NCAA president Myles Brand, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January, passed away yesterday at the age of 67. The NCAA has not yet named his successor.

It's the Wednesday after Labor Day, which means two things: classes start and we here at the DP make sports predictions. So without further ado:

If Penn Rowing hopes to soon reassert itself at the top of the Ivy League, it will have to do so with two new coaches. With both lightweight head coach Mike Irwin and heavyweight assistant coach Eric Carcich leaving their respective positions, the program has lost two key members of its crew.

Women's lacrosse may have come up short of a national championship, but two of the team's seniors can now say they won their final collegiate contest. Becca Edwards and Kaitlyn Lombardo were selected by coach Karin Brower to represent Penn in the IWLCA/Under Armour North-South Senior All-Star game last Saturday.

When it comes to the running back position, the Class of 2013 recruits are only an added bonus to an already talented Penn backfield. "I think it's our deepest position, certainly on the offensive side of the ball," coach Al Bagnoli said. After bringing in five more skilled runners, Bagnoli is pleased with the depth of "experience and talent and different kinds of running styles" he has in his backfield.

Despite graduating from Wharton in 1965, George Weiss never really left Penn. A generous benefactor of the University and many charitable projects, the charter trustee has stayed intimately involved in the school's affairs. His more than $60 million of donations to the University has already garnered two institutions bearing his name: the Weiss Tech House and the Weiss Center for International Financial Research at Wharton.

I made the trek down to the Big Apple and Citi Field for Tuesday night’s heavyweight bout between the Fightins and the hated New York Mets

In a season in which the men's heavyweight crew team only once posted a sub-six minute time, the three-day IRA National Championship Regatta in Sacramento, Calif., last week capped off a disappointing year with slightly unexpected results. The initial heats last Thursday were the toughest for the Quakers, as the first and second Varsity 8 boats attempted to conserve their energy and posted their slowest times of the weekend at 6:22.

e football by storm over the past three years as the dynamic leader of the Gators, just as much of a threat to run with the ball as he is to throw it. While Penn coach Al Bagnoli isn't expecting national titles or hundreds of rushing yards from his quarterbacks (a la Tebow), he does understand that athleticism and mobility are becoming of increased importance under center.

Looking back on another spectacular season that ended in heartbreak for the women's lacrosse team, coach Karin Brower still has a lot to be happy about.

Man, was that fun. Along with thousands of my Phillies brethren, I made the trek down to the Big Apple and Citi Field for Tuesday night's heavyweight bout between the Fightins and the hated New York Mets - the two contenders in a budding local rivalry that is gaining steam nationally.

Anna Aagenes was just a second away from automatically qualifying for next week's NCAA Track and Field Championships. Now, she'll have to wait a whole year before she can redeem herself. The junior competed at the NCAA East Regional Championships in Greensboro, N.

They may be amateurs, but they proved they can play with the pros. The City 6 All-Stars - a compilation of the best college softball players at Philadelphia schools - held their own in an exhibition game against the city's Pro Fastpitch League franchise, the Philadelphia Force.

Darryll Oliver's performance at last weekend's NCAA East Regional Championships summed up the event for the men's track and field team: lots of talent but little results. None of the eight members of the Penn team were able to qualify for NCAA Championships next week, which requires finishing in the top five in an event or posting one of the best marks of the nation's remaining athletes.

Penn's best underdog story of the year had to wait until after graduation. With several seniors fresh out of cap and gown, the women's Club Ultimate Frisbee team ventured to the Midwest for the UPA College Women's Championships last weekend. The team, known by its members as Team Venus, didn't leave Columbus, Ohio with the trophy.

Anna Aagenes and the Penn women's track and field team were in top form during competition at the ECAC Outdoor Championships May 15-17. Unfortunately for the Quakers, it did not amount to much on the scoreboard. With her fourth-place finish in the 800-meter on the event's final day, Aagenes garnered all five points scored by the Quakers at the meet.