I loved everything about my semester abroad in London - except, of course, how much it cost. I lived frugally, but when a load of laundry sets you back $10, you can't help but feel that you're fighting a losing battle. With many students thinking twice before purchasing so much as a latte, it's easy to assume that a semester abroad - with its high exchange rates and weekend-whirlwind tours - is an impractical indulgence.

Penn's Stephanie Wheeler trailed Columbia's Tess Finkel, 4-2, with thirty seconds left in a first-to-five epee bout at the NCAA Championships. In courageous fashion, the sophomore quickly recorded two touches, sending the bout to overtime, where she ended up winning 5-4.

Men's lacrosse can't be happy enough to get out of New England. A hopeful weekend turned sour after the Quakers were shut down Saturday at No. 16 Harvard, 11-4, then lost a 15-11 shootout at Bryant the next day. After dropping an overtime heartbreaker to Yale over spring break, the Red and Blue (1-5, 0-2 Ivy) hit the road for Ivy League redemption in Cambridge, Mass.

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.

The undergraduate student hospitalized earlier this month with meningococcal meningitis was released from the hospital this weekend, according to University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman. There are no further cases of meningococcal infection, she added. Student Health Service posted an update on its Web site about the student's release on Saturday.

The Archeology Museum was infiltrated by superheroes of all shapes and sizes yesterday, becoming an educational playground for children and parents to learn about ancient and modern-day heroes. The event - "Wow! Superhero Day"- was held at the Penn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology in conjunction with Van Pelt Library's Year of the Comic Book and Penn's Year of Evolution celebration to commemorate Charles Darwin's 200th birthday.

Against Cornell this weekend, junior midfield Ali DeLuca put away four goals, including one she has been working on all season - the fake flip. "I think we have a lot of trouble on the flip and the fake flip," DeLuca said. "We've always practiced that all year, and [coach Karin Brower] really wants us to get that down, so it worked nicely.

Alternative rock band Guster will open for Akon at this year's Spring Fling concert on April 17 in Franklin Field, the Social Planning and Events Committee announced today. "They have a similar vibe even though they're very different genres in music," said SPEC Concerts co-director and College junior Preston Hershorn, who anticipates that the line-up will bring a diverse crowd.

On March 13, three Penn students associated with the Student Labor Action Project returned early from spring break to attend their much-anticipated meeting with Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli and an executive from HEI, a hotel-management corporation with ties to the University.

Alicia Puglionesi is a College senior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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.

Philly Diner and the University recently agreed to shorten the restaurant's hours of operation in response to a shooting that occurred outside the diner last month. The diner - located in a University-owned building at 3901 Walnut St. - will close at 2 a.

As admissions officers sift through applications this spring, some schools' choices may be more limited than they were last year. Many private colleges - especially top liberal arts schools - saw declines in application numbers this year, which admissions experts attribute to both the economic downturn and a natural fluctuation in the admissions cycle.

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.

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.