Anne Sage still in limbo

Women's lacrosse coach anne Sage has been on leave since early March. The 22 members of the women's lacrosse team forced coach Anne Sage into taking a leave of absence last March. Now, more than three-and-a-half months later, Sage is still on leave. And there is no end in sight to her status in limbo. The Athletic Department and Sage have been negotiating since mid-March, yet the women's lacrosse situation remains the same. Alanna Wren, an assistant under Sage, is acting head coach, while Sage still owns the title of head coach. Sage was in the first year of a two-year contract when the team petitioned the first and only head coach in the history of Penn's women's lacrosse program to step down. Still, little is known about the progress of the negotiations, as Athletic Director Steve Bilsky and Associate Athletic Director Earl Cleghorn declined to comment, and Sage, who has switched lawyers since the start of negotiations, was not available for comment. Wren and the team's players have been kept in the dark about the proceedings, as well. "Both parties -- the administration and Sage -- have done a good job of keeping me out of it," Wren said. "It's a sticky situation, so no one really enlightens me to any details about what they're actually not agreed upon." Without the support of the team, it is unlikely that Sage will return as a coach. But Penn is prohibited to search for another coach while Sage is still under contract. The effects of a vacant head coaching position have not been strongly felt by the Quakers yet, however. As is customary, Wren sent out a packet in early June detailing summer workouts. "Alanna's probably done more this year in trying to get people involved in summer leagues and to make sure that people do the workouts," Penn senior attacker Joanna Lopinto said. "She's having us send her the results at the end of July to see how we're doing and to make sure that we are doing the work." Yet, even Wren admits that there might be a negative effect on recruiting if the coaching situation remains muddled. "At some point I'm sure players are going to ask questions about the head coaching position," Wren said. "But it's still pretty early in the recruiting cycle. I think most seniors understand that there's going to be a coach in place before they would have to make any serious decisions or come in for visits or anything like that." Although she has taken on the head coaching responsibilities in Sage's absence, Wren does not intend to pursue the full-time position if it becomes vacant. "With all that's happened this year, I'm not sure I'm prepared to step into those shoes," Wren said. It is rumored that interest in the head coaching position has already been shown, but Penn can not accept applications or conduct interviews until negotiations with Sage are finalized. And the search for a new coach will take at least several weeks. Lopinto is not worried about finding a new coach, however. "This area is such a hotbed for lacrosse that it's not going to be a problem finding a replacement," Lopinto said. Athletic officials say there is no timetable as to when Sage's status will be resolved, but it is unlikely that the situation will extend into the fall semester, cutting into the beginning of preseason workouts in the third week of September. "I think everyone believes that something will happen before the beginning of the school year," Wren said. Sage compiled a 151-155-9 record in her 26 years as Penn's women's lacrosse coach and led the team to an NCAA Final Four. But most of Sage's success was enjoyed early in her coaching career; she has had only one winning season since 1986.