The Joe Sandberg Era is officially over in the Penn backfield. But the mourning period is long over, and the first touch is less than three weeks away for the former all-Ivy running back's heir apparent. Or, perhaps more accurately, his heir apparents. Prior to preseason practices, sophomore Mike DiMaggio seemed like the sure successor - he performed more than admirably in Sandberg's place at the end of last season, taking home Ivy Rookie of the Week honors twice.

Pass by Nick and Kevin Unger on the street and you might think: "twins." After a few minutes of listening to their back-and-forth banter, you may be convinced. The two are brothers, not twins, but they've been nearly inseparable for the past 18 years. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wis.

Last year, Rhodes Field was plagued by maintenance issues. To fix the problem, the Athletic Department did more than repair Penn's soccer field - it completely changed the grass. The Bluegrass that served as the playing surface since Rhodes opened in 2002 was eliminated in June, and Riviera Bermuda grass was planted in its place.

The fate of the Penn field hockey seaons rests with seven upperclassmen. Rachel Eng, Christina Ferrier, Meredith Moran, Stephanie Ragg (who also writes for The Daily Pennsylvanian), Kathryn Rose, Kelsey Tahan and Sarah Warner have combined for just seven career goals and 13 assists.

After his first losing season in a decade, coach Al Bagnoli knew some changes were in line for Penn's storied football program. He brought in nutritionists and fitness gurus, and his players reported to Penn on their own three weeks before training camp. But more than anything, his role as team psychologist has a markedly different tone.

Women's soccer coach Darren Ambrose has some unexpected opinions. For one, despite all 19 letterwinners returning from last season, Ambrose believes this year's squad won't have the same feel. "There's a different team, a different chemistry," he said. "There are 29 players.

For the third straight year, the Quakers will have a chance to dig their heels in as they go toe-to-toe with North Carolina, who reached the Final Four last season and feature the reigning National Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough. The Tar Heels announced on Tuesday that they will host Penn at 4 p.

For the second straight season, Robert Irvin is battling back from severe shoulder surgery. And once again, the quarterback - who started all 10 games as a sophomore in 2006 - must vie for his old job. Gone is Bryan Walker, who as a senior lost last fall's preseason competition only to step up when Irvin suffered a torn right labrum against Villanova in the second game of the year.

When the Ivy League provided an extra week of practice before the season, the Penn volleyball team didn't use the time to hit the gym for two-a-days and fitness training. Instead, the women scaled the rockclimbing wall at Pottruck and struggled to get through "the spider web" at a ropes course.

To most Penn students, a summer abroad in Spain means sprinkling a few classes in between siestas and fiestas. But senior Johnny Elicker - who spent a month in Alicante - also got a taste of the offseason workouts in La Liga, Spain's premier soccer league.

Susan Francia and her boat crossed the finish line where they were supposed to be - in first - but it didn't stop them from celebrating like their achievement was miraculous. In winning the gold medal with the U.S. boat in the women's eight event Sunday afternoon, Francia became the first Penn alum to win the top prize at the Olympics since 2000.

At least 41 athletes from all eight Ivy League schools will be competing in the coming days in the Beijing Olympics. They represent 14 delegations and will be competing in 13 sports. Some of them will win medals, and some will be make international headlines.

Yesterday, Penn announced the hiring of Scott Allen as Director of Golf. In that position, Allen will serve as head coach of the men's program and will oversee the direction of the women's program. He replaces Francis Vaughn- who was a part of Penn's golf program in various ways for the past 12 years - as Director of Golf.

Collegesoccernews.com released its annual rankings of the top 40 soccer recruting classes, and Penn's incoming freshmen came in at No. 36 on the list. Penn - the only Ivy League school on the list - will bring in five freshmen in the Class of 2012. Christian Barreiro was additionally honored in the website's list of the Top 100 Freshmen to Watch.

Competing for the gold is not enough for U.S. Olympic rower and Penn alumnus Tom Paradiso. Thanks to his partnership with an environmental organization, Paradiso will use his platform to promote environmental awareness through the most subtle of fashion accessories - his shoelaces.

Outgoing senior Dean Merrill may have seen his career with the Quakers come to an end at the Ivy League Championships, but that doesn't mean he's done. Merrill - last year's captain - qualified for the 108th U.S. Amateur Championship for the second year in a row.

Over the summer, the Palestra got a makeover. Students arriving for basketball season this fall may be surprised to see that the Palestra now sports a brand new floor. The new floor, in addition to its asthetic enhancements, will serve to improve the safety of the arena by adding cushioning that the old wood did not have.