For most of the competitors at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials, last weekend's events at the Wachovia Center were the culmination of years of preparation and hard work. For the biggest participant there, though, the Trials were just a baby step toward a goal much more global and grandiose.

Late May might be the time for students to rest and relax at an exotic vacation spot before they start their summer jobs or internships. For the field hockey team, late May was the time to go away as well. But its trip was anything but R&R.; The Quakers traveled to Argentina to train with the country's national team and to play club teams.

Penn's track and field teams battled through a season filled with record-breaking performances as well as setbacks. In the end, though there was to be no miraculous endings. The three Penn representatives at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University were all unable to achieve their ultimate goals, with none earning All-America status.

According to women's basketball coach Pat Knapp, the two key ingredients to having a successful season are pride in the program and a desire to win. It should be no surprise, then, that when a position opened up on his staff, he chose former Penn player and two-year American University assistant coach Amanda Kammes to fill it.

Cornell triple-jumper Muhammad Halim won the NCAA Championships this weekend at Drake University. It is the second victory in as many years in the triple jump for a Big Red athlete, as '07 graduate Rayon Taylor won the title last year. Taylor competed as a graduate student for Florida State this year, but he lost to Halim's 54.

Former Quaker Mark DeRosa sits in second-place among second baseman in all-star balloting for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game as of Tuesday. DeRosa, whose Chicago Cubs currently are in possession of the best record in baseball, has put together one of the best seasons of his career.

It's about that time of year when the eight public faces of the Ivy League universities - no, not their basketball or football coaches, but their presidents - get together for their annual sit-down. That means that for everyone outside those doors, it's about time to start the annual guessing game.

The NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships are already underway, and the three Quakers representatives are doing their best to make an impact. While graduated senior Jesse Carlin will continue on to the semis in her event - the 800-meter run - tomorrow, her fellow Quakers struggled today at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Softball co-captain Christina Khosravi had already been named co-Ivy Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy First Team. But she hadn't had enough. On Monday, the graduated senior was named a Second-team Easton All-American. Khosravi was a standout for the Quakers all season, hitting .

Outgoing Penn seniors Jesse Carlin and Mike Hall of the track and field teams were honored Monday as Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America. They are two of the Ivy League's 15 honorees this spring, bringing the school year's total to 81.

A total of eight Ivy League baseball players were selected in the MLB draft, which took place last Thursday and Friday. It seemed like the Ivy League would have to wait until the second day for any players to move on, but the Boston Red Sox organization had its eyes on one Ivy Leaguer.

Two years ago, when then-Brown head coach Craig Robinson first signed at the Providence, R.I., school, he didn't cross too many borders to find his first assistant coach. He tabbed Jesse Agel, then an assistant at nearby Vermont. Now, when the Bears had to fill Robinson's shoes after he left for Oregon State April 7, they stayed even closer to home, moving right down the bench to promote Agel to head coach.

For all the difficulties the men's heavyweight rowing team has faced this season, it may have finally garnered an achievement that will make the Quakers proud. At the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta - the national championship for rowing - in Camden, NJ this weekend, the Quakers made the Grand Final in the Open Four event, which they ultimately finished in sixth place.

This weekend, the men's track and field team travelled to Tallahassee, Fla. for the NCAA East Regionals, hoping for successful performances and, perhaps, an invitation or two to the NCAA Championships next week. All any member of the team is leaving with is a tan.

Jesse Carlin is fast. Learning how fast, though, surprised even her. The outgoing senior won the 800-meter event at this weekend's NCAA East Regionals in Tallahassee, Fla. Winning the event gave her an automatic bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa June 11-14.

I had lunch with a former high school classmate last week, like me an aspiring journalist and, like me, a blogger. She asked me how many different sites I had ever posted for, and, silly me, I told the truth: two. When she told me that she wrote regularly for four blogs - two were paying gigs, one served to keep the fam up to date on her goings-on, and the last one was a personal diary - I didn't know who to be sad for, me or her.

This weekend marks the beginning of the final stretch for many of Penn's best senior track and field athletes. They will be competing in the NCAA East Regionals in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday and Saturday. Of the seven athletes wearing the Red and Blue, five will be running with the knowledge that a loss will bring an end to their collegiate careers.