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(09/03/99 9:00am)
Win an Ivy League championship, get a strong recruiting class. Such a simple formula, but it proved true for the Penn football team. "I could have went to Princeton or other Ivy League [schools]," incoming freshman Ryan Strahlendorff said. "But I figured if I was going to go to the Ivy League, I'm gonna go to the best football [school]." The allure of a successful football program -- coupled with Penn's exceptional academic reputation -- helped produce a strong group of freshmen football players for the 1999 season. "I've been at Penn for 12 years, so I've seen 12 recruiting classes come through," assistant coach Ray Priore said. "It has to rank in the top one, two or three classes that we've brought in as a whole, in terms of meeting our needs." With the graduation of Matt Rader, one of the biggest needs the Quakers had was at quarterback. Two freshmen -- Michael Mitchell and Tony Zara -- will join holdovers Ed Mebs, Tom DiMenna and Reed Werner in competing for time this fall. However, the front-runner for the position now seems to be Gavin Hoffman, a sophomore transfer student who started at quarterback for Northwestern last season. But Mitchell, a 6'1'', 195-pounder from Orlando, Fla., is arguably one of the most coveted members of the Class of 2003. At Colonial High School last season, Mitchell garnered second team All-State honors and was named the Central Florida 6A Player of the Year. Zara, who has played in the same summer league as Mitchell several times, is also from the Orlando area. The former Lake Highland High School quarterback/free safety made honorable mention All-State his junior and senior years. Jonathan Searles, a third quarterback, opted not to play football for Penn after being drafted and signing a contract as a pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Quakers also recruited a solid group of linemen, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. One of these recruits, defensive end Strahlendorff, is only in his fourth year of football. The 6'2'', 250-pounder played soccer until his sophomore year in high school. "I was a big-time soccer player but got too big for soccer," Strahlendorff said. "Too many red cards." Matt Dukes is another intriguing prospect. The offensive lineman, from the same high school as Zara, received first-team All-State honors and stands at an imposing 6'2'' and 265 pounds. "He's a big, strong kid, real aggressive," Zara said. "He's the type of guy who plays 100 percent every time." Other Quakers prospects include linebackers Vincent Alexander and Travis Beldon. Alexander was named first-team All-State in Michigan, while Beldon was runner-up for the Player of the Year award in Indiana. On the offensive side of the ball, Todd Okolovitch, a defensive back from Old Tappan, N.J., will try to make an impact as a running back in the Quakers' offensive scheme. Although Penn appears to have a wealth of first-year talent, coach Al Bagnoli and the rest of the Penn coaching staff have a history of using freshmen sparingly. "The coach's philosophy is 'your ability to play is your ability to understand what we're doing,'" Priore said. "Certain positions are a little bit more difficult. The easier impact for many freshmen, at least immediately, is playing on special teams and then being role players on offense and defense." Priore points out that it takes football players a while to acclimate to the college game. Physically, the players are bigger and quicker, and mentally, the plays and defensive schemes are more complex. "I know the playbook is very big," defensive end Chris Pennington said. "I think it's going to challenge me a lot more mentally than it did in high school." The Quakers' Class of 2003 is composed of 35 players, including 12 from New Jersey. The recruiting class includes 13 linemen and three tight ends but only two wide receivers.
(09/03/99 9:00am)
Gavin Hoffman, who started for the Wildcats last season, is eligible to play for Penn immediately. Gavin Hoffman, who threw for 2,199 yards as the starting quarterback at Northwestern in 1998, announced in July that he would transfer to Penn. Eligible to play immediately, Hoffman will compete for the Quakers' starting role. Because Hoffman, a 6'6", 233-pound sophomore, is transferring from a Division I-A to a Division I-AA school, he will not have to sit out a year. Hoffman left Northwestern because he was dissatisfied with the program and the Wildcats offense, which became more conservative after head coach Gary Barnett resigned to take the coaching job at Colorado and Randy Walker took over Northwestern's reins earlier this year. "With the new coaches and the new offense and just the way things were, I just felt like moving on," Hoffman said. "It just wasn't a good situation for me anymore." With the graduation of second-team All-Ivy quarterback Matt Rader, Hoffman will have the chance to immediately assume the starting role. Sophomore Ed Mebs, who transferred from the University of Miami before last season, sophomore Tom DiMenna and freshman Mike Mitchell appeared to be the top candidates for the starting quarterback position prior to news of Hoffman's arrival. Hoffman threw for 13 touchdowns in 12 games as a redshirt freshman at Northwestern last season. The Wayzata, Minn., native completed 54.5 percent of his passes and threw 14 interceptions in 323 pass attempts for the Wildcats. Hoffman's arrival is reminiscent of Rader's in 1997. Two years ago, the Quakers landed Rader, who had started seven games for Duke as a sophomore before coming to Penn. "My initial interest [in Penn] was because I heard about the success Matt Rader had as a transfer here," Hoffman said. "A lot of times transfers kind of get lost in the shuffle and you never hear them again, and I didn't want that to happen to me." Hoffman said he would have been the starter at Northwestern this season had he chosen to stay. The Penn coaches have only told him he will be given the opportunity to compete for the starting spot, but Hoffman still welcomes the change of scenery. "The Northwestern situation wasn't a good one for me anymore," Hoffman said. "It affected my behavior outside football. It's tough giving up a scholarship, but I think the benefits being at Penn far outweigh that." Hoffman was contacted by Colorado, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Brown and Columbia prior to choosing Penn. Hoffman, who will be entering Wharton this fall, was a Prep Star and Super Prep All-American in high school and was named the Gatorade player of the year in Minnesota as a senior after throwing for 2,506 yards and 25 touchdowns. Hoffman's transfer is not the only major move for the Wildcats this past offseason. Since Walker replaced Barnett as coach in the winter, defensive lineman Craig Albrecht transferred to Stanford and offensive lineman Blake Henry left the team.
(09/03/99 9:00am)
He's originally from Australia. He played professionally and coached in England for 12 years. He coached the United States' women's squash team in the 1996 World Championships in Malaysia and in the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina. Craig Thorpe-Clark has certainly seen the world -- and now he has a chance to see the Ivy League. On July 6, Penn named Thorpe-Clark head coach of the men's squash team, replacing Jim Masland, who resigned in March. "The Penn Athletics Department is very excited to welcome Craig to the staff," Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said in a statement. "He brings over 18 years of collegiate, club and international coaching experience to this position and is recognized as one of the finest teachers of squash in the country." Thorpe-Clark comes to Penn from Vassar College, where he served as men's and women's squash coach for four seasons. Last year, he led the Brewers men to a 12-11 record and guided the women to a 13-10 mark. At Vassar, Thorpe-Clark also taught beginning and intermediate squash classes for the college's physical education department. He is also one of only three coaches in the country to earn the highest national coaching qualification, professional level four. Thorpe-Clark has previously been head coach at Eton College in Windsor, England. He is also the National Director of Coaching Development for the United States Squash Rackets Association, where he developed the USSRA Level 1 Coaching Manual and Course. Thorpe-Clark has trained over 120 coaches in this manual. Thorpe-Clark, who is the North American representative for the World Squash Federation seeding committee, will be inheriting a Penn team that finished 4-9 under Masland last season. "I am absolutely delighted to be coming to Penn," Thorpe-Clark said in the same statement, "and I am looking forward to the challenges and the excitement of taking Penn men's squash to the top of the intercollegiate squash circuit." Thorpe-Clark is no stranger to the Philadelphia area, however. The new men's squash coach served as head squash professional at Philadelphia's Cynwyd Club from 1992 to 1995.
(09/03/99 9:00am)
To say that Heather Taylor is accustomed to playing in pressure situations would be an understatement. The incoming Penn freshman soccer player has been in state championships, regional championships and county championships with her Northport, N.Y., high school team. Taylor, however, has had even more pressure to deal with in playing for her club team, the Northport Piranhas. But what could be more pressured than playing for a state championship? How about a shootout that lasted through 12 players following a scoreless regulation and overtime in a game for the national championship? That's just what Taylor had to deal with on July 25 when her club team met California's Mission Viejo Elite Mirage team for the under-18 national championship. Oh, by the way, Taylor's team won 11-10 on penalty kicks. "Hopefully [the experience] will help me under pressure situations when we hit really tough games like Harvard and Dartmouth," Taylor said. Taylor is not the only one of coach Andy Nelson's 10 recruits that has experience in pressure situations. Heidi Nichols has been in the Olympic Development Program. Sara Zeilske's FC Royals club team took third at Nationals two years ago. Jessica Weber has been a goalie for the four-time state cup finalist Birmingham (Mich.) Blazers. And Melissa Mandler joined Taylor on the Piranhas team that won the national championship in 1996. Many feel that club teams are on the same competitive level as top college soccer programs. In fact, a former teammate of Taylor's told her that playing for the Piranhas was "just as tough if not harder" than playing for Penn State. "A lot of these club teams can compete very well with Division I college teams," Nelson said, "so I think the experience [Taylor] has had over this year playing top teams in the country in the club level is going to help her in the college setting very much so. It won't be such as giant step up as it is with most players." But adjusting to the college competition will still be difficult for the freshmen soccer players -- as will adjusting to a new coach. Patrick Baker recruited most of the new soccer players, but he left Penn in December to coach Florida State's women's soccer squad. So the new recruits will be playing this fall for a coach who took the helm in March and still has not seen all of them play yet. "I was disappointed when Coach Baker left because I kind of knew what I was getting myself in for when I met him and he talked about my role on the team," Taylor said. But Taylor and the rest of the incoming freshmen offer nothing but praise for their new coach. And Nelson did recruit one of the freshmen personally, Christie Bennett from Fallowfield, Pa. "I saw her play in a tournament at Rider University and she might be a nice surprise," Nelson said. "She was not someone that was really recruited here but she's a good athlete." The 10 freshmen span the entire length of the country -- from New Jersey and New York to California, Oregon and Washington. And they might get a chance to play extensively from the outset as Nelson said he has no problem with starting freshmen. One of those players that might have an opportunity to shine from the start is Leigh Castergine, a speedy defender from Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J. "I think Castergine is going to be another good strong player," Nelson said. "We're a bit short on defenders, so I think she's going to help us right away." Castergine will be rooming with Zeilske this year after meeting her on their recruiting trip to Penn. Zeilske, with her speed and crossing ability, may also see action from the start. Smithtown, N.Y., native Mandler suffered an achilles tendon injury that sidelined her for several months, but she has been cleared to play again and could provide a boost to the Quakers attack if healthy. "[Mandler] can take on any player I know," Taylor said. "She can beat them one-on-one. And she's also very good defensively -- she won't let anyone past her." Weber, meanwhile, has been praised as one of the top goalkeepers in the Midwest -- nearly missing the All-Region II team, which pools from schools in the Midwest. California goalie Katherine Hunt, Holmdel, N.J., native Julie Siebert-Johnson, defender Jennifer Valentine and Portland, Ore., native Nichols round out the freshmen class of soccer players. Siebert-Johnson will also throw the javelin for the Penn track team, while Nichols' FC Portland club team was one of the top eight in the country this season.
(08/05/99 9:00am)
Many of coach Andy Nelson's 10 recruits arrive with national-level club soccer experience. To say that Heather Taylor is accustomed to playing in pressure situations would be an understatement. The incoming Penn freshman soccer player has been in state championships, regional championships and county championships with her Northport, N.Y., high school team. Taylor, however, has had even more pressure to deal with in playing for her club team, the Northport Piranhas. But what could be more pressure than playing for a state championship? How about a shootout that lasted for 12 players following a scoreless regulation and overtime in a game for the national championship? That's just what Taylor had to deal with on July 25 when her club team met California's Mission Viejo Elite Mirage team for the under-18 national championship. Oh, by the way, Taylor's team won 11-10 on penalty kicks. "Hopefully [the experience] will help me under pressure situations when we hit really tough games like Harvard and Dartmouth," Taylor said. Taylor is not the only one of coach Andy Nelson's 10 recruits that has experience in pressure situations. Heidi Nichols has been in the Olympic Development Program. Sara Zeilske's FC Royals club team took third at Nationals two years ago. Jessica Weber has been a goalie for the four-time state cup finalist Birmingham, Mich., Blazers. And Melissa Mandler joined Taylor on the Piranhas team that won the national championship in 1996. Many feel that club teams are on the same competitive level as top college soccer programs. In fact, a former teammate of Taylor's told the Northport, N.Y., native that playing for the Piranhas was "just as tough if not harder" than playing for Penn State. "A lot of these club teams can compete very well with Division I college teams," Nelson said, "so I think the experience [Taylor] has had over this year playing top teams in the country in the club level is going to help her in the college setting very much so. It won't be such as giant step up as it is with most players." But adjusting to the college competition will still be difficult for the freshmen soccer players -- as will adjusting to a new coach. Patrick Baker recruited most of the new soccer players, but he left Penn to coach Florida State's women's soccer squad in December. So the new recruits will be playing this fall for a coach who, because he took hold of the coaching reins in March, still has not seen all of them play yet. "I was disappointed when Coach Baker left because I kind of knew what I was getting myself in for when I met him and he talked about my role on the team," Taylor said. But Taylor and the rest of the incoming freshmen offer nothing but praise for their new coach. And Nelson did recruit one of his freshmen, Christie Bennett from Fallowfield, Pa., personally. "I saw her play in a tournament at Rider University and she might be a nice surprise," Nelson said. "She was not someone that was really recruited here but she's a good athlete." The 10 freshmen span the entire length of the country -- from New Jersey and New York to California, Oregon and Washington. And they might get a chance to play extensively early, as Nelson has no problem with starting freshmen. One of those players that might have an opportunity to shine from the start is Leigh Castergine, a speedy defender from Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J. "I think Castergine is going to be another good strong player," Nelson said. "We're a bit short on defenders, so I think she's going to help us right away." Castergine will be rooming with Zeilske this year after meeting her on their recruiting trip to Penn. Zeilske, with her speed and crossing ability, may also see action from the start. Smithtown, N.Y., native Mandler suffered an achilles tendon injury that sidelined her for several months, but she has been cleared to play again and could provide a boost to the Quakers attack if healthy. "[Mandler] can take on any player I know," Taylor said. "She can beat them one-one-one. And she's also very good defensively -- she won't let anyone past her." Goalie Weber, meanwhile, has been praised as one of the top goalkeepers in the midwest -- nearly missing the All-Region II team, which pools from schools in the midwest. California goalie Katherine Hunt, Holmdel, N.J., native Julie Siebert-Johnson, defender Jennifer Valentine and Portland, Ore., native Nichols round out the freshmen class of soccer players. Siebert-Johnson will also throw the javelin for the Penn track team, while Nichols' FC Portland club team was one of the top eight in the country this season.
(08/05/99 9:00am)
Demer Holleran has assured herself of at least a silver medal in the Pan American Games. The Penn women's squash coach reached the finals of the individual squash tournament in Winnipeg, Canada, after knocking off fellow American Latoshya Khan in the semifinals, 3-2 (10-8, 9-2, 5-9, 0-9, 9-0). The final match, with Holleran taking on Canadian Melanie Jans, began last night at 7 p.m. at the Winnipeg Winter Club. Holleran, who won silver in the individual and team events four years ago in the Pan Am games, had no trouble advancing to the semifinals. She beat both El Salvador's Ana DeMiguel and Mexico's Teresa Osorio without losing a game. In fact, she did not give up a single point against Osorio in her 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 win. The United States team, of which the Penn coach is a part, will start competition today against Canada. Holleran and the rest of the Americans finished second in the 1995 Pan Am Games. Fellow Quaker Cliff Bayer did not fare quite as well in the individual foil competition. The Penn junior fencer lost to eventual second-place finisher Elvis Gregory Gil in the quarterfinals, 15-14, on Tuesday at Maples Complex. Bayer defeated Mexico's Gustav Simont, 15-10, to advance to the quarterfinals after winning two of his five matches in the preliminary round.
(07/29/99 9:00am)
Pitcher Jonathan Searles, who will attend Penn in the fall, surrendered three runs in his first appearance. Professional baseball did not exactly greet Jonathan Searles with open arms. In fact, the Bradenton Pirates pitcher, who will be attending Penn in the fall, would be hard-pressed to call his minor league debut anything but a slap in the face. Searles took the mound for the first time professionally in the seventh inning on Friday at Twin Lakes Park against the Fort Lauderdale Orioles. He had an 0-2 count on third baseman Ed Rogers, the first batter he faced, and had a curveball gripped in his glove, but catcher David Diaz called for an inside fastball. And Rogers promptly smashed Searles' pitch over the left field fence. "I tried to throw a fastball inside," Searles said. "I made a pretty good pitch, but the hitters [in the minors] are basically the best hitter on everyone's high school team -- one after another -- so you can't get away with mistakes." Searles allowed no more long balls in his debut, but getting out of the inning would not prove to be easy. Orioles' first baseman Alfredo Leon followed Rogers' homer by reaching base on an error and stole third after teammate Alex Gordon drew a walk. Searles finally recorded an out when Charlie Dees flied to left, but Leon tagged up and scored on the play. Octavio Martinez flew out to center for the second out of the inning, but designated hitter Kyle Martin then proceeded to double to right, scoring Leon. Searles stranded Martin at second, however, as the 6'3'' 195-lb. right-hander induced shortstop Nicolas Garcia to fly to center for the third out of the inning. When the smoke cleared, Searles was saddled with three runs -- only one earned -- on two hits in one inning pitched. It was not a stellar opening for Searles, but he redeemed himself four days later against the Port Charlotte Rangers. Pitching at Bradenton's home park, McKechnie Field, Searles worked a scoreless eighth inning to preserve a 2-1 Pirates advantage. The Rangers would eventually prevail, 5-2, in 13 innings, but the incoming Penn freshman held the lead for Bradenton. The inning began much less auspiciously for Searles on Tuesday, as left fielder Ricky Angell quickly grounded to third for the first out. Searles gave up a single to the next batter, right fielder Eddy Ramos, but retired Orlando Cruz and Ernies Baez to get out of the inning without any damage. The Huntington, N.Y., native approached the game on Tuesday with a much different pitching strategy -- to utilize the fielders behind him. "I had Saturday, Sunday and Monday to think about how I did on Friday and it gave me a chance to look back on things and understand what I had to do," Searles said. "So I went out there and I just tried to throw strikes and keep the ball down." And that strategy worked nearly perfectly for Searles, as he retired the side in a Greg Maddux-esque manner -- in just nine pitches. Thus far, Searles has given up three hits and one walk in two innings for Bradenton. His earned run average stands at a respectable 4.50. Searles had been recruited as a quarterback for Penn's football team, but was drafted in the eighth round of the Major League First Year Player Draft by the Pirates in June. He gave up his athletic eligibility at Penn by signing with the Pirates on June 18 -- a decision Searles says he does not regret at all -- but the Bradenton right-hander will still attend Penn full-time as a student for at least two years. Searles, a projected starting pitcher, is expected to remain in the bullpen with Bradenton in the Gulf Coast League for the rest of the season as the Pirates increase his workload.
(07/29/99 9:00am)
Only two Ivy League schools do not have women's golf teams. Penn announced Monday that the women's golf team will begin its first year of varsity competition this fall. The Quakers, who competed unofficially in the Princeton Invitational and Ivy Championship tournaments last spring, will now be eligible to compete for the league championship. Penn becomes the sixth Ivy League school to support a women's golf team. Only Cornell and Columbia are without women's programs. The Quakers' varsity status was made possible by $250,000 donations given to the program by both The Judge John C. Pappas Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. and the Thomas Anthony Pappas Family Charitable Foundation. The team lost captain Lindsay Stern to graduation, but Penn will return senior Natasha Miller, juniors Jen Schraut and Karen Pearlman and freshman Victoria Entine, while incoming freshman Stacy Kress will be looked upon to solidify the team. "Kress carries a handicap of four at Woodholme Country Club, has extensive tournament experience and will help the other ladies improve just by being around her," coach Francis Vaughn said in a statement released on Monday. Unofficially, Penn finished sixth in the Ivy Championship tournament at Bethpage Golf Club in Long Island, N.Y. -- 135 strokes behind fifth-place Harvard. Schraut was the top Quakers finisher with a 36-hole total of 200. Meanwhile, Entine shot a 214, Stern a 216 and Pearlman a 272. Penn is now the first Ivy League school to add a women's golf program since the inauguration of the women's Ivy Championship in 1997. And now the Quakers will have a trophy to play for, as Arthur A. Brennan, a Wharton alumnus, and his wife Katharine donated the Arthur A. Brennan, Jr. Family Trophy for the Women's Ivy League Championship. Each of Brennan's six children has also graduated from Penn. Vaughn, who has coached the men's golf team and the non-varsity women athletes since 1996, will serve as women's golf coach. Vaughn, a graduate of East Carolina University, led the Quakers' men to their first Ivy League Championship ever in 1998.
(07/29/99 9:00am)
Penn's Stephanie Horan took the Ivy League by storm as a freshman last year, making the Ivy League Championship All-Tournament Team while leading the league in service aces. This year, the Quakers might just have nabbed another Stephanie Horan in freshman outside hitter Stacey Carter. "She has the body type of Stephanie Horan," Penn coach Kerry Major said. "When I watched her play, she moved a lot like Steph." Of course, duplicating Horan's success will be a tall order for Carter, especially since the 5'11'' freshman needs to beat out senior captain K.C. Potter just to gain a starting position opposite Horan. "It's going to be hard to beat that experience out," Major said. "But I expect Stacey to challenge her and push her real hard." Carter, who will be returning from a stress fracture next month, is considered Penn's top front line recruit. But the Quakers will be bringing in several top freshmen in the back line, including Los Angeles, Calif., native Alexis Zimbalist. "I think I have possibly the top defensive specialist in the nation coming in with Zimbalist," Major said. "She's just everywhere all over the court; she will go to the back row right away for us to gain some ball control." Hawaii native Shayna Higa will look to join Zimbalist in the back line. Higa, who stands just 5'1'', was twice named her team's Most Inspirational Player in high school. Higa was drawn to Penn by both its distance from home and her connection with Major, who coached the incoming freshman when she was just 14. "The first year I played club volleyball, I played for her," Higa said. "And there was a big difference [in my play] before and after." The Quakers will also be welcoming two 5'8'' outside hitters, Kai Gonsorowski and Michelle Kliszewski. Gonsorowski, whom Major calls the "most athletic person on the team," will also compete in the high jump for Penn's track program. Kliszewski, meanwhile, had sibling ties with other Ivy League schools but still chose Penn. Her sister Kristina played volleyball at Yale, while her brother Matthew played football at Princeton. Kliszewski was a four-year letterwinner in both soccer and volleyball in high school. Rachel Sherer, Lauren Silbert and Elizabeth Watty round out the Quakers' eight-woman recruiting class. They are all listed as front-line players, but may end up seeing most of their time early on in the back row. "The offense I'm running takes tremendous back row ball control and right-on nailed perfect passing," Major said. "I could see me using a lot of the freshmen for that. Their first step onto the court would probably be in the back row." The eight new freshmen will be counted upon to ease the loss of five seniors from last year's 11-16 Quakers team.
(07/29/99 9:00am)
More than half of the new men's soccer recruits, who represent eight different states, are defensive specialists. Last year's men's soccer team hailed from a total of seven states. But this year's incoming freshmen class alone eclipses that standard of diversity, as coach Rudy Fuller's 12 new recruits represent an impressive eight of the country's 50 states. "We work very hard to find the best student-athletes available, so that means traveling across the country all year around," Fuller said. "Recruiting is a very competitive arena right now, and we have to do our best to find guys that fit into our program that maybe others haven't seen." Diversity is not the only asset of Fuller's new recruiting class, however. These 12 freshmen will provide the Quakers with much-needed defensive help, as senior Ted Lehman and sophomore John Salvucci are Penn's only true returning defenders. "The strength of the class is in the back half of the field," Fuller said. And possibly the best defender coming in is Annandale, Va., native William Lee, who won two team MVP awards in high school and led his club team, the Washington Dips, to the the 1998 Virginia State Cup championship. Lee has also played in a tournament in Holland and was named All-District in his junior and senior years at Falls Church High School. The freshman defender names second year coach Fuller as one of the biggest draws in coming to Penn. "I really like Rudy," Lee said. "He was a big factor in my decision. I really like the fact that he showed he needed me." Fuller's presence also proved to be a draw for incoming freshmen Niko Vittas, Billy Libby and Alex Maasry -- all of whom played for the Fuller-coached Bethesda Alliance club team that won the Maryland State Cup in 1997. "Billy Libby and Maasry are strong and hard workers," said Penn senior Reggie Brown, who has played against them in a Maryland Under-23 League. "They come on and battle for 90 minutes." Maasry may have shown a hint of things to come earlier this summer, as he matched up with Brown at outside midfield in a game and scored two goals. Brown classifies Vittas, who was a four-year starter at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C, as more of an intellectual defender. "Niko's a smart player," Brown said. "He knows a lot about the game and shows leadership." Lee, Maasry, Libby and Vittas are all from around the Washington, D.C., area. But as the diversity of the recruiting class suggests, not all of Fuller's freshmen reside on the East Coast. In fact, two of Fuller's best finds, Eric Mandel and Nathan Kennedy, reside nearly 3,000 miles away in Portland, Oregon. Mandel and Kennedy both played on the FC Portland club team -- headed by 1996 U.S. Olympic men's soccer team coach Clive Charles -- which finished second at the 1997 National Championships. Mandel, who can play both midfield and defense, was named the 1998 Gatorade Player of the Year for Oregon and made the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's All-Far West team. Mandel also captained the Oregon Olympic Development Program boys team and was twice named All-State. Midfielder Kennedy, meanwhile, was a four-year All-League player on his Wilson High School team and was named league MVP as a senior. Another of Fuller's recruits, defender Noah Stout, had every reason to go to Princeton. Stout lives in Princeton, N.J., and graduated from Princeton High School. He played for Tigers coach Jim Barlow's club team. And, to top it off, his father Jeff is an assistant soccer coach at Princeton. But Stout, who was named to the All-State team as a senior, still chose Penn. "The city really intrigued Noah," Fuller said. "He wanted to be in a more urban area." Four of the other five Penn recruits have played for an Olympic Development Program, including defenders Robb Jankura and Chris Kan of Virginia. Jankura, who was named All-State last season, has plenty of championship experience, as both his high school and club teams have won state championships. Kan, for his part, has twice earned All-Region and All-District honors and was named to the Washington Post All-Metropolitan team in his senior year. Nick Stoffel of Solana Beach, Calif., and Ryan Feeney from Honolulu, Hawaii, have also been on Olympic Development Program teams. Stoffel captained the La Jolla Nomads club team that twice won the California State Championship, while Feeney has earned six state championships between his high school and club teams. Delaware forward Justin Litterelle rounds out Fuller's recruiting class. The Tower Hill School graduate is a three-time All-State honoree and was twice named Conference Player of the Year. Overall, Fuller sees this class as one that will not only improve the Quakers' talent level, but will also help to harness Penn's existing talent. "The biggest difference between our team last fall and this fall is the competition day in and day out in training," Fuller said. "I think last fall our starting 11 didn't have to compete each and every day in training for their spot on the field. "This year it's going to be drastically different. There's going to be a tremendous amount of competition for not only the starting spots but the 18-man traveling roster." Fuller believes that as many as six or seven freshmen could get significant playing time this year, with a number of them vying for starting spots. Penn finished 4-11-1 last year, but lost only two seniors to graduation. With most of the team returning and a strong recruiting class to add to the team's depth, the Quakers cannot help but have raised expectations. "I don't want to say we're out to win an Ivy League championship after a season like last year," Brown said. "But it's in our sights."
(07/29/99 9:00am)
The Penn Junior Fencing Camp, led by penn coach Dave Micahnik, practices in Weightman gum's excessive heat. The stifling heat and humidity of the Weightman Hall gym greet the members of the Penn Junior Fencing Camp every day. So it was only fitting that Penn fencing coach Dave Micahnik, who runs the two-week camp, devoted his first nightly lecture to hydration and heat tolerance. "Otherwise, they're all over the place -- barfing, diahrrea, getting sick, feeling lousy, running fevers," Micahnik said. "And in fencing competition, you're up against the same thing; you wear a lot of stuff." Micahnik started the program as a National Junior Olympic Camp back in the early 1980s, but today the camp functions as a clinic for fencers, ages 14-17, with at least one year of competitive experience. The Penn coach has been flexible with the age of fencers in the camp in the past, however, as Penn fencer Cliff Bayer -- a 1996 Olympian -- participated when he was just 13. The camp is broken down into two one-week sessions. The first, which started on Sunday, is designed for fencers with a moderate level of experience, while the second session concentrates on competition. Each session ends with a day-long tournament. The first session has 41 participants, two-thirds of whom stay for the 66-person second session. The number of fencers has risen 25 percent from last year, making Micahnik consider limiting the number of participants in the future. "You look around and you see 41 kids and this is about the most you can handle," Micahnik said. "But the second week we have 25 more than this." Participants flock to Penn from around the country and, in the past, from around the world; Micahnik has had fencers here from as far away as France and Catmandu, Nepal. The fencers here are often multi-talented athletically, as one girl ran a marathon in the spring, while another plays football for his Iowa City high school team. In addition to Micahnik, the coaching staff for the first week includes Penn assistant fencing coach Iosif Vitebsky, Fencing Academy of Philadelphia coach Mark Masters and Johns Hopkins fencing coach Dick Oles. North Carolina coach Ron Miller, St. John's assistant coach Mike Shimshovich and Andrew Bulloch, a coach at Csiszar Fencing Center, will be at the second session. But it is Micahnik's style which predominates the instruction at the camp. "Dave always wants to explain why you do things rather than just having them do it like robots," Oles said. "Robots don't win in this sport." The first practice of the day for the fencers lasts from 9:15 until noon and concentrates on proper warm-ups and combined drills. In the afternoon, fencers, who reside in Harrison College House for the two weeks, are split up into groups by weapon -- foil, epee or saber -- and given more individual and small-group instruction by the five coaches. Finally, Micahnik offers nightly lectures on such subjects as competition-day preparation and proper training techniques to maximize performance. And Oles lamented the need for better performance in American fencing. "The state of high school fencing in this country is abysmal," Oles said. "We have to kind of force-feed them and just hope that they'll take something back with them. You can't train somebody in five days -- not in this sport." Maybe Micahnik can't mold all of the participants in the Penn Junior Fencing Camp into Cliff Bayers, but with many of the fencers returning for a second or third summer in West Philadelphia, the Penn fencing coach must be doing something right.
(07/29/99 9:00am)
Penn women's squash coach Demer Holleran and junior fencer Cliff Bayer are competing at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, this summer. The Pan American Games started July 23, but Holleran and Bayer will not begin their competition until next week. Holleran will represent the United States in the squash singles and team events starting on Sunday at the Winnipeg Winter Club. She earned silver medals in both events four years ago. Now in her eighth season at the helm for the Quakers, Holleran has led Penn to four consecutive third-place finishes in the Women's Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association. The Princeton graduate earned All-American honors four consecutive years with the Tigers, leading them to a national championship in her senior season. Bayer will begin competition in the individual and team men's foil events on Tuesday at Maples Complex. A 1996 Olympian, Bayer was named Male Athlete of the Month for May by the United States Olympic Committee after earning the first-ever U.S. medal in a senior men's foil World Cup. The Pan American Games, which conclude on August 8, feature more than 5,000 athletes from 42 countries in the Western Hemisphere. The 1999 version will be the third-largest multi-sport event ever held in North America, behind only the 1984 and 1996 Summer Olympics, which were held in Los Angeles and Atlanta, respectively.
(07/22/99 9:00am)
Transfer Gavin Hoffman is one of five contenders in Penn's quarterback battle. In less than two months, the Penn football team will kick off its 1999 season. But the Quakers still don't know who their quarterback will be when Dartmouth visits Franklin Field on September 18. Last year's starting quarterback for Northwestern announced last week that he is transferring to Penn, but the jury is still out on whether the 6'6'', 233-lb. sophomore will take the reins at Penn. "I hope he's going to be really good," senior wide receiver Brandon Carson said. "But I'm not going to be too optimistic yet until I see him." Hoffman threw for 2,199 yards and 13 touchdowns at Northwestern last year, but he still needs to learn the Quakers' offense before he can contribute. "I'll be a little behind not knowing the offense and the terminology," Hoffman said. "But I've got a playbook already. I'll be studying that this summer." Although Hoffman's accomplishments in the Big Ten may have entrenched him as the favorite in the eyes of fans, the football coaches still view quarterback as a wide-open position coming into training camp. "No promises were made to any of our kids," Penn head coach Al Bagnoli said, whether they be transfers, incoming freshmen or kids that we presently have on the roster," Holdovers Reed Werner, Ed Mebs and Tom DiMenna will push Hoffman for the starting spot when the team begins practice on August 25. Mebs, who transferred from Miami prior to last season, is the only one of the four to have attempted a pass at Penn. "I came to a situation that I felt was the best situation for me to come and play," Mebs said. "But [the transfer of Hoffman] definitely throws a little bit of a kink into playing." DiMenna did not practice much with the varsity team last season, but the Darien, Conn., native impressed enough in spring practice to move himself into contention for the starting job. Werner, meanwhile, also shares punting duties with Ryan Lazzeri for the Quakers. Freshman Mike Mitchell, a 6'0'', 185-pounder from Orlando, Fla., will also be given the chance to start behind center. "We have five quarterbacks in the program," Penn offensive coordinator Chuck Priore said. "All of them are going to get an opportunity in the fall." Hoffman stands at least four inches taller than the other quarterbacks and also owns the clear edge in experience, as the ex-Wildcat is the only quarterback on Penn's roster to have started a collegiate game. But the Wayzata, Minn., native is also the least familiar with Penn's offense. Bagnoli has not set a deadline for determining the starting quarterback, but both the Penn coaches and players hope the decision is made as soon as possible. "It would be nice if it was decided early so the whole team could gel around the quarterback," Carson said. "But I think it's probably most important that we get the right one." Whoever is ultimately named the starting quarterback will have big shoes to fill. Last season's starter, Matt Rader, threw for 2,026 yards and 15 touchdowns in leading Penn to an Ivy League championship. Like Hoffman, Rader was a transfer from a Division I-A program, starting seven games for Duke before he relocated to Penn in 1997. Because the official paperwork regarding Hoffman's transfer has not yet been completed, Bagnoli said he is unable to comment specifically on the ex-Northwestern quarterback. Northwestern coach Randy Walker declined to comment for this article.
(07/22/99 9:00am)
Penn will count on freshman Alice pirsu to counterbalance graduation losses and a tougher spring schedule. The Penn's women's tennis team will add an ex-professional athlete to the roster this spring. And with probably their most difficult schedule ever, the Quakers sure picked a good time to secure the talents of freshman Alice Pirsu. Pirsu, a member of the Romanian National Cup, has competed in such prestigious events as the U.S. Open, French Open and Wimbledon. The Bucharest, Romania native has been ranked as high as 24th in the junior world rankings and 207th in the WTA rankings. And now, after four years on the ITF/WTA tour, Pirsu will try to storm her way through four years in the Ivy League. "I think she's going to make a huge impact," senior co-captain Elana Gold said. "I don't think there's anyone that can beat her in the Ivy League." Pirsu will not be eligible to compete for the Quakers until next year, meaning she will miss the fall season. But the highly-touted freshman watched from the sidelines last spring, as well, after entering Penn in January. Still, Pirsu did not let her tennis game deteriorate while she sat out of competitions, as she awed the rest of the Quakers with her court skills. "When you play her, you think, 'oh, that's a good shot -- she's not going to get to it,'" sophomore Louani Bascara said. "But she fires it back even harder and closer to the line." Pirsu is expected to step in right away in one of the top two singles spots on team, teaming with three-time First Team All-Ivy member Anastasia Pozdniakova to give the Quakers possibly the most deadly 1-2 punch in the league. And a 1-2 punch is just what Penn will need with its much-intensified schedule this season. Last year, the Quakers finished with a 19-2 record en route to a No. 46 national ranking, but this year the weak Loyola Marymounts and Georgetowns on the schedule are replaced by the likes of Virginia, Clemson and Fresno State -- not to mention 1999 NCAA Champion Stanford. "We will be tested," coach Michael Dowd said. "We're not going to come away with another 19-2 year. If we do, we'll be in the top 10 in the country." Penn's schedule will include nine teams in the top 65 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's final rankings from last season. In addition, the Quakers will compete in the prestigious Georgia Invitational in January and the Princeton Invitational in February. But for many of the Quakers, the real season begins on April 1, when Penn plays its first Ivy foe. "[Our schedule] is going to give us a lot of opportunities to get a higher ranking and to be more prepared for the Ivy season," Gold said. "I'd rather go 2-10 in preseason and do better in the Ivies than go 10-2 with a fluffier schedule." Last year, the Quakers finished 6-1 in the Ivy League, losing only to champion Harvard, 8-1. But Penn lost four of its top players to graduation in May. Junior Jill Mazza, a transfer from Rochester, will join Pirsu in trying to offset the losses of the graduated seniors. Mazza, who compiled a 54-11 record in her two seasons at Rochester, reached the finals of the Division III singles' tournament last spring, where she lost 7-5, 6-2 to Amherst's Neeley Steinburg. "She was a superstar at Rochester but she wasn't being challenged on the tennis courts," Dowd said. "She wanted to see how far she could take her game, and going to a Division I school with a national level schedule, she could do that." In addition to Pirsu and Mazza, Penn will gain the services of freshman Niki DeCou, who is ranked seventh in the middle states region. "Niki's got a lot of athletic ability," Dowd said. "If she puts in summer work and works on her game, she could be competing for a spot." The Quakers open their fall schedule on September 20 at the Clay Court Championships, while the Georgia Invitational kickstarts their spring schedule on January 21.
(07/22/99 9:00am)
The new quakers baseball stadium, slated for a March opening, will be located on the old Murphy Field site. Bower Field was known as a pitcher's haven, but Penn's new baseball stadium won't be quite as friendly to the men on the mound. Construction on the 900-seat stadium is scheduled to start in the second week of August, and the dimensions of Bower Field's successor will be considerably smaller. The distance from home to straight-away center in the new stadium will be just 390 feet -- 20 feet shorter than at Bower Field. Left-handed hitters, especially, should thrive at Penn's new stadium, as although the right field foul pole measures 330 feet, the distance to right-center is only 355 feet. "[The new stadium] is more hitting-friendly because of the right-centerfield gap," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. "But by no means do I think it's a bandbox." Due to the limiting size of the surrounding land, the Quakers' new stadium will have an unusual shape in left field. The distance to the left field foul pole is only 285 feet, but the fence quickly juts out to 330 feet within less than two degrees. The distance in the left field power alley, meanwhile, is 382 feet. Normally, the home team uses the first base dugout and right field bullpen, but Penn will reverse these trends in the new ballpark. "We had to take the third base dugout because the bullpen in the left field side is bigger," Seddon said. "The bullpen in right field is behind the power plant." The Quakers' new stadium, which will be located next to the Schuylkill Expressway, near the intersection of University Avenue and Civic Center Boulevard, is expected to open in March for the start of the baseball season. It will be built on the Murphy Field site -- the former playing field of Penn's various recreation teams -- adjacent to the University's new water chiller. The bottom floor of the water chilling plant will be used temporarily as a team room, and the hope is to eventually transform it into a full-scale baseball locker room when funding becomes available. Funding has been a concern for the Quakers, as some amenities -- such as a lighting system -- originally hoped for have already, or may have to be , scrapped. Seddon has planned a banquet for November to raise money for the stadium. Phillies centerfielder and Penn alumnus Doug Glanville has been asked to speak at the event, which Seddon hopes can furnish the press and spectator boxes. Not including the two boxes behind home plate, the new ballpark will have a seating capacity of 900. Stands will be built behind home plate and along the first and third base lines, utilizing a seat-back design, rather than the bench-style seating of Bower Field. The new stadium will also have an open grassy area behind the first base stands that can be used for picnicking. The new baseball stadium, which is yet to be named, is scheduled to be completed by the end of February. "There may be little bits here and there that aren't related to the playing area that might be continued a month or so beyond that," said Joe Raia, who is project manager of the stadium for Leers Weinzapfel. "But February is the goal." The stadium was funded through an anonymous gift by a donor in the spring of 1998.
(07/15/99 9:00am)
Jim Mullen, who is tops in the ACBL in average, leads the list of Quakers in summer leagues. How important is summer league baseball for Penn coach Bob Seddon's players? "It's so important," Seddon said, "that if the players don't play in the summer, they probably won't be playing on the team in the spring." Apparently, players aren't deterred by the Quakers' disappointing 9-28 record last season, as Seddon estimates that 80 percent of his players are playing in strong summer leagues, and the rest are playing baseball in some fashion. But the star Penn player this summer has been junior Jim Mullen, who plays third base for the Delaware Valley Gulls in the Atlantic Coast Baseball League. Mullen, who hit .311 for the Quakers last season, was leading the league with a robust .418 average at the all-star break. "Overall, the pitching is better in the league because every guy throws in the high 80s, sometimes low 90s," said Penn's Ralph Vasami, who catches for the ACBL New York Generals. "In the Ivy League the guys don't have that kind of velocity, but they'll be craftier." Mullen has dealt well with the tougher pitching -- as well as with the use of live lumber. Like almost all summer baseball leagues, the ACBL is different from college baseball in that players use wooden, not aluminum, bats in games. "The more you swing wood, the more you become adjusted, and then it's the same game as metal," Seddon said. "When you swing metal all the time and then go to wood, it's a different world because you just break the bat off with your hands on the inside pitch," Seddon added. But Mullen has thrived swinging wood. Last summer he hit .400 in 35 at-bats for the Gulls, and this year he leads the team with seven doubles, 19 runs scored, 28 hits, a .582 slugging percentage and a .551 on-base percentage. Most impressively, however, he has cut down his strikeouts from a team-leading 27 in 135 at-bats at Penn to only three in 67 at- bats for the Gulls. Mullen was selected as the starting third baseman for the Wolff Division in the ACBL All-Star game on Monday. Wolff won, 4-3, and Mullen contributed a hit in the game. The 6'0'', 190-pound junior opened the season with a six-game hitting streak and currently has hit safely in nine consecutive games. But except for a four-game hitless drought, Mullen has been a model of consistency, charging his way to a possible batting title. "There's no pressure for that," Mullen said of his chase of the hitting title. "It'll be nice if it happens, but it's not what I'm going after. I'm just trying to improve every day, and if it happens, it's a bonus." The Gulls play an upwards of six games and practice once or twice each week. Mullen attends the Gulls' games and practices and also plays for Narberth, Pa., in the Penndel league -- meaning he's playing baseball practically every day during the summer. "He's a very dedicated kid," Seddon said. Mullen and Vasami are the only two Penn players currently in the ACBL, but sophomore Mike Mattern might pitch for the Gulls before the summer ends. "[The Gulls] are a little short on pitching and they're trying to win," Seddon said. "They're trying to load up a little at the end of the season." Delaware Valley has 13 games remaining in their 40-game season. The Gulls are battling the Quakertown Blazers for a spot in the playoffs. "I think the league is more centered around player development and exposure," Mullen said. "But we're trying to win the league. That's the secondary goal." The ACBL has had its share of future pro baseball players on its teams' rosters -- including Craig Biggio, Walt Weiss, Frank Viola, Eric Young, Matt Morris and Pete Harnisch. But the ACBL's level of competition pales in comparison with other summer leagues. "The most prestigious leagues in the country are, number one, the Cape Cod League, and, number two, the Alaskan League," Seddon said. "To get into the Cape Cod or Alaskan, it's a very difficult invite -- usually by scouts that control it." No Penn players have been invited to either of those leagues this summer, but Doug Glanville and Mark DeRosa are among the past Cape Cod League alumni. Quakers are playing in leagues around the country, however. Junior Randy Ferrell is playing in Maryland, while junior Matt Hepler is playing outside of Chicago. Transfer first baseman Michael Bland is playing for the San Francisco Seals, while Senior Jeremy McDowell is playing in West Chester, Pa. Although they are playing in different places this summer, the Quakers will all reap the benefits of playing in wooden bat leagues next spring. "Summer league baseball is very, very important for the collegiate career of an athlete," Seddon said. "It gives him more confidence and prepares him for the next season, particularly if he didn't get a lot of at bats that spring." Mullen certainly did get a lot of at bats last spring for Penn; he led the Quakers with 135. But his ACBL success will no doubt give the Newtown Square, Pa., native increased confidence for next year. And, who knows, maybe an ACBL batting title in the summer will translate into an Ivy League batting title in the spring.
(07/15/99 9:00am)
Sophomore Gavin Hoffman, who started all 12 games for the Wildcats last season, will suit up for the Quakers this year. Quarterback Gavin Hoffman, who threw for 2,199 yards at Northwestern last season, will transfer to Penn this fall, the Wildcats announced Tuesday. Because Hoffman, a 6'6", 233-lb. sophomore, is transferring from a Division I-A to a Division I-AA school, he will not have to sit out a year. Hoffman left Northwestern because he was dissatisfied with the program and the Wildcats offense, which became more conservative after head coach Gary Barnett resigned to coach at Colorado and Randy Walker took over Northwestern's reins earlier this year. "With the new coaches and the new offense and just the way things were, I just felt like moving on," Hoffman said. "It just wasn't a good situation for me anymore." It is unclear, however, how Hoffman is expected to fit into Penn's quarterback picture, as the Quakers' football coaching staff would not comment until the official admissions paperwork had been finalized. Ed Mebs, who transferred from the University of Miami, Tom DiMenna and freshman Mike Mitchell had looked to be the top candidates for the starting quarterback position prior to news of Hoffman's arrival. Hoffman threw for 13 touchdowns in 12 games as a redshirt freshman at Northwestern last season. The Wayzata, Minn., native completed 54.5 percent of his passes and threw 14 interceptions in 323 pass attempts for the Wildcats. Hoffman is not the first Division I-A starter to transfer to Penn. Two years ago, the Quakers landed Matt Rader, who had started seven games for Duke as a sophomore before coming to Penn. "My initial interest [in Penn] was because I heard about the success Matt Rader had as a transfer here," Hoffman said. "A lot of times transfers kind of get lost in the shuffle and you never hear them again, and I didn't want that to happen to me." According to Hoffman, he would have been the starter at Northwestern this season had he chosen to stay. The Penn coaches have only told him he would be given the opportunity to start, but Hoffman still welcomes the change of scenery. "The Northwestern situation wasn't a good one for me any more," Hoffman said. "It affected my behavior outside football. It's tough giving up a scholarship, but I think the benefits being at Penn far outweigh that." Hoffman was contacted by Colorado, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Brown and Columbia prior to choosing Penn. The former Wildcats quarterback, who will be entering Wharton in the fall, was a Prep Star and Super Prep All-American in high school and was named the Gatorade player of the year in Minnesota as a senior after throwing for 2,506 yards and 25 touchdowns.
(07/15/99 9:00am)
The Wildcats will host Penn in the first round of the Preseason NIT. The Penn men's basketball team has been knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by a Southeastern Conference team three different times. This November, the Quakers will try to avoid another tournament loss to an SEC foe. But not in the NCAA Tournament -- the Quakers will face perennial SEC powerhouse Kentucky in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament. The bracket for the Preseason NIT was announced on Tuesday, and Penn's first-round opponent will be the Tubby Smith-coached Wildcats. The game, held at 9 p.m. on November 17 at Rupp Arena, will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. "We know there are some very good basketball teams [in the Preseason NIT] and we were probably going to be put on the road." Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "I'm grateful for our opportunity to play a quality basketball team like Kentucky." Kentucky, along with Maryland, Arizona and Utah, highlights the 16-team field. First and second round games are played on campus sites, while the semifinals and finals will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 24 and 26. The Penn-Kentucky game is the only first-round matchup that will be televised on ESPN, although the Kansas State-Arizona and Notre Dame-Ohio State games will be aired on ESPN2. Along with the semifinals and finals, the second-round game pitting the Penn-Kentucky winner against the Arkansas State-Utah winner will also be televised on ESPN. "The fact that it's ESPN, you have to play well," Penn guard Michael Jordan said. "It's going to be seen across the country and that's what you want to play against -- the national audience." But even though Kentucky lost Scott Padgett, Wayne Turner and Heshimu Evans to the draft and had Michael Bradley transfer, Penn will be the underdog team at Rupp Arena in November. The Wildcats are coming off a 28-9 record in 1998-99 and advanced to the Elite Eight in their record 40th NCAA Tournament appearance. Still, a game against the Quakers may not be an easy task for a Kentucky team sure to feature a lot of new faces. "We're looking forward to them coming to Lexington to play in Rupp Arena," Kentucky Senior Associate Athletic Director Larry Ivy said. "Last year in the NCAA Tournament, they gave Florida a pretty good game before getting beat." Kentucky has won all three meetings with the Quakers, most recently on November 24, 1990, when the Wildcats handed Penn an 85-62 loss in Lexington. If the Quakers get by Kentucky, they will likely have to fly more than 1600 miles to take on Utah, a team Penn last faced 29 years ago. "There's always the possibility of jetlag," Jordan said. "But hopefully that won't happen. If we win that first game, we're going to have to go on the road again. It's part of basketball. You've got to travel and you've got to play well." The Preseason NIT is just the tip of the iceberg in Penn's difficult early-season schedule, however. The Quakers will also face Temple, Villanova, Penn State and Kansas -- all before the spring semester begins. "I don't think our schedule's harder," Jordan said. "We've got a lot of bigger names early. Usually we've got them stretched out over a long period of time. This year, we're thrown right into the fire early." And that fire may get even hotter, as Dunphy is trying to rearrange schedules to add another SEC powerhouse, Auburn, to the schedule on December 11. In addition to the Preseason NIT, Penn will also take part in another regular-season tournament -- the Golden Bear Classic. Hosted by California-Berkeley, the four-team tournament also includes Portland State and Boston University. First round games are on December 28, while the championship and consolation games will be held on December 30.
(07/08/99 9:00am)
Craig Thorpe-Clark was hired by Penn as the new men's squash coach on Tuesday. He's originally from Australia. He played professionally and coached in England for 12 years. He coached the United States' women's squash team in the 1996 World Championships in Malaysia and in the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina. Craig Thorpe-Clark has certainly seen the world. Now he has a chance to see the Ivy League. On Tuesday, Penn named Thorpe-Clark head coach of the men's squash team, replacing Jim Masland, who resigned in March. "The Penn Athletics department is very excited to welcome Craig to the staff," Penn Athletics Director Steve Bilsky said in a statement released Tuesday. "He brings over 18 years of collegiate, club and international coaching experience to this position and is recognized as one of the finest teachers of squash in the country." Thorpe-Clark comes to Penn from Vassar College, where he served as men's and women's squash coach for four seasons. Last year, he led the Brewers' men to a 12-11 record and guided the women to a 13-10 mark. At Vassar, Thorpe-Clark also taught beginning and intermediate squash classes for the college's physical education department. Penn's new men's squash coach is one of the finest squash teachers in the nation. He is one of only three coaches in the country to earn the highest national coaching qualification, professional level four. Thorpe-Clark has previously been head coach at Eton College in Windsor, England. He is also the National Director of Coaching Development for the United States Squash Rackets Association, where he developed the USSRA Level 1 Coaching Manual and Course. Thorpe-Clark has trained over 120 coaches in this manual. Thorpe-Clark, who is the North American representative for the World Squash Federation seeding committee, will be inheriting a Penn team that finished 4-9 under Masland last season. "I am absolutely delighted to be coming to Penn," Thorpe-Clark said in the same statement, "and I am looking forward to the challenges and the excitement of taking Penn men's squash to the top of the intercollegiate squash circuit." Thorpe-Clark is no stranger to the Philadelphia area, however. The new men's squash coach served as head squash professional at Philadelphia's Cynwyd Club from 1992 to 1995.
(07/08/99 9:00am)
A penn alumnus, Glanville has proven to be anything but a baseball badboy for the Phils. The temperature at game time was 96 degrees, and Veterans Stadium had not cooled off much by the time Doug Glanville stepped to the plate in the seventh inning. But even the insufferable heat would not flare the temper of the Phillies' centerfielder. Home plate umpire Greg Bonin had just punched Glanville out on a two-out, 3-2 pitch that the Penn graduate lunged away from to avoid getting hit. It appeared the ball was inside. But Glanville didn't argue. He merely paused a second, walked back to the dugout to get his glove, and trotted back out to centerfield. That kind of reaction by Glanville comes as no surprise to his teammates, however. The former Ivy Leaguer doesn't make a scene. He just plays. "We need people like that in this game," Phillies pitcher Paul Byrd said. "We have the image of being nasty sailors -- cursing and grabbing ourselves and spitting -- and he's not like that at all." No, Glanville is not a typical baseball player. He is one of only four Ivy Leaguers in the majors, along with Dartmouth alumni Brad Ausmus and Mike Remlinger, currently with the Tigers and Braves, respectively; and former Penn athlete Mark DeRosa, who now plays for the Braves. And while Glanville's baseball judgement is seldom questioned, he has had a difficult time shedding the Ivy League stereotype of being a 'smart' player without an exceptional amount of talent. "There's an image [of an Ivy Leaguer]," Glanville said. "I think coming into the minors, it's more of a stigma. In the minor leagues, people just want to kind of follow the rules -- not to be too cerebral about things -- so I thought it was a hindrance in some ways from a relationship standpoint." Glanville has had to endure more ire than other Ivy Leaguers, however, because of an incident stemming back to his junior year at Penn. Several scouts were in attendance to see the Penn centerfielder in action against Temple, but Glanville was nowhere to be found on the playing field. The reason for Glanville's absence? He had to study for an Engineering exam. "I told [Penn coach Bob Seddon] ahead of time," Glanville said. "But there was a little bit of mix-up to communicate that to some of the scouts in the area, so a lot of scouts came to the game and I wasn't there. So I developed this reputation of not really having the desire." But, after being selected 12th overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 1991 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft after his junior year, Glanville showed that he did, indeed, have the desire to play pro baseball. Even then, though, Glanville made sure he would be able to complete his education when he signed with the Cubs. The Teaneck, N.J., native graduated from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1992. So far, however, Glanville has not had to utilize his Penn degree. After a steady climb up the Cubs' minor league ladder, Glanville made his major league debut on June 8, 1996. He went 0-for-4 that night and finished the year with a .241 average in 49 games, but went on to hit .300 as the Cubs' starting centerfielder in 1997. The Penn graduate's Chicago career would not last, however. Glanville was sent to Philadelphia in a trade for Mickey Morandini prior to last season. Glanville's homecoming was a success for half a season, as the Phillies' centerfielder received serious All-Star consideration after hitting .313 with 67 runs scored in the first half. The success did not last, however, as he hit only .238 in his last 73 games to finish the year at .279. "There's always a lot of off-the-field issues that can become distractions if you don't have control over it," Glanville said. "I thought I let it get out of hand last year and I think it took me away from the game at some point and wore on me." But Glanville is back to his 1998 first-half form this season, as he was hitting .320 with 48 RBIs through Monday. He credits his rebound to better handling of off-field distractions. "[Phillies hitting instructor] Hal McRae said to me, 'It's like a cake,'" Glanville said. "The cake is your performance. All the icing and the candles is just stuff people do to decorate it, but if you don't have the cake, nobody wants to give you anything." Glanville's statistics this season have eclipsed his first-half numbers from a year ago in many categories, but there was little talk of a berth in next week's All-Star game. "It's been quieter this year," Glanville said. "We've got a lot of guys on this team doing well, and the novelty's definitely worn off of me being the local guy coming back home." Not to say, though, that Glanville is out of touch with his Penn past. "[Being a Penn alumnus] comes up a lot because the family of the Penn graduates is pretty thick," Glanville said. "Everywhere you go, there's a lot of people saying, 'Hey Penn. Go Quakers.'" And Byrd, whose locker flanks Glanville's in the Phillies' clubhouse, has little trouble seeing Penn's Red and Blue in the Phillies' centerfielder. "He's intelligent in the way he plays," Byrd said. "He's well-spoken on and off the field. You can tell that he's been well-educated. It transfers into his game." The door swings both ways for Glanville, however, as his baseball background managed to seep into his academic endeavors while at Penn. The Engineering student's final project was a feasibility study concerning building a new baseball stadium at the corner of 30th and Market Streets. Now, ironically, Glanville is back in Philadelphia. And the Phillies are considering several sites for a new ballpark -- although they, too, have discounted the 30th and Market location as ideal for a baseball stadium. Glanville is watching the new ballpark situation closely. And not just from a player's standpoint. "I'd love to be involved with that project at some point," Glanville said. "Hopefully, I'll be still playing when they do build it." Although it looks as if Glanville will be the Phillies' centerfielder well into the 21st century, the 6'2'' righty always has his Penn degree to fall back on. But, for now, the Engineering graduate's job is to engineer runs. And that's what Glanville tried to do in the third inning on Monday. With one out, he lined a Jim Abbott pitch to the right of left fielder Geoff Jenkins. But Glanville would not be satisfied with a single; he was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. With Ron Gant on deck and the Phillies down by one run, maybe it wasn't the smartest baserunning choice. Or maybe it was. After all, who's going to question the decision of an Ivy Leaguer?
