In what was a sophomore weekend for most teams, Penn was all over the map in more ways than one. The men's soccer team traveled to the West Coast to take on Cal Poly and UCSB, fighting a good fight but ultimately falling by a margin of two to both teams. Back here in Philly, women's soccer came out on top with two victories against Drexel and St. Joseph's. Meanwhile, a stone's throw away, the cross country teams were starting the year off right with solid performances in the Big 5 Meet at Beaumont Plateau. Both volleyball and field hockey had their own ups and downs this weekend, finishing the weekend with split records, while sprint football fell 35-12 to Army. For all the details and full recaps, here's this week's Weekend Wrap:
Women's Soccer
Coming off a successful shutout opening weekend, Penn women's soccer was looking to keep up its exceptional record - and that's exactly what it did. But the back-to-back 1-0 victories didn't come easily this weekend. Friday's match against Drexel went deep into 108 minutes. There were shaky plays, missed opportunities, and three failed free kick attempts during regulation play before senior captain Kerry Scalora was able to send a free kick sailing into the upper right 90 corner to win the game in overtime. On Sunday, the team did a total 180, outshooting St. Joseph's 14-1 and scoring the only goal of the game late in the first half.
Men's Soccer
Things didn't go as well for the men. Despite putting up good fights against their West Coast opponents, the Quakers fell to Cal Poly and UCSB at the hands of two late goals in each game. Friday night, against a Cal Poly squad that had a victory over No. 6 UCLA in its belt, the Red and Blue kept the Mustangs at bay, allowing only one goal in the first 80 minutes of play while scoring two themselves. With a 2-1 lead, Penn missed a breakaway shot just before Cal Poly came back with shots in the 81st and 86th minutes to leave the scoreboard at a final 3-2. A couple of days later, the Quakers found themselves in a stalemate 1-1 tie against UCSB at the end of the first overtime. A dramatic shot off the head of Gauchos junior Charlie Miller ended the sudden-death overtime and the Quakers' weekend campaign in California.
Volleyball
After a rough start to the season, Penn volleyball set out to make a comeback in the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West Penn Invitational this weekend. With three tough matches lined up and key players out of the roster, the Quakers held it together to come away with two victories, putting them back on the right track. Things did not look good Saturday night at the Palestra when the team fell 3-0 to American. But that all changed on Sunday when the Red and Blue defeated not only Temple but also Weber State with matching scores of 3-2. Senior captain Kristin Etterbeek - the sole captain on the court this weekend - carried the team to victory with 16 kills and 13 digs.
Field Hockey
The Quakers exploded into the weekend with a 5-2 victory over St. Joseph's, netting three goals in the first 10 minutes of play. Junior Emily Corcoran hit one first, just one minute into the game, followed by two goals against just as many goalies from freshman Jasmine Cole. But the fizz fell flat on Sunday against Bucknell. Freshman Elise Tilton, who has scored in every game this season, started the Red and Blue on the right path with a goal at the beginning of the second half, but it would be the Quakers' only goal of the game. Bucknell's man-to-man pressure proved too much for Penn and they fell, 2-1.
Sprint Football
In their first official game of the season, the Quakers were no match for defending CSFL champs Army. The Black Knights shut the Red and Blue down with 298 yards from quarterback James Wartski and a strong defense in the second half. Yet, Penn managed to pull off some big plays from junior quarterback Keith Braccia, who surpassed junior running back Mike Beamish in total yards and rushing yards during the game, and freshman linebacker Robert Diorio, who notched 10 solo tackles and a sack for an eight-yard loss. Ultimately, the Quakers could not hold their own at West Point, leaving a final score of 35-12 on the field.
Cross Country
The men and women of Penn started off their seasons on the right foot in the Big 5 Meet on familiar ground at Beaumont Plateau. A short 6K to ease into the season, the meet was designed for the Philadelphia coaches to monitor their teams' fitness levels. The plan was to keep it simple, running in packs for the first few loops and breaking to test for fitness toward the end. Keeping in line with their strategy, the Quakers came out on top, freshman Cleo Whiting finishing third overall on the women's side and junior John Trueman stepping out in front for the men.
Last season, Penn women's soccer fell to Drexel at Vidas Field, 1-0, with the Quakers struggling to muster a sustained offensive attack. Penn matches up with Drexel again at Penn Park this Friday. We caught up with Drexel coach Ray Goon to go behind enemy lines:
Daily Pennsylvanian: So far this year you’re 3-2-1, so you’ve seen some mixed results. What do you think of your team’s start to the season?
Ray Goon: I think it’s pretty accurate. We graduated a lot of players. We graduated nine players last year, so we knew that we’d be a little young and a little shorter on the experience side. So I think that the results so far are pretty indicative of where our team is right now.
DP: Freshman Shyanne Kimbrough has had a good start so far for you, scoring four goals in six games. To what do you attribute her success thus far?
RG: I think she has that scorer’s mentality. I guess a lot of coaches describe it in sports as that she has that instinctive element. A lot of times you say that scoring is a mentality as much as it is a skill and I think she has that instinctual mentality to finish goals.
DP: With that in mind, what do you see from your team’s offense in general and what do you project going forward?
RG: I think one of the good things about last year was that we didn’t rely on one player to score goals for us. It was more of a team effort. I think we see similar things this year in that the team is already used to that style or mentality. If there happens to be one primary player, that’s fantastic, but I think that doing it by committee from last season is flowing into this year as well.
DP: Talking specifically about facing Penn now, is there anything you’re concerned about when you face Penn, or do you handle it like any other opponent?
RG: We know they’re a very strong squad. They’re traditionally very good. And you can’t avoid the cross- block rivalry that is associated with it. So as much as I’d like to say that it’s just another game, I think you’d be foolish to say it’s just an- other game, since it’s Drexel-Penn. But we expect them to be very strong on Friday.
We're excited to announce our first Athlete of the Week for the fall semester, junior midfield Louis Schott. Schott had two goals in as many matches last weekend in victories over Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. He fired his most momentous goal Friday night against Stony Brook, the first goal of 2013 for Penn men's soccer. We checked in with him on his fast start to the season and whether the team's momentum will hold after a two-game cross-country road trip this weekend.
We've already covered football's pursuit of a 4th Ivy League title in five years. Which of the other fall sports teams at Penn will have the best season this year? Our editors weigh in.
Sports Editor John Phillips: I'm leaning towards women's soccer. The one worry coming out of the gate was that the team wouldn't be able to find the back of the net as often as they did to start off. Penn scored eight goals in two games last weekend to start the season 2-0. Now, they won't score nearly as much as that, but even if they can score half as often, with two goals a game on average, this team will win a good amount of its games.
Last year the Red and Blue let themselves and their fans down by coming out flat against Princeton, but the team learned from that hardship. Defense has never been the problem for Ambrose's squad and it will be tight for the Quakers going forward. It's all about the offense, and if last weekend was any indication at all, Penn will be able to score.
Sports Editor Steven Tydings: I'm going to surprise you, but last year's least successful fall sport might be one of Penn's best this year. By that, I mean that men's soccer is going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2013.
Yes, they are coming off a 3-13 campaign in 2012 while also losing last year's captain in Travis Cantrell and goaltender in Max Kurtzman. But it is an easier turnaround than you might think. Last year, the team obviously struggled, yet they also dealt with some terrible luck as nine of the Quakers' 13 losses came by just one goal. And in just two games this year, the Red and Blue showed some defensive tenacity and shut out their opponents. The competition was certainly not up to par with some of the tougher matches they will play in the coming weeks but by winning those two games, they are already looking better than last year.
With a strong returning nucleus of Stephen Baker, Duke Lacroix and Jonny Dolezal, the Quakers aren't going to be the Ivy League's punching bag this year. With the addition of freshman Alec Neumann to pair with a more experienced squad, Penn men's soccer is going to be turning some heads by year end.
Senior Sports Editor Mike Tony: No program has more momentum right now than Penn field hockey. The new AstroTurf Vagelos Field comes to mind, of course, but so does a performance at Lehigh Friday in which the Quakers outshot the Mountain Hawks, 24-12. Senior attack Julie Tahan and junior midfield Alex Iqbal fired five shots each in that game, and I trust the Quakers' aggressive offensive mindset to pay dividends down the stretch in Ivy play.
Sports around the country came to a standstill.
September 11, 2001
On Sept. 11, 2001, the world watched in horror as our nation was attacked and our security blanket ripped away. Kyle Bahr, then-associate sports editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian, wrote a column on Thurs., Sept., 13, after no sports section appeared in Wednesday’s paper.
“We who work on the sports section of this newspaper often refer to ourselves proudly by the self-proclaimed acronym DPOSTM, “The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Only Section That Matters.” But we—the section we create and the things we write about on this page—did not matter Tuesday…Sports, on that day, did not matter.”
We often get so wrapped up in getting that A, scoring that goal or getting a position in that club we so desperately need that we can forget about how lucky many of us are to live a life of security surrounded by the people we love. Twelve years ago we were reminded of how easily they can be stripped away.
On Sept. 11, The Daily Pennsylvanian and countless other media organizations canceled their sports coverage. The university canceled all athletic events through that Sunday, including the football season opener against Lehigh, despite programs returning to practice on Wed., the 12th.
Though in the moment sports took a backseat, they do hold a certain significance. After a tragedy creating a routine and return to normalcy are important, something that sports can help very much with.
Bahr concluded his column: “Perhaps most importantly, our sports will keep us united, whether as teammates or fans or just strangers meeting on a court for a game of pickup basketball. The Eagles players, Eagles fans and the kid wearing the Eagles jersey while playing two-hand touch in a local park will all find strength and comfort in the togetherness they feel with their fellow man. Once again, sports will matter.”
Sports Editor John Phillips: While anyone who thinks that we can crown the Quakers after just one weekend of solid play is jumping the gun, this Red and Blue squad was different than the one we saw last year. The impetus was put on defense and the results of that mentality are obvious.
Tyler Kinn was asked to make just seven saves over the course of the weekend, a big change from the number of saves that he and former keeper Max Kurtzman were asked to make all of last season. Fuller has always said that when the defense plays well, the offense will come in turn and that's exactly what happened.
Senior Staff Writer Mars Jacobson: You are spot on that this Penn team is far improved from last season, especially on defense. In the team's opening weekend, the back line looked calm and in control as compared to last year. After the game on Sunday, goalkeeper Tyler Kinn told me how he barely had to do anything the entire game because the defense in front of him was so strong - an extremely positive sign. A year of maturation and familiarity across the defense has done wonders and will be the difference between winning and losing close games this year.
JP: I think the big thing going forward is seeing Kinn challenged. He played fine last year, but when the defense didn't have it, he looked human the same way that Kurtzman did. His save percentage was .679 in four starts, lower than Kurtzman's already disappointing percentage.
Let's see what happens when he has to make seven saves and the ball just isn’t going in the net for Penn. The keeping wasn't the problem last year, but then again, Kurtzman entered as a more heralded goalie than Kinn, and numbers-wise, was still stronger.
MJ: And you have to remember that the Quakers were up against less-than-stellar opponents this past weekend in Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. This upcoming weekend, the Red and Blue travel to California to play Cal Poly, who knocked off No. 6 UCLA this past Thursday, and UC Santa Barbara, who are currently ranked 16th nationally. These teams will be stronger, faster and more skilled than most teams Penn will play this season and will give us a better indicator of just how far this team can go.
JP: Sure, the Quakers are going to lose a good number of games this season, especially non-conference. The schedule is brutal before the Red and Blue enter into the Ivy slate and that's by design.
The Ancient Eight is what matters and the tough schedule will prepare the Quakers for that.
MJ: Also, there is some concern about the spine of the team through the middle. Center defender Griffin Heffner adds some much needed size and strength in the back that the Quakers were missing in the first half of last season. Fast strikers, however, could expose his lack of pace. In center midfield, Louis Schott and Austin Kinn are technically gifted and hard workers, but will they have enough of a physical presence to shield Penn's back line? In Ivy play, games can go either way based on the smallest of margins, so winning battles in the middle of the park will be vital to Penn's success.
JP: I think the big thing going forward is seeing Kinn challenged. He played fine last year, but when the defense didn't have it, he looked human the same way that Kurtzman did. His save percentage was .679 in four starts, lower than Kurtzman's already disappointing percentage.
Let's see what happens when he has to make seven saves and the ball just isn’t going in the net for Penn. The keeping wasn't the problem last year, but then again, Kurtzman entered as a more heralded goalie than Kinn, and numbers-wise, was still stronger.
MJ: And you have to remember that the Quakers were up against less-than-stellar opponents this past weekend in Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. This upcoming weekend, the Red and Blue travel to California to play Cal Poly, who knocked off No. 6 UCLA this past Thursday, and UC Santa Barbara, who are currently ranked 16th nationally. These teams will be stronger, faster and more skilled than most teams Penn will play this season and will give us a better indicator of just how far this team can go.
JP: Sure, the Quakers are going to lose a good number of games this season, especially non-conference. The schedule is brutal before the Red and Blue enter into the Ivy slate and that's by design.
The Ancient Eight is what matters and the tough schedule will prepare the Quakers for that.
MJ: Also, there is some concern about the spine of the team through the middle. Center defender Griffin Heffner adds some much needed size and strength in the back that the Quakers were missing in the first half of last season. Fast strikers, however, could expose his lack of pace. In center midfield, Louis Schott and Austin Kinn are technically gifted and hard workers, but will they have enough of a physical presence to shield Penn's back line? In Ivy play, games can go either way based on the smallest of margins, so winning battles in the middle of the park will be vital to Penn's success.
It was a successful opening weekend for the Quakers, each team accomplishing what it set out to do. Multiple shutouts by both Penn's men's and women's soccer on top of victories from the field hockey and sprint football teams provided optimism on all fronts, while the volleyball team exhibited promising performances in its hard-fought defeat at the Maryland Invitational. For all the season-opening action, here's this week's edition of Weekend Wrap:
Men's Soccer:
It was a resurgent opening weekend for Penn men's soccer as it squared away back-to-back shutouts against Stony Brook on Friday and Sacred Heart on Sunday. Junior Louis Schott led the way for the Red and Blue, scoring the team's first goals from the edge of the box in both games. From there, seasoned Quakers and younglings alike got their shot at the goal. Junior Jason DeFaria closed out Friday's 2-0 game against the Seawolves while freshman Alec Neumann netted two before senior Stephen Baker and junior Duke Lacroix finished up Penn's 5-0 shutout against the Pioneers.
Penn men's soccer makes up for lost time
Women's Soccer:
The men weren't the only ones wiping the field with the competition this weekend. The Penn women's soccer team also shut down its opponents with two 4-0 victories over St. Peter's on Friday and Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. Penn enjoyed defensive and offensive domination, as the Quakers outshot the Peacocks, 23-1, on Friday and the Mountaineers, 22-3, on Sunday. Goals came from four different players in each game, freshman Tahirih Nesmith claiming one in both games in her collegiate debut weekend.
Volleyball:
Things did not go as well for the Penn volleyball team. Taking on three tough non-division opponents in the Maryland Invitational, the Quakers put up a good fight but ultimately fell in their non-Ivy expedition. But no matter. Since the team's main objective for the weekend was to gain experience against the already-practiced teams in the lineup, the Red and Blue's 3-2 and back-to-back 3-1 losses to LIU, UMKC, and host Maryland respectively weren't all that unacceptable. Sophomores Jasmine DeSilva and Alex Caldwell topped the Penn roster for the weekend in kills and senior Dani Shepherd was named to the Invitational's All-Tournament team.
Volleyball gains valuable experience in Maryland
Field Hockey:
On the flipside, Penn field hockey proved itself worthy of its winning 2012 record with a thrilling 5-4 win over Lehigh. In what was certainly an evenly-matched battle, the Mountain Hawks gave the Quakers a run for their money, with both teams going back and forth right from the start. Although Lehigh scored within the first 10 minutes of the game, Penn answered back in a big way. Freshman Elise Tilton kicked off the scoring, with major contributions also coming from all four classes. The match came down to the wire as sophomore Elizabeth Hitti sank a corner shot with no time on the clock, giving the Red and Blue the final point for the win.
Sprint Football:
The future looks bright for Penn's sprint football team as the current batch of Quakers flaunted its new-look offense and defensive grit over the Red and Blue of yesteryear in the annual alumni game. The alumni started off with a bang, with alum Mike Bagnoli ('11) taking it from the middle to the end zone to put the alumni up 6-0. But before long, junior running back Mike Beamish put a touchdown on the board, creating a 7-6 lead for the current Quakers and starting off a back and forth that would eventually settle into a 26-12 victory for Wagner's contemporary squad.
Penn sprint football bests alumni, 26-12
While the 2013-14 Penn men’s basketball season hasn’t started yet, Jerome Allen and his staff are already busy bringing in new players for 2014-15.
On Monday, the Quakers picked up their first commitment for their upcoming recruiting class in Mike Auger, a forward from New Hampton (N.H.).
We sat down with Auger to discuss why he chose Penn, his relationship with the men’s hoops coaching staff and his role on the basketball court.
Daily Pennsylvanian: First off, you were down to four schools – Penn, Princeton, Dartmouth and Holy Cross. Why did you choose Penn over the other three?
Mike Auger: Just from being on campus, I got a good feel from the coaching staff and campus. It seemed like the right fit for me. It is great that it is right in Philly. I love the city. The coaching staff is awesome. And I want to go into business and the school of business there is a great opportunity. It wasn’t a hard decision for me since Penn really stood out for me.
DP: Were there any factors with the other three schools that made them a step below Penn in your recruiting process?
MA: For Holy Cross, it was the fact that the other three were Ivy League schools. And growing up in New Hampshire, I wanted to get out of the state a little bit. But more than anything, Penn stood out to me and it wasn’t the other schools being lower or anything.
DP: How big of a factor was the Wharton School inyour recruitment and what stood out about Wharton compared to other schools?
MA: It definitely wasn’t the biggest factor. Just another positive. I just want to major in business and going to Penn for business is one of the best opportunities in the world. It definitely wasn’t the biggest factor though.
DP: What is your relationship with the coaching staff, both as a whole and with each individual coach?
MA: I hadn’t really had too much contact with anyone other than coach [Scott Pera] over there. I have been talking to coach Pera for a while since probably the beginning of the summer. I have a pretty good relationship with him and being on campus, the whole staff spent the day with me, including coach [Jerome Allen].
Coach Allen had reached out to me a few times and expressed interest in me. I got a really good feel for the coaching staff. I think coach Allen really cares about his guys and I’ve heard that from a couple of other people as well. I’m definitely the closest with coach Pera but I have a great feeling for all the coaches.
DP: When did Penn offer you and what kind of things do you talk about with coach Pera?
MA: They offered me at the end of July right after I got home from Las Vegas [for an AAU tournament]. And with coach Pera, we talked a bit about Philly and what Penn has to offer me. He has always just reached out to me and seen how I’m doing, how my body is feeling and everything. I get the feeling that [the coaching staff] really cares about their guys.
DP: What kind of role would you play for the Penn basketball team based off your conversations with the coaches?
MA: I think my role from the start would potentially be to be a [small forward]. They love my toughness and my rebounding, and they think that I can bring that to the table. I think my role can evolve over the years into more of a skilled role and more of an offensive role as I progress with my game.
DP: How would you describe yourself as a player in terms of your abilities, strengths and weaknesses? At 6’7, do you play more small forward or power forward in high school?
MA: I guess I am more of a stretch four. We have a couple guys who are definitely bigger than me – I am 6’7, 220 [pounds] – but I like to think that I’m tougher than all the guys I play against so that is a benefit to me. I can just crash the boards and get a lot of rebounds.
Toughness is what most coaches love about me but I definitely think that I can guard multiple positions and knock down a three. I think the big thing is my athleticism and toughness and rebounding and stuff like that.
DP: Have you had any interaction with players on the current Penn squad?
MA: A little bit. Some of them have reached out to me since committing and when I took my unofficial visit, one of the guys walked around with us and asked to call me. I am probably taking an official visit at the end of the month so I’ll spend a weekend with them, which should be good.
DP: With your unofficial visit, what did you do and which specific coaches and players did you go around with?
MA: We hung out in the office at first and the coaching staff spend six or seven hours with us. It was just all of us just sitting around in the office and talked basketball, walked around the basketball facility.
Then we walked around the entire campus, walked to Wharton and then one of their guys, [Fran Dougherty], met us for lunch and walked with us the rest of the tour. We finished up back at the office, talked a little more about basketball and then I headed home.
DP: You played AAU ball for Mass Rivals. How did the team do and how did you develop as a player?
MA: We did pretty well but we could have done a little bit better. I think I evolved and my role on the team changed. I think I become more of a scoring threat for our team. After we played in a Philly tournament and Las Vegas, I took more of a scoring role. I still did all of the things that I usually do but being a little bit older, my role increased.
DP: What goals do you have this season for yourself at New Hampton with your senior year and also with preparing for college?
MA: I just want to maintain my grades and get my scores up. I want to probably work on creating my own shot off the dribble. I can knock down open shots and get to the rim but I need to work on creating and getting some pull-up shots off the dribble.
DP: You have dealt with some injuries in the past including a torn labrum. Does that still have any lingering effects on your play or are you completely healthy?
MA: I am completely healthy. I am conscious of the fact that I have had some injuries to my shoulder so I won’t go and dunk on somebody really hard with just my right arm but I don’t think it really affects how I play anymore. There are certain things that I am not going to do but it doesn’t make me a lesser player at this point. [My shoulder] feels fine and healthy.
Mike Auger, a 6-6, 205-pound small forward from New Hampton School (New Hampshire), has committed to Penn basketball, per his high school coach Pete Hutchins' Twitter feed.
"A BIG Congratulations to Mike Auger @mike_auger22 who has decided to attend #PENN next fall! @RivalsNation @PennBasketball," Hutchins tweeted earlier this morning.
In August, ESPNBoston reported that Auger, Class of '14, had scholarship offers from Fairfield, Vermont, New Hampshire, Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Binghamton, Quinnipiac, Loyola, and Stony Brook.
Last month, Auger had narrowed his list down to Penn, Princeton, Holy Cross and Dartmouth.
Auger tore his labrum at the beginning of his sophomore season and aggravated the injury two years later, resulting in multiple shoulder surgeries.
ESPN Insider touts his toughness and describes Auger as a "brick wall when defending the post." ESPN also has Auger ranked as the 10th-ranked recruit in New Hampshire. Future150.com described Auger as "a scrappy forward who does the little things in order to help his team to win" after watching him at The HoopGroup Summer Classic in Philadelphia in July. He doesn’t need the ball to score and can attack off of the dribble. In addition, he seems incredibly coachable.
The Baltimore Ravens announced the addition of seven players to its practice squad Sunday after making cuts the day before.
Former Penn defensive end and three-time first-team All-Ivy selection Brandon Copeland was one of them. The maximum number per team of practice squad additions is eight.
Perhaps the highlight of Copeland's preseason was a juggling interception early in the fourth quarter of his first NFL preseason game, which featured on SportsCenter's top 10 plays.
Brandon Copeland was one of 10 roster hopefuls and two inside linebackers waived by the Baltimore Ravens today.
Copeland could still make the Ravens' practice squad, since he has no prior accrued seasons in the NFL (six or more games on the active roster). The minimum salary for NFL practice squad players in 2013 is $6,000 per week, including postseason weeks in which that player's club is in the playoffs.
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I came out of Monday's media frenzy impressed with the direction that Penn's defense is going in. I talked to a lot of Penn's starting defensive backs (Dan Wilk, Mike Laning, Kevin Ijoma), who are dealing with a bit of transition with Dave Wood taking over the primary defensive backs coaching job and coordinator Ray Priore focusing in on the cornerbacks.
But I came away with the impression that the secondary will be able to stabilize the defense. Remember, the secondary found itself the target of a lot of questions last preseason as a potential weakness, and wound up a position of strength, thanks to the play of guys like Wilk (All-Ivy second team) and Sebastian Jaskowski (team leader with 72 tackles, All-Ivy first team). This year, the defensive line is the target of that same criticism. Who's to say that Penn's returning athletes on the line like Feerooz Yacoobi aren't going to step up like Wilk and Jaskowski did last year? And even if the line struggles to get pressure, I think that the secondary is more than stout enough to compensate.
Sports Editor Steven Tydings: After talking with many of the defensive linemen and defensive line coach Jim Schaefer, the position may not be such a question mark.
Obviously, when a unit loses multiple seniors, people are going to be curious as to how the position responds. But it is clear that the Quakers are confident in the depth and physical talent they have at the position. While guys like sophomore linemen Austin Taps and Tanner Thexton played very little last season,
Schaefer told me that they had very strong spring practices. Schaefer admitted that the defensive line needs to catch up to the experience the Red and Blue feature on the back seven, but each player I talked to remained confident that the preseason game against Stony Brook would go a long way towards getting the unit up to speed.
Sports Editor John Phillips: From my standpoint, the biggest takeaway was how the running backs were prepared to bounce back from the losses of Jeff Jack, who graduated, and Lyle Marsh, who is taking the season off due to academic issues. I spoke to all three of the backs that Bagnoli plans to have in the rotation, and they all are working to get one another better. Fifth-year senior Brandon Colavita has served as a mentor to Spencer Kulcsar and Mike Elespuru, who are both looking forward to getting in on the snaps that Jack and Marsh left behind. Kulcsar had a big game against Villanova last season, and Elespuru describes himself as someone who has a little bit of everything coming out of the backfield.
The big question mark is who will fill the void left by Marsh's ability to catch passes out of the slot and of the backfield. All three backs sounded confident that they could all pick up the slack in one way or another.
Senior Sports Editor Mike Tony: The biggest takeaway for me is that head coach Al Bagnoli will be using Ragone gingerly at the start of the season, perhaps even more so than usual, as he tries to keep Billy rested for the Ivy stretch run. Bagnoli harped on Ragone's psychological recovery from his dislocated ankle and fractured fibula at the Ivy Football teleconference earlier this month. And he did the same at Media Day, saying that he was "really comfortable" with both Ragone and Becker, indicating that Becker will be every bit as prominent as Andrew Holland was in the offensive rotation last season.
That should bode well for both QBs as they each recover from season-ending injuries, and it shows that this offense should come close to picking up where it left off at the end of last season's title triumph.
Penn made a surprise announcement today in the athletic department, naming Dr. Scarlett Schmidt to the position of Executive Director of Athletics Development.
"I am pleased to welcome Scarlett to our department," Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said in a press release earlier today. "She is taking on a very important role in our department, but I have the utmost confidence in her abilities based on her track record."
Schmidt has performed similar roles at George Washington and Delaware in her previous jobs. Most recently, she was the Senior Executive Director of Athletics Development and Associate Athletic Director at GW.
In her time at Delaware, Schmidt helped money as Director of Athletic Development for the University of Delaware Athletic Fund. During her tenure from 2007 to 2011, she led the fund to a 300-percent increase in dollars raised.
Bilsky saw the critical role that Schmidt can have for the Athletics Development program.
"Scarlett is coming to Penn at a very important time in our department's history," Bilsky continued. "We are wrapping up the Campaign for Penn Athletics this fall, and a lot has been done thanks to our development staff over the last five years."
Schmidt also previously worked in the athletic departments of Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
So far, so good in Brandon Copeland's attempt to make the Baltimore Ravens.
Copeland, a captain and an essential part of last year's Ivy League champion Penn football squad, survived the first round of cuts with the Ravens, making him one of the final 75 players left.
With one game left in training camp and 22 cuts still to go in order for the Ravens to get down to their final 53-man roster, Copeland still has a lot of work ahead of him. His ongoing transition from defensive end to linebacker may put him on the outside looking in, as Arkansas State's Bryan Hall was cut while making a similar transition to linebacker.
Whatever his prospects for making the roster, Copeland has still been impressive during the preseason. He has posted three solo tackles in three games, while also making a highlight-reel interception in his first professional game on Aug. 8.
If Copeland doesn't make the final roster, he would still be eligible to make the practice squad for the Ravens (or any NFL team), as he has not accrued the service time in the NFL that would make him ineligible.
Baltimore's final preseason game will be in St. Louis on Thursday, as the Ravens travel to take on the Rams.
Wharton '86 alum Josh Harris, who bought the Philadelphia 76ers along with Adam Aron in October 2011, has now stepped into the NHL arena.
On Thursday, Harris and business partner Wharton '91 alum David Blitzer bought the Devils and the lease to the Prudential Center from Jeff Vanderbeek for $320 million.
Longtime executive Lou Lamoriello will continue to oversee hockey operations for the financially distressed franchise.
Harris, who has a lease at the Wells Fargo Center with Comcast Spectacor, also refuted talk that he would consider moving the 76ers to Newark. His estimated net worth of $2.1 billion as of March 2013 ranks him 298th on the Forbes 400.
Penn basketball's 2013-14 slate is officially out, with a lot of matchups we already knew and a few surprises to spare.
What we didn't know before is that the Quakers would be traveling to play first-year A-10 member George Mason for the first time ever, playing back-to-back Big Ten games in November or enjoying a four-game home stretch spanning three weeks in January. Notice no Drexel, which Penn had squared off with 16 of the last 17 seasons, or UMBC, an opponent of Penn's in each of the last four seasons.
Of course, only one of Penn's 24 games against Drexel in school history has been on the road, and that came in 2008. It's clear that, for better or worse, Penn has no interest in Drexel's corner of 33rd Street and letting Dragons coach Bruiser Flint play host at the DAC. 33rd Street issues aside, Penn's Nov. 22 trek to Iowa marks the only real venture outside the Northeast for the Quakers in 2013-14.
On Jan. 18, Penn will host St. Joseph's - and ESPN GameDay. The Penn-St. Joe's matchup at 7 p.m. will complete a Big 5 "Day-Night Doubleheader" tipped off by ESPN GameDay.
What do you think of Penn's 2013-14 slate, listed in full after the jump?
Saturday, Nov 9 Temple
Tuesday, Nov 12 at Monmouth
Saturday, Nov 16 Penn State
Friday, Nov 22 at Iowa
Tuesday, Nov 26 Niagara
Saturday, Nov 30 at Lafayette
Wednesday, Dec 4 at Villanova
Saturday, Dec 7 Wagner
Sunday, Dec 22 at Marist
Sunday, Dec 29 at Rider
Thursday, Jan 2 at George Mason
Saturday, Jan 4 La Salle
Saturday, Jan 11 Princeton
Saturday, Jan 18 Saint Joseph’s
Saturday, Jan 25 NJIT
Friday, Jan 31 at Dartmouth
Saturday, Feb 1 at Harvard
Friday, Feb 7 Cornell
Saturday, Feb 8 Columbia
Friday, Feb 14 at Yale
Saturday, Feb 15 at Brown
Friday, Feb 21 Harvard
Saturday, Feb 22 Dartmouth
Friday, Feb 28 Brown
Saturday, March 1 Yale
Friday, March 7 at Columbia
Saturday, March 8 at Cornell
Tuesday, March 11 at Princeton
Penn football isn't necessarily on or off the NCAA FCS radar. Instead, it's right on the periphery.
Penn received votes in both the FCS Coaches Poll and The Sports Network Media Poll a week after being projected to retain its Ivy crown in 2013 in the conference preseason poll. But the Quakers didn't crack either Top 25.
The FCS Coaches Poll gave 13 votes to the Quakers while The Sports Network Media Poll awarded Penn 57 votes. Meanwhile, Harvard snagged more votes than Penn in the FCS Coaches Poll, garnering 35 to Penn's 13. The Quakers did receive more votes in The Sports Network Media Poll than the Crimson, which garnered just 35.
Yesterday, Penn men's basketball opened up media availability as the team prepares to head to Italy for a trip spanning from Aug. 15-23. The trip will find the Quakers playing four games against Italian clubs - Tezenis Verona on Fri., Aug. 16, Giorgio Tesi on Sun., Aug. 18, Prima Napoli on Tues., Aug. 20 and FMC Ferentino on Wed., Aug 21.
Former Pitt standout guard Brad Wanamaker signed with Giorgio Tesi earlier this month, so the matchup will mark Wanamaker's first game against Penn since Nov. 27, 2010, when he notched six points and six assists in Pitt's 82-58 romp over Penn at the Petersen Events Center. St. Joseph's and Temple are also spending time in Italy this month.
Penn will leave Philadelphia on Aug. 14 and arrive in Venice on the morning of the 15th, subsequently staying two nights in Venice and Florence each before busing to Rome on the 19th. On the 23rd, the Quakers will fly back to Philly. The incoming freshman class will not travel to Italy for the nine-day trip per NCAA rules.
A few highlights from yesterday's media scrum:
- Penn plans the trip to Italy to be more about team togetherness and less about actual on-the-court play. Sophomore guard Tony Hicks said it best: "There's only so much you can learn in three games."
- Hicks has spent the summer working on his mentality, believing the mental aspects of his game needing more fine-tuning than the physical components. "I've been focusing on the mental part of the game," Hicks said. "Last year, when things started to slow down for me, it was kind of my approach than just the work I was putting in."
- There are currently 20 players on the roster, so cuts will have to be made. Sophomore center Darien Nelson-Henry said that the incoming freshman class, from what he's seen this summer, has been impressive, but that does not mean that all of them will suit up for every game once the season comes around.
- Junior forward Henry Brooks had a soft cast on his left forearm but was still seen practicing.
- Seniors Fran Dougherty and Miles Cartwright, Hicks, Nelson-Henry and sophomore guard Jamal Lewis were the starting five in team drills. Lewis' playing time fluctuated quite often last season due to his inconsistent performance. Both Hicks and Nelson-Henry acknowledged that getting playing time last season will be invaluable, as coach Jerome Allen is now more confident to put more of the lead onto his two sophomores.
Brandon Copeland is starting to make a name for himself for the Super Bowl champions.
The former three-time first-team All-Ivy Penn defensive end and current Baltimore Ravens linebacker came up with a juggling interception early in the fourth quarter of Baltimore's 44-16 romp over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Copeland picked off Bucs third-string QB Adam Weber, who was picked off on each of his first two passes and finished 2-for-6 with seven passing yards.
It was Copeland's first NFL preseason game.
He also featured on SportsCenter's top 10 plays, where his first name was mispronounced by ESPN anchor John Buccigross as "Bernard."
You can watch Copeland's interception here on nfl.com.
It looks like the Baltimore Ravens are cornering the market on the best Ivy football players the league had to offer from the class of 2013.
First, it was three-time All-Ivy tight end and H-back Kyle Juszczyk coming to the fore after Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta went down with a season-ending hip injury.
Now it's three-time first-team All-Ivy defensive end Brandon Copeland making headlines with the Ravens.
Copeland featured in The Baltimore Sun Monday, in which his relationship with his grandfather, 11-season NFL veteran and Super Bowl V champion Roy Hilton, again took center stage.
The DP took a memorable in-depth look at Copeland's relationship with Hilton in Nov. 2011, in which Copeland called his grandfather "his biggest hero" and a "big influence" on his football career.
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