Before the winter break layoff, Penn found itself at the lowest point of Glen Miller's tenure. In a December posting on The Buzz, the Daily Pennsylvanian's sports blog, I questioned the Quakers' passion, direction and leadership, fearing that the program might be in serious jeopardy.

No eight-hour bus rides, no boxed dinners, no hotel rooms. After a season of away meets, the Quakers will finally swim in Sheerr Pool. Tomorrow at noon, Penn will host its only home meet of the season, welcoming Rider and Navy. "It's awesome to have spectators because they'll definitely keep the mental focus, and I'm excited to race," freshman freestyler Cameron Hood said.

In a crucial Ivy faceoff two months ago, Tara Chawla and Kristen Lange took the court for the women's squash team against Yale needing to win both matches. They did just that, giving the Quakers a 5-4 comeback win over the Bulldogs in New Haven, Conn. The scene was eerily similar Wednesday night in Hartford, Conn.

Calling the Trinity men's squash program "great" does not do it justice. It is arguably the best in collegiate sports history. The Bantams' 189-match win streak is the longest for any college team ever, and they consistently bring in the best recruits from all over the world.

According to the Nebraska Corn Board, there are more than 3,500 different uses for the almost omnipresent vegetable. Ethanol, high-fructose corn syrup and starch are just some of the more prominent maize manifestations. The Penn wrestling team (6-4, 3-0 EIWA) hopes to add "redemption" to that list when it battles the No.

Senior captain Jonathan Boym has been waiting almost two years for this, the start of the 2009 spring tennis season. After sitting out most of his junior campaign with a shoulder injury, Boym can't wait to get back on the court. "I'm really excited," Boym said.

The seniors on the women's swimming team would love to leave Sheerr Pool for the final time with two more notches in the win column. But besting Navy and Rider tomorrow, after a Senior Day ceremony, will not be easy for Lauren Bergstrom, Lindsey Gottschalk, Nicole Malgeri, Amy Wolf and the rest of the Quakers.

Since Penn's 2007 NCAA Tournament appearance, it has gone a woeful 0-for-Big 5 over two seasons. In the low point of their play in the informal conference, the Quakers were blown out, 82-42, by Saint Joseph's a year ago. It was an absolute debacle in every sense of the word.

It is almost too easy to say that as Tyler Bernardini goes, so go the Quakers. When a team's best scorer struggles, as Bernardini did in many of Penn's losses before last night, it is natural to think that if he just finds his stroke again the victories will magically appear.

The efforts of coaches and a special vote in December helped put into place the men's and women's Ivy League lacrosse tournaments that will now determine the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament, according to Ivy League Executive Director Jeff Orleans.

One of two things could have cemented Penn's final resting place on the bottom of the Big 5 food chain: the 17 first-half points for Penn, or the nine-minute scoreless streak. The last twenty minutes, however, did show that it's still territory worth fighting for.

In Penn's penultimate tuneup for conference play, two different teams showed up for the Red and Blue. The first team was the one Penn fans have grown all too familiar with this season. You know it well. It's the squad on which no player in particular wants to run anything resembling a play on offense.

Mark Froot has battled back pain since he was 14 years old. So after aggravating his back earlier this week, the junior anticipated a struggle entering last night's match against Franklin & Marshall. "You kind of know when you're about to go through a peak or a valley," he said.

According to the Nebraska Corn Board, there are more than 3,500 different uses for the almost omnipresent vegetable. Ethanol, high-fructose corn syrup and starch are just some of the more prominent maize manifestations. The Penn wrestling team (6-4, 3-0 EIWA) hopes to add "redemption" to that list when it battles the No.

Like many Penn seniors, Alex Grendi spent his winter break looking for a job. But instead of on-campus interviews, he did his networking on the soccer field. The Columbus Crew selected Grendi 45th overall in last Thursday's Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

After being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year as a freshman and first team All-Ivy as a sophomore, Jonathan Boym entered his junior season on the men's tennis team with high expectations. But after being sidelined for most of the year with a shoulder injury, he was forced to shift his focus to his upcoming senior campaign.

Much has happened around here since January 2007. An exciting political primary battle, a sex change for Logan Hall and a championship for a city that could scarcely recognize the word. And yet, for all the unexpected news that made its way across the wire over the past 24 months, the following never did: Penn beats a Big 5 opponent.