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football
Football vs. Villanova September 27 2014 Credit: Ilana Wurman , Ilana Wurman, Ilana Wurman

Because college athletic rosters reset annually, a standout sophomore who will be around for three more seasons is huge asset for a team looking for long-term success. While many of Penn’s fall sports teams boasted more experienced stars like men’s soccer’s Duke Lacroix and men’s cross-country’s Thomas Awad, the freshmen of 2014 will be relied on to fill the holes left by graduates. Here are rising-sophomores who can become stars on their teams after promising rookie seasons.

Note: Because of the team nature of the rowing sports, no specific freshmen were chosen for men’s heavyweight rowing, men’s lightweight rowing or women’s rowing. In a strong year overall for freshman rowers, the men’s heavyweight sprinters received the bronze medal in the Freshman Eight competition at the Eastern Sprint Championships and should be major contributors to the varsity squads in their sophomore year.

Field Hockey: Liz Mata

While attack Alexa Hoover received the most headlines of last year’s freshmen, goalkeeper Liz Mata could be the next Class of 2018 field hockey athlete to have a breakout season. Penn has lost its 2014 surprise starter Allison Weisenfels to graduation, making it Mata’s job to lose. While she was lackluster in her only start last season, Mata has a history of being a top goal-stopper, as the high school All-State keeper led Severna Park to two Maryland state sectional titles. Before the three-time Junior Olympian faces opponents, she will have to win the job over incoming freshman Reina Kern, who herself enters Penn with her share of awards. If Mata wins this position battle, her track-record and experience in Penn’s system should enable her to shine.

Football: Tre Solomon

The Quakers’ ground game was weaker than expected last season, as the team was out-rushed by 844 yards. Improvements must be made on both sides of the ball, and no player is more poised to grow more than running back Tre Solomon. Before a season-ending knee injury that came after only four contests, Solomon was averaging 36.2 yards per game, which would have ranked him as a mid-tier backup in the Ivy League. He also performed well as a punt returner, averaging 19.8 yards per return. With Kyle Wilcox — last year’s leading rusher — and Eric Fiori — last year’s leading kick returner — graduating, Solomon should have every opportunity to pick up where he left off before his injury.

M. Cross Country: Ross Wilson

As the only freshman on Penn’s men’s cross country roster to compete at the NCAA Regional Championships last year, Ross Wilson will enter the 2015 with unique experience and a leg up on other young runners in the Ancient Eight. Finishing first among Penn freshmen in all but one XC race last season, Wilson will continue to work on his already-great times, including a 20:03.10 four-mile from September and his 25:12 5K in October. Though rising-senior Thomas Awad will deservedly be the most talked about runner, the Quakers should be set for a few years with such young talent as Ross.

M. Soccer: Luka Martinovic

Only 16 players in the Ivy League started more games than Luka Martinovic, an outside back who is no stranger to the college pitch. His 1466 minutes played this past season were fourth on the team and more than any other freshman. While being a back does not lead to many points — though Martinovic did record the game-winning assist in a double-overtime thriller against Big-5 rival St. Joseph’s — the Bayville, NY native provided crucial defensive support and can continue to grow in his second year. This growth will be necessary if Penn wants to outlast opponents — Martinovic and the Quakers were outscored by eight goals in the second half of games last season.

Sprint Football: Quinn Karam

One of Penn’s top tacklers in 2014, linebacker Quinn Karam could anchor a sturdy linebacker corp as he enters his sophomore season. With consistent play in all six games, Karam racked up 34 tackles — 27 solo — which ranked fourth and second on the team, respectively. He stood out as a run-stuffer, recording 4.5 tackles-for-loss for a team that was often overmatched by opposing running backs. For Karam to help steer this defense forward, he will need to get even better at his rush defense while continuing to play well in the pass game — he notched one interception, one break-up and two pass deflections while in coverage. If he takes these strides, Karam can be a star on this defense.

Volleyball: Emmy Friedler

While this team was full of young talent this season, only one freshman participated in 88 of 90 sets played this year. Rising sophomore Emmy Friedler headlined the Quaker defense, and though the team was often outplayed, Emmy’s performance as a freshman far surpassed the freshman numbers of any player currently on Penn’s roster. Friedler’s 5.35 digs per set in conference play ranked second in the Ivy League, only surpassed by now-graduated Natasha Rowland of Cornell. Look for the Illinois native to show the Ancient Eight how her 5’2” can come up big for the Quakers.

W. Cross Country: Abby Hong

If Abby Hong can re-capture her early-season success from 2014, her sophomore season could be one of the strongest in Penn this year. Hong started her collegiate career with a first-place finish at the Big-5 Invitational and a third-place finish at the Main Line Invitational and ultimately scored in her first three meets. While she did not finish as highly in her last three meets, Hong still was the only freshman on the women’s roster to go to the NCAA Regional Championships, and with another year of growth — coupled with success in other Track events including the indoor mile — Hong has the potential to score high in any meet this season.

W. Soccer: Juliana Provini

Despite only making three starts, forward Juliana Provini made the most of her minutes. The Pennsylvania native led the team with nine points and tied for first in goals with three. She recorded two crucial game-winners in back-to-back games against Loyola and Columbia and was a tough player to defend throughout the season. With those responsible for 37 percent of Penn’s goals scored last year have graduated, Provini stands out as the star of the Quaker attack that looks to improve on its third-place Ivy finish under the guidance of new head coach Nicole Van Dyke.

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