With the semester winding down, several Penn teams are entering the heart of their respective schedules. Here are three questions about these teams that will be answered by the end of next week.
How will Penn men’s squash fare against top-ranked competition in its first home competitions in a month?
Penn men’s squash is currently sporting a perfect record as it prepares to face No. 6 Rochester this Saturday and No. 15 St. Lawrence on Sunday.
The men (4-0), currently ranked third behind Harvard and Trinity, have only dropped three games and have had three sweeps so far this season. They’ve faced ranked competition already but haven’t played at home in a few weeks.
Junior Andrew Douglas has continued to be a key player for the Quakers, but many of the freshmen have also displayed that their talent is an asset to the team. Saksham Choudhary has gone 4-0 so far this season.
Penn women’s squash will also face St. Lawrence this Sunday, though the Saints’ women’s team isn’t ranked.
The No. 8 Penn women (3-1) have had mixed results in their matches. Though they’ve only lost to No. 4 Stanford so far, the Quakers have only had one sweep, which was against Dickinson, and they won their other matches by much closer margins.
Freshman Ashley Manning has had a strong start to her collegiate career, most notably clinching the winning match against Drexel, earning the Quakers the title of PA State Champions.
With a busy weekend ahead, the men will seek similar results against their ranked rivals.
How will Penn wrestling capitalize on its Keystone Classic title win heading into the Patriot Open?
Two weeks ago, Penn wrestling hosted and came in first place at the Keystone Classic. This was the first time the Quakers had come in first since 2010.
Freshman Michael Colaiocco and sophomore Doug Zapf were both individual champions in their respective weight classes: 125 pounds and 141 pounds, respectively. Sixteen Quakers finished in the top eight of their respective weight classes, and 14 of those 16 were underclassmen.
This weekend, the Quakers will have two opportunities to strengthen their momentum. They will compete in the Patriot Open in Fairfax, Va. on Saturday, before traveling to University Park, Pa. for a dual meet against No. 3 Penn State on Sunday.
Penn State has historically been a strong team and should present strong competition for the Quakers.
The underclassmen have had strong showings for Penn so far this season, creating hopes for future success. Senior captain AJ Vindici has also performed well, coming in second to Zapf in the 141-pound weight class at the Keystone Classic.
Penn State has gone 1-1 in dual meets this year. Coming off of a huge first-place finish, the Quakers will be looking for similar results.
Will Penn swimming succeed against Miami of Ohio this week without some of its best swimmers?
Both Penn men’s and women’s swimming will be missing some of their key competitors at the Miami of Ohio Invitational this week.
The top swimmers on each team will be heading to the US Open Championships in Atlanta, where they will face national competition.
On the women’s (1-4, 1-3 Ivy) side, sophomores Catherine Buroker, Hannah Kannan, and Monika Burzynska and freshman Margot Kaczorowski will be attending. Representing the men (3-2, 2-2) are senior Matt Haigh, sophomores CJ Hinckley and William Kamps, and freshmen Matt Bonnell, Vlad Elizarov, and Mark McCrary.
Buroker was the only Quaker to qualify for the NCAA Championships last season, and will compete in three events: the 400-yard free, 800 free, and 1500 free.
Unlike the women, the men are participating mostly in distance events at the Championships. The trio of Bonnell, Haigh, and Hinckley will open competition for the men in the 800. Elizarov and Kamps will join Bonnell and Haigh in the 400 free. Bonnell, Haigh, Hinckley, and Kamps will compete in the final distance event of the weekend for the men, the 1500 free.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Quakers, including the divers, will travel to the Miami of Ohio Invitational in Oxford.
Without some of their best swimmers, it remains to be seen how both the men and the women will perform at the Invitational.
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