Penn athletes take on the international stage

Although she was pulled from the relay at the Olympics, Whittaker brought this momentum into her graduate season at Arkansas, winning two NCAA indoor championships and setting new NCAA, American, and North American records for the women’s indoor 400m dash — just 0.07 seconds shy of the world record. Whittaker moved to the professional circuit after making a homecoming to Franklin Field at the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia stop earlier this year. 

In August, Whittaker competed in the 400m dash at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning the semifinal and finishing second in the final with a time of 49.59 seconds behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The performance qualified her for Team USA’s world championship team. The championships are set for Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo.

“[A]fter making the [O]lympic team in the relay pool but being pulled from the relay the morning of, [I] never quite felt like [I]’d earned my spot. [I] let insecurity and doubt creep into my head and snag the joy and pride [I] had in making that team,” Whittaker wrote in an Instagram post following the race. “[I] told myself that [I] would never again let someone else or that little nagging voice inside my head determine whether or not [I] was capable of doing something special or whether [I] belonged. [E]cstatic to say that after a year of working my a$$ off, [I] have put my pen to paper and made my first worlds team individually.” 

Alexander Dartnell — men’s squash

Even before coming to Penn, freshman Alexander Dartnell was very familiar with West Philadelphia. The Arlen Specter US Squash Center — located just across Market Street on Drexel’s campus — is home to the United States squash team that he has represented in international competition since 2023 and that recently hosted the 2025 U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships. At that competition, Dartnell did not drop a single game en route to a second national championship. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in the U19 division.

This past summer, Dartnell took this momentum into the 2025 World Squash Junior Championships, helping bring Team USA to the championship finals for the first time in history. The Americans finished with the silver medal, while Team Egypt — the defending champions — claimed another title. 

Dartnell will undoubtedly be valuable this season to two-time defending national champions Penn men’s squash in the team’s quest for a three-peat and to cement a dynasty. 

“Getting the silver medal at worlds this year in Cairo was incredible. … To make history this summer was surreal. Now, heading into my college career, I’m excited for new challenges and to continue the legacy the Penn men’s squash team has started,” Dartnell wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian.