The Penn men’s and women’s cross country seasons came to an end Friday at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, with a number of strong performances from underclassmen giving the team optimism for the future.

It happened on the final play of the third quarter. Penn, up 21-14 at the time, faced a crucial third down with three yards to go on the Harvard 36. Ragone, as he had already done 15 times that afternoon, tucked the football away and took off running. He scrambled seven yards — easily enough for the first — before he was brought down violently around the neck by the Crimson’s Nnamdi Obukwelu.

On Saturday, the Penn football team showed what it could do and then some, clinching at least a share of the Ancient Eight crown with a victory over a favored Crimson squad.

An entire season was wasting away before the eyes of the Palestra crowd Friday night, and it was a moment of truth for the Quakers. Would they accept defeat and admit they had lost too much talent to their last graduating class? Would their season end before it had even started?

Harvard won the opening coin toss, but not much more would go right for the Crimson at Franklin Field after that, as the Quakers scored on their opening drive and never trailed in a 30-21 victory.

After a rough first half against UMBC, the young Penn team rallied back from a 22-point deficit to secure their first win of the season, 80-75.

Saturday at noon, No. 25 Harvard comes to Franklin Field in what is a de facto Ivy League title game. With a win, Penn would clinch at least a share of the Ancient Eight crown.

For the second straight season, the Quakers will open their season against UMBC. Last year they took the contest, 59-45, in Catonsville, Md.

Sophomore guard Jackie Kates has chosen not to return to the team this season but leaves on good terms.

Friday night, Penn opens its season at Norfolk State. The Quakers return 11 players, including junior Alyssa Baron and sophomore Kara Bonenberger — the two reigning Big 5 Rookies of the Year.

Sunday, Penn’s grapplers will travel to upstate New York to compete in the annual Binghamton Open, their first competition of the year.

As Penn hits the road for a back-to-back in the Empire State, a chance for second place and just one loss in the second half of Ivy play hangs in the balance.

Going into their second-round match Thursday at the 2012 United States Tennis Association/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y., the Penn doubles pair of Sol Eskenazi and Sonya Latycheva fell just short in a 8-5 loss to Ashley Dai and Whitney Kay of North Carolina.

Predicted to finish fifth in the Ancient Eight in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll, the Quakers will face challenges in every league matchup.

It’s no surprise graduated Quakers have continued their professional playing careers abroad, where they are all doing what they love to do the most.

Per usual, the Quakers will take on the other four teams of the historic Philadelphia Big Five this season and the competition will be tough.

Jerome Allen and his staff bring in a talented four-man recruiting class this season and also return sophomore Greg Louis. With the loss of key seniors, these five players will have plenty of opportunity this season to show what they can do.