By JOE SANFILIPPO Staff Writer sanfilippo@dailypennsylvanian.com Although the drive back from Princeton, N.J., only took 40 minutes, the men's squash team's performance at the Collegiate Squash Association Team Championships this weekend undoubtedly made for a long ride home.

In the first Ivy Round Robin two weeks ago, freshman foil Zane Grodman defeated Columbia's Kurt Getz by a score of 3-0 in 30 seconds. In yesterday's second round robin, hosted by Brown, Grodman recorded yet another 3-0 victory against another previous All-Ivy first teamer.

Junior Ali DeLuca knows that scoring early can give her team the confidence to overcome any first-game jitters. Thirty six seconds after the Penn women's lacrosse team started its 2009 season, DeLuca received a pass at the top of the crease from Courtney Lubbe to score the game's - and the season's - first goal.

Another weekend sweep at the Palestra is likely to leave Penn fans in consternation about the state of the program. Such has been the case after every bad outing at home, regardless of the context. But if anything, the way in which the Quakers lost demonstrated exactly what is wrong with the program right now.

The Penn basketball team sure kept the statisticians busy this weekend. After confirming that Dartmouth swept Penn for the first time since 1959 Friday, they revealed that Harvard's 66-60 win over the Quakers Saturday was its first at the Palestra since 1991.

Another heartbreaker for the Quakers, who lost their second game to the Big Green this season, 69-59, at the Palestra. With a Cornell loss to Yale this evening, a win could have been momentous for their standing in the Ivy League. Dartmouth forward Alex Barnett was solid if not dominating for the Big Green, with his backcourt posting strong supporting numbers.

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).