“We’re just trying to get better every day.” At first glance, some of the early-season competitions for Penn Wrestling may seem lackluster in importance and reward.

Tuesday night was a success for Penn basketball. I say that, as one might imagine, for reasons that have nothing to do with what happened on the court.

On Wednesday the Men’s squash team will host Drexel in a battle for Philadelphia’s best squad.

What can you do when you’re playing against the best team in the country? Penn basketball had a tough night against No. 2 Villanova, who enforced its status as reigning NCAA champions in a 82-57 mauling at the Palestra on Tuesday.

Championships are won in the offseason; so goes the age-old cliché. This saying holds true for the members of the Penn Squash team as well, but there’s another, more accurate saying for what they do in the offseason: championships are won all over the world. Just as it does with other sports, the offseason presents an extended opportunity for squash players to hone their craft and improve specific aspects of their game, be it fitness, technique, or movement.

Back in my freshman year (which indeed calls for the past tense, I swear), Penn basketball hosted Villanova at the Palestra.

Not only did Nexxt Level train Penn sophomore point guard Jake Silpe, but they also worked with Villanova’s sophomore point guard Jalen Brunson. In fact, the two New Jersey natives met regularly for workout sessions over the summer at Nexxt Level’s training facility in South Jersey.

When Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating three to defeat North Carolina and give Villanova the NCAA national championship, the entire city of Philadelphia celebrated. Fast forward eight months, and the Wildcats are 6-0, ranked No. 2 in the country and playing like a team poised for another title run. On Tuesday night, Penn basketball will be taking on the defending champions and Big 5 rival at the Palestra for the Quakers’ home opener. 

Penn swimming and diving has hit the ground running. Figuratively, at least. On Tuesday, just before the holiday break, the Quakers decided to build on their already strong start to the season, sweeping La Salle's men's and women's teams, 161-132 and 163-122, respectively.

It just keeps getting better. Just a few weeks removed from Penn sprint football's first outright Collegiate Sprint Football League title since 2000, senior quarterback Mike McCurdy was named league MVP for the second straight season.

When Nicole Vaiani first started learning how to fence, she would beat her older brother all the time.

Disappointment. After putting themselves in an early hole, a valiant comeback from Penn men’s basketball fell short, resulting in a 70-68 loss at the hands of Navy.

Caleb Wood is adjusting nicely to life with Penn basketball. The junior transfer dropped 25 points on eight of twelve shooting in just his third game as a member of the Red and Blue.

It sounds paradoxical: Matt MacDonald is, at the same time, a veteran, a captain, and a first-year player. That is, of course, due to the fact that the junior guard is a transfer.

In with a win, out with a win. Penn football’s senior finished things off the way they came in, winning their final game against Cornell the same way they took down Lafayette to open the 2013 season.

It may have taken four years and 30 games, but Alek Torgersen finally has his weekly award.

Training alongside Penn’s thirty-one grapplers are four wrestlers working full-time to win gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.