If my team loses more than they win in my presence, I convince myself that I must be cursed. So after witnessing Penn men’s basketball’s two most lopsided losses of the season, I began to worry that I might be bad luck.

Why the heck is this Ivy Leaguer Zack Rosen a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award? National writers can barely spell his name right, and you’d better believe they don’t botch Jardine.

Despite Penn’s long and distinguished sports history, few of its teams have claimed an NCAA championship trophy of its own.

After two months without a tournament, the men’s and women’s fencing teams bounced back into form as they competed in the Philadelphia Invitational held at Hutchinson Gym.

The Quakers had their best performance since 2008 on the way to beating Rutgers.

If the Quakers continue to perform with this type of rapid-fire intensity throughout the conference season, composure will be an extremely valuable commodity.

In a nail biter at the Palestra, Penn’s men’s basketball team withstood a furious Red Hawk’s rally to notch their first Big 5 win of the season. VIDEO: Highlights from the game

Now, a year later, that same St. Joseph’s team will return to the Palestra on Saturday. However, much has changed for both teams.

After having served as an assistant at college basketball powerhouse Connecticut for 14 years, Temple’s Tonya Cardoza has accrued a wealth of coaching experience.

For most, Jan. 19 was an ordinary Thursday. For the Penn’s men’s squash team, however, it held so much promise since the season began in November. And it ended in sheer disappointment.

Marveling at the inside of the self-proclaimed ‘Cathedral of College Basketball,’ I was rudely awakened from my daydream when my red-and-black plaid Washington Nationals cap was roughly flipped off my head.

Freshman Luona Wang and Wendy Zhao attended Vestavia Hills High School in Alabama and have fenced together for ten years.

These days, the Penn band, Quaker Girls and cheerleaders form the majority of the student contingent at many home games.

According to his Twitter bio, former Penn basketball player Justin Reilly is a “Wharton Grad. Entrepreneur. Poet. Activist. Writer. Retired D1 Athlete.”

Although Penn has a slim chance to win the Ivy League, some Quakers’ grapplers are having great individual seasons.

Thursday, Penn faces another challenge when No. 17 Franklin & Marshall visits Ringe Courts for a midweek tilt in a match in which the Quakers will look to build confidence.

College freshman and New Orleans native Henry Brooks lost everything to Hurricane Katrina. His life, education and ability to play the game he loves are blessings that he does not take for granted.