Hopkins Stuns Cornell in Lax Final

The Johns Hopkins lacrosse team stunned two-time defending champion Cornell in the NCAA final at New Brunswick, N.J. Saturday, snapping the Big Red's record streak of 43 straight victories by a score of 13-8 to win the 1978 national crown.

The Blue Jays avenged their only loss of the season by coming back from a 4-2 deficit early in the second quarter and dominating play throughout the rest of the contest.

Cornell All-Americans Bob Hendrickson and Tom Marino kept the Big Red in the game by combining for four first-half goals to keep their squad within tow, at 7-5, at halftime.

Cornell had a chance to pull off the victory as it entered the final period trailing 9-7, but tallies by Jim Bidne and Mike O'Neill gave Hopkins a four-goal cushion that allowed them to coast home to victory.

Double Trouble

Harvard's lacrosse team finished at 10-4 this season, losing to both Johns Hopkins and Cornell. The Blue Jays handled the Crimson, 11-4, in the season opener, and the Big Red clobbered the laxmen, 18-10, on April 19.

One-goal losses to UMass and Hofstra prevented the Crimson from earning a berth in the eight-team NCAA playoffs.

News keeps pouring in for the Harvard laxmen, however. Senior attackman Steve Martin has been selected to play in the North-South All-Star game, the Crimson's first representative since midfielder Kevin McCall went two years ago.

Three underclassmen will be named to the All-American squad, also, sources on the lacrosse team said last week. Mike Faught, who tied the single-season scoring mark of 58 points this spring, junior goalie Ken First, and sophomore midfielder Peter Predun will be named when the NCAA announces its list June 9. It is not known whether they will be tabbed as members of one of the first three teams or in the honorary mention category.