Roundtable: Which Penn team is in the best position to make a deep run?

The Ivy seasons are beginning to wind down for most spring sports, and there are many Penn teams hanging around at or near the top of their respective standings. But which squad is best positioned to make a run at the Ivy title — or perhaps even NCAA tournament glory? Our sports editors discuss:

Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I would have my money on Penn men’s lacrosse to make a deep run in the four-team Ivy tournament — and possibly even beyond. The No. 8 Quakers have won four Ivy contests in a row since that humiliating 17-9 loss to then-No. 4 Cornell on March 22nd. This is a team that has the third-best RPI in the nation and should be solidly in the NCAA tournament field regardless of what happens the rest of the way.

And in the tournament, I think the Red and Blue have a tremendous shot at making a deep run, considering all of the adversity they’ve handled so far. Look at the fourth-quarter comebacks against Denver, Villanova and Harvard from earlier in the season. Look at the attack that boasts five different double-digit goal scorers. The Quakers are legit.

Sports Editor Riley Steele: It’s hard to disagree with the success of Mike Murphy’s team of late. The Quakers are an excellent team on a nice four-game run, but the team will go up against some stiff competition in the Ivy League tournament.

Instead, I look at a team that has been dominant on the diamond of late, Penn baseball. Yes, the Red and Blue split two games with Princeton over the weekend to fall back into a tie with Columbia atop the Lou Gehrig Division. But as Penn prepares for a virtual division championship series against the Lions this weekend, the Quakers can take solace in the fact that they have all the intangibles to beat Columbia and move on to postseason play.

Penn’s pitching staff is one of the best in the Ivy League as juniors Connor Cuff and Ronnie Glenn have locked down opponents all season long. While the Quakers struggled at the plate against the Tigers, bats like senior Rick Brebner and juniors Jeff McGarry and Austin Bossart can’t be kept quiet for long. With all those tools on display, I think the Quakers have a chance to make waves against Columbia later this week, and then against Yale in the Ivy League championship series.

Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: Are we going to ignore Penn softball? The Quakers have firm control over the Ivy South division, holding a three-game lead in the loss column over Columbia and Cornell. You can say whatever you want about experience and the Quakers’ plethora of freshmen, but those freshman players have been some of the biggest contributors to Penn’s success. Freshman outfielder Leah Allen has been a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the lineup, while Alexis Sargent has contributed both in the pitcher’s circle and at the plate.

And that isn’t even mentioning the key contributions of juniors Sydney Turchin in the outfield and Alexis Borden on the mound. The Red and Blue do have a tough challenge awaiting them if they make the Ivy League championship series once again, as Harvard and Dartmouth are a combined 28-1 in Ivy play. But anything can happen in a three-game series and the Quakers have a very solid chance to make it back to the NCAA tournament.