Two teams, 36 innings. That's more than your typical meet-and-greet. Fortunately, familiarity seems to favor Penn's baseball team; after dropping its first game to Georgetown several weeks ago by a double digit margin, the team rebounded to win four of the remaining five games against the Hoyas.

Villanova won the game but lost its luster. The Wildcats looked nothing like a No. 3 seed until the final ten minutes of its 80-67 first-round win over American at the Wachovia Center. They'll move on to face No. 6 UCLA in the NCAA Tournament's second round tomorrow, but uncertainty is now surrounding them like a cloud.

Walking 36 holes - nearly nine miles total - while carrying heavy clubs and still keeping a competitive attitude is a tough challenge, but Lisette Vitter is confident her team can handle it. "I think our team can do it, I think we're all very hard workers," the Penn women's golf captain said.

The Penn men's golf team cancelled its spring break tournament, participating in fundraising and exhibition events instead. Still, coach Scott Allen believes his team's break experience will help everyone be ready for the start of the spring season this weekend.

Penn men's golf conquered the wind, questions about their depth, and 19 other teams this weekend in Bethany Beach, Del., so it's certainly understandable that two teams managed to slip through their grasp. Minus their star senior Mike Blodgett, the Quakers used a strong collective effort to finish third among the 22 schools participating in the George Washington Invitational at Bear Trap Dunes.

When a defender appears on a scouting report, you know she means business. Cornell senior Deirdre Lafferty is that defender. So she is a threat that the No. 3 Penn women's lacrosse team will be aware of in tomorrow's matchup against the No. 14 Big Red at 1 p.

After a three-game skid, the men's lacrosse team is in need of serious redemption. It gets the chance to turn its season around when it travels to New England, taking on Harvard tomorrow and Division I newcomer Bryant Sunday afternoon. For now, the Quakers (1-3, 0-1 Ivy) are focusing on the No.

It looks as if the NCAA Wrestling tournament seeding committee knew what it was doing when it handed out just one seed to a Penn participant. The only seeded grappler for the Quakers (12-7, 6-3 EIWA), No. 8 Rollie Peterkin at 125 pounds, was the the only Red and Blue wrestler to make it to the quarterfinals of his weightclass.

Only15 games into its season, the Penn softball team already faces a must-win game if it hopes to preserve its chances of finishing with a winning overall record. For the streaky Quakers (4-11), this scenario is very familiar. Last year, after losing eight straight games about midway through the season, the Quakers responded with a dominant 7-0 victory over Villanova that allowed them to regain their confidence and finish strongly with an 8-4 record in their final 12 games.

In a sport predicated on individual accomplishments, 11th-ranked 149-pounder Cesar Grajales and the No. 24 Penn wrestling team (12-7, 6-3 EIWA) understand the importance of unity. Grajales sees ardent support from fellow Quaker grapplers as a major factor to being successful at this weekend's NCAA Tournament, which runs today through Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St.

Welcome to college baseball, boys. Shortstop Derek Vigoa and pitcher Chris McNulty have officially been collegiate athletes for under a month, but they played beyond their years yesterday, leading Penn to an 11-6 win over Temple in Ambler, Pa. Vigoa went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI bunt single, keeping the Quakers' offensive outburst rolling.

It's March Madness, baby! Penn might be out of the tournament again, but three familiar faces are on your bracket. No. 14 Cornell will face No. 3 Missouri, the third time in four years that the Ivy rep has faced a Big 12 team. No. 11 Temple meanwhile has a legit chance to pull an upset, facing No.

With two outs in the fifth inning of the second game of its doubleheader against Saint Joseph's yesterday, the Penn softball team appeared poised to retire the high-powered Hawks offense in a quick three up, three down fashion. Down by two runs, the Quakers were still well within striking distance of pulling off a come-from-behind victory.

Jonathan Berkowsky is going back to where he belongs. After placing 11th at the NCAA Championships in sabre last year - which earned him an honorable mention All-American nod - the junior standout will look to improve upon that finish at this year's NCAAs, which start today and end tomorrow.

After a slow start in its game against No. 17 Penn State - the Nittany Lions scored three early goals - the women's lacrosse team needed a boost. That's when Becca Edwards took things into her hands. With 12 and a half minutes left in the first half, the senior turned the game around.

Marisa Lozano, Penn State's leading scorer, will have her big sister there at Bigler Field to watch her take on the Penn women's lacrosse team tonight. But her sister won't be there for support - Gloria Lozano will be on the opposing team's sideline. The elder Lozano has been Penn's assistant coach for five years.

The players on Penn's baseball team have an annual obligation to forego college students' favorite pastime, spring break, in favor of America's. Nevertheless they are feeling as fresh as any college student after their success on the spring trip, which they hope to continue today against Temple.