Johns Hopkins coach Janine Tucker hopes the graduation of Mary Key, one of the greatest players to ever pick up a lacrosse stick, means addition by subtraction for her team?s offense.
“We don?t have that dominant player that our kids can defer to or watch,” Tucker said. “They have to be involved. We have to develop numbers of players that can be dominant in their own right.”
And that when Lauren Schwarzmann enters. Tucker isn?t counting on the senior midfielder to replace Key, whose 249 goals and 134 assists gave her 383 points, which are second-most in NCAA history. But she is hoping Schwarzmann, who posted 30 goals and 10 assists last year, can lead an offense that returns four scorers who each scored at least 22 goals last spring. Now, instead of defenses focusing on stopping Key, they?ll to worry about senior midfielders Kadie Stamper (26 goals, 5 assists) and Kirby Houck (22, 14), sophomore attacker Sam Schrum (30, 9) and Schwarzmann when the Blue Jays enter the attacking zone.
Johns Hopkins knows what?s at stake. Ten years after becoming a Division I team, the Blue Jays posted their best season, as they went 12-8 after making their first appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Duke.
“We?ve had a lot of firsts since I?ve been here, but now it?s time to get over that and start winning the big games,” Schwarzmann said. “Last year, it was about getting past Hofstra [in the first round]. Now. It?s about getting past Duke. Ultimately, we want to be in the national championship. It?s why we?re here and why we?re working every day.”
Schwarzmann has emerged as the leader after being selected to the U.S. Developmental Team, just as Key was last year. Schwarzmann said playing with the game?s top players has given her knowledge to share with her teammates.
“Every time she came back from one of her weekends [with the team] she was just very intense and had a lot to give back to our team from what she learned and experienced,” Schwarzmann said. “A lot of my motivation for being on the U.S. team this year was so I can help Hopkins.”
Tucker said it will be imperative Schwarzmann has her best season if the Blue Jays are to join the game?s elite teams.
“The way that Lauren has progressed since being with the developmental team is unbelievable,” Tucker said. “She is even more powerful than what we ever expected to get out of her in her senior year.”
