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OPENING DRAW
• Johns Hopkins is back at Homewood Field for just the second time this season as the Blue Jays host the Georgetown Hoyas Tuesday afternoon.
• Hopkins is coming off a 15-9 win at 14th-ranked Penn on Saturday afternoon to improve to 4-0 on the season.
• The Blue Jays are 4-0 to start the season for the first time since 2014 and sixth time since moving to Division I in 1999. Hopkins has started the season 5-0 three times since 1999.
IN FEBRUARY
• Hopkins is 52-27 (.658) all-time in the month of February.
• Now in their 51st season, the Blue Jays did not play a game in February until 2002. The season opener at Liberty on February 7 was the second earliest in program history.
• Hopkins is 35-15-1 (.696) all-time in season openers and has won 20 of its last 23 season-openers.
50 YEARS OF BLUE JAY LACROSSE
• 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of women’s lacrosse at Johns Hopkins. JHU made its program debut on March 26, 1976 at Swarthmore.
• JHU earned the program’s first win on April 13, 1977 – a 12-7 win over Hood.
• The Blue Jays made the transition to Division I in 1999 and went 10-4 that season.
• Johns Hopkins is 501-325-4 (.606) in 50 seasons, including 283-188 (.601) as a Division I program.
• Hopkins became just the 12th program in NCAA history, across all divisions, to play 800 games on April 10, 2024.
• The Blue Jays have posted 39 winning seasons, including 21 straight from 1987 to 2007. Hopkins has also made 22 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 13 in the Division I Tournament. JHU has made the last seven NCAA Tournaments, and all 13 DI appearances have come since 2004.
• JHU has produced 137 all-conference selections and 90 All-Americans in 50 seasons. In addition, 20 players have been inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
TEWAARATON AWARD
• Reagan O’Brien and Ava Angello were named to the 2026 Tewaaraton Award Watch List it was announced on February 10. This is the second straight year the duo has been named to the Watch List.
• Angello and O’Brien are the sixth and seventh players in Johns Hopkins history, respectively, to be named to the Tewaaraton Watch List twice. O’Brien is the first defender to do so. This is also the second consecutive season that JHU has had multiple players named to the list.
LAST TIME OUT
• Ava Angello and Lacey Downey combined for 10 goals and four assists to lead seventh-ranked Johns Hopkins to a 15-9 win at 14th-ranked Penn Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays improve to 4-0 on the season while the Quakers fall to 1-1.
• The teams traded goals over the opening nine minutes, and they were tied at two. Sally Zinsner opened the scoring when she scored on the doorstep with the helper coming from Downey. Mary Sack and Lela Greene sandwiched goals around Angello’s first of the afternoon and it was 2-2 with 6:06 to play in the quarter. Angello scored off a pick-and-roll to spark a 4-0 Blue Jays’ run that spanned just five-and-a-half minutes. Downey followed with three straight goals and just like that Hopkins led 6-2 58 seconds into the second. Catherine Berkery scored back-to-back goals just 30 seconds apart and the lead was down to two.
• Angello scored on a bouncer off a feed from Taylor Hoss with 5:11 to go in the half to ignite a 4-1 JHU run that bridged halftime. Berkery answered with her third of the afternoon, but Angello had the final say of the half, blowing home a free position goal with 59.1 ticks on the clock. Downey then opened the third-quarter scoring with an unassisted tally to stake Hopkins to a 9-5 lead. Penn came right back with scores from Eden Welch and Berkery to pull back within two with 6:29 on the clock. Hoss answered, scoring on the run, off a helper from Angello, to kickstart a 4-0 run. Downey then buried an eight-meter followed by a Hoss behind-the-back score and the Blue Jays led 12-7 after three.
• Paige Willard opened the scoring in the fourth when she scooped up a loose ball and scored in tight. And then just like the start of the game, the teams traded goals over the final 10:30 and Hopkins grabbed the 15-9 win.
• Downey (5g, 2a) and Angello (5g, 2a) led the Blue Jays with seven points each and it is the second straight game that the Blue Jays have had two players with six or more points. Downey’s seven points and five goals are both career highs. Downey also caused four turnovers and picked up seven ground balls. Ashley Langdon finished with a career-best seven saves.
RECORD BREAKER – PART I
• Reagan O’Brien broke the NCAA Division I single-season record for caused turnovers last season. She broke the 25-year-old record with her 83rd takeaway, in the Big Ten semifinals, and finished the season with 103.
• O’Brien also broke the Johns Hopkins career record for caused turnovers in the semifinals. She surpassed Lacey Leigh Hentz’s record of 146, which had stood for 20 years. She now holds the Johns Hopkins game (12), season (103) and career records (184) for caused turnovers.
• O’Brien has tallied 18 caused turnovers through four games this season, bringing her career total to 184. She now ranks ninth in NCAA history and needs 16 to become just the fourth player to reach 200 career caused turnovers.
RECORD BREAKER – PART II
• Laurel Gonzalez wasted no time in making her mark in the Johns Hopkins record book as a freshman in 2025. She set the single-game (18) and single-season (166) marks for draw controls and is already tied for sixth in program history in career draws. Her 166 draw controls were the fourth most in Big Ten single-season history.
• Gonzalez ranked second in the Big Ten and 14th in the nation with 8.30 draws per game last season. She posted six of the top-10 single-game draw performances in JHU history and had double-digit draws seven times. Gonzalez is also tied for the JHU record for draws in a postseason game (11).
• Gonzalez leads the Blue Jays with 16 draws in four games this season and ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 4.00 per game. Lacey Downey ranks second on the team with 13 draws (3.25/game).
ROAD WARRIORS
• Johns Hopkins opened the season playing three of its first four games on the road. The Blue Jays will travel to three states (Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) and cover nearly 1,300 miles during the four-game opening stretch.
• Hopkins will then play eight of its next 12 games within the friendly confines of Homewood Field. Two of those final four road games however include trips to Northwestern and Oregon.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
• Johns Hopkins has been picked to finish third in the Big Ten in a preseason vote of the league’s head coaches.
• Defending B1G champion Northwestern is the preseason favorite to win the title in 2026. Maryland is second, with Hopkins third, Michigan fourth and Penn State fifth. USC, Rutgers, Ohio State and Oregon round out the poll.
• The top seven teams will make the Big Ten Tournament with the top team in the final league standings earning a bye into the semifinals. The teams that finish second through seventh will play quarterfinal games on Wednesday, April 22. The semifinals are set for Friday, April 24 with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, April 26. Michigan will host all three rounds of the tournament.
PRESEASON HONORS
• The Blue Jays piled up the honors this preseason.
• Senior attacker Ava Angello, senior defender Reagan O’Brien and junior midfielder Lacey Downey were named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list. The trio, along with sophomore midfielder Laurel Gonzalez, were also named to the USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America team. In addition, Angello and O’Brien were named to the Nike Lacrosse Preseason All-America team.
• Angello led the Blue Jays in points (90) and ranked second in goals (65) and third in assists (25). O’Brien led the team with an NCAA-record 103 caused turnovers, to go with a team-best 65 ground balls. Downey ranked second in assists (30) and draw controls (33) and was fourth in goals (28) and points (58). Gonzalez led the team and ranked second in the Big Ten with a school-record 166 draw controls. She also totaled 10 points (8g, 2a).
INSIDE LACROSSE POWER 100
• Four Blue Jays were named to the Nike Lacrosse/IL Women Power 100 Freshmen rankings this Fall, including three in the top 35.
• Sienna Chirieleison leads the quartet as she is ranked 11th, followed by Zoey Smith (31st) and McKenzey Craig (33rd) in the top 35. Paige Willard is an honorable mention selection.
• Chirieleison was a three-time USA Lacrosse All-American at Trinity, where she totaled 532 goals, 105 assists, 449 ground balls, 299 caused turnovers and 330 draw controls. She broke the Pennsylvania state record for career goals.
• Smith earned USA Lacrosse All-America honors twice at Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science. She finished her career with 411 goals, 55 assists and 354 draw controls and holds the school record for goals in a season (126) and career.
• A three-time USA Lacrosse All-American, Craig led Plant to a pair of state championships. She was named the Hillsborough Area Lacrosse Player of the Year as a senior.
• Willard was a two-time USA Lacrosse All-American at Skaneateles, where she totaled 126 goals, 138 assists, 74 ground balls and 80 draw controls. She led her team to a state championship as a sophomore.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Graduate student Sally Zinsner and seniors Ava Angello, Hannah Johnson and Reagan O’Brien have been selected as captains for the 2026 season.
• Zinsner transferred to Homewood after a standout career at Holy Cross. She ranks fifth in program history in career points (182) and sixth in goals (133). She led the team in points as a junior (78) and senior (68) and is a two-time All-Patriot League selection (First Team in 2025, Second Team in 2024).
• Angello is the Blue Jays’ active career leader in points (234), goals (176) and assists (58). A three-time Honorable Mention All-American and two-time All-Big Ten pick, she ranks fifth in school Division I history in points, third in goals and 10th in assists.
• Johnson is a two-time captain and has started 55 games on defense. She has totaled 81 ground balls and 62 caused turnovers in 62 career games and is tied for 17th in school Division I history in caused turnovers.
• A consensus First Team All-American and the 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, O’Brien is the NCAA’s active leader with 184 career caused turnovers. She holds the JHU single-game (12), season (103) and career (184) records for takeaways. She has also totaled 140 ground balls and ranks 10th in school Division I history.
TAKEAWAYS
• Hopkins tallied 20 caused turnovers in the season-opener at Liberty on February 7. Reagan O’Brien (six) and Lacey Downey (four) combined for half of those. In total, 10 Blue Jays notched at least one caused turnover versus the Flames. JHU has now totaled 64 caused turnovers through four games and ranks third in the NCAA with 16.00 per game.
• O’Brien leads the Blue Jays with 18 caused turnovers, while Downey ranks second (15) and freshman Molly Hiney ranks third (9). O’Brien leads the nation with 4.50 per game and Downey ranks fifth (3.75). In addition, Hiney ranks third in the Big Ten with 2.25 per game.
• Johns Hopkins led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation with 12.90 caused turnovers per game in 2025. O’Brien led the nation with 5.15 caused turnovers per game, while Johnson ranked sixth in the Big Ten (1.45). Paris Colgain and Downey were tied for ninth in the league with 1.25 caused turnovers per game.
• O’Brien is the program leader with 184 career caused turnovers and Johnson is tied for 17th with 62 takeaways in her career.
• Hopkins finished 2025 with 258 caused turnovers, the second highest single-season total in program history. The Blue Jays were just nine shy of tying the record (267), set in 2000.
• In the last two years under defensive coordinator Dorrien Van Dyke, the Blue Jays have turned in two of the six best caused turnover totals in program history. In 2024, JHU totaled 213 takeaways, which ranks sixth in school history, and ranked seventh in the nation with 10.65 per game.
POLL POSITION
• Hopkins is ranked fifth in the IWLCA Coaches Poll and sixth in both the KANE IL Media Poll and USA Lacrosse Polls this week.
• This is the fourth time in the last two seasons that the Blue Jays have been ranked in the top five in the IWLCA Coaches Poll. Before the 2024 season, Hopkins had been ranked in the top five, five times since moving to Division I in 1999.
• JHU was ranked in the top-10 in all three polls in the preseason. It is the second straight year the Blue Jays are ranked in the top-10 in both the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse preseason polls. It is the first time JHU is ranked in the top-10 in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll since 2007.
• Eight of the Blue Jays’ 2025 opponents are ranked in the IWLCA, seven are ranked in the KANE IL Media Poll and six are ranked in the USA Lacrosse Poll.
200-POINT CLUB
• Ava Angello became just the eighth player in Johns Hopkins Division I history, and 13th all-time, to tally 200 career points (150 goals, 50 assists) in the 2025 Big Ten semifinals versus Northwestern. She reached the milestone in just 56 games, the seventh fastest all-time in school history to reach the mark.
• Angello is the first player to reach the 200-point mark since Maggie Schneidereith in 2020. Schneidereith finished her career in 2021 with 249 points (151 goals, 98 assists). Angello now boasts 234 points (176 goals, 58 assists) in 62 career games.
CENTURY CLUB
• Taylor Hoss needs 14 points to become the 52nd player all-time in program history to score 100 career points. She would join Ava Angello as current Blue Jays in the Century Club.
• Hopkins graduated a pair of 100-point scorers in Ashley Mackin (181) and Campbell Case (127) from last year’s team.
IT’S BEEN A WHILE – PART I
• Ava Angello turned in her third straight season with 40+ goals in 2025. She scored 40 goals as a freshman in 2023 and followed that with 53 goals in 2024 and 65 in 2025. Angello is the first player to accomplish the feat since Dene DiMartino (2014-2016) and just the ninth in program history.
• Angello also became the first player with back-to-back 50-goal seasons since Mary Key, who scored 50 or more goals in each of her four seasons (2004-2007).
• Angello’s 90 points last season are the most by a Blue Jay since Taylor D’Amore totaled 105 points in 2014. In addition, her 90 points are the fourth most in school Division I history and sixth all-time.
IT’S BEEN A WHILE – PART II
• Paige Willard notched six points (4g, 2a) in the win at Duke. She is the first freshman with six points since Ava Angello had six on six goals at Monmouth on March 7, 2023.
• McKenzey Craig scored the overtime winner versus the Blue Devils. She is the first freshman to do so since Angello scored the overtime winner versus Towson on April 18, 2023. In fact, she is just the third freshman in program history to score an overtime game-winner. Joining Angello and Craig is Abbey Hurlbrink, who did so at 23rd-ranked Michigan on April 22, 2021.
EXTRA LACROSSE
• Sunday was the 50th overtime game in program history and 16th that needed multiple overtimes. The Blue Jays are now 25-25 (.500) in overtime games, including 21-17 (.553) since moving to Division I in 1999.
• Hopkins has now won eight straight overtime games dating back to 2023 and is 8-1 in overtime games under head coach Tim McCormack.
GETTING OFFENSIVE – PART I
• Hopkins brings back three of its top-four goal scorers and their top three in assists in Ava Angello, Taylor Hoss and Lacey Downey. In total, the Blue Jays return 54 percent of their goals (147 of 272), 62.5 percent of their assists (110 of 176) and 57.3 percent of their total points (257 of 448). Hopkins returns seven players that notched a point in 2025, including six that tallied at least 10 points.
• JHU boasted a balanced attack in 2025 as four players scored at least 28 goals and five had at least 40 points. It was the second straight year, and just the third time in program history, that Hopkins had five players with 40 or more points – Angello (90), Ashley Mackin (85), Hoss (61), Downey (58), Charlotte Smith (40).
• It was the first time since 1995 that Hopkins had two players – Angello and Mackin – with 80 or more points in a season. The last to do so were Jenn Ward (99) and Francine Brennan (97). In fact, it was just the third time in JHU history that two players reached the 80-point mark.
• In addition, it is the first time in school Division I history, and just the second time ever, that the Blue Jays have had two players with 60 or more goals. The last time it happened was in 1994, when Rebecca Savage scored 71 goals and Ward scored 60.
• Under head coach Tim McCormack and offensive coordinator Nicole Graziano, the Blue Jays are re-writing the Hopkins’ record book. In the last two seasons, JHU has turned in the top-two point, goal and assist totals in program history. The last two seasons’ point and assist totals rank first and second all-time (since 1976) in program history. The last two seasons’ goal totals are tied for second and fourth all-time.
GETTING OFFENSIVE – PART II
• Five of the Blue Jay freshmen have notched at least one point through the first four games this season. The five have combined for 29 points on 18 goals and 11 assists. The freshmen account for 30.0 percent of the team’s goals and 28.9 percent of the team’s assists.
• Paige Willard leads the JHU freshmen with 12 points (8g, 4a). She is tied for third on the team in goals and ranks fourth in assists and points. Sienna Chirieleison is second among the freshmen, and fifth overall, with seven points (3g, 4a).
GETTING OFFENSIVE – PART III
• For the second straight game, Hopkins had two players with at least six points each. In the win at Duke on February 15, Taylor Hoss (2g, 4a) and Paige Willard (4g, 2a) had six points each. On Saturday, Ava Angello (5g, 2a) and Lacey Downey (5g, 2a) had seven points each in the win at Penn.
• This is the fourth time under head coach Tim McCormack that two Blue Jays have had six or more points in the same game. It has happened 19 times since the program moved to Division in 1999. Angello has been involved in three of the last four games. In addition, it is the fourth time that two players had seven or more points in a game. It has happened twice in the last two seasons.
LENDING A HAND
• Hopkins assisted on 12 of 17 goals in the season-opener at Liberty – more than 70 percent of its goals. In addition, nine players had at least one assist. Through four games, the Blue Jays rank third in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation with 9.50 assists per game. JHU is assisting on 63.33 percent of its goals (60g, 38a) this season. Among teams that have played at least three games, the Blue Jays rank eighth in the nation in assist-to-goal ratio.
• The Blue Jays have handed out double-digit assists in two out of four games this season. Hopkins has now posted 17 double-digit assist games under head coach Tim McCormack. Hopkins had nine double-digit assist games in 2025 (out of 20 games) and set the single-game record with 17 assists in the win over Liberty in the NCAA Tournament.
• In 2025, Hopkins broke the school single-season record for assists for the second straight year. JHU finished with 176 assists, 15 more than 2024 (161). The 2024 team broke the previous record by 31 – a record that had stood since 1994. Hopkins led the Big Ten and ranked seventh in the nation in assists in 2024 (8.05). Last year, the Blue Jays led the conference and ranked third in the nation (8.80).
• Hopkins assisted on 64.70 percent of its goals (272) last season, which led the nation. It was the second straight year that JHU led the nation in goal-to-assist ratio. The Blue Jays assisted on 62.40 percent of its goals (258g, 161a) in 2024.
IN THE CIRCLE
• Hopkins outdrew Liberty, 17-9, in the season opener with a combined 13 draws from Lacey Downey (7) and Laurel Gonzalez (6). It is the 32nd time (in 62 games) under head coach Tim McCormack that JHU had more draws than its opponent.
• Going into 2025, Hopkins was looking to replace 86 percent of its draw controls lost to graduation – and found the answer in Gonzalez. She went on to break the single-season record and ranked second in the Big Ten with 166 draw controls in her freshman campaign.
• In her collegiate debut, Gonzalez outdrew Florida all on her own, controlling 12 draws to the Gators’ seven. She finished the season with seven double-digit draw performances, including a school record 18 versus Oregon. She already ranks sixth in school history in career draws and is 115 away from tying Shelby Harrison’s career record (297).
• As a team, Hopkins finished with 285 draw controls in 2025, the second highest total in program history and eight shy of the record. The 2024 squad holds the record with 293. JHU ranked third in the Big Ten in draws in 2024 and fourth in 2025. JHU has turned in three of the top-four single-season draw totals in school history under McCormack. In addition, Hopkins has posted five of the top-six single-game draw performances and has had 20 or more draws in a game eight times under McCormack.
ON A ROLL
• Taylor Hoss ended last season on roll as she totaled 16 goals and 16 assists over the final eight games of the season. The 32 points were more than 52 percent of her season total of 61 points in 20 games. During that stretch, she notched 10 points (4g, 6a) in the Big Ten Tournament to earn All-Tournament Team honors.
• Hoss’ 16 goals in the last eight games of the season came on just 19 shots on goal. She tallied three hat tricks during the stretch and had a pair of six-point games. Hoss ranked eighth in the Big Ten in assists (32) and assists per game (1.60) and was 10th in total points (61). She has picked up right where she left off and has 15 points (8g, 7a) in the first four games of the season.
• During the same eight-game stretch, Ava Angello totaled 40 points on 26 goals and 14 assists. Her 26 goals came on 53 shots on goal (.491). She ranked second in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation in points (90). She also ranked third in the conference and 17th in the nation in goals (65). Angello didn’t miss a beat in the offseason as she has totaled 18 goals and 23 points in the first four games. In fact, her eight goals in the season opener were one more than the entire Liberty team.
AGAINST THE HOYAS
• Hopkins and Georgetown meet for the 30th time in a series that began in 1977. The teams met eight times between 1977 and 1990 and then the series took a 15-year hiatus. The Blue Jays and Hoyas resumed their series in 2005.
• Hopkins leads the all-time series, 17-12, and has won six straight and nine of the last 10. Since the series resumed in 2005, the Blue Jays hold a slim 12-9 lead over the Hoyas.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• The Blue Jays’ 2026 roster includes one graduate student, five seniors, 11 juniors, 11 sophomores and 11 freshmen.
• The 39-woman roster features players from 14 states, the District of Columbia and one Canadian province (Ontario). The Blue Jays also represent all four United States time zones.
• By state, the Blue Jays hail from New York (11), New Jersey (5), Pennsylvania (3), Virginia (3), Maryland (2), Massachusetts (2), California (2), Illinois (2), Michigan (2), Florida (1), South Carolina (1), Oregon (1), Georgia (1) and Colorado (1).
WELCOME TO HOMEWOOD
• Head coach Tim McCormack welcomed one graduate transfer – attacker Sally Zinsner (Holy Cross) – to Homewood this Fall. Zinsner totaled 133 goals, 49 assists, 54 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers in 54 games with the Crusaders. She earned All-Patriot League honors as a junior and senior.
• The Blue Jays also welcomed 11 freshmen to campus this year. Joining Hopkins in August were Ally Campbell, Sienna Chirieleison, McKenzey Craig, Anya Dunn, Molly Hiney, Brooke Koffler, Maddie Moore, Georgia Pavlou, Mary Pavlou, Zoey Smith and Paige Willard.
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
• Athletics at Johns Hopkins is a family affair and this year’s team is no different.
• Freshmen Georgia and Mary Pavlou are the 14th pair of sisters to don the Hopkins Blue & Black.
• Senior Reagan O’Brien played alongside her older sister, Quinlan O’Brien ’25, for three seasons.
• Senior goalie Morgan Giardina and sophomore midfielder Emmy Haugen are both following in the footsteps of their fathers, Scott Giardina and AJ Haugen. Giardina was a two-time All-American goalie and led the Blue Jays to the NCAA Semifinals as a senior in 1992. Haugen was a three-time First Team All-American midfielder and was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
ON TAP
• Johns Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, February 28 as the Blue Jays host the Colgate Raiders. Opening draw at Homewood Field is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
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