President George W. Bush welcomed the 2007 NCAA Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team to the nation's capital on Sept. 21, posing for a formal photo on the White House steps. The Jays donned blue ties for the occasion, at which they and the top teams in other NCAA sports were honored by the president for their achievements.

"How about the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team?" Bush asked the crowd gathered on the South Lawn. "Coach Pietramala and the team won a tough championship game. Everybody is going to remember — at least people who pay attention to lacrosse — will remember that the Blue Jay team scored a goal in just 12 seconds in the game, and hung on to win 12-11 in a tough game. This is the ninth men's lacrosse championship for Johns Hopkins. I congratulate you on carrying on a proud tradition at a fine university."

This was a second visit in three years for the Blue Jays, who also won the championship in 2005.

Photo by Eric Draper

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