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(01/17/00 10:00am)
And you really can't blame them. Penn's first half against Lehigh on Saturday was one of the poorest shooting performances I've ever seen from the Quakers, and the sloppy play throughout the game was really not much of a confidence-booster. So what's the problem with Penn? It is obvious that they are full of talent, but for some reason, things just are not coming together for these Quakers. It's impossible to pinpoint any one reason for Penn's underwhelming performance so far. But one thing is clear -- if the Quakers continue to play as they did Saturday night, getting through the Ivy season and back to the NCAA Tournament will not be easy as previously thought. It's hard to know what to expect from these Quakers any longer. They go to California and play well enough to beat a tough Cal team in the final of the Golden Bear Classic and then go to Kansas, only to have the Jayhawks make them look like the Washington Generals in a 105-59 debacle. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The Quakers were supposed to play tough teams like Kansas down to the wire and then make teams like Lehigh look like high school JV squads -- just as they did for much of last year. Yes, a five-point win over the mediocre Engineers counts just as much in the win column as the Quakers' upset of No. 6 Temple last season. But with the way these Quakers have been playing lately, people have to be worried. Fran Dunphy certainly is. "We're very concerned. I thought we had more mistakes in the second half than the first half [against Lehigh]," Dunphy said. "We shot 8-for-30, so it wouldn't matter what the mistakes looked like. We just didn't shoot the ball well in the first half. We didn't turn the ball over very much in the first half. We had a couple of foolish mistakes in the second half." Dunphy went on to highlight an intentional foul committed by Koko Archibong and a play in which Ugonna Onyekwe saved a ball while falling out of bounds. Onyekwe passed it to a wide-open Jared Hess, who took one dribble and then scored an uncontested layup for the Engineers. "Ugonna made a very foolish mistake by saving the ball under the basket," Dunphy said. "I'd say he's been told that maybe 100 times during the course of the practice settings we've had. "Those things were foolish. I'm very concerned." Archibong and Onyekwe are freshmen, and freshmen make freshman mistakes. But as the two starting forwards on a team that expects to win another Ivy League title, they are making mistakes that need to stop. Eventually these problems will be fixed, but that needs to happen soon. Onyekwe and Archibong have more athletic ability than last year's starting forwards, Paul Romanczuk and Jed Ryan, but then-captains Ryan and Romanczuk did not make foolish mistakes like this. The Quakers' troubles, however, extend beyond the freshmen. When a team tries to work five new players into the rotation -- as the Quakers are doing now -- growing pains are expected. The problem is that by this part of their schedule, the Quakers should be past that point in their development. "It's not just the seven new faces. The alley-oop I threw to Ugonna, I probably should have pulled back," guard Michael Jordan said. "We just gotta buckle down and start playing more fundamentally sound." Well, it's clear they have to do something, especially with Temple next in line on Thursday. The Owls have had their share of difficulties this season as well, but if the Quakers come out on Thursday like they did on Saturday, Penn fans might as well not even make the trip to the Apollo. If you take away the silly mistakes, the Quakers still will not come away with many wins when they shoot 26.7 percent from the field as they did in the first half against Lehigh. You also don't win many games when Matt Langel shoots 1-for-7 from the field. And even though Geoff Owens came through with a monster second half to lead the Quakers to victory on Saturday, his performance -- which has been hampered by shin splints for most of the season -- has been inconsistent. It's not just one thing that has caused the Quakers' troubles thus far. The only thing that is clear now is that they cannot continue to play this way. Those midseason Ivy weekends can be trying anyway. But the possibility of a team like Cornell or Yale upsetting Penn only seems to be growing. "We were lucky to get out of here," Jordan said on Saturday. Yes, they were, but luck will not be enough against Temple. And luck will not carry them to an Ivy title.
(12/09/99 10:00am)
And, although it goes without saying that the fall's tough games will help Penn when the Ivy League season rolls around, it's still hard to tell whether the Quakers' illustrious list of foes has maybe done a bit of harm along the way early on in this season. Coach Fran Dunphy's squad could play its 14-game Ivy League schedule, face off against its four high-octane Big 5 rivals and take on a panoply of cupcakes for the rest of the season. Plenty of Palestra die-hards would be perfectly content with such a set of opponents. But Dunphy thinks that such a schedule would cheat his players out of a host of precious memories. He wants to make sure that his student athletes play a schedule chock-full of national powerhouses and take road trips to tell their grandchildren about. "We want to give our guys as many fond memories of playing at Penn as possible," Dunphy said. "I want them to remember our trip to Italy or our trip to Puerto Rico or our playing at Kentucky." I applaud Penn's choice of top-notch opponents. When I saw the men's basketball schedule for the first time this summer and noticed that the 1999-2000 Quakers would play at Kentucky, at Auburn and at Kansas, I could barely wait for the season to get underway. But after watching the Quakers drop three of their first four going into this coming Saturday's game at No. 8 Auburn, I can't help but think that the start of this year's schedule has been anything but what the doctor ordered for this Penn team. I can't help but feel that the Quakers might have been better off playing a couple more against inferior competition just to gain some court cohesiveness. With the exception of last Friday's game against Army, every Penn antagonist so far has been a high-caliber program, and in each of those contests the Quakers' opponent had an impressive showing. Throughout the entire game at Kentucky, in parts of the game against Penn State and in the first half two nights ago against La Salle, the Quakers offense looked downright clumsy on the court. "I think we're playing as a team," Penn tri-captain Michael Jordan said. "But I don't think we're crisp on offense right now. If you look at us at this point last season, you'd see that we were a lot crisper. Some guys just still don't know the offense." What makes this year so different? The answer to this question is two-fold. First, the team is younger, and, second, the team's rotation is anything but set in stone. Seven of the 15 players on the Penn roster had never worn the Red and Blue before this season started. In addition, it is not as if these seven players are just keeping the Palestra benches toasty -- these are impact players getting used to a new system. This year's freshman class has been given a generous portion of court time. Freshmen Ugonna Onyekwe, Koko Archibong and David Klatsky are fourth, fifth and sixth on the team when it comes to playing time. There's obviously something to be said for learning by immersion, but you can't expect these three freshmen to step right into the Penn fold with ease. At times, each of these three has shown signs of brilliance, but there have obviously been growing pains. It was naturally easier for last year's senior frontcourt combo of Paul Romanczuk and Jed Ryan to play against national powerhouses like Temple and Kansas than it has been for Onyekwe and Archibong. Experience has its benefits. Still, any Penn fan foams at the mouth with the thought of Onyekwe and Archibong taking on the likes of Lehigh or Colgate. It would have been nice if these youngsters had started off with some less intimidating opponents. The other major reason that this year's Penn team is less well-suited for this grueling early stint is the fact that Dunphy's rotation is far from being set. "I definitely have a good idea of how well guys are playing," Dunphy said. "We still have some things to figure out when it comes to rotating people." In the first four games of last season, the Quakers had a reliable seven-man rotation, with the starting five of Ryan, Romanczuk, Geoff Owens, Matt Langel and Jordan with Frank Brown as sixth man and either Josh Sanger or Mike Sullivan next off the bench. This year, however, playing time has been subject to wild fluctuations. Brown has played as many as 18 minutes against Kentucky and as few as zero against La Salle. Klatsky has played as many as 25 and as few as 11 minutes. Any way you look at it, Dunphy has not yet found a substitution pattern that he loves. The rise of Onyekwe and Archibong has also created a situation in which two upperclassmen -- Oggie Kapetanovic and Brown -- are playing like they have something to prove. The start of this year's Penn schedule has plainly been stressful on many fronts. There is no question that these tough losses will make the Ivy schedule easier, but there is a question as to whether they will have a lasting detrimental effect upon the squad's collective psyche. "If we all stay positive, we'll be alright," Dunphy said.
(12/07/99 10:00am)
Diana Caramanico and Mandy West combined for 120 of Penn's 174 points in two games at the Air Force Classic in Colorado Springs, Colo. So the Quakers are obviously the same two-woman show they were last season. Well, they aren't. Caramanico and West are the two best players Penn has -- there is no denying that. But unlike last season, they are no longer the only two offensive weapons Penn can employ. First-year coach Kelly Greenberg has made that much clear from her first day on the job. Opponents will have to worry about more than just West and Caramanico if they hope to beat the Quakers. Still, by looking at the numbers from this past weekend's tournament, you wouldn't know it. "The numbers may not reflect it yet," Caramanico said, "but they will." And the most important numbers are already reflecting it. The Quakers are 3-2 in this young season. While that record might not be too impressive, it is significantly better than the 1-7 mark Penn posted to open last season. Last year, despite 24 points from Caramanico and 20 from West, Penn lost to Lafayette, 81-69. But when the two teams met again on Friday in Colorado, it was the Quakers who came away with a 10-point win. They did it because everyone is now involved in the offense. That may be hard to believe, considering Caramanico tied a school record by scoring 41 points while West knocked in 23. But it's true. Greenberg was quick to credit freshmen Jennifer Jones, Tara Twomey and Sunny Pitrof for helping Penn seal the win over the Leopards, and West readily acknowledges the effect that teammates have in helping herself and Caramanico to rack up the points. "Coach Greenberg made a huge point by letting everyone know they are an offensive threat," West said. "Now other teams see that they are going to have to stop more than just me and Di." And, by making opponents worry about stopping the other Quakers, West and Caramanico are free to score more. Diana Caramanico and Mandy West are two excellent basketball players and without them, Penn would probably be winless -- in fact, the Quakers are 0-2 in games when Caramanico scores under 30 points. But it is their teammates who are allowing Penn to have the success it has enjoyed so far this season. Last year, under coach Julie Soriero, the other Quakers were not as involved in the offensive game. The plays almost uniformly revolved around the two stars. "The main difference is that this year, everyone feels a part of the offense, everyone is involved," Caramanico said. Under Greenberg, all of the players are encouraged to shoot when they have opportunities, to try to create something instead of just looking to dump it off to Caramanico or West. And this freedom given to them by Greenberg has inspired confidence in the other Quakers -- something that was severely lacking when Soriero was at the helm. "They realize they can make mistakes without worrying about what their coaches are thinking or that they may be pulled," Greenberg said. This confidence is, in turn, leading to increased offensive output from all the Quakers. When La Salle was able to hold Caramanico to 15 points in an 82-70 win over the Quakers on November 23, guard Erin Ladley pumped in 19 points. And against Loyola (Ill.) on Saturday, sophomore Julie Epton recorded a career-high 13 points. The Quakers need these types of performances if they are to have success throughout the season. Penn was picked first in this year's Ivy League preseason media poll and Greenberg will need contributions from more than just two players if the Quakers are to live up to that prediction. Last year, West and Caramanico were 1-2 in the Ivy scoring race and both earned first team All-Ivy honors, but Penn still finished third in the standings. Now, Soriero is gone. The other Quakers have more confidence in their offensive games and Penn is a better team. You cannot underestimate the importance of Caramanico and West to this team. They are an extremely talented pair of basketball players and the Quakers will go as far as Caramanico and West take them. But without the contributions of their teammates, that may not be very far at all. Greenberg has brought a new mentality to the Red and Blue. They are no longer a two-woman show. Instead, they are a team, a team of more than two people, a team that knows how to win basketball games.
(12/03/99 10:00am)
A new escort program will provide students with a safe way to walk home from Van Pelt Library late at night. The escorts, who will leave from Rosengarten Reserve Room on the half-hour, are part of the University's latest effort to build castles in the sand on the successes of the last couple of years in making the campus a safer place. And while finals period keeps students at the library until later-than-usual hours, we applaud the University for extending the program to the entirety of the school year, as well. During non-finals periods, the escort service will be provided from midnight until 3 a.m. There is safety in numbers, and the program promises to increase the volume of students walking about campus at night. We also applaud the administration and the Undergraduate Assembly for working closely together to bring the program to fruition. Dana Hork, the UA member responsible for the program, is correct in her belief that walking escorts will be more effectively utilized if they are tailored to students' needs and schedules. And the Division of Public Safety is to be commended for responding to the suggestion and working with Hork and the UA to make the program a reality. We hope that the UA and the Division of Public Safety will continue to look for opportunities to make the campus safer by ensuring that students can walk where they will, when they will. In this type of proactive solution, everyone benefits.
(10/07/99 9:00am)
Howard Mitchell never wore a Penn uniform as a player. He never stalked the sidelines as a coach. In fact, in his 44 years as a regular at Penn games, Doc Mitchell really had no official connection to the basketball program. The impact he had on it, however, cannot be measured. Doc Mitchell passed away last Thursday. For the first time since since Eisenhower was in office and the Ivy League was in its infancy, he will not be there to support the Quakers this season. Memories of him, though, will live on throughout this year's campaign and for many to come. To tell you the truth, I never met Doc Mitchell and until this week, I really didn't know anything about him. But after speaking to a handful of the countless people he touched, I really wish I had the opportunity to know this extraordinary man. Doc Mitchell was more than a fan of Penn basketball. He was more than a Wharton professor who loved to attend games at the Palestra. He was more -- much more. He was a mentor, a supporter and a friend. And he will be sorely missed. "I'm going to miss him very much," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "He and his wife had season tickets where he would sit above and to our left. He was always there for you. "It didn't matter if you won or you lost, he was always there." Always. Over the past 40 years, the names in the Penn basketball world have been ever-changing. Doc Mitchell was one name that remained constant. "There was no generation gap with him," Dunphy added. "He transcended all generations." And the members of all generations felt connected to him. Meeting Doc Mitchell was one of the reasons Quakers great Corky Calhoun decided to attend Penn as a recruit. The same is true for Frank Brown, who was recruited nearly 30 years after Calhoun. The names may have been different but the love and dedication to Penn basketball shown by Doc Mitchell never wavered. Corky Calhoun, Craig Littlepage, James "Boonie" Salters, Bobby Willis, Jerome Allen, Ira Bowman, Frank Brown, Michael Jordan. Different generations. Same respect for Doc Mitchell. "During my years at Penn, he was like a second father to me," Calhoun recalled. "He was a permanent fixture," Salters said. "He enjoyed basketball but we went to him for other things." And Doc was always there for those other things. Calhoun remembers that Doc Mitchell had an open-door policy at his office. Calhoun and his teammates went there to hear stories about the struggles Doc faced in the Negro Leagues when he played baseball with men like Jackie Robinson. Calhoun didn't go there to get advice on basketball or academics. He went there to visit a friend. Doc was a friend to many. When Willis was a senior at Penn, he was a few credits short of graduating. It was Doc Mitchell who pushed Willis to get his degree and Salters believes Doc is responsible for kickstarting the success Willis has had in life after Penn. In their lives since graduating from Penn, Willis and Salters -- like so many other former Quakers -- have not forgotten Doc. When asked if Doc Mitchell kept in touch with former players, Dunphy replied, "I think it was more that they kept in touch with him." Every time an old player would come back to the Palestra, he made it a point to see Doc. Calhoun even invited him to his wedding. Numerous Quakers came back to honor Doc Mitchell at the Penn basketball banquet two years ago. Many more will be there on Saturday for his memorial service. Doc Mitchell loved all sports and he was a star in basketball, baseball and football as a young man. His love for Quakers hoops, though, exceeded most other interests. Long-time Penn fan Mo Szporn, a close friend of Doc's, fondly recalls one time when Doc's Red and Blue loyalties were on clear display. Several years ago, Doc had just had his second aortal bypass surgery at HUP and Szporn went to visit him on a Saturday afternoon. The Quakers were in the middle of the Ivy season at the time. Szporn doesn't remember the opponent, the game or the details, but he remembers Doc. Several hours before tip-off, Szporn walked into Doc's hospital room. Doc, fully decked out in his Penn hoops sweatsuit, was sitting by a window facing the Palestra. Before Szporn had a chance to say hello or ask how he felt, Doc told him to get a hold of Dunphy. Why? "The other team arrived an hour and a half late for their shoot-around," Szporn recalled Doc telling him. "We have to tell coach Dunphy to go out in a zone defense because they won't be ready to shoot." Maybe Dunphy used a zone that night, maybe he didn't. But since Doc was in the hospital, that was one of the few games he missed in his long affiliation with Penn basketball. Recently, however, Doc was not able to attend many games because he had been ill. For that reason, most of the current players -- with the exception of Brown, who is in his fifth year -- did not have the relationship with Doc that older players did. While Doc might not have been as much of a mentor to the current guys, he still had an impact on them. "He was always around. Wherever we were, he was always there," Jordan said. "I wish I had the opportunity to get to know Doc Mitchell better than I did." Penn's basketball season will begin in a little over a month. Jordan will still be leading the offense, Brown will still be burying jumpers, Dunphy will still be sitting on the bench. To most observers, nothing will be different. But that seat above and to the left of the Penn bench kept warm for more than 40 years by one beloved friend will not have its usual occupant. And Doc Mitchell will be missed.
(09/30/99 9:00am)
Following a superb Penn career, Micahnik went on to compete in three Olympic Games. Qualifying for the first time as national epee champion in 1960, however, will always remain a special moment. Micahnik, a 1998 inductee into the Penn Athletic Hall of Fame, remembers that day well. · Dave Micahnik: It was July 3, 1960, one year after graduating from Penn. The Nationals were in New York City at the old Commodore Hotel. I was still being coached by the Penn coach, Maestro Csiszar. I had gone up to Camp Tecumsah with him between the close of school and the Nationals and trained up there with him. I took the bus back down to New York and it was one of those meets. Step by step by step, things fell into place. In the first round, believe it or not, I had to have a fence-off with two other guys to get out of the first round of the Nationals and I started to cruise after that. I didn't lose another bout until the semis. I was 3-2 in the semis and made into the final round of eight. There I was in a position to make the Olympic team. I figured if I made the top four or five, I'd be in. Maestro told me, "If you don't make the top three, it's not for sure." With two shots to go, I said, "I [better] get this one because you don't know what will happen in the next one. This guy had been on the last Olympic team in '56 and everything he did I knew ahead of time he was going to do. I just crunched him. I had the Nationals clinched with one more bout to go. I had it in my hand and then all of a sudden, the coach came up to me and said, "You've got your championship but you have to finish your last bout hard to win it, too. Otherwise, it's going to mess up the Olympic selection. You can't let up." So I said, "OK, I'll do my best in that one." In the last bout, I decided I was gonna go to win the bout but I was going to do it with a little bit of flair. In epee, the whole body's fair target and I was going to make all my touches on the guy's foot. Unfortunately, I only got four on his foot and I did win the bout 5-4. So there I was, undefeated in the national finals and national champion and on the Olympic team. It was very special. I wandered around that ballroom forever. The place was empty and I'm still walking around. It was the first time anybody from a newspaper had ever interviewed me and it was one of those moments.
(09/24/99 9:00am)
The voice, energetically raspy, is unmistakable. So are the clothes, a patchwork of red and blue plaid. And the sayings. And, of course the helmet-mobile. Less recognizable is the man. Lake wouldn't have it any other way. Dan Staffieri, "Staffieri as in Lake Erie -- they call me Lake," Penn football's volunteer assistant running backs coach and full-time motivator, prefers to put the focus on the team. If you're reading this in print, there's a good chance you've already seen Lake today. Whenever the Penn football team has a home game, Lake does his thing. Standing on the face-mask platform of the Quakers helmet-mobile, 78-year-old Lake covers campus trying to drum up support. Lake and his bullhorn seem to know no boundaries, driving up and down Locust Walk, disembarking to wander through dining halls and dormitories encouraging everyone to go to the game. "That's hysterical," Penn co-captain Jim Hisgen said. "People who don't know him may not understand but it's funny just to see an old man riding around talking to people." But to those on the team, Lake is so much more than the comical old guy in plaid who rides around in the larger-than-life helmet. When the Quakers come charging out of the tunnel and onto the turf of historic Franklin Field tomorrow night just before kickoff, Lake will be the last one they see. He'll be slapping them low fives and giving them one of his motivational cheers. "Do better than your best, do better than your best." He's at every practice, roaming the field, motivating the troops. Slapping them on the rear, always encouraging. "P and G, pepper and go. Andiamo, andiamo! C and D -- concentration and determination. C'mon now, c'mon now. Do better than your best." Each week, he posts close to 30 new motivational slogans in the locker room. Every day, he wears a new strip of white athletic tape -- one motivational word scrawled across it -- on his forehead. Yesterday it said "win." Wednesday it said "hit." At the end of every season, Lake unveils the next year's key motivational phrase at the football banquet. We need one in '81. Breakin' through in '82. Toe the line in '99. Before every game, usually on Thursday or Friday night, Lake leads the team through a motivational "breakdown." "We say, 'Penn Pride. [pause] Best. I-V-Y champs. [pause] We'll toe the line [pause] in '99. [pause] Do better than your [pause] best.' "These four things are communicated between the players and everybody's saying the same thing. Either one word or one number, with 100 people on the squad doing it all at once. It's not just one person -- it won't work that way." Everything Lake does can be summed up under the banner "Speed of Corps." Needless to say, "Speed of Corps" is not easily definable. "I can't define the mind. It's heart and soul that says, 'I can, I must, I will,'" Lake said. "We -- very important -- will get the job done. Regardless of the I." According to Lake, "Speed of Corps" is a carryover from his days in the Marines. After World War II ended, he attended Maryland, where he played guard and linebacker. His senior season, the Terps beat Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day and were crowned national champs. While some may wax nostalgic about the good old days of "iron-man football," Lake -- trying to avoid discussing himself while focusing on the team -- certainly does not. "Today, I like it better than ever with the two-platoon system, because you can get more people into the game." He is loved. He has been invited to countless weddings. His calendar is booked solid with appearances. "I average about 35 [events] -- not all speaking engagements -- a year, which would include luncheons, banquets, high school pep rallies and high school banquets. And I go there for one reason -- to represent Penn and to recommend [Penn to] the honorees. That's very important. It's not for me -- I don't do it because of me. I do it because of the program at Penn and the players. Most importantly the players." Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, president of the Maxwell Club, frequently calls Lake to have him give his "breakdowns" to the club members. Two years ago, then-University Trustee George Weiss endowed $500,000 in Lake's name to benefit student-athletes at Penn. But the best part about the story is that Weiss, speaking at a football reunion during Homecoming, announced the endowment wearing a strip of athletic tape across his forehead. What did the tape say? "Lake." But Lake hates to dwell on himself, wanting more articles on the team. "We have a defensive front that we call the ferocious front. Mike Germino is the posse leader, with [Adrian] Puzio, [Brian] Person and [Jason] Maehr. The ferocious front. That's what I think these guys are and they deserve all the credit they can get." As an outsider, it's easy to misjudge Dan Staffieri. At first glance, he looks out of place, an old man with a bullhorn, all "How you doing?"s and "Oh very well"s. On game day, the near-octogenarian in the plaid suit wanders the sidelines cheering; to the fans he appears out of place, a throw-back to an era of single-wings and leather helmets, time-warped to an age of electronic scoreboards, artificial turf and $3 souvenir Diet Cokes. But he is an essential part of the Penn football team and has been since 1977. His "Speed of Corps" has been the one constant through the Quakers' recent Ivy League dominance, their nine Ivy titles in 17 years. Through five coaches, 22 years and 117 victories, Lake has been on the sidelines. He was there when Penn last played Villanova in '80 and he'll be there tomorrow night when the Quakers and Wildcats renew their rivalry. "I love him," Hisgen said. "It's nice to see a guy with so much spirit. He's so happy. During the middle of the season, when you're dragging, he tries to cheer you up. And that makes everybody happier and we practice better." Lake humbly admits that it is through the players that he has acquired his nine championship rings, which he displays proudly, four at a time. When recruits come, he holds up the rings and says, "This is what it's all about." Tomorrow night, after all the breakdowns have been uttered in unison, after the helmet-mobile has been put in park and all the hands have been slapped, Lake will emerge from the tunnel after the team. He'll take to the sidelines in his red and blue plaid, ready to cheer the Quakers to victory for a full four quarters. And Lake, of course, will be doing better than his best.
(09/23/99 9:00am)
Now is the time for Penn to demonstrate its continued commitment to offering strong victim support. The recent resignation of its director, Susan Hawkins, and the reassignment of much of its staff have raised campus-wide concern about the unit's future. We hope that officials put such concerns to rest with unequivocal action in the month's to come. The Division of Public Safety, under which the unit falls, would do a fundamental disservice to the Penn community by sapping the unit's strength. Instead, this is an opportune moment for Thomas Seamon, vice president for Public Safety, to seize the initiative and demonstrate his commitment to the unit's future. That would be unfortunate. While it is important that Special Services work in close conjunction with the University Police -- a priority that is well-served by their close physical proximity in police headquarters at 4040 Chestnut Street -- it is also important that the unit retain a degree of autonomy. While the police must necessarily focus on investigating crimes, Special Services plays a more complex role -- one that would be compromised by an undue focus on the criminals rather than the victims. And serving that role effectively requires that the unit maintain its traditional autonomy. Hawkins was the unit's first director without a background in police work; a trained psychologist whose appointment won the approval of the University community. By again focusing on winning the community's approval for whoever is selected as the next Special Services director, the University has the opportunity to demonstrate its long-term commitment to the unit and its unique mission.
(09/16/99 9:00am)
Courtney Martin shot two balls into the cage. Maria Karas scored the game-winner in the second half. And coach Val Cloud and assistant coach Donna Mulhern scouted the Wildcats extensively. But one contributor to the win just sat in the Franklin Field bleachers and watched. His name is Keith Waldman -- and anyone on the team would tell you he played a part in the team's victory. "Last night was the culmination," Cloud said. "Everyone played so hard and had fun." What Cloud is referring to is the relationship her team developed with Waldman during the preseason. Waldman is a psychologist. He currently works for Optimal Performance Associates and helps various sports teams that are having difficulty with things unrelated to skill level or knowledge of the game. Last season, Penn finished with an 8-9 record. Although the Quakers' 4-3 mark in the Ivies was nothing spectacular, it was also not something that would typically sound off alarms. But all was not well with the Penn field hockey program. "There was a lot of frustration," tri-captain Leah Bills said. "We expected to do a lot better than we did." And tri-captain Maureen Flynn added that there were "a lot of issues that came to a head last year." Cloud saw the environment around her team and knew that it was not one conducive to attaining a championship. The level of trust and respect that most members of good teams have was nowhere to be found among members of the Quaker squad. So last spring, Cloud and Mulhern gathered with the six seniors on this year's team in what Cloud described as "a meeting of the minds." They needed a way to establish that missing component -- the much-needed trust and respect -- before the '99 season. And that is where Waldman entered the picture. Waldman has worked with numerous sports teams in the recent past, including various squads at Temple, Rutgers, Rowan and other colleges in the northeast. Penn softball coach Carol Kashow had dealt with Waldman before and recommended him to Cloud. And Cloud consulted Penn strength coach Rob Wagner, who also gave Waldman's work high praise. So Cloud made the call. What was in store for the returning players was a preseason unlike the ones they had experienced in recent years. The regular schedule of running, lifting, practicing and watching film was expanded to included team-building exercises. "Some of the games were silly, like playing with hula hoops," Bills said. "It was stupid kid games but you can see that the other people trust you." What Waldman is doing is nothing new. Bills and Flynn spoke of the exercise in which a person falls back freely, knowing her teammate will catch her. It's a simple exercise, one that has been performed many times before. But it was something the field hockey players needed. The players needed to know that they can trust a person to catch them while falling, so they know that same person can be trusted in an important game situation. Waldman met with the Quakers in six preseason sessions and has made himself available to the team for contact by e-mail or phone throughout the year. Waldman will readily admit the team that beat the 'Cats earlier this week was not the same one he met in August for their first session. That group had the talent, the knowledge and the will to compete, but it was missing two important characteristics needed for team success -- respect and trust. "Their mission, which bonded them together, was to get on the same page," Waldman said. And after six team-building sessions, that page features every member of the team. Waldman is not a revolutionary. The things he says can be heard from coaches across the country. He speaks of the "Cs of Championships," which include cohesion, commitment, communication, composure, common goals and complementary roles. These phrases are a part of every coach's vocabulary. Have a conversation with any coach of any sport at any level, and you are bound to have one of these terms spit back at you. But the Quakers needed to hear it from someone new. Hearing Cloud say these things just wasn't the same as having a third-party offer a new perspective. Bills and Flynn readily point out that this year's team is by far the best they've played with in their four years and that that is due to more than Keith Waldman. The impact he had, however, is evident to anyone who speaks to the team members. Could a similar experience help other teams at Penn? Maybe, but a psychologist is not something that all teams could use right now. When situations like the one the field hockey team had last year do arise, however, perhaps other Penn coaches will take a lesson from Val Cloud. As Waldman watched the Quakers defeat Villanova, he could see the impact he had when the Wildcats tied the game at two. "Rather than getting down, they came out and scored right away," Waldman said, referring to Karas' goal six seconds after 'Nova tied up the game. Would Penn have beaten Villanova if they had never met Keith Waldman? Possibly. But would they be a satisfied and focused team whose members trust each other completely? Probably not.
(09/15/99 9:00am)
Though Hunt was successful, helping her team to a 1-1 record, she only played because of a continuing trend in Penn women's sports -- Anne Kluetmeier, last year's starter and still a Penn student, no longer plays for the Penn women's soccer team. In 1998, Kluetmeier set school records for fewest goals allowed (14), goals against average (.870) and shutouts in a season (10). For her statistical accomplishments, Kluetmeier was named All-Ivy Honorable Mention. So why didn't she play? "When I first got back to school after the summer, I wasn't really into playing soccer," Kluetmeier said. "I came out and played, but since I wasn't into it, I wasn't playing to the best of my ability. So I thought about it for a while and then I told coach I was going to quit." Kluetmeier is just the most recent female student-athlete at Penn to remove "athlete" from her title. In 1996, nine women came to Penn to play soccer. Only five are still with the team. And that is one of the more successful women's programs at Penn. Four years ago, the women's basketball team brought in four freshman to play at Penn. Only one of those four is expected to play this year. Of the 11 women recruited to play field hockey in 1996, only six are still with the team. And of the eight women recruited to play softball that year, only three are still playing. The volleyball team has kept two of its three 1996 recruits. But other factors can be used to measure problems with women's athletics at Penn. There are 13 women's varsity sports -- excluding women's golf which is in its first season -- and eight of the head coaches have fewer than three years of experience. "I believe that it's time for Penn to take a close look at the environment for their women programs in general," a former Penn head coach said. "There has been a large turnover in women's staff, you might even say an exodus in the past three to five years. There has become a greater emphasis placed on winning and greater responsibilities placed on fundraising, compliance and recruiting. "All of this leaves less time to coach and to interact with their team. As this occurs, coaches lose touch with their athletes and their team. Perhaps they could prevent some players from making that decision to quit." And when seniors like Kluetmeier leave their teams, young players are left with instability as their model. "This becomes an unfortunate sequence of events," the former coach said. "Not only is it the model, but you do not have the experienced athletes on teams who can support, understand and nurture the younger athletes. The cycle repeats itself and the model solution becomes quitting." It simply is time for Penn, and many other schools, to examine their women's athletics programs. Penn athletics is at a disadvantage to other schools to begin with. There are no scholarship opportunities and there is simply very little glamour in women's athletics. The only motivation for a female athlete is pure love of the sport. "The restrictions that the Ivy League puts on sports is a problem," Kluetmeier said. "We are supposed to focus more on academics and spend less time on the field. So we don't get to practice as much. That makes it hard to build a program." And if women are not getting a chance to play, the choice becomes easy. There simply isn't enough time to devote to athletics and a grueling curriculum. "If people aren't playing, or they don't feel like they are being given an opportunity to play," said senior softball player Michelle Zaptin, one of three players remaining from an eight-person recruiting class, "they aren't going to put in the time." The softball team also is one of the eight women's programs with a new head coach in the last three years. Carol Kashow coached just her second season at Penn last year. While Zaptin says the coaching change worked out well for her, she acknowledged that the lack of continuity in some programs can cause problems. "People come in and they are joining a program because they like a particular coach," Zaptin said. "It is difficult when things change and you are an upperclassmen." This has become the model for women's athletics at Penn, not the exception. In this era dictated by Title IX, one has to ask what the reality of gender equity really is. With the addition of women's golf, there are 14 women's sports at Penn -- compared to the men's 15. But, in the opinion of the former Penn coach, "the only real 'satisfied' athletes at Penn play football and men's basketball. "You might ask why? They have the most money to do more like take trips and buy equipment, and they get the most attention and respect, especially within the support structure of the Athletic Department. The model for them is completely different than it is for most, if not all the women's programs." Women's sports has come a long way. But the numbers show that large numbers of female athletes are not happy. So Penn and many other schools must continue to search for ways to bring true "equity" to women's athletics. You wouldn't play sports anymore either if it wasn't fun.
(07/08/99 9:00am)
Doug Glanville. He's the best centerfielder in the National League. No, I'm not joking. And, no, I'm not crazy. The centerfield position in the National League, unlike in the American League, isn't exactly shoulder-deep in talent. There are no Ken Griffeys or Kenny Loftons in center. In fact, the best centerfielder in the Senior Circuit may just be the one patrolling the turf at Veterans Stadium. Don't agree? Well, then, who's better than the Phillies' leadoff hitter among National League centerfielders? Not the Padres' Ruben Rivera -- owner of a .228 career batting average through Monday. Not the Expos' Manny Martinez or Cardinals' journeyman Darren Bragg. The Mets' Brian McRae? The Cubs' Lance Johnson? The Dodgers' Devon White? All are past their prime; none are hitting over .260 this year. What about Darryl Hamilton? He's hitting .308. But he plays for the Rockies in the ultra-thin air of Coors Field. And Glanville still has a higher average and twice as many home runs. Marvin Benard? He's steady -- a career .279 hitter -- but Glanville has more pop, more speed, and a higher average. Preston Wilson? Mike Cameron? The two youngsters have potential, but they have not yet produced enough. Wilson has slugged 16 homers but has also fanned 72 times in 233 at bats. Cameron, meanwhile, owns just a .239 lifetime average. What about Marquis Grissom? The Brewers' centerfielder has a reputation from his days in Montreal of being a high-average speedster. But he has a combined .270 batting average in the last three years and only half as many steals -- nine -- as Glanville this year. So who does that leave? The Astros' Carl Everett, the Diamondbacks' Steve Finley, the Pirates' Brian Giles and the Braves' Andruw Jones. Two solid players and two potential stars. But none better than Glanville. Everett has become a good player in Houston, but he's still only a career .269 hitter. He has more homers and RBIs than Glanville this year, but the Astros' centerfielder still trails in nearly every other hitting category. Finley has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts this year in Arizona with 15 homers and 58 RBIs. But although his power numbers eclipse those of the Phillies' centerfielder, Glanville has a higher average, more steals, more runs, more walks, less strikeouts and a higher on-base percentage. Giles also has more power than Glanville, but, as the Pirates' No. 3 hitter, only has five more RBIs than the Phillies' leadoff hitter. Both Glanville and Giles are in the early parts of their careers, but Glanville has proven himself as a starter for nearly three years, while Giles is in just his first year of full-time duty. Giving Glanville the nod in center over Jones is a tougher choice, however. The Braves' centerfielder hit 31 homers and stole 27 bases while winning a Gold Glove last year. Undoubtedly, Jones can become a better player, but Glanville is the better centerfielder now. Glanville has more stolen bases, a higher average and a better on-base percentage. And, if that isn't enough, as a leadoff hitter, Glanville (48) has more RBIs than Jones (45). Halfway through the season, Glanville is on pace for a 208-hit, 12-homer, 36-stolen base season. And with 47 runs and 48 RBIs, the Philadelphia centerfielder could top the century mark in both of those categories. With a .320 batting average -- .394 with runners in scoring position -- it's hard to deny Glanville a spot among the top centerfielders in the game. "Is he one of the best centerfielders in the game today? Yes." Phillies pitcher Paul Byrd said. "He does a lot of things well. He runs well, he hits well, he can hit for power." Is he the best centerfielder in the game today? No, Griffey is. But is Glanville the best centerfielder in the National League? Even without an All-Star appearance on his resume, the answer is yes.
(06/03/99 9:00am)
This summer I decided to do something that few women would ever dare to try -- I moved into a fraternity house. You see, when I was given the opportunity to sublet a room in a house on Locust Walk for the summer, I jumped at the chance. To me it seemed like an extremely inexpensive way to meet a wide range of people. Although the summer has barely begun, I have already come to a few realizations about fraternities and the "frat boy" in particular. However, I must make the following disclaimer before I begin: I am proud to be an active member of the Greek system, and I believe that it promotes friendship, community service, scholarship, and campus involvement. Still, I had my own preconceptions of fraternities and the men within their ranks. Perhaps as a result of attending one too many parties and then watching my male friends suffer through pledging during the spring, I perceived fraternity men solely as alcohol-obsessed hedonists. I will be the first to admit that I fell for the common misconception that frat boys are dirty, smelly, leering, uncaring and insensitive. Harsh, I know, but Animal House made a lasting impression on me. But after a couple of weeks of living in a fraternity house, here is what I have learned: Although I still agree with the "smelly and dirty" part of the misconception mentioned above, "frat boys" are real people with legitimate feelings and valuable opinions. For me, nothing drove this home more than the little things: when one brother who lived in the house put together my roommate's bed without being asked, simply because it was a nice thing to do. Or when I returned home from work to find a group of brothers in the front yard, playing tennis and cards with three underprivileged kids whom they had befriended on the Walk. Many "frat boys" have serious girlfriends and are caring individuals who treat women with respect. I was surprised by the protective nature that these men take on when they see a female friend upset, stressed out, or in trouble. With surprisingly good intuition, the men in the house can easily spot a friend in trouble and move quickly to remedy the situation. I admit there is an immature contingent of Greek men who have received the "player" tag for their womanizing behavior, but applying that term to encompass over a thousand people is incorrect and unfair. When it comes to women, many are simply "waiting for the right one." Another facet of the frat boy personality-- commonly overlooked -- is their academic achievments. It is not uncommon to see the same faces at parties during the weekend and then the next Monday in class, making profound connections and wowing others with their knowledge and intelligence. I still remember the shock that I felt when one "frat boy" that I had met a party during the weekend helped me conquer my history homework the next week in recitation. We oftentimes forget that everybody at this school, regardless of whether or not they are Greek, was admitted to Penn for one reason: because they deserve to be here academically. The "frat boys" that we so often stereotype as moronic are in actuality the valedictorians of their high school graduating classes, the Ben Franklin scholars and the leaders of many different student groups at Penn. Yes, these boys like to cut loose, but not before their 3.9 is in the bag. Foosball rules the day. Learn it, know it, play it. It's more than a game for these boys -- its an obsession. The losers receive no kind treatment, I have seen guys running around the house in their boxers after a losing a game of foosball. If you expect to live in a fraternity, you had better be good at it. I would not trade my experience on Locust Walk for anything, and I already plan on residing in the same place next summer. Because I have shared much more than a house with these "frat boys," I have shared a home.
(06/01/99 9:00am)
The Penn men's basketball team capped a memorable season by winning the 1998-99 Ivy League title. Holy Ghost Preparatory School '97 Bensalem, Pa. It was not the best season in Penn history or even in this decade, but 1998-99 was a memorable one. It was the year the Ivy title made its way back to Philadelphia and the Quakers made their way back to the Big Dance. The Quakers accomplished what many had already anticipated and in the process of reaching the expectation, they gave more than for what they were asked. A near-sweep of the Big Five, an 11-game winning streak, two 1,000-point scorers, chants of SOL-O-MI-TO, a wired jaw, a barrage of three-pointers and a trip to Seattle. In short, the '98-99 Quakers made even the least significant games fun to watch. But most importantly, they cut down the net in the house of their biggest rival and brought the Ivy League championship back to the University of Pennsylvania. When the season began, everyone knew this veteran Penn team was talented. While the three-time defending league champions from Princeton had lost three starters to graduation, the second-place Quakers returned the core of their team. For the first time in four years, Penn seemed to have the upper hand in the rivalry between the two teams that have accounted for the last 11 league titles. Penn welcomed back four starters, along with center Geoff Owens, who missed all of the '97-98 season with a medical condition. Big things were expected from this team, and as the season began, big things were delivered. Senior forwards Paul Romanczuk and Jed Ryan and junior guard Michael Jordan were named tri-captains of the squad that opened its schedule with No. 8 Kansas at the Palestra. The near-capacity crowd of rowdy fans had witnessed a league championship in football three days earlier and was pumped to see Penn do likewise on the court. Penn held Kansas to 25.9 percent shooting and only 19 points in the first half -- the lowest scoring half ever for Jayhawks coach Roy Williams -- but in the end the Quakers could not hold the lead. Penn had a chance to win until the final minute but ultimately fell, 61-56. The schedule would not get much easier, as No. 6 Temple was next in line. This time, however, the Quakers would not let the game slip away, as they sent the Owls home with their first loss to Penn since 1982. Although Penn led for most of the first half, the Quakers went into halftime down by five. But they came storming back in the second stanza before taking the Owls to overtime and pulling out a thrilling 73-70 upset. Jordan led the charge by scoring 22 points, including two free throws with 5.8 seconds left to ice the victory. As the final buzzer sounded, fans stormed the court and it appeared to be the start of a very special season. After blowing out Lehigh in their next game, though, the Quakers came crashing back to Earth. A 16-point loss at Penn State was followed by a lackluster performance in the ECAC Holiday Festival during winter break. Penn emerged from Madison Square Garden with a close win and a close loss against two teams it should have beaten easily. But when the holidays ended, the Red and Blue got down to business. A win at Lafayette on January 5 sparked a month-long winning streak that saw the Quakers start playing like the league champs everyone expected to see. They swept three Ivy road weekends and pulled off four more non-league victories, including wins over city rivals La Salle, St. Joe's and Drexel. Against the Dragons on January 21, Romanczuk became the 26th Quaker to reach 1,000 career points, and on February 6, Penn blew out Harvard at the Palestra to improve to 11-0 in 1999. Coming into their February 9 match-up with Princeton, the Quakers were riding high. And they were certainly feeling great after the first half of that Princeton game as they embarrassed the Tigers with a 29-0 run en route to a 33-9 lead at the break. With Princeton stuck at three points for 12 minutes, Palestra fans taunted the Tigers with cries of "You have three points!" It was one of the most dominating halves of basketball in Penn history, but so was the second half -- only this time Penn was not the dominant team. The Tigers pulled off the fourth-largest comeback in NCAA history to win 50-49 when Matt Langel's 12-foot jumper bounced off the rim in the closing seconds. Penn was stunned, devastated, drained, embarrassed and befuddled. After the final horn, fans remained in their seats, staring in disbelief. Penn players emerged from the locker room with tears in their eyes. It turned out to be the best possible wake-up call. The Quakers were now more focused on their mission. They ran the table for the remainder of the Ivy season, while Princeton fell to both Harvard and Yale. On February 13 at Yale, Ryan put on a show by nailing a career-high seven three-pointers, while Jordan joined Romanczuk in the 1,000 point club. The Quakers' only worry during that stretch came when Owens broke his jaw diving for a loose ball in a close first half at Dartmouth. But the big man simply slapped a band-aid on the wound and got right back in the game, helping Penn dominate in a 33-point romp. He would only miss one game, a loss to Villanova that came two hours after surgery on his jaw. Displaying a heart with a size that matches his 6'11" frame, the center played the rest of the season with his mouth wired shut. With Owens battling through the pain, the Quakers went to Princeton on March 2 with a chance to win both the outright Ivy title and redemption from the Palestra collapse. They took full advantage of that chance. After leading by just three at the half, the Quakers ran away with the game. All five starters scored in double figures as Penn handed Princeton its worst ever loss at Jadwin Gym in a 73-48 debacle. More importantly, the Quakers earned the coveted Tournament berth and avoided a one-game playoff with the Tigers. The Penn fans took over the Jadwin court and the Quakers cut down the net to celebrate the first postseason berth for every player on the team. It was a moment that no one in attendance -- especially the 12 men in the red and blue uniforms -- will ever forget. The season came to an abrupt end at the NCAA Tournament in Seattle with a loss to Florida. Ryan hit six three-pointers in the first half as the Quakers took an 11-point lead into halftime, but the game became another second-half collapse for Penn. It was not the way the Quakers wanted to end the season, but it does not detract from what they accomplished in 1998-99. The four seniors finally got their rings, the Quakers know how it feels to be champions and a new banner will be raised in the Palestra. Because this year, the Ivy title came home.
(06/01/99 9:00am)
Thomas S. Wootton High School '98 Rockville, Md. Alcohol-related violations plagued the Greek system this past spring, altering the future of fraternity and sorority social events. The death of 1994 College graduate and Phi Gamma Delta brother Michael Tobin, which occurred after a night of drinking before and during an alumni dinner for the fraternity -- nicknamed FIJI -- propelled University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi to temporarily ban alcohol at official undergraduate parties. Following the death at FIJI in March, the FIJI national fraternity determined that the Penn chapter had violated alcohol and risk management policies. Two weeks later, FIJI forfeited its charter, ending its 117-year history as a Penn fraternity and 85-year history at 3619 Locust Walk. The fate of the former FIJI house remains unknown. Both academic and Greek uses have been suggested for the space. Currently, several fraternities but no sororities inhabit Locust Walk. "There is a general desire to get some sororities permanently on the Walk," Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. The decision to temporarily ban alcohol at registered undergraduate events prompted the creation of a student-faculty alcohol task force, which met several times per week and finally recommended a permanent alcohol policy in April. The policy includes enforced monitoring of the bring-your-own-beer system at all student group social functions. "Large parties with cases of beer provided by the chapter are most likely a thing of the past," said InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl, then a College senior. Metzl, a Tau Epsilon Phi brother, said Greek organizations are "social bodies," and among college-aged students, "social events often include the consumption of alcohol." At least three other Greek houses found their way into the spotlight this year for alcohol policy, hazing and rush violations, forcing the Alpha Epsilon Pi and Sigma Alpha Mu fraternities to become dry for the next several years. The Kappa Alpha Theta sorority was accused of a rush infraction and has recently become the only Panhellenic Council sorority at the University to exist without a house. In November, AEPi was prohibited from possessing alcohol in its on-campus house for the next two years because of its role in September's non-fatal alcohol poisoning of a female freshman who consumed at least 12 drinks at an AEPi hotel party. The punishment was extended for an additional year in April after the chapter missed deadlines and failed to comply with its agreement from the September incident, which caused the AEPi national office to ask at least three members of the Penn chapter to forfeit their membership from the fraternity. SAM's social events must be alcohol-free for the upcoming year after the fraternity violated the IFC's dry rush policy in January when over 100 brothers and prospective pledges allegedly brought five kegs to a New Jersey bowling alley, charged the alley's bowling lanes and stole hundreds of pieces of equipment. And SAM is currently barred from holding any chapter activities while under investigation by the University and the SAM national fraternity for allegedly holding an informal event involving both alcohol and pledges this past spring. The event might have violated the University's anti-hazing policy and the disciplinary agreement that stemmed from the chapter's violation of the IFC's dry rush policy. While AEPi and SAM were forced to go dry, the Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Nu and Phi Kappa Sigma fraternities have all pledged nationally to be alcohol-free by the year 2000.
(06/01/99 9:00am)
Replacing Julie Soriero, Kelly Greenberg hopes to take the Penn women's basketball team to its first Ivy League title. Holy Ghost Preparatory School '97 Bensalem, Pa. Enter Kelly Greenberg. Greenberg was recently hired to replace Julie Soriero, who announced her resignation this past season after 10 years at the helm of the women's basketball program. When Greenberg was introduced as Penn's sixth head coach on April 30, she proclaimed that her goal is not only to win the Ivy title next year, but to win it for many years to come. Her players are right behind their coach's confident statement. "Our goal every year is to win the Ivy League," said forward Diana Caramanico, who was named the Ivy League and the Big Five Player of the Year this past season. "It's great to know that's one of her goals, too." Caramanico cited Greenberg's enthusiasm as the feature that impressed her the most. In fact, Greenberg's confidence and energy are what made her stand out from the other candidates for the position. "She was the first one we interviewed," said guard Claire Cavanaugh, who was a member of the committee to search for a new coach. "We knew that we really liked her, but as we interviewed the next candidates we realized how much we really did like her." For the past seven seasons, Greenberg has been on the staff at Holy Cross. She was an assistant coach from 1992 through 1996, when she was promoted to associate head coach. Despite having spent the past seven seasons in Worcester, Mass., Greenberg is certainly no stranger to Philadelphia basketball. A graduate of Archbishop Wood High School, Greenberg was a star for La Salle in the late 1980s. Earning second-team All-Big Five honors in both the 1987-88 and '88-89 seasons, she helped the Explorers win three Big Five championships and earn three NCAA Tournament berths. Coaching in the Palestra will be the realization of a dream for the Philly native. "Being from the Philadelphia area, growing up here, I understand the Palestra," Greenberg said. "The biggest Christmas gift from my brothers was a ticket to the Palestra -- even when we were little kids -- so I really have a feel for that." While Greenberg acknowledges that she is a bit overwhelmed at being a head coach for the first time, she remains focused on taking the Quakers to the first Ivy title in the program's history. Eleven members return from last year's third-place squad, including first team All-Ivy honorees Caramanico and guard Mandy West. "I think we definitely have the potential and the ability to win the Ivy League next year, so hopefully everything will go well," West said. Greenberg has already begun the preparations for next season's campaign. After her hiring, she spent a weekend working with members of the team in one-on-one sessions. West, who was in Boston that weekend, was the only Quaker who did not meet with Greenberg individually. During those sessions, Greenberg directed each player as to what she needs to work on during the offseason. "Everything she did had a purpose -- every drill, every way she wanted us to cut," Caramanico said. "Basically, she tried to get a feel for me as a player before she puts any restriction on what I could do or couldn't do. She was really open to learning about us and letting us learn about her." Greenberg has established an offseason sprinting program that will complement the lifting program set in place by Penn strength coach Rob Wagner. In addition to these workouts, most Quakers will also play in a summer league. According to Cavanaugh, Greenberg's sprinting program represents "a 180-degree turn" from the distance running program Soriero used. The summer conditioning, however, should sufficiently prepare the Quakers for the various pressing defenses Greenberg plans to implement. Penn hopes to overwhelm the rest of the Ancient Eight with its presses and Greenberg also has a good idea of what to expect from Ivy foes. By spending most of this decade in New England, Greenberg has followed the Dartmouth and Harvard programs; Princeton coach Liz Feeley is also a former Holy Cross assistant. Greenberg, therefore, should be quite comfortable coaching against three of the league's best teams. Greenberg noted that as soon as Soriero announced her resignation in January, "a light clicked off in my head." She knew Penn was the perfect place for her to coach. And now that she has attained that position, she is faced with the task of taking the Quakers to new heights -- the top of the Ivy League.
(06/01/99 9:00am)
St. Anne's School '98 Brooklyn, N.Y. That sentiment was true around most of the Carnival, as there was much to see and do over the course of the event at and around Franklin Field. · Most of the 44,639 in attendance on April 24, the fourth-largest Saturday attendance in the history of the Carnival, saw Michael Johnson -- the star of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he won double gold in the 200 and 400 meters -- anchor a superb Olympic Development 4x200-meter relay. Johnson's Nike International team -- which also included Ken Brokenbur, Alvin Harrison and Maurice Greene -- posted a time of 1:19.47, over a second ahead of its nearest competitor, Nike Elite. "I'm pleased with how I ran today," Johnson said. "Being at the Penn Relays is great. I really like coming here and I'll come here every year that I'm running. The crowd is outstanding -- I love it." · Another person who loves the Relays is Bill Cosby. The veteran entertainer attended all three days of the Carnival, amusing everyone with whom he came into contact. Late on Saturday afternoon, a runner from Seton Hall's 4x800-meter men's team was in agonizing back pain. Cosby leaned over and whispered in the athlete's ear, and both were quickly laughing. "The entire community of track and field participates," Cosby said. "It's a family affair. The people in the stands are a mix of elders, parents, coaches and people who used to participate here. And the University of Pennsylvania, which is known for its Ivy League-ishness, its elitistness -- on these four days, it opens up! And you see all the major players, the Olympians and all, coming in their peak to run here and that means that this is special." · While Cosby hosts the CBS program Kids Say the Darnedest Things, competitors at the other end of the age spectrum raced in one of the Carnival's most interesting and exciting races. In the men's Masters 75-and-older 100-meter relay, Les Wright of the Shore Athletic Club came back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to catch and overtake the Florida Athletic Club's Tom Kennell in the final 15 meters, winning the race by 16/100ths of a second with a time of 15.27. · The thunderstorms on Friday produced a rare weather delay at the Carnival. The delay, however, only lasted as long as the lightning was around. Events continued through the pouring rain. Most of the qualifying heats for Saturday's championship races were run between the raindrops. On the field, meanwhile, one of the Relays' key field events -- the college men's long jump championship -- was also weighted down with water. On the other hand, the raging storms had no effect on the booming voice of Arkansas jumps coach Dick Booth. One of the most indelible memories of Friday's competition must certainly be Booth's urgings to the Razorbacks' Melvin Lister to catch more of the board on his take-offs. Lister, like any of the 31,904 rain-soaked fans in attendance on Friday, was well able to hear Booth and clearly took heed of his coach's advice, jumping 7.74 meters in the miserable conditions to take the event by four centimeters over George Mason's Maurice Wignall and Penn State's George Audu. · There was more to do at Franklin Field over the weekend than just watch one of the world's largest track meets. "This is a carnival," Cosby said. "I love being here." On the Lott Courts, there was an opportunity for fans to test their track skills against the stars and food vendors lined the north side of the stadium. But the good times at the Relays were not just limited to the track "family" that Cosby spoke of -- the festive atmosphere was enjoyed by everyone who spent last weekend on 33rd Street.
(06/01/99 9:00am)
Radnor High School '97 Radnor, Pa. Come September, the incoming Class of 2003 may not be the only ones trying to find their way around campus -- a few fresh faces should be joining the University administration as well. And with three search committees conducting rigorous searches since last November, the University hopes to have the three new deans in place by this fall. The committees -- composed of administrators, faculty and students -- have been advertising the positions nationally and seeking out possible candidates at peer institutions. After reviewing and interviewing the candidates, committee members will present a list of the top three to five to University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi, Penn's chief academic officer. After five months, the search committee to find a new Wharton dean is currently at work trying to narrow the current pool of six candidates down to three or four. Committee Chairperson and Dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts Gary Hack said the position will hopefully be filled by the time outgoing Dean Thomas Gerrity steps down from his position on July 1. Hack noted that the role demands a leader with a background in both business and academia. Under Gerrity's leadership, new academic programs were developed and Wharton's endowment tripled to almost $300 million. But after nine years on the job, the 57-year-old Gerrity decided to take on the role of a Management professor, which will enable him to spend more time with his family. Law Dean Colin Diver -- who has held the position for 10 years -- will also step down in July. The search committee charged with finding Diver's replacement is currently narrowing down a "very short list" of candidates to the requisite three to five, according to committee chairperson and Wharton Undergraduate Dean Richard Herring. Herring said that "with luck" the University may be able to acquire a new dean by the time Diver leaves. During his tenure, Diver, 54, has increased the faculty by one third, expanded facilities and support services and raised over $100 million for the school's activities and endowment. He plans to remain at Penn as a professor and researcher in the Law School. Former Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington announced his resignation in May 1998 in order to assume the presidency of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Chemical Engineering Professor Eduardo Glandt has been serving as interim dean since last July. A search committee has been seeking out a permanent replacement for Farrington since last November. While officials said the committee would like to fill the position quickly, they do not have a set deadline. Under Farrington, who had taught at Penn since 1979 and then served as dean beginning in 1990, applications to the school increased by 60 percent, four new master's programs were created and the size of the endowment tripled. Penn has a history of long searches for top academic appointments. It took more than a year for Barchi to be appointed after the resignation of his predecessor, Stanley Chodorow, in October 1997. And in December 1997, Samuel Preston was appointed dean of the School of Arts and Sciences after a nearly 1 1/2-year search.
(05/27/99 9:00am)
At the end of the classic 1980s comedy Back To School, Rodney Dangerfield delivers a commencement address full of amazing profundity and brevity: "In life, you better look out for number one -- and make sure you don't step in any number two!" Still, Back to School embellishes and satirizes the idea of a commencement. For a long time I thought all ceremonies were as funny, simple and stress-free as the movie portrayed them. My own high school graduation dispelled these myths. Through my difficulties preparing a speech, my high school graduation taught me that anxieties could easily arise out a seemingly straightforward exercise. Eager to compare Penn's ceremony with my high school graduation, I attended my first Penn Commencement last week. At Franklin Field, two things immediately blew me away: the majestic and meticulous organization of the event and the large, enthusiastic crowd. The orderly layout of the field and the large Penn banners caught my attention. Family and friends filled the stadium, shouting and waving in the direction of the field -- all hoping in vain to catch the attention of their special graduate. The genuine absurdity of this gesture emphasized how meaningful the occasion was in the eyes of many. Not everything about the ceremony was perfect. Robert Rubin spoke cogently but without particular inspiration. However, the presentation of each school was exciting and the graduates added spice throwing around beachballs and an inflatable banana. And even though the constant evocation of Ben Franklin became tiresome, I derived a sense of history and context from the ritual. Indeed, the event's greatest charm lay in the vestiges. Members of the crowd dressed in their Sunday best -- a remnant of bygone days when all Ivy League men wore blazers and women wore dresses. And the colors, stripes and tassels of the caps and gowns retained century-old meanings. As I left Franklin Field, the totality of the Commencement experience hit me. This is it for these guys and next year it'll be my turn. But to many seniors, Commencement itself is a formality that only family and friends will remember. For them, other Senior Week events -- Walnut Walk, the block party on Sunday night, the last precious hours spent with close friends -- will be the true memories that survive. These events create a carefree atmosphere where graduates renew friendships and re-tell stories from the past four years. This experience will live further in people's minds than the words of any commencement speaker -- be it Robert Rubin or Thornton Mellon. So is Commencement devoid of any true meaning? I don't think so. One can argue that the ceremony is formulaic and exaggerated. But people want to remember their graduation ceremony as epic, and frankly, after four years of toil, students deserve a send-off full of pageantry. Together, the experiences of Senior Week and Commencement create the nostalgic, idealized memories of college. I look forward to participating in Commencement and Senior Week next year. Just not right now. I still feel I have much to accomplish here and much to figure out about myself and my future. But for just one glorious moment, I started counting the days until I could march amongst thousands of peers, face the screaming crowd, look desperately for my family in the stands, throw my cap up in the air and call myself not a senior, but a Penn graduate.
(05/27/99 9:00am)
She finished seventh. This year Desai improved her mark by almost two inches, jumping 9'6.25''. But she finished only 25th. Why has the competition in the women's pole vault gotten so much better? Because the women have had to start from scratch. Last year was the first time that the women's pole vault was contested in the Ivy League. After two years of exhibition status, the vault will finally become an official event next year. Just in time to keep up with the meteoric rise of the women vaulters. "The women are improving leaps and bounds in this event," Penn assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "The learning curve is really expanding. Next year, 11 feet might only be eighth [at ECACs]." This year, 11 feet was good enough for second place. College coaches and athletes are learning the intricacies of the vault, so now women can no longer expect to succeed with athletic talent alone. But not all the pole vault improvement has come from within. "High school girls are going over 12 feet now," Tenisci said. "When they join the ranks of the collegiates, [the pole vault] will be even harder." For the first time, college coaches are recruiting women vaulters instead of trying to convert other women's athletes to the highly technical event. "We have been just taking our lesser long jumpers and making them into vaulters," Dartmouth assistant coach Carl Wallin said. Now athletes are coming in as freshmen with knowledge of the vault -- and thus a higher ceiling. "Soon at the college level there will be tons of kids vaulting over 13 feet," Wallin said. "And the top athletes will clear 15 feet." But while the Ivy League will make the women's pole vault an official event last year, this year marks the second consecutive season that NCAA will contest the vault as a scoring event. "My initial reaction was I wasn't happy because [the pole vault] wasn't a widely contested high school event," Cornell coach Lou Duesing said. "It didn't give schools time to recruit and it's not the safest of our events. To just throw us into the situation, I thought it was a mistake." Faced with the NCAA's surprisingly swift addition of the women's pole vault, the Ivy coaches voted to make the event an exhibition for two years before it became an official scoring event at Heptagonals. "The thinking was we wanted to give coaches and athletes time to develop," Brown coach Rob Rothenberg said. "Because the event was so new, there was a question of equipment, a question of coaching expertise, and a question of time needed to develop athletes that wanted to do the event." Now, on the eve of the pole vault becoming a scoring event, the vaulters are finally competing at a championship level. Fresno State's Melissa Price, the top collegiate pole vaulter, has already cleared 14 feet this season. But the NCAA may have cheapened the value of a championship in the pole vault by being so quick to add it to the women's slate. Last year's NCAA champion, Bianca Maran from Cal Poly Tech, cleared only 12'5.5'' in Nationals -- nearly 10 inches less than Tracey O'Hara's best jump last year as a high school senior. "If the NCAA were to add the 200 [meter dash] to the Indoor Nationals, it would immediately be run at a championship level," Rothenberg said. "But the pole vault is such a technical event." Like the hammer throw or high jump, the pole vault takes time to perfect. And time was now at a premium for college coaches, who had to scramble to find vaulters. Princeton's first women's pole vaulter last year was, according to coach Peter Farrell, "someone I noticed with upper body strength." So while Farrell tried to compete with a rookie vaulter, the NCAA had implemented the pole vault as a scoring event in Nationals. Many of the top women's track programs in the country were without a pole vaulter -- yet the event would still factor in determining the next national champion. The NCAA should have done what the Ivy League coaches did. Wait.
(05/27/99 9:00am)
Graduation weekend was a time of celebration and joy for many graduating seniors. Bright futures lie ahead and vivid memories will be left behind. The Baccalaureate Service -- which took place the Sunday before Commencement -- traditionally separates itself from the normal graduation weekend ceremonies as a celebration aimed at the entire Penn community. While many of the other Commencement events glorify the academic and extracurricular achievements of the seniors, Baccalaureate tries to celebrate the diversity of culture and religion that exists at Penn. With performances by two a capella groups, speeches by University administrators and readings of varied religious texts, the service offered a taste of the cultural diversity that can be said to define institutions like Penn. But you have to wonder: For how many seniors was this the first taste of that diversity? All too often, students wander through four years of school without exploring the cultural diversity that our school offers. And it may be the single greatest resource a student can choose to ignore. It is possible to go back later and read the historical or scientific lessons that we may have neglected in our college careers. But the unique setting that college provides will never again be available. It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to find the same sheer diversity in a small accessible area like the Penn campus. University President Judith Rodin said these "life lessons" are often as important as scholarly pursuits of classroom and laboratories. But we have to try and utilize the experiences available at Penn. For example, how many of the 1000 people in attendance at the service, who were not Muslim, had ever heard a reading from the Koran? Gerald Wolpe, who was the event's featured speaker and the senior rabbi of Har Zion Congregation in Philadelphia since 1969, relayed the importance of open-minded thinking to his audience. He told the crowd that he sees the quest for "self-identification" occupying society's thoughts. He believes this causes people to undervalue their heritage and ancestry, focusing solely on themselves. More importantly, Wolpe added, there is a failure to consider the heritage and history of others. It is equally important to understand different cultures because they have affected the development of all groups occupying this globe. The ability to interact with and tolerate all types of groups may be the best lesson we can learn at such a diverse university. The Glee Club and Counterparts represent a valuable contingency of the performing arts sector of the University -- a large part of the cultural experience at Penn. However, performing arts groups are certainly more visible in the Penn community than many other culturally diverse activities. Students need to expand their horizons and venture into other religious and cultural experiences. This is not to say that religious communities have a lack of participation -- but more importantly a lack of cross-participation. Why can't someone who isn't religious take the time to visit Chaplain William Gibson and learn about his faith and beliefs? Or, why shouldn't a devout Catholic speak with Rabbi Levine and try to comprehend the differences between Catholicism and Judaism? Regardless of how you mold your beliefs, your interaction with others will inevitably change after experiencing the cultural diversity that Penn has to offer. These may be the most important lessons people teach themselves at Penn and it would be a shame if you didn't open the text book until the weekend before you leave.
