CLUB ROUNDUP: W. Rugby is still unbeaten

Sailing, Void, M. Ice Hockey, Water Polo in action The Penn women's rugby team stands undefeated going into the second half of its season. Raising its record to 2-0 with a 54-5 trouncing of West Chester University, the squad is proving that it has the skills and desire to be a top-ranked team this year. Both rookies and experienced team players combined for the tries scored. Junior Christine Daniels had three for the Quakers. Freshman Kristen Duran and Jen Virgilio each scored their first career tries. "Their backs sucked. We walked all over [West Chester]. Our veterans as well as our rookies dominated the other team," Daniels said. And now the squad needs to put this match behind it. Although it has played strong as of yet, its goal of an undefeated season has one large barrier in its way – Bryn Mawr. "I think we'll beat them," Daniels said. "They've lost people to graduation and we're looking forward to playing them. We haven't beaten them since I've been playing here." If the squad can hold off Bryn Mawr (Saturday at Murphy Field) and keep up its intensity in a late season game against Bucknell, it has a chance to be at the top of its division coming into the playoffs. · The Penn sailing team had a successful start to its season with a solid finish in the Ivy League Tournament on October 9-10, and a good showing at the prestigious Navy Fall International Tournament over the weekend. The team finished 6th place overall in the Ivies, only three points off the fifth-place score. Seniors Ted Howell and Jonathan Tinter sailed the A division boat to a 6th place finish. Sophomore Alex Abell and senior Julie Burgess finished 4th in the B division race. "We really didn't sail very well." Tinter said. "It was a disappointing weekend overall, but Abell sailed really well. All the schools had even fleets and we swapped first and last place in many races." Last weekend's Navy Tournament, held at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, gave the Quakers a chance to rebound. Being one of its biggest regattas of the fall season, it unfortunately gave the squad some more tough competition as 12 of the 18 teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Penn finished the tournament 14th overall, with excellent performances by all four boats in the regatta. Seniors Joe Janos and Ted Howell, as well as freshmen Aaron Plotkin and Jamie Green, sailed strong races throughout the weekend. "We struggled in division A, C and D." Tinter said. "But Howell had five solid races and finished consistently in the top 10 boats in each race by the end of the weekend." · The Void, Penn's men's ultimate frisbee team, competed in open sectionals at Lehigh over the weekend. Finishing 8th of 24 teams in the tournament, the Void has reached their fall goal of making regionals. On Saturday, the Quakers finished third in their section, giving them a high seed in Sunday's playoffs. Going 3-2 for the first day, their highlight was an outstanding performance against a strong Pittsburgh club that ended in a scant two-point loss. Graduate student Norris Boothe had a strong offensive and defensive showing. Senior Dave Lefkowitz was very powerful on offense for the Void. On Sunday the squad pulled out of some close games. Only eight teams go on from sectionals, and Penn's squad made the cut. In a last minute tie-breaking match against a team known as 'T2', Penn came away with a 13-8 victory and a trip to Bucks County, Pa., for the regionals. "We're fortunate because we were given a second chance at being one of the eight." junior co-captain Howard Wilkins said. "We really didn't want it to slip away again. The team worked hard and they should be proud of what they've done." Having accomplished their fall goal, the Void plans to train and practice for the spring season. The first game at regionals is against the number one ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic, and the Void knows that a win here would be very surprising. "Our goal was to make regionals," Wilkins said. "Now that we have accomplished this, we'll just play hard at regionals. These are the kind of games where you can learn a lot and enjoy playing." · The Penn men's ice hockey club team has plans for a successful season. With one exhibition game under its belt, the squad is anxious to meet its first league opponents. A division I club team in the ECHL (Eastern Collegiate Hockey League), the Quakers look forward to honing their skills in this weekend's exhibition games in preparation for the season which officially begins at the beginning of November. In their first game the Quakers didn't fair so well, being shut out by Duquesne. "We had only practiced a week and a half before this game," senior club president Craig Perlmutter said. "We played a stronger second half and skated in stride with Duquesne at the end. We weren't disciplined yet." The team has two more exhibition games. Tomorrow it takes on Villanova and then it plays La Salle on Saturday, both at home at the Class of '23 Ice Rink. "We are using these games to prepare us for the season, for conditioning, and to work on our lines," Perlmutter said. "The last two years we missed the playoffs by a game. Making the league playoffs is our biggest goal this year." The team has some strong players who expect to help carry them this year. Senior captain David Sopp is playing solid defense, as are first-year team members freshman Aaron Davis and senior Xander Paumgarten. Senior assistant captain Jason Thompson looks strong as does sophomore assistant captain Shane Higgins. In goal, junior Brad Schwartz and sophomore Dennis Zabat are playing well. The squad also has a new coach. George Tahan, last year's assistant coach, has taken over the vacated head spot. "He practices with us whether it is at six in the morning or 11 at night. He really gets involved," Perlmutter said. The team has its first league game on Homecoming weekend against the Delaware, and if its hard work and commitment are the factors that win or lose the game, the Quakers should be very successful. · The Penn men's water polo team opened its season with a 5-2 record after two tournaments. Going 2-2 at the Kutztown University Tournament on October 9-10 and having an undefeated tournament at West Chester this past weekend, the squad has tallied enough wins to make it to the Mid-Atlantic Conference championships. In its first tournament, Penn beat the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Quakers went down to Penn State in a very close match, also losing to Maryland. "We were rough around the edges," sophomore Steve Fallon said. "We hadn't been practicing very much. We lost four or five seniors to graduation also. We have a lot of holes to fill but we have a good freshmen class." In their second tournament, the Quakers beat Millersville, West Chester and Kutztown. These three wins clinched a chance for them in the playoffs for the MAC conference championship. "We picked it up a notch defensively," Fallon said. "We scored in the 20's and held the opponents to under 10 goals a game." Other strong players for the squad include goalie Matt Santispirit, defensive junior Matt Miller, freshman Jon Dwight and senior Jose Trani. Fallon leads the team in scoring with six goals per game. The squad has a new coach on the sidelines as well. After its first tournament, Matt Trafford came on to lead the team. The players see a big improvement in their play since Trafford has been coaching them. "He has been coaching well," Fallon said. "He's turned the team around completely." The Quakers are looking forward now to the Ivy League tournament at Harvard this weekend. "The matches will be good to build off of," Fallon said. "After this we have a shot at the championships and to make a move at the title."