Brian Voelker knows that he still has a lot to prove.
In his four years at the helm of the men's lacrosse team, he has only seen the postseason once, guiding his squad to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 despite a 7-7 record.
Penn drew perennial powerhouse Navy in the first round and was demolished, 11-5.
Now, the No. 10 Quakers have another chance to not just enter the postseason but advance past the opening game, something the team hasn't done since 1988.
A win on one of the sport's biggest stages would clearly establish the upstart and, at times, up-and-down Quakers as members of college lacrosse's top echelon.
"We haven't really played a full 60-minute game this year," senior captain D.J. Andrzejewski said of Penn's erratic play through some of the season.
If only it was certain that the team will make the tournament.
"The first thing that I hope our guys are thinking is that we don't have anything locked up," Voelker said.
That's because Penn is shooting for an at-large bid into the 16-team tournament field. The Quakers will likely not get the Ivy League's automatic bid because of their two losses in league play.
Six conferences send their champions into the postseason automatically, including the America East, the Colonial, the Metro Atlantic, the Great Western Lacrosse League and the Patriot League.
That leaves 10 open slots, assuming that each conference champion is a strong at-large candidate, not a weak one that could potentially "steal" an extra bid for its league.
The only qualification for the chance at an at-large selection is a .500 record against at least 10 Division I opponents.
After that, the selection committee looks first at a team's record against opponents ranked near the top of the computer-generated Ratings Percentage Index. The process also takes into account strength of schedule and a team's own RPI, with head-to-head competition and common opponent results being used as tiebreakers if necessary.
Penn's strength of schedule is currently ranked 19th in the nation, largely by virtue of playing in a conference that sports several other contenders.
However, the Quakers will probably not receive any extra consideration just for playing in the generally strong Ivy League.
"I've never heard any of [the selection committee members] speak that way," said Lacrosse magazine Senior Associate Editor Bill Tanton. "Being in the Ivy [League] is not really a strength when it comes to getting in the NCAAs."
Still, Penn's strength of schedule could improve if teams that Penn has beaten were to increase their RPIs.
Strength of schedule "is regarded as one of the strongest factors in determining the field," Tanton said.
Aside from merely playing a tough schedule, Penn also boasts several high-caliber wins on itsresume.
"Big wins is a big thing for getting into the playoffs, and beating Cornell was a big win for us," Voelker said. "I was a little worried throughout that Dartmouth-Princeton-Brown stretch that we weren't playing great ... [but] we were lucky enough to get two out of three" of those.
The Quakers also boast victories over Maryland-Baltimore County and North Carolina, each currently a top-20 RPI squad.
And Penn still has a shot at No. 3 Maryland two weekends from now.
A win there would lock Penn solidly into the tournament.
"We look at Maryland as a playoff game," Andrzejewski said.
But even if the Quakers can't pull an upset over the mighty Terrapins, they can still potentially enter the postseason and have a chance at making a deep run when they do.
"Two years ago I think we kind of surprised some people," Voelker said. "I think this year we have that [same talent], and then we also have a little more depth and a little more athleticism."
And as he likely realizes, the dreams of tournament glory will likely need to be realized if another era of success on the national level is to be found.
