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.

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. 

The freshman four — Jarrod Simmons, Jelani Williams, Eddie Scott, and Mark Jackson — complement each other well and are looking to make an immediate impact on the program.

While most eyes were focused on Penn football’s thrilling Homecoming victory over Princeton this weekend, more than half a dozen other teams were also in action for Penn Athletics — some playing their last competitions of the year, others playing their first.

This weekend, both Penn men’s and women’s squash finished third in the annual Ivy league squash scrimmages at Yale. It was a stellar result for the men's team, and a finish which may not have been perfect for the women, but still good nonetheless.

Penn men's soccer left Rhodes Field heartbroken after losing to rival Princeton, in a 2-1 overtime thriller on senior night. The Quakers (3-12-1, 1-4-1 Ivy) more than held their own against the Tigers (6-6-4, 2-2-2), who had not been defeated in their previous six games, going 4-0-2 in that span.

For Penn sprint football's seniors, Friday was a night to remember. In their final regular season game, the Quakers took down Mansfield by a score of 35-13. The game also doubled as Senior Night, as Penn (6-1, 4-0 CSFL South) honored each of its nine seniors before kickoff. 

Another Penn football win, another DP Sports’ Player of the Week award for senior star receiver Justin Watson. 

After Saturday’s wild 38-35 Homecoming win over rival Princeton, combined with other results from the ever-tumultuous Ivy League, Penn football has launched itself back into the mix for the conference title.

A 15-yard pass from Fischer-Colbrie to Watson, who burned his man with ease on a cut to catch the ball in the end zone untouched, secured the win for Penn. 

The Quakers have put up an impressive 246 yards of offense in the first half, to the Tigers’ 159. The visitors registered just 51 yards in the second quarter, which featured a fumble forced and recovered by senior linebacker Nick Miller to give Penn great field position, which it converted into a touchdown. 

The Quakers (3-11-1, 1-3-1 Ivy) are at the tail end of a developmental season. With 11 freshmen entering the program this year, this season was about much more than wins and losses. Instead, the Red and Blue have been focused on improving every game.

With both swimming and diving coming off winning seasons, both squads are looking to dominate Columbia in their first competitions of the season. This meet carries some extra weight as well, because in addition to it being an Ivy matchup, it could serve as a major momentum-builder for the Quakers at such an early stage in the season.

Penn football's title hopes are less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost... but still, they are alive.

Penn football will host Princeton on Saturday as it clings to its slim Ivy League title hopes. While the Quakers (3-4, 1-3 Ivy) claimed their first Ivy win in Providence, R.I. against Brown last weekend, they do not control their destiny. They currently rank seventh behind three 3-1 teams and three 2-2 teams, including Princeton (5-2, 2-2).

Penn sprint football will take on the undefeated Army Black Knights in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) Championship game on Friday, Nov 10 — a showdown that is sure to be epic. Before they get too ahead of themselves, though, the Quakers (5-1) must face off against Mansfield this Friday night at Franklin Field.