Twelve Quakers earn All-Ivy honors

Penn had six athletes on the first team, led by tennis star Anastasia Pozdniakova. Although Penn's athletic teams had no players of the year, this spring's All-Ivy teams are peppered with red and blue. A total of 12 Penn athletes were All-Ivy selections -- six on the first team and six on the second team. Although five of the six Quakers on the second team are graduating seniors, all six Penn athletes who received First Team honors will return next year. Women's tennis No. 1 singles player Anastasia Pozdniakova made First Team All-Ivy for the third consecutive year. The junior from Collingswood, N.J., won four of her seven matches in the league to lead Penn to a second-place finish. The Ivy-League Rookie of the Year in 1997, Pozdniakova can become only the eighth women's tennis player to make First Team All-Ivy four years in a row with a repeat performance next season. "Of course that would be great," Pozdniakova said. "But I won't be thinking the reason to do well is to make some record. I just love the experience and being part of the team." There was some speculation among college lacrosse experts that junior Pete Janney would be Ivy League Player of the Year, but the league's leading scorer was beaten out by Yale goalie Joe Pilch for the honor. Janney was still a solid All-Ivy First Teamer. A two-time Ivy League Player of the Week, the Severn, Md., native led the Ivy League in scoring with 53 points, as he racked up 37 goals and dished out 16 assists. Two golfers on Penn's third-place squad also made the exclusive All-Ivy First Team. All-Ivy honors in golf are determined by the Ivy League Championship match, held this year on April 17th. Sophomore Kyle Moran and junior Rob Goldfaden both posted three-round scores of 219 to finish tied for second in the match -- good enough for First Team All-Ivy honors. Like Pozdniakova, Goldfaden has earned this honor three consecutive seasons. The final two first team members were instrumental in the resurgence of the Penn softball program. Freshmen Jen Moore and Clarisa Apostol -- who both graduated from Bishop Eustace Prepatory High School in Pennsauken, N.J. -- led the Quakers to 15 victories, the most by any Penn softball team since 1981. Moore led the Quakers with 17 RBIs and 12 doubles and regularly turned in spectacular plays from her third base position. "I was not expecting [to make first-team All Ivy] after the season," Moore said. "I think I'd be more happy if I felt I totally deserved it -- I mean I think I deserved it, but my potential wasn't met." Left fielder Apostol, meanwhile, led the team with a .322 batting average and 21 runs. Of the six Penn Second-Team All-Ivy members, four are from the men's lacrosse team. Sophomore Todd Minerley earned the honors at attack after tallying 42 points, good for second on the team and in the Ivy League. In addition, three men's lacrosse seniors garnered All-Ivy honors. Jeff Zuckerman made the team as a midfielder, while defenseman Ziggy Majumdar was also honored. Goalie Matt Schroeder was beat out for first-team honors by Pilch. "[Pilch and I] have been competing for four years for all the spots [on the All-Ivy Team], so it just comes down to whose team is better," Schroeder said. "His team was 4-2 and we were 2-4 in the league." The other second-team All-Ivy members were seniors Brooke Jenkins and Glen Ambrosius. Jenkins made the team at the attack position in women's lacrosse, while Ambrosius hit .331 as a shortstop for Penn's disappointing baseball team.

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