Penn fencing's season began at the Elite Invitational this past week, where the Quakers beat out the majority of the competition with wins over North Carolina, Air Force, and Northwestern. As a team, they fought a close battle to Ohio State, the previous second-ranked school in the country, and fell by a slim margin where the men lost 15-12, and the women 18-9.

Enter the Pennsylvania State Classic, a two-day men’s and women’s tournament that features the top squash squads from across the Keystone State. In the tournament's inaugural year, Penn's Ringe Courts will be playing host to Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, and Dickinson this Saturday and Sunday.

Six weeks ago, the Quakers (6-1, 4-0 South) were defeated 24-14 on its home turf by the Army Black Knights, a game that, at the time, was a devastating blow to the Red and Blue. But this Friday night, Penn has the opportunity to return the favor and defend its 2016 CSFL title, as the two teams will once again square off, this time in West Point.

Last week hurt for Penn cross country, but there’s no time for the Quakers to hang their heads — the next chapter of their season begins on Friday.

Anna Ross and Michelle Nwokedi aren’t exactly conventional stars. Yet the pair of seniors has risen up to become the unmistakable face of Penn women’s basketball.

On Saturday, Penn men’s basketball team will open the season on the road at Fairfield University before returning to the Palestra for Monday's meeting with Big 5 foe La Salle.

While most Penn students eat large meals and gather to watch football on Thanksgiving, both of Penn’s basketball teams will spend their breaks on the hardwood.

It was quite the accomplishment: before ever playing his first game in a Penn uniform, Matt MacDonald was already one of the team’s captains.

The event, which was hosted at Penn's Palestra, looks like it is here to stay, thanks in part to the riveting games that were played. The tournament featured one overtime game, one game decided by a single basket, and several of the Ancient Eight's marquee rivalries. But what exactly is the future of the Ivy League basketball tournament?

It turns out that the insanely tall guy you stared at the other day saw you looking, and for the record, he wants you to know that he’s 7-foot-3.

After a breakout sophomore season in 2015-16 that saw her become a key piece of the Quakers' starting lineup, Lauren Whitlatch entered her junior season expecting to be a key piece for a Penn women's basketball team which hadn't lost a single rotation member to graduation the year before. But the Quakers' plan of having the same starting lineup for two seasons straight was derailed in January, when Whitlatch tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in practice. 

The seniors on Penn men’s basketball have faced their fair share of adversity during their four years in University City. Losing records, a coaching change and transfers are not easy hurdles to clear. But three years later, senior point guard Darnell Foreman and the rest of the class of 2018 lead a team that is a legitimate contender in the Ivy League.

As a result of an impressive, undefeated showing at the Regional tournament, Penn men’s club soccer  (10-0-2) earned itself a trip to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the College Club Soccer Championship National Tournament. According to their GoFundMe page, this is “the first time in recent memory this has happened.” This claim is followed with a small disclaimer: “we aren’t so good with keeping official records.”

After facing a temporary academic suspension that kept him off the court from January of 2016 until the conclusion of this past season, Woods has been back at Penn taking classes since last spring and is now ready — and academically eligible — to help the Quakers return to the Ivy League Tournament. 

It is never too early to look ahead to some of the more intriguing matchups on the calendar. For Penn men's basketball, a season full of optimism features a plethora of compelling games that could prove vital to the team’s success. Should the Quakers handle the twists and turns of a difficult schedule, they could find themselves back in the Ivy League Tournament, where they can dare to dream of some March madness of their own.

The Penn women’s basketball freshmen are eager to add to the winning formula that has produced back-to-back Ivy League titles for the Quakers the past two seasons.

Whether one sees Penn as the little brother to the Harvard-Yale-Princeton triumvirate or not, though, one thing is undeniable — the Ivy League is improving, and fast.