Johns Hopkins University Releases 2009 Men's Schedule

2009 Johns Hopkins University Schedule

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Johns Hopkins University released the program's tentative 2009 men's water polo schedule earlier this week.

The Blue Jays will open the season on September 5 at the Navy Open at the United Staes Naval Academy and face three of the nation's best teams, including the host Midshipmen in both team's CWPA Southern Division opener, with goals of capturing the 2009 Division III Eastern Championship on October 24-25 at Washington & Jefferson College and reaching the 2009 Eastern Championship on November 20-22 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Following the Navy Open, the Blue Jays will travel to the Princeton Invitational on September 12-13 to face Iona College and MIT in non-CWPA league action before squaring off with perennial powerhouse the University of California-Los Angeles and fellow CWPA program Fordham University.

Following a single game at Princeton University to continue JHU's CWPA Southern Division slate, the Blue Jays will remain in the Garden State to compete in the 2009 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship on September 19-20.

Hopkins will remain away from the nest on September 25 in a single league game at Bucknell University before flying west to compete in the Claremont Convergence in Claremont, California on October 3-4.

The team will open its' home schedule on October 9 and 16 squaring off with George Washington University and Bucknell in a pair of CWPA Southern Division games.  Following a netural site game against CWPA Northern Division opponent Iona on October 17 at the United States Naval Academy in a morning game, Hopkins will return to Baltimore to take on Princeton in a night game before preparing for a netural site game at Navy against the United States Air Force Academy on October 18.

JHU's championship season will begin on October 24-25 as the team will travel to Washington & Jefferson College to compete for the 2009 Division III Eastern Championship against W&J, Penn State University-Behrend and Connecticut College.  An 11-time Division III Eastern Championship titleist, Hopkins took the 2008 title last year at home courtesy a 20-15 win over MIT as either/or both the Blue Jays or the Engineers have appeared in each of the 18 previously contested Division III Championships.  A title game rematch will not occur in 2009, however, as the Engineers have elected not to compete in this year's tournament.

The team will wrap-up the regular season on October 28 and 31 as the Blue Jays will travel to GW and host Navy, respectively, before competing in the CWPA Southern Division Championship on November 6-8 at Bucknell University.

If Hopkins finishes among the top four teams at the Southern Division Championship, the team will return to the Eastern Championship set for November 20-22 at MIT with a berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship at Princeton on December 5-6 on the line.