Coming off their first win in 16 games, the Quakers finally have some confidence heading into a weekend series. "There are positive thoughts," coach Pat Knapp said. "That's where it all starts." They hope to build on that and reverse their fortunes from earlier this season when they host Dartmouth (8-14, 5-3 Ivy) and Harvard (13-9, 6-2).

Bum shoulders shouldn't slash the Quakers' trophy hopes this Sunday as the team heads to Columbia for the Intercollegiate Fencing Association championship tournament. Penn's men will have to overcome shoulder problems by Sunday if they hope to improve upon last year's third place team finish.

When the Penn women's tennis team faces off against the Terrapins, the Quakers will play a young team that is out to prove itself. Of the eight women on the Terps' roster, seven are underclassmen. That doesn't mean Maryland (1-4) doesn't have what it takes to win.

It's already been a milestone season for the women's squash team. The Quakers were the first Penn squad ever to visit South Africa, where they experienced 10 days full of cultural experiences and excellent squash. They followed that up with an undefeated regular season and their second Ivy League title in program history, en route to a No.

There's far more to Harvard forward Cem Dinc than the 18 straight games he sat out to the start the season, or his one-minute debut against Penn on Feb. 1. For the 6-foot-11 Dinc, it's not about the destination; it's about the journey. Harvard is the third college he has attended.

As Penn wrestling coach Zeke Jones likes to say, "Once a Penn wrestler, always a Penn wrestler." Though most athletic programs would probably claim the same, the Penn wrestling team has a special alumni club that specifically fulfills this goal: the Grapplers' Club.

On paper, the process might not have seemed so foreign. Play over the summer to stay sharp. Arrive in August to meet with the team. Start practice on the first day of September. But former Penn women's basketball standout Joey Rhoads was a long way from the Palestra.

The opponents may be better at Cornell and Columbia, but pure inconvenience makes Harvard-Dartmouth the toughest Ivy League road trip. Like every team, Penn will be doing its best to keep bodies fresh and spirits high for the long stretches of travel. Senior captain Brian Grandieri, who has been on seven roadtrips in his three years of playing, said that each roadtrip presents its own challenges.

Say goodbye to the "Hey Song." The song, officially titled "Rock and Roll Part 2," has been a staple at Penn men's basketball games. The Penn Band plays it when it appears that the Quakers will win, and fans replace "Hey!" with "Hey, you suck!" directed at the opposing bench.

Many people still remember Barb Seaman as a two-year-old running around Franklin Field. Seaman's father Tony coached Penn's men's lacrosse team from 1983-1990, winning the Division I Coach of the Year award and four Ivy League titles. The Quakers had made just two NCAA tournament appearances before his tenure, and they didn't reach another one after his departure for 15 years.

The women's basketball team has struggled with injuries all season. Only six Quakers have played in all 22 games this season, and only one, Anca Popovici, has been a constant in the starting lineup. While the Red and Blue aren't making excuses for their poor record, they have lost more than just playing time due to injuries - it has been difficult for Penn to establish an offensive rhythm.

For the women's lacrosse team, the bar has never been set higher, the goal never so lofty. Coming off their best season in program history, the Quakers will try to top their Final Four appearance, No. 2 ranking and Ivy League Championship with their ultimate goal: ending the season No.

Junior co-captain Craig Andrzejewski has a brother on a professional lacrosse team, but he's not letting that overshadow his own accomplishments: Craig is making a name for himself as the Quakers' offensive leader. After his brother D.J. departed for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse following the 2005-06 season, Andrzejewski (pronounced andrew-JEFF-ski) assumed a starting role.

Penn may be guilty of its share of faults this season, but it can't be accused of lacking intensity during Ivy play. This weekend's two games at the Palestra were no exception. Coming off last Tuesday's foul-fest of a win against Princeton - in which the teams combined for 52 fouls and four technicals - Penn's game lost none of its physical character.

When Brian Voelker was hired as the men's lacrosse coach before the 2003 season, he took the helm of a program that had not been to the NCAA tournament in 13 years. But within four years, he had taken his Quakers there twice. Now, if Penn wants to return to the postseason after last year's absence, Voelker will have to navigate a boatload of young talent through a harsh regular-season schedule.

Jeff Orleans said yesterday that he will retire as Ivy Group Executive Director, effective June 30, 2009. Orleans, the only full-time Executive Director in Ivy history, has held his position since September 1984. "I have been extremely fortunate over the last two decades to have the chance to help the Ivy League's extraordinary student-athletes succeed," the Yale and Yale Law School graduate said in a statement.

Following a Jan. 15 loss to Seton Hall, the women's basketball team had a 16-day break before its next game against Harvard. But the time off was not a voluntary choice for Penn coach Pat Knapp, who feared that his squad would get rusty. The layoff was just one of several unfortunate byproducts of the unusual Ivy League schedule.