There are several Ivy League sports teams that have been the definition of the word “dynasty” in recent years. Yet as strong as some of these programs have been, only one can be the best of the best.

This group of 11 female juniors combines to form a house — and in the process, perhaps one of the more unique bonds Penn Athletics has ever seen.

With various teams engaging in some instant classic battles, the Quakers have given fans a wild range of emotions throughout the calendar year, with the lone constant being thorough entertainment across the board.

For senior field hockey attack Alexa Hoover, her legendary career came to a close not on Penn’s Ellen Vagelos Field, but in Louisville, Ky. Hoover participated in the Division I National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Senior All-Star Game this past Friday.

Earning playing time on a varsity team as a freshman is no small task — but starring on one is something even more impressive. Several Penn rookies stepped up to the plate in this regard — but which one had the best season? A trio of DP Sports' finest debate.

While most eyes were focused on Penn football’s thrilling Homecoming victory over Princeton this weekend, more than half a dozen other teams were also in action for Penn Athletics — some playing their last competitions of the year, others playing their first.

On Saturday, the Quakers will compete on home turf against No. 12 Princeton  for their final game of the season. Last year, the Quaker’s (9-7, 4-2 Ivy) season finale ended with a tough loss against the Tigers (10-6, 6-0) in a 6-1 blowout. This year, the team is focusing on winning their final game so that Princeton is forced to share the Ivy title with Harvard. 

The five seniors – Liz Mata, Alexa Hoover, Gina Guccione, Jasmine Li, and Rachel Huang – are captains, four-year starters, skillful scorers, record-breakers, defensive walls, and, above all, leaders. On Saturday, they will play Princeton in what will be their final game together.

The DP is taking time to reflect on the past. By any definition of the word, Fink has transformed the Red and Blue program in her brief tenure here. After going 1-6 in Ivy League play in her debut season in 2010 and finishing in the bottom half of the league in each of her first three years, she has taken the Quakers from pretenders to contenders, as the team has already clinched its fourth winning season in Ivy play in the last five years. 

This past weekend, Penn field hockey played its final two away games of the season against Brown and Providence, thrashing the Bears 6-1 on Saturday before falling victim to a late goal and losing 1-0 to the Friars on Sunday.

Usually led by a high-octane attack that uses a potent offense to keep itself in games, the Quakers are scoring fewer goals this year while conceding far fewer. 

With a signature win against No. 10 Syracuse last weekend, the No. 21 Quakers are in position to make it to the NCAA championship if they win out. However, before they can get there, they have to face two more road blocks in Brown and Providence College this weekend. Luckily, they have what it takes to compete at the highest level.

Throughout the fall season, there have been spectacular individual and team performances for Penn Athletics. Our editors debate which moment sticks out most to them.

History. Made. Fresh off a frustrating weekend including an upset loss at Ivy League rival Columbia, Penn field hockey responded with one of the most impressive weekend sweeps in school history, including the first top-10 win of coach Colleen Fink's eight-year career.

Penn has two critical games on the horizon, meeting conference rival Yale at home on Friday and hosting Syracuse, a team that is ranked No. 10 in the NCAA, on Sunday.

The Red and Blue split their matches this weekend, suffering a 2-0 loss in an Ivy conference match to Columbia, and recovering for a 4-2 route over in their final City Six match in the schedule against local rival Temple.

In the season’s first weekend road trip, the Quakers will face Columbia on Friday night and crosstown rival Temple on Sunday afternoon, looking for two crucial wins just past the halfway point in their season.