For all of Penn’s student-athletes, there exists a never-ending juggle between athletic and academic commitments.

Number 29 got the ball with just under seven minutes left in the first quarter of Penn sprint football’s home opener. With the Quakers already up 7-0, the freshman running back looked like he wasn’t going to gain any yardage as multiple Franklin Pierce players made contact with him.  But he shocked everyone by fending off the Quakers' opponents before reeling off another 20 yards into the endzone.

If Penn football is going to buck one of the longest active losing streaks in the sport, it might actually be the squad's lack of game experience in 2015 that helps it out.

This past weekend marked the first time in 2015 that each of the Red and Blue's fall sports teams were in action.

Nigel Blackwood and Gavin Barger were granted the special opportunity of training together at the highest level of junior soccer before ever donning the Red and Blue.

While Mike Beamish may have graced the gridiron at Franklin Field last Saturday, Penn sprint football will have to adjust to life without its former star and captain this season. Beamish participated for the fifth time in the program's annual Alumni Game last weekend, but not as a member of the Quakers' current team.

"For anything to be worth anything, it takes time."

The play of Penn football’s defense in 2014 was, well, indefensible. The Quakers struggled mightily to stop opposing offenses a year ago, surrendering an average of 31.9 points per game.

Change is inevitable. Nothing continues forever... except for time and, maybe, space, but that’s not the point.

Penn football operates under a microscope. With that said, it seems curious that the biggest guys on Franklin Field are consistently the most overlooked.

Alek Torgersen has something to prove. This year it’s not about proving he’s capable of locking down the top spot at quarterback.

Penn football’s first game may come a full two weeks after most teams begin their seasons, but a high level of competition has been brewing for weeks in Quakers' practices at Penn Park. As the Red and Blue approach their opener against Lehigh, position battles have been on the minds of many coaches and players.

When Penn women’s soccer assistant coach Emily Oliver stepped on the soccer field four years ago on December 4th, her objective was clear. It was the finals of 2011 College Cup, the NCAA women’s soccer national championship, and her team, the Stanford Cardinal, was facing Duke.

It's hard for any foray into the topic of "veteran leadership" to hit on something new, but Penn volleyball coach Kerry Carr finds herself with a truly unprecedented embarrassment of riches. Carr, the winningest and longest-tenured coach in program history, has rarely appointed more than two captains during her 18 years at the helm, and never more than three.

Last year, Penn women’s cross country finished last in the Ivy League. This is an indisputable fact. In their year-end Heptagonal meet, the de facto Ivy championship competition, the Red and Blue only managed to finish eighth in the Ancient Eight. And while any single meet result should be taken with a grain of salt, this sort of result would be the elephant in the room.

The fall season may still be quite young for Penn Athletics, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any surprises. So now, with most Red and Blue teams having gotten their seasons under way, we take the opportunity to talk about the squads that have made us reconsider our preseason expectations.

The 139th edition of Penn football has 77 days together. From the first day of preseason camp until the final snap against Cornell in November, the Quakers remain one cohesive unit.