An extra-inning defeat followed by a run-rule loss. Friday and Saturday took on unfortunately similar appearances for Penn softball this weekend.

Ivy League games always pose a threat. Penn women’s lacrosse has already fallen victim to an intra-Ivy upset once this year, and coach Karin Corbett is determined to never let that happen again.

You are what you eat. And for Penn’s varsity athletes, nothing could be more important than what they put in their bodies.

To make it to the top of any industry, you have to be willing to think outside the box. Fortunately for Penn Athletics, Jim Steel has taken the message. Behind the efforts of the 12th-year Strength and Conditioning Manager, Penn varsity teams have strayed from the status quo in the weight room, adopting an unconventional method to raise themselves to the next level: Muay Thai kickboxing. “I’ve just found that it’s so good for hand-eye coordination, for conditioning it’s unbelievable, and it improves people’s athleticism,” Steel said.

It might be hard to place a finger on it, but Penn Athletics has a slightly different look these days. Throughout the semester, the athletic department has rolled out a series of changes to the Quakers’ branding, including the Champion Your Life campaign formally announced on Wednesday. The culmination of over a year of research and gradual unveiling, the rebranding is part of a holistic effort by Penn Athletics to reinvigorate student interest and reposition itself within the Penn and Greater Philadelphia communities. “Penn Athletics has created a really unique niche in Philadelphia, in the Ivy League and in the nation,” Martin explained.

Not many Penn athletes can say they spent time in the pros before putting on the red and blue for the Quakers.

For Penn softball, not much has changed in the last two seasons. They have had a strong offense, made several runs at the Ivy Title and had an ace starter named Alexis. But this year, the difference is in the last name. Just a year after graduating perhaps the most illustrious pitcher in program history in Alexis Borden, the Quakers have found a new star in the circle in junior Alexis Sargent. After waiting in the ranks for two years behind Borden, Sargent emerged as Penn's next top starter early in the season, wasting little time in establishing herself as a bona fide ace.

Less than a day after their men’s hoops counterparts won a national championship on an improbable buzzer-beating three pointer, Villanova softball traveled to University City to take on its counterparts from Penn. Unlike the Wildcats’ victory over North Carolina, however, the outcome of this cross-town matchup was never in doubt, with Villanova cruising to a 10-0 decision.

After a crazy weekend, the track team is reunited. And this time, they mean business. Last weekend, three groups traveled far and wide in search of elite-level performances that would earn them qualification for the NCAA preliminaries.

In a sport so focused on, quite literally, getting ahead of the competition, Penn women’s rowing coach Wesley Ng has somewhat of an odd philosophy. “We're making sure we're not looking ahead, ever.” For Ng's squad, process comes first, and, for the meantime, racing second.

The season series between Penn baseball and Lafayette officially goes to the Quakers. Just two weeks after splitting a four-game series with the Leopards, the Red and Blue defeated their Easton, Pa., rivals, 6-5, on the road. Playing in their second game in the Liberty Bell Classic — following a 9-4 loss to Villanova last week — the Quakers (11-12) came out in a hurry on Tuesday.

It’s no secret that Penn women’s lacrosse has a roster full of clutch playmakers. But none is more integral to the Quakers’ offense than senior captain Nina Corcoran.

They say sports serves as the world’s language - a way to cross international boundaries with ease.

2015 saw plenty of action in and out of the water for Penn rowing for all three teams. One of the three head coaches oversaw his first spring season at the helm.

I’ll go call my crew, and you go call yours. For the Quakers, that crew is growing, and on the women’s side, looking better than ever.

Tupac Shakur once noted, “Things changed, and thats the way it is” Things may never be the same for Penn heavyweight rowing, as the program has undergone a near-complete overhaul of the coaching staff. 

58 seconds was an auspicious number for Penn women’s lacrosse on Sunday. 58 seconds was all it took for senior Iris Williamson to net the Quakers’ (7-3, 1-1 Ivy) first goal at Franklin Field against perennial powerhouse Northwestern, currently ranked eighth in the country.