The 2022 college lacrosse season is nearly upon us. As is our annual tradition, we’re featuring every team ranked in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20.
Check back to USALaxMagazine.com each weekday this month for new previews, scouting reports and rival analysis.
NO. 15 JOHNS HOPKINS
2021 Record: 4-9 (2-8 Big Ten)
Final Ranking (2021): Unranked
Coach: Peter Milliman (2nd year)
Pete Milliman attended just two lacrosse games at Homewood Field before the 2021 season — both significant in their own way.
There was the 100th anniversary matchup between the Blue Jays and rival Maryland, which took place on April 17, 2004. Milliman was fresh off his college career at Gettysburg, where he was a three-time All-American. Johns Hopkins took home a 14-10 victory in front of 10,555 passionate fans and the historic Hopkins Pep Band.
Nine years later, he returned to Homewood as an assistant for Princeton on March 1, 2013. The Tigers won 11-8 in what would be Milliman’s final season before moving on to Cornell — where he’d eventually become head coach for part of three seasons.
Now at the helm of Johns Hopkins, one of the most historic programs in lacrosse, Milliman is excited to experience the pageantry that comes with it. His debut season came in 2021, when the Blue Jays finished 4-9 in front of mostly parents (and no pep band). He hopes to see his team progress in 2022 in front of a packed Homewood Field, a staple in the Baltimore lacrosse scene.
“I don’t have any reference other than those two games and watching on TV,” he joked. “I have a good understanding of what I’m getting into, but I’m looking forward to that environment. Hopefully we can start to enjoy the fans and the alums and the families back. That’s what these guys deserve.”
The new era at Johns Hopkins — after the program and legendary coach Dave Pietramala parted ways in 2020 — is still very much in its infancy. Milliman did not have a fall season in 2020, and thus spent the early part of last season installing offensive and defensive concepts while managing a grueling all-Big Ten slate.
NIKE/USAL PRESEASON TOP 20
TEAM PREVIEWS
By the end of 2021, the Blue Jays looked the part of a well-rounded team, downing Penn State and Rutgers on the way to an unlikely Big Ten championship game appearance. They went toe-to-toe with eventual NCAA runner-up Maryland but fell just short.
Milliman said he has closed the book on last spring but understands that the experiences his squad went through can only help as Johns Hopkins looks to compete in 2022.
“To see the progress that we made, it allows you to tailor the theme and the messaging a little bit more accurately going into this fall,” he said. “The guys that played last year, a lot of them had to go through some struggles, learn about themselves and this team and how to contribute and make an impact. Those things are going to make a big difference going forward.”
Milliman will return a team of veterans, particularly on the offensive end of the field. Only Cole Williams departed from the starting offense, and former top recruit Joey Epstein pairs with breakout star Connor DeSimone to form a strong tandem. Brendan Grimes, a highly touted recruit who started five games as a freshman, looks to be the next dominant attackman to step foot on Homewood Field.
Johns Hopkins lacrosse under Milliman is continuing to build toward a vision that the former Cornell coach has for the Blue Jays — one of focus, commitment and accountability. While many expect this team to improve upon its 2021 results, Milliman is looking for his players to continue to develop a rock-solid culture that will exist long after they graduate.
For the first time, Johns Hopkins fans, parents and alums will get to see the new version of a historic product. Milliman, who started the Pfeiffer program from scratch and returned Cornell to prominence just years ago, is confident that the Blue Jays program will follow an upward trajectory.