The Johns Hopkins lacrosse program is one of the most historic college athletic programs of all time. The sport of lacrosse would not be where it is today without the help of the Blue Jays and their innovative growth of the game. With 35 pre-NCAA era championships and nine NCAA championships, the Johns Hopkins lacrosse program has always been a pillar of success. Following their 2007 NCAA championship, however, the team has struggled to get back to the top of the mountain. In 2008, they lost in the championship game and wouldn’t make Championship Weekend again until 2015, which turned out to be their last appearance. A handful of quarterfinal losses since then, with no Championship Weekend appearances, has really put the program in peril considering their long history of success. However, everything was supposed to change during the 2025 lacrosse season.
A Strong 2024 Campaign
The Blue Jays had a somewhat excellent 2024 campaign. Since Peter Milliman took over the program, the Hopkins lacrosse program has been on an upward trajectory, year after year. Milliman has done an excellent job recruiting and growing the team, to the point that they are now a consistent presence in the top 10. The 2024 season saw an 11-5 record and a big-time regular season championship, going 5-0. A shocking upset in the Big Ten semifinals against Michigan certainly took a hit on the Blue Jays, but they rallied the troops for the NCAA tournament. They handled Lehigh in the first round before facing the Virginia Cavaliers. This team showed that they were talented enough to make an appearance at Championship Weekend, as they were a double overtime loss against the Cavaliers from doing so.
A Season of High Expectations
That brings us to 2025, where the team was expected to have a massive breakout year, continuing their upward growth. Their preseason ranking in the polls hovered around 8th, with most media outlets expecting the Blue Jays to compete for a Big Ten championship and a Championship Weekend berth. The team certainly lost some well-recognized faces like Jacob Angelus and Garrett Degnon but still brought back many familiar faces like Matt Collison and Russell Melendez to carry the offensive load. There were also many young players from the 2024 campaign expected to make big jumps going into 2025, such as Brooks English and Hunter Chauvette. One of the biggest losses in retrospect was Chayse Ierlan, who was a monster between the pipes in 2024, securing a 56.7% save percentage.
The Collapse of 2025
Never in a million years did anyone expect the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays lacrosse season to be done in late April, not even making it to May. This is an extremely cataclysmic collapse that I assure you no one had on their bingo card. Coming into conference play, the Blue Jays were 6-2 with close losses against North Carolina and Syracuse. Considering both programs were comfortably within the top 10, neither of these losses was the end of the world. The following weeks quickly transcended from tough losses to straight-up nightmare fuel. The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays finished the year on a six-game losing streak, not winning a single Big Ten game. All five of the regular season conference losses were by three goals or more, with their matchup at Penn State being their worst showing, losing 4-10. They had a shot in the Big Ten tournament, where they inevitably lost by one to the Nittany Lions, which was the final page in their 2025 chapter.
What Went Wrong?
This begs the question: what exactly went wrong? Without watching every single game, certain statistics can still tell a story about where the team struggled. It is without question that the team struggled to find any rhythm offensively, with Matt Collison leading the team in points at only 33, followed by Hunter Chauvette at 31, and Brooks English at 26. Your top three players on the offensive end of the field have to be averaging more than two points a game. This led to the team ranking 54th in the country in goals per game, scoring on average only 9.9. The team was top 10 in both face-offs and clearing, so they had more than enough opportunities on the offensive side of the ball to find the back of the net. It wasn’t like they were just playing defense the entire time or couldn’t get possession through poor face-off play or a lack of clearing. Russell Melendez only playing seven games certainly hurt the Blue Jays’ offense, but it’s no excuse for their top three guys to be shooting on average 26.8%. The Blue Jays’ lack of success wasn’t entirely the offense’s fault either, as the team struggled to find which goalie they wanted between the pipes, finishing the year with a 48.5% save percentage between all three goalies who played. This led to the team being 37th in the country in goals allowed at 10.6.
What’s Next for Johns Hopkins?
So this begs the question: what now? This is certainly a season that Hopkins faithful and players alike would like to forget. But the reality of the situation is that it happened. Coming up short of your goals may feel like the end of the world in the moment, but the only way to grow, at the end of the day, is by inevitably failing. I guarantee you the coaching staff this offseason is going to do everything in their power to ensure that this never happens again. Players within the Hopkins locker room now know what losing tastes like on a consistent basis, and I’m sure they’re going to fight to make sure 2026 brings a different outcome.
This is why preseason expectations can be so detrimental to certain teams that may think they’re in a better spot than they actually are. A losing season really opens up what needs to be worked on and fixed within the X’s and O’s and also the culture. The Johns Hopkins lacrosse program will recover from this, as Peter Milliman is an excellent coach and the young men involved with the program are tremendous human beings. Don’t expect the Blue Jays to be stuck in mediocrity, as the Hopkins brand will always be tied to greatness.
