Roundtable: Underclassmen to watch out for

 

With the opening weekend come and gone, a number of freshmen had the chance to show why they were so heavily recruited by the Quakers. With the rest of the fall season in mind, these freshmen figure to have some of the largest impacts on the outcomes of their respective teams.

Sports Editor Holden McGinnis: While the performance of freshman midfielder Austin Kuhn earned him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors this past weekend, the men’s soccer freshman who stood out to me on the pitch was back Luka Martinovic. The Bayville, N.Y. native earned the start in both matches this weekend and provided solid defensive play from the back line.

Though he only tallied one assist on the weekend, Martinovic was involved in creating a number of opportunities for the Quakers on the attack and should prove to be a key cog moving forward. As Penn works out the opening weekend kinks on defense, the freshman appears to clearly be part of the solution.

Sports Editor Ian Wenik: Since you’ve set me up so nicely, I’m going to shout out a freshman attacker on a different sport. How about Alexa Hoover on field hockey? I watched her at both of Penn’s games last weekend, and she was one of the most energetic players on the field. Against Lehigh on Friday, she scored a hat trick and added an assist for good measure. That last goal, by the way, was a particularly impressive display of athleticism. Hoover batted down a high pass with her stick and then performed the field hockey equivalent of a one-touch goal in soccer.

Sure, last year’s freshman star Jasmine Cole is gone, but if Hoover can keep up her scoring touch, the Quakers should be just fine.

Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: There are a lot of underclassmen who have already made impacts in their respective sports — freshman middle block Kendall Covington on Penn volleyball for example. But I’m going to focus on a freshman that has yet to make an impact, and that’s wide receiver Justin Watson for Penn football.

Looking at the talent that the Red and Blue has returning at the skill positions, it is surprising that a first-year player could crack the lineup. Freshmen don’t usually find much playing time for coach Al Bagnoli anyway, but when you have Conner Scott, Ty Taylor, Spencer Kulcsar and Cam Countryman returning, it’s tough to imagine anyone cracking the lineup.

Yet Bagnoli told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Watson is part of the first group of receivers that will take the field. Watson played high school football in western Pennsylvania, earning all-state and all-conference recognition in his senior season. For him to make it into the rotation his first season, he has some clear talent that he is ready to show off.

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