The closest thing I can compare it to is what Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp calls “Heavy Metal Football” — and well, ladies and gentlemen, what the Quakers have finally worked their way into is Heavy Metal Basketball.

Put the funeral pyres away — Penn men’s basketball is back. Boosted by a ridiculous 27-2 first-half run spearheaded by a career-best shooting performance from freshman shooting guard Ryan Betley, the Quakers jumped out to a 25-point first-half lead at Brown and never looked back, cruising to a 96-72 win over the Bears.

Rock-bottom after six games, even we had written this team off. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Quakers have taken the bull that is the Ivy League by the horns and is almost halfway through a Mission Impossible: going from 0-6 to finish in fourth place and make the Ivy League Tournament.

330 players were invited to one of the final chances to prove their worth to scouts before the NFL Draft in April. Of those, 15 quarterbacks were invited — a small number, but Torgersen was ranked by Sports Illustrated as the 10th best QB available for the NFL Draft, and more recently even moved up to eighth on the list.

This Saturday, both Penn lacrosse teams will open their 2017 campaigns. For the women, this will be first test of their No. 11 preseason ranking in this year’s ILWCA poll. As has been the case in the past three years, the Quakers will start off against Delaware, in what has been a notably close rivalry of late.

Penn men’s basketball had a diamond weekend against Columbia and Cornell, winning its first two Ivy League games of the season under immense pressure. The pressure was both expected and self-imposed; the result of an 0-6 run bookended by twin loses to rival Princeton. The Quakers (9-12, 2-6 Ivy) knew that another loss meant the end to their post-season chances, and they responded with two of the most spirited performances to date.

Penn men’s tennis hopes to bring their fiery passion on to the court this weekend as they head to the ECAC tournament for their first post-Valentine’s Day match. In last year’s tournament, the team made it into the winner’s bracket by upsetting Dartmouth 4-3 before ultimately being knocked out by the Crimson to take fourth place.

Through hours of blood, sweat, and tears, athletes spend countless hours training and fine-tuning their skills in order to compete at the highest level when it matters most. After almost a season’s worth of preparation, Penn wrestling will compete in one final meet against Drexel this Sunday in what will be their final chance to iron out any wrinkles before the poignant EIWA and NCAA championships.

The finale of the squash season is upon us as No. 8 Penn prepares for the team championships this weekend. The Quakers will be challenged right off the bat with a first round match Friday against No. 1 Trinity, who defeated Penn 8-1 in January.

The Quakers set their sights on the NCAA National Championship, and were seeded at No. 7 for the tournament. Wagner and Towson were the first two challengers, and the Red and Blue took care of them easily by scores of 17-7 and 12-4, respectively. The Quakers were then faced with Penn State, a competitor that coach Corbett felt the team had a “great opportunity” to defeat. Unfortunately, the offense that had been so prolific throughout the year had an off day, and they fell by a score of 8-4.

When you fight your way to a national quarterfinal game like Penn women's lacrosse did last year, well, it’s no wonder that the best players come from far and wide to don the Red and Blue. And though the roster lost some big names after graduation last May, the arrival of such an impressive class of 2020 seems to be a harbinger of a new era of lacrosse excellence here at Franklin Field.

When it comes to replacing Corcoran, there is no one-for-one swap. Sophomore Chrissy Corcoran, Nina’s younger sister, has gotten looks behind the goal and will be starting in Saturday’s season opener against Delaware. Junior Emily Rogers-Healion, one of the team’s best on the draw, has also appeared in that lead role behind the net. Finally, freshman midfield Gabby Rosenzweig has worked behind the cage in practice.

After a solid 2016 season, Penn Men’s lacrosse is looking to maintain their level of success but is aiming big in what they hope to achieve in the season that is fast approaching. Last season the team went 8-7 overall, with a 4-2 record in the conference and 4-5 out of conference.

The Quakers have placed third in the Ivy standings four out of the past five years. And, despite owning the league’s best overall record and winning the year-end conference tournament in 2014, Penn has been consistently excluded from the top tier of Ivy League lacrosse.

Seniors Kevin Gayhardt, Eric Persky, and Kevin McDonough combine to form one of the most formidable defensive units in the country. Gayhardt, the captain, is a vocal leader who matches up well with big attackmen, as evidenced by his even battles with Yale’s Reeves last season. Persky is an active on-ball defender who rarely requires a slide. And McDonough’s agility and foot speed make him a nuisance for opposing ball carriers.

This past summer, four sophomore members of Penn men’s lacrosse – Alex Roesner, Simon Mathias and Tyler Dunn on attack and Noah Lejman on defense – traveled to Coquitlam, British Columbia to compete in the FIL U-19 World Championships, the most prestigious international competition for their age group.

Interestingly, not only did the same three teams share the title again, but for the second straight year, they also had the same results against one another at the Ivy League Fencing Round Robins. It’s become a game of rock-paper-scissors between them.