Before this last week, the standings appeared as if they might result in a legitimate Ivy race for the first time in several years. But Yale played itself out of that race in Ithaca when it was struck by free-throw karma. One week after Penn beat itself in New Haven, Conn.

With Penn up by eight against Harvard and with an open look, Brennan Votel was in a perfect spot to put up the three-pointer. It is a shot that has only been successful for him 16 percent of the time so far this season, but he took the chance. The gamble paid off, and as the ball swished through the net, Votel must have felt that it was going to be a good night.

About 10 minutes after Saturday's win over Harvard, with the crowd still filing out of the Palestra, a collective cheer went up from the Penn fans walking past the tennis courts. The news quickly spread through the crowd - Cornell had beaten Yale, 60-59, returning the Quakers to their rightful spot atop the Ivy standings.

So, you guys are probably gonna beat us tonight. We're 1-5 in the Ivies. We lost to Dartmouth Saturday night. Yeah, that Dartmouth. But it's not like we couldn't beat you guys if we wanted to. We've done it in the past, time and time again. But this season, we're looking at the bigger picture.

There were plenty of obstacles that freshman Marcus Schroeder had to hurdle to find his way into a Princeton uniform and the starting lineup. There was the geographic divide that the Concord, Calif.

Whoa there, Princeton. Just take a deep breath. You see, the same thing seems to happen every year with us. When confronted with the sad realities about your basketball program, you throw a hissy fit. You try to say you're better than us, that Penn stinks, and that we took your lunch money when you were little kids.

For the second time in three years, a strange sight will appear at the Palestra. One of the two best teams in Ivy League history is in its proper place at the top of the conference standings. Penn (14-8) is in first place at 5-1. But archrival Princeton (10-10), as it was two years ago, comes limping into tonight's 7 p.

Last Friday against Harvard, Penn's leading scorer was held to four points in 30 minutes on 2-of-11 shooting. But coach Pat Knapp saw a bigger problem. "That's not the story of the weekend," he said when asked about Monica Naltner's season-low output. "The story of the weekend is how poorly we defended, particularly on the perimeter.

Charge and retreat. Advance and regress. These words were used more than just to describe the heated action on the fencing strip, but could also trace out Penn men's and women's fencing teams this season. Yesterday at the Ivy League Round Robin No. 1, both were charging.

Consecutive 9-0 losses to the nation's top two teams were major setbacks in the Quakers' quest to be considered among the nation's elite. But now, No. 4 men's squash can say it's in the ballpark. Penn split the weekend's matches at Ringe Courts, losing to No.

Penn may have finished off a weekend sweep with Saturday night's 67-53 victory over visiting Harvard, but it wasn't one-sided. The Crimson walked away with a better three-point showing, shutting down the Penn players who shot from beyond the arc. All but one.

Home cooking has never tasted so sweet for the gymnastics team, which beat Ursinus (186.375), West Chester (175.775), and Wilson (151.075) with 189.425 points on Saturday. The team "showed more effort in fighting for their routines, and they showed a lot pride today," coach John Ceralde said after the meet.

The scoreboard told the story of a new Saint Joseph's team, and Phil Martelli found an explanation in the simplest of places. His Hawks were out for blood. And not without reason. After suffering a 56-39 embarrassment against archrival Villanova on Tuesday, the Hawks walked into the Palestra Saturday afternoon with a collective chip on their shoulders.

The Quakers destroyed a sloppy Dartmouth team with pressure defense and a solid inside game for the 73-53 win. It was the Red and Blue's first home Ivy contest this season, and they looked energized and much more comfortable than they were in New Haven, Conn.

Harvard coach Frank Sullivan couldn't sit down. He dutifully answered the questions at Penn's post-game press conference, but after about five minutes he did what he had been itching to do since it became apparent that the Crimson were going to lose - he left the Palestra.

They may not have a perfect record and they may not be No. 1, but the Penn women have never been more confident. "I feel our chances for a national championship are pretty good," senior and co-captain Paula Pearson said. One week ago, she may have been less optimistic after Princeton ended the Quakers' bid for an undefeated season and seemingly shattered her hopes of a national title.

The Penn wrestling team made the long trip to Ithaca on Friday with an Ivy League title on its mind. But in front of a packed house at Niemand Arena, Cornell - in a quest for its fifth-straight league crown - took the wind out of the Quakers' sails.