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.

All’s well that ends well. For Penn squash, both the men and women can certainly agree, having each picked up a final win to cap their regular seasons.

Penn wrestling has a lot to feel proud of after this weekend. With two comeback wins against Binghamton and Columbia in an EIWA triple-header, it’s clear the Quakers are never out of it until the last pin or decision of the final match.

In a pair of weekend matches against non-conference foes Wisconsin and Rice, Penn men’s tennis rode the full emotional spectrum from elation to frustration. The weekend started out on a high note for the Quakers (4-3) with a thrilling 4-3 win over the previously unbeaten Badgers (3-1). After losing the doubles point, Penn battled back with singles victories from junior Josh Pompan, sophomore Kyle Mautner and junior Gabe Rapoport.

Coming into the weekend, Penn men's basketball’s chances to make the Ivy League Tournament and compete for a March Madness bid seemed almost nonexistent. The Quakers were not shooting well, and seemed unable to hold teams off down the stretch in games. But by early Sunday afternoon, it appears as though the Red and Blue have life once again.

The floodgates have finally opened. Winless in its first six conference games, Penn men's basketball came out firing on all cylinders this weekend at the Palestra to take down Columbia and Cornell in a sweep of New York’s two Ivy League teams.

This season has not been kind to Penn men’s basketball. Coming into Friday’s game against Columbia, the Quakers were winless in six Ivy League contests and in desperate need of a better performance to have any shot of making the Ivy League Tournament. The Red and Blue were able to gut out the victory on the back of 48 rebounds and 12 three-pointers. Let’s go to the player ratings.

Matt Howard has solved Penn men's basketball’s finishing problem. After watching an 11-point lead slip away in the second half, the senior forward was determined to not let another strong start go to waste. Howard hit a clutch three-pointer with eight minutes to play, cutting a brief Columbia lead down to one. But, it was his defensive closing that sealed the game for the Red and Blue as they went on to win 70-62.

"Alright, we’ve had our fun over the last couple of days, but may the real Ivy League championship contenders step forward..." Entering from stage right is coach Andy Ma and Penn fencing, poised this weekend to take another shot at collecting the coveted Ivy League Fencing Championship titles.

Coach Steve Donahue of Penn men’s basketball is not keen on the phrase “must-win.” In fact, in a past interview, he has described the phrase as “for the media” (guilty as charged) and “not what we focus on.” However, with the Red and Blue (7-12, 0-6 Ivy) hosting two immensely important games against Columbia and Cornell this weekend, he had seemingly no choice but to use the vaunted expression. “In terms of making the tournament, I think both of the games this weekend are must-win,” Donahue admitted.

With dual season nearing its close, Penn wrestling is looking to kick into high gear. For one more weekend, the Quakers (4-6, 2-5 EIWA) will have a loaded slate with little rest in between.

Only days after suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 setback at the hands of undefeated Big Ten power Minnesota, Penn men's tennis will get a pair of chances at redemption this weekend, hosting fellow Big Ten member Wisconsin on Saturday before welcoming Rice to Philadelphia the following afternoon.

For a Penn squash program anticipating a major postseason, it's the last chance to tune up. This weekend, both the men's and women's teams will take on the final two matches of their regular seasons, facing Columbia and Cornell to wrap up Ivy League play.