July 8, 2009

BALTIMORE, MD - Current Johns Hopkins water polo standout Jamie Neuwirth and former Blue Jay standouts David Kraus (wrestling) and Mike April (baseball) are among the more 8,000 athletes from approximately 60 nations world-wide who will participate in the 18th Maccabiah games in Tel Aviv, Israel beginning on Friday, July 12. Sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics", these Games are held every four years in Israel and attract the most outstanding Jewish athletes from around the world. Neuwirth, Kraus and April will represent the United States in the two-week competition that will begin with Opening Ceremonies in Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan Stadium.

Neuwirth is the only active Johns Hopkins athlete participating as he will be a senior on the 2009 Blue Jay water polo team. He is one of 13 players selected to the United States water polo team. Neuwirth enjoyed the finest season of his career as a junior as he posted 17 goals and seven assists as the Blue Jays finished the season ranked number one in the nation in Division III. Johns Hopkins also won the Division III Eastern Championships for the 11th time in school history. Neuwirth and his teammates will open play against Mexico on July 13 and play four games in the round robin competition before moving into the medal round.

Kraus was a standout in the 174-pound weight class for the Blue Jays before graduating in 2007. He won the Centennial Conference title at 174 in 2006 and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships that year, when he posted a 27-6 record. He won more than 70 matches during his career at Johns Hopkins. He led the Blue Jays to a fourth-place finish at the Centennial Championships in 2006 and a program-best third-place showing in 2007, when he finished as the runner-up at 174.

April, who played at Johns Hopkins with current Blue Jay skipper Bob Babb and was a member of Babb's first team as head coach in 1980, earned a spot on the USA Softball Team in the Open Division. He was eligible to play on the Master's Team, which is designated for players 35 and older, but earned a spot on the Open team, which is comprised mainly of players in their 20s and low 30s. As a senior, April helped guide the Blue Jays to a 21-6-3 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, the first of 16 appearances in the tournament for JHU under Babb's guidance. As a senior, April collected 16 hits, including three doubles, two triples and two home runs. He also drove in 15 runs, drew 19 walks and stole seven bases.