Early in the season, it seems like teams in many sports claim to be improving. Gymnastics is a rare sport in which the numbers can prove it. Case in point: Penn's meet this weekend against Temple and Towson. The Quakers beat Temple and finished second to Towson with a score of 189.

For some Penn students, the crowning moment of Prince Charles's visit to Philadelphia this weekend was a on e-hour visit to the International House just a block from campus. Taking an opportunity to interact with local students during their tour of Philadelphia, Charles and his wife - Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall - stopped by the International House Saturday afternoon to attend a student roundtable discussion focused on urban regeneration.

After over two years of construction on Penn's Domus project, it's time for the finishing touches. Domus - the University's luxury-housing project near the intersection of 34th and Chestnut streets - remains ahead of schedule, and rooms will be available for rent in June.

With his team sporting a 13-0 lead over No. 14 Penn, one boisterous Hofstra wrestling fan couldn't resist the urge to gloat. "Who's stronger now?" he hollered at Penn's Matt Valenti, who was locked in an epic quintuple-overtime match with the Pride's Lou Ruggirello.

After Penn's loss to St. Joseph's, it is easy to dwell on the negatives, especially when the game was never really out of reach. But judging from their performances against the Hawks and the rest of the Big 5 opponents, the Quakers are right where they need to be at this point in the season.

Using religious iconography on cards and clothing walks a fine line between being funny and being disrespectful.

Ekaterina Kosminskaya and the Penn women's tennis team are undefeated. Get used to hearing it. The freshman standout led the Quakers with two victories in their first match of the promising season, a win at Penn State on Saturday. Kosminskaya was not handed an easy first match.

Prospective students shouldn't be deceived by Princeton's "tuition freeze."

Was a David vs. Goliath analogy appropriate for the Penn men's and women's fencing teams as they entered the Penn State Invitational last Saturday? Not quite, but both teams had factors working against them heading into the meet. Coach Dave Micahnik conceded that the talent they were facing was of a different caliber.

When Courtney Jaworski graduated last year, the men's distance squad lost its strongest runner as well as a key component in its 4x800-meter relay. But coach Charlie Powell saw potential in junior Tim Kaijala to step into that type of role this weekend at the Penn State Open.

Playing through an injury is always tough, but sophomore swimmer Tara Gillies overcame this burden and swam four of the best races of her life. Inspired by this performance, the Penn women's swim team (11-4, 4-3 Ivy) pulled out a 155-145 victory over Navy (11-2, 6-0 Patriot) Saturday.

3.5Estimated hours college students spend each day watching television. Source: The New York Times

By the time the Quakers had a chance to lose, all the bounce had gone out of the ball. There was no dramatic finish, no anxious huddle around center court. Even though Kristen Lange, Sydney Scott and Paula Pearson - the top three squash players for Penn - lost their matches, the rest of the lineup was strong enough.

With about 100 days left until the mayoral primary, there are only two things most experts can agree on. First, the winner of this contest will most likely be the next mayor of Philadelphia. And second, whoever wins on May 15 is anybody's guess.

There was never a doubt who the favorite was. A 155-game win streak is tough to compete with, and the men's squash team simply did not have the firepower to beat Trinity. The Bantams defeated Penn 9-0 on Saturday. No. 4 Penn visited No. 1 Trinity with its own seven-game win streak, but the Bantams took all nine matches in straight flights.

Saint Joseph's acted like a well-oiled gridiron offense in the second half Saturday, wearing down the Quakers for an 84-74 win at the Palestra.

Even though both Penn squash teams will be taking on Trinity this weekend, each is headed in a different direction. For the No. 4-ranked men's side (7-0, 3-0 Ivy), Hartford, Conn. will not be a welcoming place. The No. 1 Bantams (11-0) have only lost one game all year, and they haven't dropped any of their last 155 matches.