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It's 3:30 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, and like most sprint football players, sophomore Hasani Sinclair is making his way to practice. Unlike any of his teammates, however, when practice ends at 6:30, he doesn't head home or go out to dinner.
The Penn sprint football team's game statistics from last Friday look as though the Quakers were on the winning end of a lopsided 35-3 score against perennial Collegiate Sprint Football League powerhouse Army.
Gilles Gibault, age 11, has already received a distinction only a select few will earn -- he is a team captain of the Penn men's lacrosse team.
Somehow, victories at Princeton's expense always seem just a little bit sweeter to Penn teams.
According to old stereotypes, athletes aren't supposed to be singled out for brains over brawn.
What a difference a second can make.
If he's not on the field, Penn senior Bill Sofield is probably the guy you hear shouting from the sidelines. "Before a game, I kind of get a little wild in the locker room," the men's lacrosse middie said. "I yell a lot, I want to be a big motivator. Different guys get up in different ways, but in general this team is about getting fired up and excited to play." And everyone, from his coach to his teammates, concurs that Sofield is always enthusiastic. "He comes late to practice sometimes, but when he gets there, you know he's there because he's always screaming," senior midfielder Adam Solow said. That energy has translated into a successful career as Penn's face-off specialist for the past three seasons. Sofield came by the role of face-off man through a combination of circumstance, personality and skill when the Quakers' starter, then-sophomore Bill Reidy, was sidelined with a torn ACL. "At the end of my freshman year, Billy got injured and I kind of got thrown into it," Sofield said. "I was an offensive midfielder in high school, but I got pretty good at [facing off] and stuck with it." Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale recognized that Sofield had the qualities a good face-off specialist would need to succeed on the field. "Obviously there's the very specific technical side," Van Arsdale said. "But the other things you look for are strength, quickness and a willingness to compete. You want someone out there who will scrap for ground balls and he does that for us." Determination and intensity are two qualities that are definitely not new to Sofield, even during practice. "During runs, he always vomits but then gets back up to finish the run, which is pretty impressive," Solow said. "He always goes all out." But perhaps most importantly, Sofield is among the team's eight seniors that have worked to bring the team together on and off the field. "He likes to have fun and clearly cares about the guys on the team," Solow said. "He's a good guy to have in the locker room." Sofield himself admits that the game is not the only aspect of lacrosse that he will miss once his Penn career concludes against Delaware (5-8) on Saturday. "The best thing about this team is the camaraderie -- we're a really tight group," he explained. "We've stuck together through some tough times this season. I'm just going to miss the little things like the bus rides to games or hanging out in the locker room, listening to music." And with the Quakers facing the loss of their primary face-off man, the search has begun for Sofield's replacement. "The second guy is a freshman [Ethan Haire] and the third guy is a sophomore [Jody Goehring], and so Billy's always helping them at practice," Brown said. Van Arsdale added that even come game time, Sofield is always supportive of the two up-and-coming face-off men. "He brings a lot of enthusiasm and support to the team," he said. "If he's not out there taking the face-off himself, he's the biggest champion of the guy who is." With the final game of the season only one day away, Sofield and the other Penn seniors are preparing to leave on a positive note when they face the Blue Hens. Their overall record now stands at 6-6, and the Quakers are looking to finish with a winning record for the first time in Van Arsdale's Penn coaching career. "The great senior leadership helped bring the guys together all season long, and helped a lot in terms of team unity," Brown said. "It will be our first season above .500 in a while, which will be an accomplishment that the seniors can look back on with a lot of pride." And for the 35 Quakers returning next season, a win would provide a good foundation from which to build upon next season. "We want to end on a positive note, heading into the summer," Penn junior midfielder Sonny Sarker said. "We worked hard all year, starting in September and even the summer before that when we were in Europe. "But it will be especially nice to win the last one for the seniors. It would be a great way to send them off."
Tomorrow afternoon at the Carrier Dome, the stage will be set for the Penn men's lacrosse team to prove that it is on its way to becoming one of the elite teams in the nation. Currently on a three-game winning streak, including a 19-goal shellacking of St. Joseph's Tuesday night, the No. 19 Quakers will hope to ride their momentum to take on No. 2 Syracuse in what will be one of their most challenging games of the season. "We have nothing to lose going into the game," Penn senior midfielder Adam Solow said. "We have a lot of confidence right now and we've improved throughout the season. We're playing the best we have all season." The Red and Blue will need that confidence on Saturday, as the Orangemen have been ranked as one of the top three teams in the nation for the majority of the season. After bottoming out at No. 6, Syracuse handed No. 1 Princeton its first and only loss of the season, temporarily dropping the Tigers to the No. 2 spot. The Orangemen haven't looked back since. "You hope that things are going to come together, especially this weekend," Penn coach Marc van Arsdale said. "We had a certain confidence when we stepped on the field to play St. Joe's. You just can't be scared when you step onto a field like the Carrier Dome to face a team like Syracuse. We need to have the same confidence Saturday that we had Tuesday night." Syracuse will be a strong challenge on both ends of the field. Junior Josh Coffman and freshman Mike Powell, brother of former National Players of the Year Casey and Ryan Powell, will lead the Orangemen's offensive attack. In order for the Quakers to earn a victory, they will have to find a way to shut down those two players in particular. But Syracuse is far from a two-man team. "They're a very athletic team and get up and down the field very well," van Arsdale said. "They have two great attackmen in addition to numerous other threats on offense." The Penn head man also noted Syracuse's stellar defensive play. "On defense, they have a potential player of the year in John Glatzel and a potential goalie of the year in Rob Mulligan," van Arsdale said. "There are some real superstars that we need to be able to contain." Penn will counter with its balanced offense, exemplified by the fact that six Quakers currently have 10 points or more. "Guys are not looking to one guy to score. There are a lot of options as to who can score not just on attack, but our middies as well," Penn senior tri-captain Todd Minerley said. "It's nice to get everyone the ball. I've been here for four years and this is the closest the team has ever been. Everyone has one goal in mind -- to win." The defensive effort, lead by junior Scott Marimow, sophomore Steve Brown and sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Kelly, will look to continue its solid play, which has been consistent throughout the season. "We need to get a lot of saves because no matter what you do, [Syracuse] will always get a lot of shots off," van Arsdale said. "I think our guys are up for the challenge." And despite the fact that the Quakers may be perceived as the underdogs on paper, they are heading to the Carrier Dome to earn a victory. "We're not just going for the experience," van Arsdale said. "We're going in there to try and get a win." And should the Red and Blue return home with their fourth-straight victory, the result could eventually be a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. "It would show the lacrosse world that we've arrived," Solow said. "But for now, all we have to do is focus on Syracuse."
This was a blowout. And the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Penn scored 16 times before St. Joseph's tallied even one. Seventeen Quakers netted at least one goal. And in an unusual roster move, 40 of the 43 players on the Penn men's lacrosse team saw time on Franklin Field last night in the Quakers' (6-4) 25-6 thrashing of St. Joseph's (3-8). Penn's point total was one short of its school record of 26, set against Drexel in 1994. The only Penn players who didn't get into the game last night were the three goalkeepers. They remained on the sidelines so that senior goalie Bill Kane could play his first game of the season from first whistle to final buzzer. "Just getting the chance to play was the best part of the game for me," Kane said. "Every minute meant that much to me." The high-scoring evening also provided a memorable farewell to the team's eight seniors in their last career game at Franklin. All senior attackmen and midfielders recorded at least one point in their final home game. "We didn't expect the game to turn out like it did," Penn sophomore defenseman Evan Weinberg said. "We just wanted to come out and play hard for the seniors who have dedicated the past four years to this team." Van Arsdale echoed Weinberg's sentiments, identifying Senior Night as a prime motivating factor heading into the game. "It's big for [the seniors]," he said. "It gave us a source of energy and everyone rose to the occasion. It was a nice way for them to send them off." For the seniors, the reality of nearing the end hasn't settled in just yet. "It really hasn't hit me yet," Kane said. "I'm sure over the next week or so it will really begin to set in. I know I can speak for all eight of us when I say we'll miss every minute of it. As much as we complain through practice and working out, we'll all miss it." The Quakers posted some of the team's largest scoring numbers in history, including the initial 16-0 run that the Hawks finally managed to end just 26 seconds before halftime. "We got a lot from everyone tonight," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "We played pretty much the entire roster, which was a nice reward at the end of the home season, especially for the guys who come out to practice and work hard every day but don't see as much game time." The Red and Blue utilized the game to showcase their season-long offensive strategy of unselfish scoring. Nineteen members of the Penn squad finished with at least one point and nine Quakers notched their first points of the season. "I've never played in a game like this, especially in college," freshman defenseman David Delaney said. "Everyone got their shot." Perhaps the most difficult task of the evening for the Quakers was maintaining focus while holding what seemed to an insurmountable lead for more than half the game. "Both teams kept of their level of play and we were able to stay sharp and continue to play hard," Van Arsdale said. "It didn't turn into rag-tag lacrosse." The Hawks are in the midst of a rebuilding season after losing 11 seniors from a team that went 12-4 last year. And as much as the Quakers can revel in their rout, they can't afford to forget that they were in the Hawks' position exactly two weeks ago in a 19-8 loss to Princeton. "We knew coming in that we had the upper hand," van Arsdale said. "They're a very young team, but we were on the other side just a few games ago when we played Princeton. The confidence is where it should be, and we have to continue to build on that." The Quakers have a formidable task ahead of them, as they travel to Syracuse to face the Orangemen (7-2) on Saturday. With a three game winning streak under their belts, the Red and Blue will be the underdog, looking to be a spoiler of the No. 2 Orangemen's strong season thus far. "Tonight was a very good win for us and gave us a confidence boost," freshman midfielder Will Phillips said. "We'll definitely be able to use that heading into the weekend."
If you ask Penn men's lacrosse tri-captain Todd Minerley what he wears under his jersey before every game, he'll answer you with the same response he's had for the past eight seasons. "I wear this one shirt that I've been wearing since my freshman year of high school," the senior attackman said. "I didn't wear it once and separated my shoulder in that game, so I've been wearing the same thing ever since." The T-shirt has become such a regular in the locker room that even his teammates know about it. "As an athlete, he's definitely superstitious," sophomore attackman Scott Solow said. "When he warms up, he goes through a routine the same exact way every day. Even with his sticks, he's really superstitious and won't let anyone else touch them. And then there's the dumpy gray T-shirt." But whether or not you believe in superstitions, they seem to be effective for Minerley. In his four seasons donning the Red and Blue, he has amassed 139 career points -- including 75 goals and 64 assists. All are current team highs. He is frequently referred to as the team's "quarterback," as he is the one who organizes the offense and makes decisions on the field. "He's essentially like an extension of coaching out on the field," Penn coach Marc van Arsdale said. "He's our quarterback, he makes good decisions and is good with the ball. Especially this season, he's allowed his personal statistics to take a backseat to help the team generate more offense." Captaining the Quakers along with seniors Justin O'Connell and Kevin Cadin, Minerley has consistently led by example throughout his Penn career. "He is a lacrosse junkie -- he eats, sleeps and breathes it," Penn senior midfielder Adam Solow said. "He's the consummate player on the field and in the locker room. He works harder than anyone else out there." But perhaps his most significant contribution has been off the field, in helping to build stronger team unity. "The best thing Todd has done as captain is to get the entire group together," van Arsdale said. "He went out of his way to get the freshmen especially involved and to integrate the classes." Freshman midfielder Dan Craig echoed van Arsdale's sentiments. "Todd and all of the seniors have gone out of their way to make us feel included," Craig said. "As a freshman, it can be hard to feel included because you're coming into a new team and you're not sure of your role yet. It's easy to be intimidated, but we haven't felt like that at all." Gray shirt and all, Minerley -- along with the other six seniors on the team -- will be looking to end his Ivy League career on a strong note when Penn travels to Providence tomorrow to face Brown (4-4, 1-2 Ivy). With the win, the Quakers(4-4, 2-3 Ivy) would carve out a little bit of history. Only one other Penn team has been able to finish its season with a .500 Ivy record since 1991. "We really want to finish the Ivy League at .500," Scott Solow said. "It would be a really big improvement and something solid for us to build on." The Bears will present a strong defensive challenge, with five veteran upperclassmen leading the aggressive defensive effort. Offensively, however, they will be playing shorthanded, with some of their attackmen sidelined due to injury. But the Red and Blue refuse to take anything for granted. "They're a really good team and we have to play a good game," Minerley said. "If we play the best game that we're capable of, we can win this one." The Quakers will have to play on a grass field for the first time this season, requiring a slight adjustment in play from turf. "We're ready," Scott Solow said. "It's on grass, which is quite a bit different, but we've been practicing for it all week." Coming off of a 7-4 win over Dartmouth, the Quakers are hungry to defeat another Ivy rival to end their league season with a victory. "I'd like to finish my Ivy career with a win -- that would be nice," Adam Solow said. "And to do it by beating Brown would be even better."
Attackmen are supposed to beat goalies, not become them. But Penn men's lacrosse sophomore Ryan Kelly did just that, making the transition in seventh grade after playing attack since being introduced to the game. "My father played lacrosse at Hofstra and so when my brother and I were growing up, he introduced us to it really young," Kelly said. "We had sticks in our hands from when we were five or six. "I switched from attack because I was playing in an indoor lacrosse league in seventh grade and our team didn't have a goalkeeper. I decided to try it and have stuck with it since." But even in high school, according to sophomore defenseman Steve Brown, Kelly was prone to slipping back into his pre-goalkeeper ways. "In high school, his team was really bad, and so when they went a man-up, he would run from the goal to the sideline, pick up a short stick, and play midfield," Brown said. Since coming to Penn, however, Kelly has had to fully surrender his utility-player status. As a freshman, he platooned with then-sophomore John Carroll. This season, however, Kelly has had the net all to himself, starting all five of the Quakers' games thus far. "I find it easier knowing all week that I'm going to play," Kelly said. "But at the same time I know that there are three guys there that also want to play and they really help to push me to be better." And perhaps due in part to that assurance, the Quakers have a better goalkeeper manning the net. In eight games last season, Kelly earned a 9.81 goals-allowed-average. This season he has decreased that figure by nearly an entire goal with an 8.79 GAA. The Ivy League average is 11.00. "He's come and made the most of his time here," Penn coach Marc van Arsdale said. "As a sophomore, he obviously has more experience, but regardless, he's definitely more confident out on the field. That assertiveness allowed him to run the defense by being a better communicator and leader out there. And of course his skills have and continue to improve." Besides the obvious advantage of having a solid goalkeeper, the Quakers are able to play more confidently, both on offense and defense, knowing they can rely on their teammate in goal. "By having a strong goalie like Ryan, it allows us to pressure the opposition more and take more risks," Brown said. "It takes a burden off of our shoulder because if we make a mistake, there's a good chance that he'll be able to stop them." Kelly will need his top game heading into this weekend, as the Red and Blue (3-2, 1-1 Ivy League) travel to New Canaan, Conn., to face 17th-ranked Cornell (3-2, 1-0). The teams agreed to play in the New York City area in order to allow alumni and recruits to watch the game. With the memory of a one-goal victory over a solid Harvard squad -- Penn's first win over the Crimson in 13 seasons -- still fresh in their minds, the Quakers will look to earn their first three-game winning streak in just over two years. "When you're winning, you just want to keep that going," Penn sophomore defenseman Evan Weinberg said. "The win definitely increased our morale but we still have to focus on just the Cornell game. They're a very good team and we'll need our best game against them." In their meeting last season, the Big Red walked away from the field with 16-7 win. The Quakers, despite playing a strong first two periods and taking a lead into halftime, unraveled in the second half, giving Cornell the win. "The second half was the worst half I've played in college," Kelly said. "So, personally, I'm looking to play really well in this particular match-up." In a league where the teams are fairly evenly matched, most Ivy games will come down to who brings the better game to the field that day. With the momentum and confidence of two solid victories on their side, the Quakers are hoping that they will be that team tomorrow. "Cornell isn't a team that we can build a big lead on and then just sit on it," Penn junior attackman Scott Solow said. "We have to work hard the entire game. "We have to come out and play the entire 60 minutes because this is the biggest game our season thus far."
The Penn men's lacrosse team's season-encompassing motto is "Win the next one." And should the Quakers (2-2 , 0-1 Ivy League) do just that when they travel to Harvard tomorrow to face off against the Crimson, they will, in addition to winning their first Ivy League game, bring their record to above .500 for the first time this season. But records are not Penn's focus heading into the weekend; the team will be looking to play consistently, using the momentum gained from their solid 15-9 victory over Lafayette on Tuesday. "As long as we play smart and patiently, I feel that we have a strong team," Penn junior defenseman Read Mortimer said. "Against Lafayette, we weren't playing our game in the first half; we weren't being patient. But in the second half -- especially in the third quarter -- we played like we should and won." The unranked Crimson will be heading into their first Ivy match with a 3-0 record. However, those victories came against less competitive teams who are also unranked. However, the Red and Blue --ranked 17th in the nation this week -- refuse to take Harvard lightly, knowing that the Crimson is a stronger team than its ranking indicates. "They are a team that is a little unknown right now," Penn coach Marc van Arsdale said. "They haven't played any really challenging teams yet. That being said, I expect the game to be very evenly matched. They have a strong experienced attack, a good midfield and they're a little new on defense, but they definitely have some big solid guys out there." The Quakers will have the upper hand in terms of game experience. Unlike Harvard, Penn has played quality opponents, like No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 16 Bucknell. "I would hope that [experience] would help us because we've had some quality matches with a lot of close battles," van Arsdale said. "Hopefully that's going to help us win this one." With the emergence of a well-balanced offense supported by a solid defensive effort, the Quakers are hoping that combination will continue to be effective as they look for their third win on the season. "Our major strength on offense is the balance of scoring," van Arsdale said. "It doesn't allow for the other team to concentrate on just one or two people to take us out of our game." In terms of defense, Mortimer explained that the Crimson "have a very good attack and like to dodge, so we're trying to emphasize playing a sound defense, and just staying smart and patient." But in the end, perhaps the most significant aspect of the game may be how the Quakers match up against a solid Crimson squad. "In terms of how we're developing, yes, we're on track," van Arsdale said. "I think this Saturday will be a real measure of where we stand coming into midseason play."
For five members of the Penn women's squash team, this past weekend had all the makings of a good drama -- triumph, disappointment, pride and even a little sweet revenge. Penn seniors Helen Bamber, Rina Borromeo, Megan Fuller and Lauren Patrizio, as well as sophomore Runa Reta, traveled to Harvard for the WISA Individual Championships to conclude the 2000-2001 season. Reta, seeded third heading into the tournament, dominated in characteristic fashion, not relinquishing a game to the three opponents she demolished en route to the semifinals. There, she ultimately met her match in Princeton senior Julia Beaver, the two-time defending champion of the tournament. In the only regular-season meeting between the Quakers and the Tigers, Reta was victorious over Beaver by a score of 3-1. It was the first time Beaver had lost a match in more than three seasons. At the Howe Cup (February 16-18), however, Beaver avenged her loss to Reta, winning the match, 3-1. And in their final meeting on Sunday, Beaver took the season series on her way to becoming the tournament champion for the third consecutive year with a final match score of 3-1. "I thought the match was pretty close," Reta said. "She was definitely playing better than when we were at Princeton, maybe because there was more at stake this time. I have to give her credit, though, she definitely played well on the day." Bamber placed 10th after advancing to the Sweet 16 by handily defeating opponents from Cornell and Dartmouth. She eventually lost to Trinity senior Janine Thompson in Bamber's first loss of the season. "[Bamber] has faced Janine three or four times, and this weekend was the best she's played against her," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "The loss was a little disappointing, but she has nothing to be embarrassed of." Co-captains Borromeo and Patrizio also advanced to the round of 16, where Patrizio defeated Harvard junior Carlin Wing. In her match against Wing during the regular season, Patrizio lost, 3-0. With an opportunity to avenge her loss, Patrizio capitalized, defeating Wing, 3-1. "It was a positive weekend and I'm pretty happy with my results," Patrizio said. "I did better than I was seeded and so I'm glad that I was able to accomplish what was expected of me. And it was nice to get a little revenge." Borromeo, like Bamber, took an undefeated personal record into Intercollegiates, but after winning two matches and reaching the round of 16, lost to the Crimson's No. 1 player, Louisa Hall. After that loss, Borromeo faced Trinity freshman Pam Saunders in her first match of the consolation round. "Rina had an tough draw," Holleran said. "She played as well as she could, like she has done all along." Fuller, competing in her first Intercollegiates ever, was decisively victorious in her first match against Williams' Selma Kikic, 3-0. The Penn senior eventually lost to Bowdoin's Dana Betts. "I think I played pretty well," Fuller said. "I was really focused and I went in with the attitude that this was it and I really had nothing to lose." With the conclusion of the tournament, the Quakers' season officially ends. Penn now must bid farewell to four seniors that comprised one of the most successful classes in squash history. "It's sad because I'll never be on a team like this, with a team as close as we are," Fuller said.
If only a lacrosse game lasted 30 minutes instead of an hour. Then the Penn men's lacrosse team (0-1) would be able to celebrate a season-opening victory over Notre Dame (2-0), rather than have to think about what could have been. The 10-8 final score was a disappointing finish to a strong first half, in which the Quakers' collective efforts earned them a 5-4 halftime lead. "We had a good half-field game at both ends of the field," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "Offensively, we generated good opportunities when we had the chance. When we avoided penalties, the defense was very solid." Multiple fouls seemed to do the Quakers in, including a Fighting Irish man-up goal in the middle of a costly four-goal Notre Dame run in the third quarter. "We did a lot of good things, like playing six-on-six offense and defense very well, but we also did a couple of bad things," Penn sophomore attackman Scott Solow said. "We have to stay out of the penalty box and convert on opportunities with a man-up." Still, the Red and Blue were trailing by only one goal at the start of the last quarter. "We had some chances in the fourth, but just didn't cash in," Van Arsdale said. Despite the disappointing outcome, however, the Quakers are convinced that their close game against the 11th-ranked Irish is proof of the improvement they continue to make. "The big thing for us right now is just to continue to improve," Van Arsdale said. "We are better coming off of this game than we were one week ago." Penn sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Kelly had 16 saves on the day, continuing his solid performance from the preseason. "Ryan played the best game," Solow said. "He's played really well like he's been doing all along this season." But perhaps one of the Quakers' biggest question marks heading into Sunday's game was who, if anyone, would step up to generate offense this season after Penn lost top offensive threat Peter Janney to graduation. The answer came from seven different players, with junior attackman Peter Scott leading the way with two goals, and senior tri-captain Todd Minerley and senior midfielder Adam Solow adding two points apiece. "We have a pretty unselfish group of guys out on the field, which was reflected in the distribution of the offense," Van Arsdale said. And with one regular season game under their belts, the Quakers will take this week to prepare for their home season opener on March 10, when they host Bucknell at Franklin Field. "We just have to keep on working hard in practice to make the necessary adjustments, and keep on getting better," Scott Solow said.
For senior Adam Solow and junior Scott Solow, Philadelphia is literally the City of Brotherly Love. Between them, the two brothers have earned three high school All-American honors, and in Lower Merion (Pa.) High School's record book, both of their names sit at the top of the all-time points list. And they are both continuing a on-and-off-the-field tradition. Their father, Dr. Steve Solow, played lacrosse during his undergraduate years at Penn. "It was with a lot of pride that Susan and I sent them both to Penn," Dr. Solow said. "It's a tremendously exciting experience for our family to be able to watch them play on the same field that I played on in college." But that's about as far as the resemblance goes for the Solows. Scott's first love was always lacrosse -- he picked up a ball in fourth grade and hasn't put it down since. "Since my dad played, I decided to give it a try and I really enjoyed playing," Scott said. Adam, on the other hand, picked up lacrosse only after giving up baseball. "I started playing lacrosse when I was a freshman in high school. Baseball had always been my first love, but my high school had a terrible baseball team while the lacrosse team was always going to the playoffs. I wanted to be part of that," Adam said. Adam initially decided to play lacrosse at Dartmouth and led the Big Green in total points scored in the two seasons he was in Hanover, N.H. Scott opted for his parents' alma mater, and after a year, was joined by Adam, who decided to transfer to Penn. "There were no glaring reasons that I left Dartmouth for Penn. I have some great memories of Hanover, [but] it just wasn't the right place for me," Adam said. "It's been fun playing with Scott." And as a result, instead of the older brother helping out the younger at a new school, it was the exact opposite, with Scott helping Adam to adjust to life at Penn. "Adam had to give up a lot to come to Penn," Dr. Solow said. "He went from a rural to an urban campus, and he had to assimilate into a new team, which was not easy. Scott definitely helped to ease the transition." Although the team initially linked the brothers together, the two now have distinct roles on the team, both on the field and in the locker room. "He first came in and we knew him as Scotty's brother," Penn senior Todd Minerley said. "But after we got to know him, he definitely had his own identity." And to everyone that knows both Adam and Scott, they are clearly two very unique personalities. "They are as different as you can imagine," their father said. "I call them fire and ice. Adam is really outgoing, and has a real people-personality. Scott has this outer cool. He's more introspective and quieter, but he definitely has that inner fire that drives him out on the field." "They are very different people even though they're brothers," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "Adam is much more feisty and lets his emotions come out more while Scott is more laid back. "But they are both extremely effective on the field." Though the potential for sibling rivalry is certainly there for the Solows, they would much work together than try to compete with each other out on the lacrosse field. "On the field, we're definitely supportive of each other," Scott said. "One of the best memories from high school is all of the wins we had together, and being able to bask in that success with him." Even their coach recognizes the brotherly love. "There really isn't much rivalry at all," van Arsdale said. "They're each other's best supporters. Scott is as excited as anybody when Adam does well, and the feeling is mutual." And even if there are any competitive drives, the Solows realize that it will ultimately make them both better athletes. "I strived to be better than him and he pulled me through and made me a better player," Scott said. "Our dad always tells us that we should try to be the best that we can be at whatever we do."
In the most obvious way, the Howe Cup was not what the Penn women's squash team had hoped it would be -- the team left Yale with a fourth-place finish instead of bearing the national championship trophy it had brought home just one season before. But in some ways, the weekend became the quintessence of what the Red and Blue expected from themselves as a team. The effort they had put into three-day tournament, particularly in their match against Harvard, was all that they could possibly ask for. "I don't think about the fact that we finished fourth," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "We played so hard against Harvard with such a strong hope -- and the realistic possibility -- to win." With cuts, bruises and even broken teeth, the Quakers played their most trying match of the season against the Crimson, both physically and mentally. "That match was an emotional ride," Penn senior Helen Bamber said. "Everyone put in a huge effort in their matches. We weren't sure about my No. 3 match, but we got a win, which was really exciting. "And then Megan [Fuller] and Dafna [Wegner] both had very grueling matches and in the end, were edged out, which was so upsetting. And then Runa [Reta] lost and we were all devastated." Fuller, Wegner, and Reta's matches all went to five games, complete with physical play and controversial calls. But in the end, the Crimson moved on to the finals, and eventually went on to win the Howe Cup. "Nobody likes to lose," Bamber said. "We don't think it was a bad effort, though, just unfortunate circumstances." After the exhausting match versus the Crimson on Saturday, the Quakers found it difficult to fully rebound and exert the same effort against Princeton in a battle for third place. "It was hard to get up for Princeton's match," Penn senior co-captain Lauren Patrizio said on Sunday. "I was disappointed with the losses but we have nothing to be ashamed of." While the Quakers had the same aspirations as the team of last season to repeat as national champions, they realized that they would have to do so with a revamped lineup. The Red and Blue lost six seniors to graduation last year, including Katie Patrick, who was a first-team All-American as well as a first-team All-Ivy selection in all four years she played for Penn. On a team where only nine athletes officially compete in a match, the loss of half-dozen players is surely amplified. "This team this year is so different because in all of the seasons that I've been here, we've always had the six seniors that graduated last year," Bamber said. "You can't even compare this year's team to last year's because they really are completely different." Accordingly, Penn has had to incorporate four new freshmen into the team picture -- a difficult feat since intercollegiate squash is a different game than that of high school or individual squash. "As a freshman, I had never been to the Howe Cup before and was unprepared for the atmosphere of the tournament," Penn's Katie Fetter said. "It showed me that I need to work on my nerves and anxiety when playing. The environment was quite a test of focus and concentration." Even before the season began, the Quakers addressed the issue of playing as the reigning national champions. "At the beginning we talked about how we wanted to think of ourselves as a team distinct from last year's team," Holleran said. "We wanted to compete on our own." And as the seniors look back on the last Howe Cup with some sadness, partly due to disappointment but mostly due to the end of their accomplished Penn careers, they hope that the returning Quakers will use this year's experience to get back the national championship. "We were so close to beating Harvard, which makes it that much harder to deal with now," Patrizio said. "But we have to take away the positives from the weekend, especially the players that will be returning. It was really good for them to see what it's all about." For some of the Quakers, however, the season is not yet over -- Intercollegiates, a tournament to determine the individual champion of the season, is just two weeks away. "It's such a different element," Patrizio said. "It's much more individually oriented and it's our last chance to play some really good competitive squash." The Quakers competing in Intercollegiates will use the coming weeks to prepare, improve and recover. For Wegner, that means resting up to recover from her weekend of physical match play, which included three broken front teeth. "I haven't starting practicing yet," Wegner said. "I did get some new temporary teeth."
This weekend, the Penn women's squash team put its heart, soul and, at times, its safety on the line. But, despite some of the most inspiring play of the year from the Quakers, the Red and Blue fell short in their bid to repeat as national champions. They lost, 6-3, to Harvard, the eventual champions, in the semifinals of the Howe Cup. The Quakers began the three-day tournament with a 6-3 victory over host Yale. They then lost to the Crimson on Saturday and concluded by falling to Princeton yesterday, 5-4. "It was a very intense, high energy and very competitive three days," Penn senior co-captain Rina Borromeo said. "All of the teams there -- especially the top four -- were just so determined to win. It's unfortunate that some things didn't go our way." After cruising to a win against the Elis -- whom the Quakers defeated in their previous meeting on December 2 by a score of 5-4 -- Penn had what will most likely be remembered as the most controversial match of the season. Although the margin of victory in the Penn-Harvard match increased in Saturday's match (Penn lost 5-4 earlier in the season), the play was much more competitive and, in some cases, less sportsmanlike. In addition to some very physical play, the Quakers fell victim to some controversial calls that worked against them in the end. "Harvard has a long history of being very determined but they can also be very pushy, almost like they have the right to win," Borromeo said. "They're good and scrappy and they did what they needed to do to win." Sophomore Dafna Wegner, playing at the No. 2 position for the Quakers against Crimson co-captain Margaret Elias, put forth the most memorable effort of the weekend. In the fourth game of an already physical match, Elias' racquet hit Wegner squarely in the face, breaking three of her front teeth in half. Despite being clearly shaken, Wegner composed herself and, 10 minutes later, resumed play. She went on to win that game, but eventually lost the match in five. "The match was hard," Wegner said. "I think both of us were really anxious to win, but at the same time, I felt like she would do anything to win. She didn't hit me on purpose, but that just shows the kind of atmosphere it was." In her actions, Wegner inspired not only her teammates and coach, but also the fans watching the match. "She showed unbelievable courage," coach Demer Holleran said. "She played something like 40 more minutes on court after that. It was an amazing effort." "People -- players, fans -- were really touched by her effort. It was just incredible," Borromeo added. The effort of Wegner and her teammates made the weekend worthwhile, leaving the Quakers with nothing to regret. "The two key words of the weekend were effort and courage," Holleran said. "Compared to last week [against the Crimson], it was an incredibly close match. One thing that went right was the effort against Harvard." In the final dual-match competition of their Penn careers, seniors Helen Bamber, Megan Fuller and co-captains Lauren Patrizio and Borromeo finished in dominating style, going a combined 11-1 on the weekend. "Their record this weekend speaks a lot about their play," Holleran said. "In our last team meeting, we noted that experience counts for a lot in this environment and going 11-1 was good leadership." In a banquet held at the end of the tournament for all 28 of the teams competing in the Howe Cup, Borromeo and Patrizio were the last to speak as the co-captains of the 1999-2000 national champions, and perhaps Patrizio's last remark of the evening was the best sentiment to encapsulate the tournament. "The other people that spoke all gave hilarious speeches, but Rina and I gave a very emotional speech. The last line was, 'If you leave your heart on the court, then you'll have a personal victory,'" Patrizio said. "And that is exactly what we did this weekend."
You can call it the squash version of March Madness. Beginning today, 280 female athletes will descend upon Yale's campus to compete in the Howe Cup, a three-day tournament that will crown the national champions for the 2000-2001 season. But only one of the 28 competing teams will be heading to New Haven, Conn., to defend its championship -- the Penn women's squash team. In the first step in their title defense, the Quakers will face host Yale today. In their only meeting of the regular season, the Red and Blue edged out the Elis, 5-4. "I didn't really think about being the [reigning] national champions because it was a whole new year," Penn senior co-captain Lauren Patrizio said earlier this season. "It's been a good season, and most importantly, it's not over yet. We have a solid chance at defending our title and that's exciting." The tournament divides 28 teams into four divisions; the Quakers are in Division A, an eight-team draw in which they could eventually face the top teams in the country -- including rivals Harvard, Princeton and Trinity. "This is the final big event of the season," Penn freshman Quincy Riley said. "It's one of the largest gatherings of squash players in the country. From what the team has said, it's a lot of fun and a lot of intense squash." The Quakers will head in with a record of 5-2 (4-1 record in the Ivy League). The Crimson and the Bantams were the only teams to defeat the Red and Blue this year, and Penn will be looking to exact some revenge. "I'm definitely hoping to avenge our loss to Harvard and eventually Trinity," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "We're going there to show how much we've improved over the season and to play as a really solid team." Experience may prove to be a factor, as the Penn freshmen have never before encountered a team-centered squash tournament where the Quakers will face three opponents in one weekend. "For those of us who have gone to the Howe Cup before, we have an idea of how crazy it is and how intense it is," Penn senior co-captain Rina Borromeo said. "I think it's one of the toughest tournaments to win because every day you're going to have a hard match. It's better when you're used to playing a lot of intense squash." However, Holleran hopes that the newcomers to the team will use the weekend to demonstrate how far they have come in just one season of play. "The freshmen have done a good job in learning to deal with the pressures and stresses of being on a team," Holleran said. "They have progressed a lot and now have a season under their belts. This will be an opportunity to let them show how far they have come." As a team, Penn hopes to look back on the weekend knowing they have played some of their best squash of the season. "If everyone plays better than they've ever played, it will be a successful weekend," Borromeo said. But the Quakers' most important objective of the weekend is far more tangible than team effort. It is in the shape of a championship trophy and it will be given to this year's national team champion. "Penn is considered one of the contenders," Borromeo said. "We're optimistic about the weekend. If we play our best squash and fight really hard we can win."
Chances are, if you had asked Rina Borromeo and Lauren Patrizio four years ago if they thought they would ever co-captain a team together, they might have scoffed at you. They first met during their senior year in high school, as opponents in a junior squash tournament. All they knew about each other then was that they would soon both be playing for the Penn women's squash team. "I lost to her and didn't talk to her at all," Borromeo said. "I wasn't too happy about the outcome of the match, but one thing I noticed was that she's a tough player, especially mentally." The competitiveness did not subside as they became freshmen teammates. "Lauren and I have had a very interesting four years," Borromeo said. "At the beginning, we were extremely competitive with each other. We would have these crazy challenge matches that even included throwing racquets." And though the two co-captains have turned their competitive drives toward leading the Red and Blue to one of the best seasons in Penn squash history, their much more friendly rivalry has by no means disappeared. "Whenever they play, they both play to win, and it can get pretty scrappy," Penn sophomore Runa Reta said. And probably the most beneficial aspect of their differences are the two niches Patrizio and Borromeo have come to fill as leaders of the Quakers. "They really balance each other," Penn freshman Daphna Wegner said. "Lauren might talk more about the mental part of a match and Rina is more about the squash. They have always kept us together." Even in terms of personality and leadership style, the co-captains are more complementary than they are alike. "Rina has a great sense of humor and is just really really funny," Penn senior Helen Bamber said. "Lauren is very thoughtful in what she does. She's always thinking about others. I think that reflects in the ways that they lead because Rina is more laid back while Lauren is more directly involved." But, as with all good team leaders, Patrizio and Borromeo have set exemplary standards of on-court play. "They're both just really driven, as well as being extremely focused and committed to the team," Reta said. "They lead by example. Everyday at practice they just go out and give it their all." Together, Borromeo and Patrizio have compiled a 78-25 record. They've earned three All-American honors, one All-Ivy Selection and, perhaps most significantly, a national championship. "Everyone on the team has so much respect for them," Bamber said. "They're so close in ability levels and they share a common respect for each other." This season has, in several different ways, evolved to be a more challenging year in comparison to previous seasons. Patrizio and Borromeo have had to befriend and incorporate a relatively large incoming class, lead a team playing without two of its upperclassmen for half the season, and play to maintain the respect the Quakers earned after winning last year's national title. Quite clearly, the jump to becoming the coined leaders of the Red and Blue has been quite an experience. "It's been a very good learning experience in that we discovered that there's so much more to a team than winning," Patrizio said. "We've been talking about how much we've come to realize that it's not about personal success, it's about the team." In that respect, the leadership responsibilities have been distributed among the four seniors, effectively increasing the strength of the team. "All the seniors are definitely leaders in the sense that we all have different traits," Patrizio said. Borromeo added that, much like Patrizio and herself, each upperclassman has made a unique contribution to guiding the team through the season. "Helen always has great things to say to make people feel more at ease and Megan [Fuller] has been inspirational with the way she has played on court. The four of us have different roles and it makes my job easier because the other seniors are there to help lead the team." In spite of any past differences, the co-captains share the same goals for their team as well as the same sentiment towards each other. "We both want to win personally, but we know that the overall objective is to win as a team," Patrizio said. "We're different but we get along really well." "We've come a long way," Borromeo added. "We know we can depend on each other."
The Penn women's squash team is about to fall on some hard times. And it's not because of unbeatable opponents or injury. It's graduation. With some of the largest crowds of the season supporting them this weekend, the Penn seniors -- Helen Bamber, Lauren Patrizio, Rina Borromeo and Megan Fuller -- said farewell in their last regular-season home matches. While the Quakers (5-2, 5-1 Ivy League) split the weekend by losing to Harvard, 5-4, on Saturday and beating Dartmouth, 7-2, on Sunday, the seniors played in typical dominating style, winning a combined seven out of eight matches. "They're probably the strongest class we've ever had," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "They're the middle of our line-up and, between them, they have so many wins and they're extremely committed as a group. As a class, they'll be graduating with the best record ever." And they will certainly be remembered for a long time, especially after helping to bring home the first national championship trophy in Penn squash history. "They are just a strong, strong class," sophomore Runa Reta said. "From what I personally know and everything that I have heard about them, they have put forth amazing efforts." With their effort on Sunday, the Red and Blue secured another place in history. "We finished second place in the Ivy League, which is our second-best performance ever," Holleran said. "Until last year, we had never finished higher than third." Saturday saw the Quakers playing competitive squash in an extremely close match that was not decided until the end. "Of course we're really disappointed because we really wanted to win," Bamber said. "We felt confident heading in, our match preparation was good. It was just so close and it could have gone either way. Today it went theirs." Even the winning Crimson (4-1, 3-0) acknowledged that the level of competitive play of both opponents was too close to declare the definitively better team. "Both teams are really close in terms of talent and skill," Crimson sophomore Ella Witcher said. "It's really just a matter of who plays their best squash that day." With the decisive victory over the Big Green (6-7, 1-5) on Sunday, the Quakers found a way to rebound and pull out a needed win to conclude the regular season. "It shows strength of our team because we can come back after a loss," Reta said. "Winning gave us confidence and more match play, and forced us to refocus and look towards the future and not dwell on the past." In terms of the upcoming Howe Cup beginning this Friday at Yale, the Quakers are hoping to use last weekend for strategy when they face the Crimson once again. "I think what we saw will help us get ready mentally and physically when we face them next weekend," co-captain Patrizio said. Until then, the Quakers will be resting up and tweaking their skills to prepare for the defense of their title and dish out some payback for their losses to the Crimson, as well as Trinity on January 14. "Both of those matches were really close and we're definitely looking for a little revenge," Reta said. And the seniors will be preparing to lead the Quakers into the tournament and hopefully end their team play on one last sweet note. "I'm really looking forward to the weekend," Fuller said. "A lot of fans are going to travel with us. We're just looking for our last hurrah and hopefully we can go out with some wins."