Just three-hundreths of a second. That was the difference at last year's meet between the Penn and Columbia women's swim teams in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Columbia's narrow victory, the final one of that meet, gave the Lions just enough points to beat the Quakers in a 153-147 decision.

By Matt Conrad Senior Sports Editor mlconrad@sas.upenn.edu The Big 5 is distinctly a Philadelphia entity, but its disciples range far and wide, from the NBA to college coaching staffs across the nation. Billy Lange is one such displaced Philadelphia guy whose career has brought him to the helm of the up-and-coming Navy basketball program.

Five days after allowing 14 three-pointers to Villanova, the Ivy League's sixth-ranked three-point defense is in for another tough night. When the Quakers (4-3) travel to Annapolis, Md. to face Navy (7-2) tonight, they know exactly what they'll be in for.

These Quakers are hoping that this season does not turn into a repeat of last. Despite winning its first two games, the women's basketball team has struggled in the face of tougher competition, losing three straight games. Penn (2-3) will try to right its ship when it tips off tonight against Lafayette (2-5).

When commercial timeouts end during radio broadcasts for WXPN, the producer says "cue" to tell the announcers they are back on the air. In Dallas for the NCAA tournament, the producer said "cue," but Penn senior and play-by-play Quakers announcer Brian Seltzer was silent.

There's no mystery surrounding the main challenge for the Penn men's track team, at least to its coaches. "We have a lot of top-end people who are really national-class guys," assistant men's coach Jamie Cook said. "We just need some of the younger underclassmen and supporting staff to step up.

Seven games into the season, there is no doubt who Penn's most valuable player has been. That honor belongs to senior Mark Zoller, who yesterday was named the Big 5 and the Ivy League player of the week - and the Big 5 award was Zoller's second of the season.

Recruiting international athletes to come to Penn is like reaching into Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: coaches never know what they're going to get. Whereas American high school athletes are very visible due to highly-publicized national competitions, it's harder to find and recruit international athletes.

By Ilario Huober Sports Editor ihuober@sas.upenn.edu When Ibrahim Jaaber stood up with a noticeable limp after being called for an offensive foul in the closing minutes of Penn's loss to Villanova Saturday, the Palestra faithful held its collective breath.

Only the electric atmosphere in the Palestra made it apparent that Saturday night's match-up between Penn and Villanova was a Big 5 contest. The game did not feature the grind-it-out defense and physical smothering of opportunities that have long characterized Big 5 games.

The Ivy League's distinction of being the only conference in the country without a postseason basketball tournament may be coming to an end.

The year was 1971. The Baltimore Colts were champions of Super Bowl V. Joe Frazier was heavyweight champion after winning the first of three epic fights against Muhammad Ali. The Penn men's basketball team was 28-1 and ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Cornell learned this weekend that young talent could provide the team with a boost, but that its unseasoned core is not yet prepared to deliver a tournament championship. Looking for a chance to win its first in-season tournament since 1990, Cornell needed a catalyst in the semifinals of the William & Mary Tip-off Classic.

With 11:22 remaining in Sunday's game, Villanova star forward Jackie Adamshick received a pass from teammate Tia Grant and promptly drained a jumper. The Palestra scoreboard tacked on two more points, showing a 48-34 score - the Wildcats' largest lead over the Quakers of the afternoon.

When you've listened to as many coaches as I have tell you how much respect they have for every opponent, you begin to distinguish the sincere from the phony. And unlike the coach who sings the praises of a Dartmouth team, Villanova head coach Jay Wright was dead serious.

Last time Frank Elegar and Chaz Crawford played at the Palestra, it wasn't pretty. Drexel's frontcourt duo, greatly outplayed by Penn's Mark Zoller and Steve Danley, was held to a combined 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting in the Dragons' loss. So in their latest game in the Palestra, Elegar and Crawford decided to make up for it.

Saturday night's 99-89 loss to Villanova was the first Big 5 experience for Penn coach Glen Miller. Afterward, Miller showed his unfamiliarity with the nature of Big 5 action. "I'm awfully ticked off when we lose a game," Miller said. Responding to a question about not dwelling on Big 5 games, Miller said, "the game is just like any game.