When Dartmouth takes the floor at the Palestra tonight, try to pay close attention. Look nice and hard at the Quakers when they're on defense, and you'll notice something. They might be looking out for their man, but keep your eyes locked on theirs, and you'll see that their peripheral vision is entirely focused on one guy.

Nothing jump-starts a season quite like a shot at revenge. The men's lacrosse team gets the opportunity to open its season on a high note tomorrow against Drexel, where local pride, retribution for last year's loss and season-opening momentum are all on the line.

The men's fencing team captured the Ivy League Championship today, the team's first since the 2000-01 season. Penn defeated Harvard and Yale today by scores of 16-11 and 22-5, respectively. Today's victories capped an undefeated season for the Quakers. Many of Penn's fencers garnered All-Ivy honors; they were announced following the completion of the matches.

Butterflies, nerves and jitters - just some of the feelings the Penn's women's lacrosse team hopes to overcome this weekend. The No. 5 Quakers better hope those emotions are gone by 1 p.m. tomorrow, as that's when the opening draw against Drexel (2-0) will occur at Franklin Field in Penn's first game of the 2009 season.

Another day, another loss at the Palestra, where the Quakers remain winless in conference play after falling 66-60 to Harvard. It was the first time Harvard won at the Palestra since the 1990-91 season. Penn's offense got off to a slow start, with the Quakers shooting just 31% in the first half. But with Harvard's big men, Keith Wright and Evan Harris, on the bench in foul trouble, Penn clawed its way back into the game.

Wrestling two in-state rivals in the last weekend of the regular season is exciting enough. Throw in the teams' rankings, and these matchups look even more enticing. After falling out of the polls in mid-January due to a poor showing in the Virginia Duals, the Quakers (11-6, 6-2 EIWA) returned this week as No.

The Penn men's fencing team hasn't won an Ivy League Championship since the 2000-01 season. But on Sunday, the Quakers are the odds-on favorite to capture this season's conference crown. "It's not a shoe-in, but I like our odds," coach Dave Micahnik said.

While competing in juniors, players learn how to work for themselves. Matches at a collegiate Division I level take on a deeper meaning. "Your individual win is just as important as your teammate winning," senior co-captain Lauren Sadaka said. "It's a transition.

Jeremy Lin has been devastating defenses since high school. In his senior year, he racked up a game-high 17 points in the California Division II state title game to propel his team to victory. Then he played in every game off the bench as a freshman at Harvard and reached double-digit scoring four times.

If there was ever a time for the men's squash team to listen to coach Craig Thorpe-Clark, it would be now. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish" is one of his mottoes, and one that the Quakers hope to rally around this weekend at the national team championships.

The Penn women's basketball team and Dartmouth sophomore Brittney Smith are both moving in the right direction. Only three weeks after the Big Green (12-9, 7-0 Ivy) dominated the Quakers, 56-39, at the Palestra, Penn finds itself carrying the momentum of a season-high three-game winning streak into this weekend's road rematches with Dartmouth and Harvard (13-8, 5-2).

All of a sudden, last year's weaknesses have become this year's strengths. Last season the men's lacrosse team struggled to find senior leadership. But with a senior class of 10 -- -double the number from last year - this year's squad may finally have the appropriate mix of talent and experience to make a run at the Ivy League's elite.

Coming into the 2008 season, Becca Edwards had high hopes. As a sophomore two years ago, the attacker had scored 37 points on 32 goals and five assists for Penn. There was only one thing that could stop her from topping that honorable mention All-Ivy output.

Jon McLaughlin, who has coached Penn's offensive line for the past three seasons, has been promoted to offensive coordinator, several sources with knowledge of the football program said. Head coach Al Bagnoli announced the promotion at the team's annual banquet Friday.

It wasn't about height in New Haven, Conn., Friday. 383 inches of Yale blue and white lined up for tip-off, while across the way, Princeton's starting five came in at 380 inches. But the Bulldogs played much bigger, manhandling the Tigers to the tune of a 43-23 rebounding edge in the easy 12-point victory.

The last few years of strong defense have served the Penn women's lacrosse team well, as it was largely responsible for the team's trips to the 2007 NCAA Final Four and last year's national championships. But this season, in hopes of taking that extra step and winning the title, coach Karin Brower has shifted her focus to a whole new part of the team-: the midfield.

When asked how it feels to finally be the starting goalkeeper for the Penn men's lacrosse team, Greg Murray apologized. "It's hard to put into words . sorry about that," the senior said. Considering the hard work he's put in and the perpetual waiting he's endured, Murray has earned the right to sit a question out.