AROUND PENN SPORTS: Early results bode well for M. Tennis

Leading the Quakers were senior co-captain Jeff Jackson, sophomore Marc Fisicaro and junior Brad Goldberg, who each went undefeated against all four visiting opponents. The rest of the Penn lineup was nearly as dominant top to bottom, taking 17 of 20 singles matches. The Quakers' second-place finish ended Penn's three-year rein as champion. While the Quakers defeated the Terriers, 7-0, Temple, 6-1, and Rutgers, 5-2, the Colonials proved too much. Both freshman Udi Kish and sophomore Brian O'Grady lost their singles matches paving the way for the GW victory. The Colonials' doubles team of Brad Shafran and Anders Bergkvist, who went undefeated together in the fall, completed the victory by defeating Penn's J.J. Cramer and Urs Baertschi. "The tournament was a real good tune up for us," Miller said "We really needed those matches." The Quakers had hoped to travel to Virginia Commonwealth this weekend, but the collapse of the Rams' indoor tennis bubble forced the tournament to be canceled. Three Quakers standouts, junior J.J. Cramer and freshmen Andrew Pozatek and Urs Baertschi, will travel to Harvard this weekend to compete in an individual open tournament. The rest of the team will continue to practice in anticipation of Georgetown's arrival on February 18. -- Matt Greenberger M. Track to compete in St. Valentine's Invite The Penn men's track team travels to Boston University for the St. Valentine's Invitational tomorrow afternoon, trying to get back on track after a decisive loss to Princeton last Saturday. Quakers senior Clive Brown, who strained a hamstring in the 400-meter dash against the Tigers, expects Penn to rebound from last weekend's disappointment. "BU has a big, open track that's great for running," he said. "[Quakers senior Chris] Harper should be back at full speed for the first time [since returning from a semester abroad in Spain], and I expect to be fully recovered in time for the meet. We want to put Princeton behind us." The last week has not been quite as disappointing for Brown and Harper as it has been for most of the team. The two sprinters constitute half of the 400-meter relay squad that won the Ivy League competition at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York last Friday. -- Greg Kalnit Cornell Invitational is next for W. Track With the homestretch of the indoor track season rapidly approaching, Penn continues to race stride-for-stride with Ivy League leaders Princeton, Brown and Yale. This weekend, Penn travels to Ithaca, N.Y., to compete at the Cornell Invitational against the Big Red, Toronto, Waterloo and Western Ontario. Even with a meet at George Mason next weekend, the Cornell Invitational in Barton Hall will serve as a final tune-up for the Penn runners before heading to Dartmouth in two weeks for the Heptagonal Championships. The Quakers already competed at Cornell on January 20 against the Big Red, St. Joseph's and Fordham. On the track and in the field, Penn cruised to a first-place victory tallying 82 points and six first-place finishes. "The first time we went up to Cornell, we knew the meet was being scored, and we set our personnel up accordingly," Penn coach Betty Costanza said. "This time I can't do that. I have to set my personnel up to get ready for the championship." This time around, Penn will bring a smaller team to take on the opposition. The idea behind this strategy is to give the Quakers runners a chance to race in three or four events. "I feel we can beat them again this weekend, but we are not going up there to go head to head with Cornell," Costanza said. -- Miles Cohen M. Fencing, Wright will be challenged This Saturday, the Penn's men's fencing team faces itsgreatest challenge of the season as the Quakers try to improve their record to 12-1. When Penn steps on the strip against Columbia, Penn State and St. John's, freshman epee John Wright is expected to be a significant contributor. After a 9-4 performance at last weekend's tournament with Notre Dame, Harvard, MIT, Ohio State and Yeshiva, Wright has been a pleasant surprise, both to himself and Quakers coach Dave Micahnik. "I didn't know what to expect when he first came here," Micahnik said. "I didn't know if he would fit in immediately at the varsity level." "When I came to Penn, I wasn't sure I was still into fencing," said Wright, who has fenced for eight years. "But I'm having a great time now." This is the first time Wright has been able to compete on a team, and he says he enjoys it more because it is more intense. Micahnik noted that at 5-foot-9 "on a good day", Wright is untypical of many epee fighters, who usually are bigger and have longer arms. Wright says he compensates for his size and short arms by being faster and using better strategy. -- Erin Eliasen Strong competition awaits W. Fencing at Temple After a week of intense preparation, the Penn women's fencing team returns to action Saturday at Temple's Pierson Gymnasium. The Quakers will face their strongest competition of the season in the meet, which includes Penn State, St. John's, Ivy League rival Columbia and the host Owls. Penn coach Dave Micahnik requested that Penn compete first against Columbia. A victory over the Lions would keep the Quakers' hopes of of an Ivy League championship alive. Last season, the Red and Blue clobbered the Lions, 21-11. However, Columbia is much improved this season with the addition of star freshman Kaitlin Brown. Brown's skilled fencing technique and sound mental approach may provide the Quakers with trouble. Still, Penn is confident of victory. The team is fully aware of the importance of this match. "If we win only one [league] match all season, let it be against Columbia, and it will be a victorious season," Micahnik said. After disappointing losses to Yale and Harvard, Micahnik is counting on a Red and Blue victory over Columbia and solid performances throughout the day. -- Marc Edelman