Traditions are funny. Teams often start their seasons against the same opponent every year, and sometimes without good reason. But Penn swimming is breaking the mould with their first meet this year — and breaking out of their comfort zone in the process. For virtually as long as time itself, the Quakers have started their season with a dual meet against Columbia.

Penn Women’s Distance Swimming looks to build on last season’s success and has plenty of reason for optimism The Penn Women’s Distance Swim Team reached nearly unprecedented levels of success for the program last year, and come into this season overflowing with optimism and ready to meet the heightened expectations. It is no fluke that Mike Schnur was selected to be the 2016 Ivy League Women’s Coach of the Year.

Football’s Sam Philippi, men’s soccer’s Dami Omitaomu, and field hockey’s Alexa Hoover were all recognized for spectacular performances that propelled their respective teams to victories this past week.

The men’s cross country team started Postseason racing with a bang on Saturday, as they captured their first Ivy league title in 43 years.

It happens all the time in the movies: the hero achieves the ultimate triumph for her team when all else seemed lost.

It's easy to feel like Penn football is an obvious favorite to beat Princeton this Saturday and (eventually) win another Ivy League title. It's hard to argue with ten straight Ivy wins (which I'm about to do).

The adage normally goes that you win some, and you lose some. But when you are Penn women's soccer, apparently you also tie some. After 110 minutes, there was nothing to separate the Quakers (9-3-3, 2-2-2 Ivy) and Brown (8-2-5, 3-1-2), as the two teams fought to a 1-1 draw this Saturday at Rhodes Field. The day started off with a Senior Day pregame ceremony honoring Penn's six seniors, where the players were recognized on the field with their families for their contributions to the program.

On a chilly night in Philadelphia, the Brown Bears began their hibernation. Just a few hours after their gridiron counterparts fell to the Ivy-leading Quakers on Franklin Field, Brown men’s soccer came up just short in a match that featured some exceptional strikes on goal.

Call it halloWeekend now. After losing four of their last five Ivy matchups, Penn volleyball busted out of their rut in a big way, picking up victories over both Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. The 3-0 win over Harvard (6-13, 4-6 Ivy) was especially meaningful as it marked the first season since 2010 where Penn (10-12, 5-5) won both matchups with the Crimson.

Home is where the wins are. Penn rowing made waves Saturday and Sunday at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.

Who said it needs to be pretty? Penn football, despite not scoring in the second half, grinded out a gritty 21-14 victory over Brown to stay perfect in Ivy League play. The Quakers (5-2, 4-0 Ivy) relied heavily on the star power of junior wide receiver Justin Watson to jump out to a 21-0 lead in the first half.

Penn sprint football is back on top. With a 27-20 double overtime win over Cornell on Friday, the Quakers clinched at least a share of the Collegiate Sprint Football League title for the first time since 2010.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as far as Ivy League cross country teams are concerned. This Saturday, two dozen of Penn’s fastest men and women will be making the short trip up to Princeton’s West Windsor Fields for the annual Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.

The season might not be over, but one thing is clear. Up until this point, Penn has been the best team in the Collegiate Sprint Football League.

It seems that the Quakers have run into a hiccup on their path of development. Hopefully a Halloween road trip weekend can scare them into shape. Staring down yet another middle of the pack Ivy finish, Penn volleyball will try to finish strong in the second half and put a scare into their Ancient Eight counterparts ahead of them in the standings. The last time the Quakers (8-12, 3-5 Ivy) tangled with the two northeastern schools, it resulted in a 2-0 homestand for Penn as they eked out a close five-set victory over Dartmouth (8-11, 1-7 Ivy) before taking down Harvard (6-11, 4-4 Ivy) in four sets on national TV. Since that weekend, the Red and Blue have been reeling, losing four of their last five.

This Homecoming weekend, the 1986 Penn football team will return to Franklin Field in honor of its 10-0 campaign 30 years ago. As today’s Quakers keep the hope of an undefeated Ivy season alive, the visitors may be able to offer some inspiration.

Home sweet home. After a long journey, Penn women’s soccer will come back to Rhodes one last time to wrap up their 2016 campaign.