It was certainly a successful year for Penn Athletics.
For the second year in a row, the Quakers won five Ivy League Titles -- taking Ancient Eight championships in football, volleyball, women's basketball, women's fencing and gymnastics.
And while there were countless individual performances by Penn's athletes, we here at The Daily Pennsylvanian have the almost impossible task of singling out this year's most impressive achievements.
So without further delay, here are this year's selections.
Leading her team to its second-ever Ivy women's hoops title, Jewel Clark is our female Athlete of the Year.
The Waldorf, Md., native will graduate as the program's second-leading scorer, collecting 1,743 points in her collegiate career. She ranks in Penn's top 10 in eight other statistical categories. This season she averaged 19.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, earning her Ivy and Big 5 Player of the Year honors.
Joining Clark on the first-team All-Penn squad is junior Liz Lorelli. The field hockey standout led Penn and the Ivy League in goals and points -- the most ever by a Quakers player in a season in both categories. She was named Philly City 6 Most Valuable Player, third-team All-American, first-team All-Ivy and first-team Mid-Atlantic Region All-American this year.
Volleyball player Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is also on the first-team All-Penn squad. She will graduate as the Red and Blue's all-time leader in kills and is second all-time in career digs. She was unanimous Ivy Player of the Year and was an honorable mention All-American selection.
Junior Katy Cross -- the all-time leading scorer in women's soccer -- is also a first-teamer, after leading the Ancient Eight this season in points and goals. Cross was invited to try out for the Under-21 National team after being named first-team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-American in 2003.
Freshman fencer Annika Eiremo burst onto the collegiate fencing scene this year and walked away a second-team All-American. Our Penn women's Rookie of the Year, Eiremo won 52 of her 54 regular season bouts, which included a 43-bout winning streak. She won the 2004 IFA title and finished first at NCAA Regionals.
Reigning NCAA javelin champion Brian Chaput is the DP's male Athlete of the Year. Chaput has been simply dominant this season, as he has yet to lose a collegiate competition. After successfully defending his Penn Relays title this past weekend, Chaput will look to defend his NCAA title and will attempt to earn a spot on this summer's Olympic team.
Mike Mitchell is also a first-team All-Penn selection. After throwing a program-record 26 touchdowns and leading the Ancient Eight in quarterback rating this past season, Mitchell was named Ivy Player of the Year.
A second-team All-American and first-team All-Ivy selection, fencer Andy Radu also gets a first-team All-Penn nod. Radu went 32-6 this past season, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 IFAs and finishing second at NCAA Regionals.
Will Phillips has helped take a young men's lacrosse team and turned it into a nationally recognized program. He leads the Quakers in goals and assists and has provided needed leadership to a young Penn squad.
The final member of the first-team All-Penn squad is junior wrestler Matt Feast. Feast finished fifth at NCAAs after going undefeated in Ivy League competition. The Cressona, Pa., native earned All-American honors this past season while also claiming Keystone Classic and EIWA titles. He was ranked as high as second in the nation this year.
Just 16 years old, tennis phenom Mikhail Bekker is our male Rookie of the Year and a member of our second-team All-Penn squad. The Moscow native demonstrated maturity beyond his years, assuming a starting position from the day he stepped on Penn's campus.
Another Penn newcomer, running back Sam Mathews, also is a second-team All-Penn selection. The Navy transfer had the fourth-most rushing yards in a single Penn season, earning first-team All-Ivy honors.
Tim Begley joins Mathews on the men's second team. Begley was the basketball team's most consistent player this past season and led the Ivy League in three-point shooting. He had a career-high 25 points against Brown on Jan. 31 and was a second-team All-Ivy selection.
Anchoring what may have been Penn's best offensive line ever, Chris Clark was the Quakers' only All-American football player. The California native was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy pick.
The final member of the men's second-team All-Penn squad is wrestler Matt Valenti. The All-American was a second-team All-Ivy selection who tied a school record for wins in a season.
The first member of the women's second-team All-Penn squad is Emily Logan. The East Walpole, Mass., native finished 14th at NCAA Indoor Nationals to become Penn's first All-American female runner since 1994.
The next member is Emily Petkun, Penn's first NCAA Regional qualifying gymnast since 2001. The sophomore helped lead the Quakers to Ivy and ECAC titles.
Lindsey Cassidy led the Penn women's lacrosse team in goals and assists. But the team's lone senior also can play defense, as she leads the Ancient Eight in forced turnovers per game.
Golfer Melissa Aylor is also a second-team All-Penn selection. Aylor finished tied for eighth at the Ivy League Championships, just one shot out of the top seven.
Freshman squash player Paula Pearson is the final member of the female second-team All-Penn squad. The native Canadian earned second-team All-American honors and was also a member of the All-Ivy team.
Women's basketball coach Kelly Greenberg is our Penn Coach of the Year. She took the Quakers to their second ever NCAA Tournament -- both of which have come under her reign. Greenberg's squad swept perennial Ivy powerhouses Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. While the Red and Blue fell to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut in the first round, the Penn coach clearly has her program headed on the right track for years to come.
Finally, Penn's Team of the Year honor goes to the football team. The Quakers finished undefeated this season, successfully defending their Ivy League championship in convincing fashion.
Coach Al Bagnoli's squad became just the second team in history to have back-to-back perfect Ancient Eight records.
Penn's seniors will graduate with a 26-2 Ivy League record, winning three outright titles. The team went 34-5 in those four years and also went undefeated in play at Franklin Field.
The Quakers recorded their highest ranking since 1986, finishing the year ranked 12th in Division I-AA in the Sports Network/CSTV poll.
And no one individual carried this squad.
A record 12 players received first-team All-Ivy honors and 17 Quakers overall were placed on an All-Ivy squad.
