With fall sports beginning to wrap up, winter sports are gearing for their first action of the year. But in the spirit of Halloween, here's a look at the “scariest” fall athletes who have made a consistent impact for their teams.
Erin Quinn – Field hockey
Junior Erin Quinn comes from a field hockey family, but she is making a name of her own at Penn.
The forward, whose sister plays at Richmond and whose mother played at American, has been an integral part of the Penn team during all three of her years with the Quakers.
Quinn played at least 15 games in both her freshman and sophomore seasons, and she has appeared in every game thus far for the Red and Blue in 2019.
Her 10 points this year are double her total from her first two seasons combined.
Although it has been a relatively disappointing year for the 6-9 Quakers, they have reason for optimism with Quinn’s play and will look to capitalize on her performance in their last two games of the season.
Daniela Fornaciari – Volleyball
After making a solid impact during her freshman year, sophomore middle hitter Daniela Fornaciari got off to an impressive start this season, leading the Ivy League in nonconference blocks with 38.
She has kept up that pace, recently recording a career-high 12 kills in a win over Dartmouth and following up that performance with another 12 in a loss to Harvard.
“She’s been absolutely killing it,” said junior outside hitter Parker Jones, who is also a DP staffer. “[Through] the transition from last year to this year, she’s just been one of our players we can rely on heavily to score points and get blocks. She continues to show that she’s one of the best middle [hitters] in the league.”
The San Diego native’s 51 blocks rank among the top 10 in the Ivy League.
As the Quakers travel to New York to take on Cornell and Columbia this weekend, they will look for another strong performance from Fornaciari.
Peyton Raun – Women’s soccer
Despite only being a freshman, Peyton Raun is already a key contributor for Penn women’s soccer. She has started every match this season and has played a total of 1,130 minutes, or nearly 19 hours, so far.
Her stellar defense has been key for the team’s success this season and has helped them win low-scoring games, such as their 1-0 victory over Dartmouth on Oct. 19.
“It’s been a lot of fun," Raun said. "It’s been a really smooth transition, and honestly everyone around me has set me up to succeed. At a lot of moments, I’ve been learning new things about our team and how we play. I’ve really been able to adapt.”
With only two games remaining this year, Raun will look to finish off her freshman season strong.
Brandon Bartel – Men’s soccer
Senior midfielder Brandon Bartel is wrapping up his soccer career at Penn, but his final season has been one for the books.
A key contributor throughout his four years on the team, Bartel had appeared in 50 games before this season, but he had never scored a goal. This year, however, he has already scored twice, including a game-winner against No. 24 Yale.
His goal gave Penn their first victory over a ranked opponent since 2010 and kept the Quakers alive for the Ivy League title. His performance against the Bulldogs also netted him Ivy League Player of the Week honors.
Bartel has played every minute so far this season, and he will likely continue to see significant action as the Red and Blue make a final push for the championship.
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