BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — Player of the Game Max Fleming (Jr., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) made seven saves, including three in the fourth quarter to keep Division III No. 4-ranked the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at bay, as the Division III No. 8 Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays claimed a 16-12 victory over the Engineers in the 2019 Division III Eastern Championship title game.
JHU (9-16) claims the program’s 18th Division III Eastern Championship as the Blue Jays previously picked up the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 titles with runner-up marks in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Overall, the 2019 title game marked the 21st meeting between the Engineers and Blue Jays for the crown (1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018) with Johns Hopkins now holding a 15-6 mark in the clashes. Historically, Washington & Lee University defeated JHU in 1992 and 1993 in the second and third Division III tournaments for the only championships not held by either Johns Hopkins or nine-time winner (1991, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) MIT (9-9).
The outcome has bearing for later in the season as both MIT and Johns Hopkins clinched berths to the inaugural/2019 Division III Collegiate Water Polo National Championship sponsored by USA Water Polo due to their appearance in the title game. Set for December 7-8 at a site to be determined in California, the Division III National Championship tournament will pit the top two teams from the Division III Eastern Championship against the top two squads from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship with the first-ever Division III National Championship on the line. Courtesy the win, JHU guarantees itself that the Blue Jays will not need to face the SCIAC Champion in the opening round.
Taking on the team program’s historical primary rival in Division III water polo on the East Coast, Johns Hopkins fell behind early against the Engineers in the latest clash of the titans as Christian Schillinger (Jr, Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) broke the ice for MIT with 5:43 left in the first quarter. Jacob Whitaker (So., Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) evened the damage at one-all 16 seconds later, but back-to-back strikes from Miller Geschke (So,, Los Altos, Calif./Menlo School) at 3:53 (man-up) and 3:29 (even-strength) provided the Division III No. 4-ranked team a 3-1 lead approximately midway through the first quarter. Nico Ivanov (Jr., San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) trimmed JHU’s deficit back to one prior to the close of the frame as he swept in a shot with 1:49 on the clock to move the Blue Jays within 3-2 after eight minutes of action.
Ivanov’s strike ignited a 6-0 run by Hopkins as Olin Shipstead (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif./Agoura), Jayden Kunwar (So., Woodside, Calif./Menlo) and Emerson Sullivan (So., San Anselmo, Calif./Sir Francis Drake) ticked off back-to-back-to-back man-up markers at 7:06, 6:22 and 4:42, respectively, to open the second quarter. Ivanov (3:24) collected a natural goal prior to Whitaker (2:07) cashing in on a power-play opportunity to provide the Blue Jays with a 7-3 lead.
MIT attempted to shave down its deficit prior to the close of the first half as Geschke (1:53) and Schillinger (1:01) curled in even-strength shots to inch the Engineers within 7-5, but Ivanov wrapped up a first half hat-trick by arching in a response with 38 seconds on the clock to make it an 8-5 game at the break.
Following a yellow card to MIT head coach Austin Ringheim 50 seconds into the third quarter, the Engineers moved back within a pair as Ward Weldon (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) found the back of the cage at 6:22 to pull within 8-6.
Sullivan delivered a response for JHU at 6:07 to expand the margin back to three at 9-6, but Clyde Huibregtse (Sr., New York, N.Y./Bronx) kept the Engineers on the doorstep of a comeback by slicing in a shot with 5:53 to go in the frame to make it 9-7.
Needing some additional breathing room to prevent MIT from rallying back, Kunwar (3:41, penalty shot) and Stephen Schmidt (Jr., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) (3:07, even-strength) delivered back-to-back strikes to build the Hopkins’ lead to 11-7.
The lead swayed back and forth between three and four goals (11-8, 12-8, 12-9) before finally settling at 13-9 by the close of the third quarter.
Johns Hopkins iced the win in the dawning moments of the fourth quarter as Ivanov (6:55) and Kunwar (5:55) dented the twine with natural goals to sandwich a red card to Ringheim (6:13) to make it 15-9 with approximately six minutes to play.
MIT outscored the Blue Jays by a 3-1 count over the remainder of the game, but JHU’s lead proved too much to overcome in the remaining time in allowing Hopkins to add another championship plaque to its collection.
For MIT, Geschke netted a game-high six goals to lead the way. Schillinger and Huibregtse both notched pairs, while Kevin Downey (Jr., Greenwich,Conn./Greenwich) and Weldon chipped in solo tallies.
In cage, Hayden Niederreiter (Sr., Visalia, Calif./Golden West) made five saves in taking the loss.
Ivanov keyed the Blue Jays’ attack with four markers, while Kunwar (three), Whitaker (two), Sullivan (two), Shipstead (two) also posted multi-goal games. Chris Freese (Fr., Bellevue, Wash./Interlake), Schmidt and John Murphy (Jr., San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) tacked on single scores.
The win marked a turning point and the rise of the next generation of Division III Eastern Champions at the school as head coach Max Schlegel – who was named Coach of the Tournament – acquires his first Division III Eastern Championship title.
Last year, Schlegel guided the Blue Jays to the 2018 finale at home in Baltimore as the interim head coach. However, JHU fell to MIT by a 15-12 count. An assistant coach at JHU under previous head coach Ted Bresnahan from 2016 until being promoted to head coach in February 2019, Schlegel was part of the 2017 staff which helped Hopkins down Washington & Jefferson College (13-3 W), Connecticut College (15-8 W) and host MIT (11-10 W) to clinch the program’s latest Division III title.
Following the championship game, the awards were presented with 14 athletes recognized as All-Tournament – including tournament Most Valuable Player Finn Banks (Sr., Portola Valley, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) of Johns Hopkins:
| 2019 Division III Eastern Championship All-Tournament Team | |
| Most Valuable Player: | Finn Banks (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Rookie of the Tournament: | Max Wade (Austin College) |
| Outstanding Coach: | Max Schlegel (Johns Hopkins University) |
| First Team | |
| Hayden Neiderreiter (Goalie) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Miller Geschke | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Clyde Huibregtse | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Arturo Freitas | Connecticut College |
| Finn Banks | Johns Hopkins University |
| Jayden Kunwar | Johns Hopkins University |
| Will Kitsch | Washington & Jefferson College |
| Second Team | |
| Matt Olimski (Goalie) | Penn State Behrend |
| Isaak Hatopp | Penn State Behrend |
| Evan Kim | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Kevin Downey | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Will Koelzer | Austin College |
| Sam Guy | Connecticut College |
| Emerson Sullivan | Johns Hopkins University |
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Division III No. 8 Johns Hopkins University (9-16) | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | – | 16 |
| Division III No. 4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (9-9) | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | – | 12 |
| MIT Goals: | Miller Geschke (6); Christian Schillinger (2); Clyde Huibregtse (2); Kevin Downey; Ward Weldon | |||||
| Johns Hopkins Goals: | Nico Ivanov (4); Jayden Kunwar (3); Jacob Whitaker (2); Emerson Sullivan (2); Olin Shipstead (2); Chris Freese; Stephen Schmidt; John Murphy | |||||
| Saves: | MIT – Hayden Niederreiter (5) ; Johns Hopkins – Max Fleming (7) | |||||
| Exclusions: | MIT – 15 ; Johns Hopkins – 8 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | MIT – 2-for-8 ; Johns Hopkins – 6-for-15 | |||||
| Sprints: | MIT – 1-for-4 (3rd) ; Johns Hopkins – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | MIT – YC (Head coach Austin Ringheim, 7:10 left in 3rd Q), RC (Head coach Austin Ringheim, 6:13 left in 4th Q), M (Evan Kim, 1:21 left in 4th Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Steve Rotsart; Mike Naughton | |||||
MIT’s Christian Schillinger (#6) looks for an opening as Johns Hopkins University’s Stephen Schmidt (#10) defends
MIT’s Hayden Niederreiter (#1)
MIT’s John Steele (#10) attempts to get around Johns Hopkins University’s Jacob Whitaker (#6)
Johns Hopkins University’s Nico Ivanov (#5) shoots over MIT’s Sawyer Koetters (#24)
2019 Division III Eastern Championship Rookie of the Tournament – Max Wade (Austin College)
2019 Division III Eastern Championship Coach of the Tournament – Max Schlegel (Johns Hopkins University)
2019 Division III Eastern Championship Most Valuable Player – Finn Banks (Johns Hopkins University)
2019 Division III Eastern Championship Runner-Up – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2019 Division III Eastern Champion – Johns Hopkins University
