion to these discussions.

The special committee’s report is available online here. To be clear, we intend, as previously announced, to compete as a Division I independent in women’s lacrosse. We remain deeply and philosophically committed to continued participation in NCAA Division III competition in all other sports.

The members of the special committee have invested a great deal of time and energy and done a wonderful job. On behalf of the entire university community, I want to express my most sincere appreciation to all the members, and especially to co-chairs Jerry Schnydman, A&S ’67, and Chris Watson, A&S ’05.

Sincerely,
Ronald J. Daniels

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the 11th-straight year the University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team will compete in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship tournament. The Terps, which received the No. 6 seed with an at-large bid, will play Cornell on Sun., May 12 at 1 p.m. at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.

The Terrapins (10-3) are making their 36th NCAA tournament appearance, while the Big Red (12-3), which earned an at-large bid out of the Ivy League, will be making their 25th appearance in the tournament field.

Maryland and Cornell have played 15 times with the Terps holding a 13-2 series advantage. The two teams have not met since 2000 when the Terps won, 8-7, at the Big Red. This will be the fourth meeting between the two programs in the NCAA tournament. Maryland and Cornell met for the 1971 and 1976 NCAA championships with the Big Red winning both of those meetings. The Terps won the 1974 meeting in the semifinals.

This marks the fourth time that Maryland has been named the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Terps were previously a No. 6 seed in 1983, 1992 and 2000. In 1983, Maryland topped No. 3 seed Virginia in the first round, which was also the quarterfinals, by a 13-4 score. The Terps then lost to No. 2 seed Syracuse in the semifinals, 12-5. In 1992, beat Duke, 13-11, in the first round, but lost to No. 3 seed Princeton, 11-10, in the quarters. The 2000 tournament was also a 1-1 finish for the Terps with a first round victory over Hofstra, 14-12, and a 10-7 loss in the quarters to No. 3 seed Princeton.

The winner of the Maryland/Cornell game will meet the winner of the No. 3 seed Ohio State/Towson first round game in the quarterfinals on Saturday, May 18, at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The other quarterfinal matchup in College Park will come from the winners of No. 1 Syracuse/Bryant and #8 Penn State/Yale first round games.

Tickets for the Maryland-Cornell game will be available for by calling the Maryland ticket office at 1-800-462-TERP (8377). Adult general admission seating is $10 and student/senior tickets are $5. Mezzanine seating and suite holder tickets are available for $15.

Tournament Breakdown:
College Park Bracket
No. 1 Syracuse (Big East AQ) vs. Bryant (NEC AQ) – May 12, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 8 Penn State (CAA) vs. Yale (Ivy AQ)- May 11, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU

Indianapolis Bracket
No. 5 North Carolina (ACC) vs. Lehigh (Patriot AQ) – May 11, Noon, ESPN2
No. 4 Denver (ECAC) vs. Albany (AE AQ) – May 11, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU

College Park Bracket
No. 3 Ohio State (ECAC AQ) vs. Towson (CAA AQ) – May 12, 3 p.m, ESPNU
No. 6 Maryland (ACC) vs. Cornell (Ivy) – May 12, 1 p.m., ESPN2

Indianapolis Bracket
No. 7 Duke (ACC) vs. Loyola (ECAC) – May 12, 5:15 p.m., ESPNU
No. 2 Notre Dame (Big East) vs. Detroit (MAAC AQ) – May 11, 5 p.m., ESPNU

Tournament Teams By Conference:
ACC (3): Duke, North Carolina, Maryland
ECAC (3): Ohio State (AQ), Denver, Loyola
Big East (2): Syracuse (AQ), Notre Dame
CAA (2): Towson (AQ), Penn State
Ivy (2): Yale (AQ), Cornell
Patriot League (1): Lehigh (AQ)
America East (1): Albany (AQ)
MAAC (1): Detroit (AQ)
NEC (1): Bryant (AQ)

(Continued on Page 2…)

Comments (1)