After playing two games in Virginia, the Penn field hockey team returned north with two more losses. On Saturday, the Quakers lost, 3-2, in overtime to William & Mary, and on Sunday, they again fell, this time 3-1 to Virginia Commonwealth. Penn (1-4) had trouble starting strong in both games, as it was outscored, 5-1, in the first half.

Despite leading 2-0 at the 47:08 mark, Penn gave up three late goals to fall 3-2 to the Wildcats in the second game of the Penn Invitational at Rhodes Field.

You'll have to forgive Lauren Sadaka for feeling a little long in the tooth. She is, after all, the only member of the Penn women's tennis team who can legally drink. Indeed, with her squad about to open its fall campaign at this weekend's Princeton Invitational, Sadaka - the Quakers' lone senior on a roster of nine - has spent the season's early stages honing her skills as elder stateswoman.

Whatever the Golden Eagles said during a fifth-set timeout paid off, as they rattled off three straight points en route to winning the set, 15-13, and the opening match of the Florida International Invitational. From there, it was all downhill for the Red and Blue. They didn't win a single set the rest of the way, getting swept by both FIU and Central Florida.

On the surface, there are two great barriers awaiting the Penn women's soccer team tonight against Villanova, its opening game in this weekend's Penn Invitational. First, the big, round zero at the end of the Wildcats' 2008 record (5-0) is waiting for the Quakers - just like it was leading into last year's 4-0 Penn loss.

Coming off a tough 3-2 loss at the hands of rival Villanova Friday after leading 2-0, the women's soccer team was angry going into Sunday's game against East Carolina. Instead of letting their emotions get the better of them, the Quakers used their intensity to dominate the Pirates from the opening whistle.

The Penn women's field hockey was forced to swallow its second tough loss tonight at Franklin Field, falling, 2-1, to Saint Joseph's. Although the Quakers swarmed the opposing goal over the final five minutes, their late offensive show didn't lead to a shot, as they lost to the Hawks for the third consecutive year.

Franklin Field, the oldest active football stadium in the United States, has undergone many historic changes over the years. It housed the nation's first scoreboard and in 1925, became both the largest football facility and the first with an upper deck. But thanks to a recent discovery as part of the University's expansion and renovation of the east end of campus, Penn is turning back the clock.

The verdict is in: Harvard, apparently, did not cheat. A statement released last week by the Ivy League batted back allegations of wrongdoing in a March New York Times article centering on the Crimson basketball team and coach Tommy Amaker. The Times article cited coaches past and present who alleged that Harvard's standards for admission had fallen under Amaker's reign.

Some students have been opposed to it for years, but general-admissions seating is coming to Penn basketball this fall, no doubt about it. The first 500 students who participate in The Line will still have access to the best seats, but none will be reserved, a policy that Athletic Department officials hope will encourage students to arrive before tipoff and centralize the section.

The best cross-country distance runners push through the pain at around the three-mile mark. They ignore the numbness in their calves, the burning in their lungs and the queasiness in their stomach. When they finally get to the finish line, they collapse to the ground, frequently helped off by coaches and sometimes, stretchers.

If the Penn men's soccer team --had any doubt about who would mind the net, it need look no further than the man currently occupying the starting role. After splitting time with two other goalkeepers last season, senior Drew Healy has staked a strong claim to the starter's role, playing all of both games this weekend and letting in no goals.

During Saturday's game with Rutgers, the Penn field hockey team had trouble winning loose-ball battles. Coach Val Cloud set out to remedy the problem in this week's practices, and the Red and Blue (1-1) will be immediately tested, as they host a speedy Saint Joseph's squad tonight at Franklin Field.

As freshman Ursula Lopez-Palm watched her rebound soar over Pittsburgh goalie Morie Kephart's head and into the back of the net, she started jumping up and down during what she called a "surreal" moment. "[My teammates] made fun of me a little for my celebration dance," Lopez-Palm admitted.

Scan through the Penn women's track records from the past few years and you'll see a pair of names repeat themselves over and over: Claire Kim and Stacy Kim, usually with either a "1." or "2." next to their names. The now-graduated twins were not only the Red and Blue's leading finishers, but were also their heart on and off the track.

Penn Football went 4-6 last year. It graduated a sort-of starting quarterback, its running back, fullback and two best wide receivers, plus three starting linemen. (This is just the offense.) And yet, somewhere between New Hampshire and New Jersey, someone out there knows how Penn can win the Ivy League.

If Penn's volleyball team wants to improve upon last season's second-place Ivy League finish, it needs to fill the hole in the middle of its defense. On Friday, Bowling Green exposed it as ball after ball dropped - as if in slow motion - between two or three players who stood by idly watching.