Baseball coach John Cole got exactly what he asked for when he scheduled the Quakers' home opener for February, the earliest it's been in years. Friday's scheduled doubleheader was delayed over 90 minutes because of frost on the infield dirt. When Penn and West Chester finally took the field at Meiklejohn Stadium to play only one game, it was 35 degrees.

Things are about to get a little tougher for the men's tennis team. After cruising to easy victories in each of their last four contests, the Quakers will face Maryland and Louisville - two of their strongest opponents yet - when they travel to College Park, Md.

After a fourth-quarter collapse against Drexel last weekend, the Penn men's lacrosse team is looking to rebound this Saturday and "put a beating" on Villanova, according to co-captain Max Mauro. "It's a cross-town rival," the senior explained. "I'm sure a lot of [our] guys were recruited by Villanova, and they chose this school for a reason.

In Division-I softball, a coach usually doesn't need to worry about her outfielders catching fly balls. This is not the case, though, for coach Leslie King and the Penn softball team, as they prepare for their season-opening doubleheader on Sunday against Lafayette.

Penn women's basketball has beaten just one team since November. That team visits the Palestra tonight. The Quakers (4-20, 1-8 Ivy) lead only one team in the Ivy standings. That team comes to the Palestra tomorrow. With Yale (7-16, 5-5 Ivy) and Brown (2-22, 1-9 Ivy) visiting West Philly this weekend, the Quakers couldn't ask for a better chance at getting a pair of wins in their final home stand.

There won't be any room for error in Chapel Hill, N.C. Saturday as Penn prepares to face off against North Carolina for the first time ever. The Quakers' No. 2 ranking last season earned them the right to compete against the top lacrosse squads in the country, and that includes perennial powerhouse UNC.

Adrian Williams won't be the second African-American quarterback to win the Super Bowl. The son of former Washington Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, Adrian went down a different path. Or, at least, chose different sport - he's now Brown's backup point guard as a freshman.

There's nothing like opening day in the springtime. Soon enough, the baseball team will be soaking up the rays on its annual trip to the Sunshine State to kick off the season. But before that happens, the Quakers will play their first game right here in Philadelphia, when West Chester makes the short trip to Meiklejohn Stadium.

For four years straight, the Quakers have blown out Yale at the Palestra, winning by an average of 22 points. But when they take on the Bulldogs at the John J. Lee Amphitheater - as they will tonight - nothing comes easy. In two of the last three seasons, the Quakers' lone Ivy League loss came in New Haven, Conn.

They're physical. They've got great guard play. And most importantly, they've emerged as the second-best team in the Ivy League this season. But you don't have to tell Glen Miller what Brown (15-3, 7-3 Ivy) does well. The former head man in Providence, R.

Ever since they began practicing in January, the young Quakers have been anxiously awaiting their first taste of collegiate softball. They were supposed to begin their season on Saturday, but forecasted inclement delayed their opener further. On Sunday, the Red and Blue finally took the field against Lafayette, but even then they had to wait 11 innings to find out the result of their first game.

It's been a season to forget for the Quakers, but at least some of their final memories at the Palestra will be positive. The Quakers' defense, porous against Yale on Friday, clamped down against Brown on Saturday. After losing 79-70 to the Bulldogs at the Palestra, the Quakers bounced back the next night and beat Brown 56-45.

For such a little team, there sure are great expectations. Despite the Penn softball team entering the 2008 season with only fourteen players, fifth-year coach Leslie King says this year's is the "most talented group that we've had here in my time at Penn.

Penn swim coach Mike Schnur wants his women to swim "as if their hair is on fire." While Harvard and Princeton are expected to finish first and second at the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships, running today through Saturday, the rest of the slots are all very much up for grabs.

Fire has a dual nature for Christina Khosravi. Internally, it has driven her to three seasons of near-perfect softball. The seasoned veteran and senior captain was crowned 2006 Ivy League Player of the Year and has not missed one varsity game. Outside, however, fire has proven to be much more serious than a game.

This time last year, basketball was the furthest thing from Porter Braswell's mind. He was too busy exploring the Serengeti and throwing spears with Masai warriors. Braswell, a freshman guard at Yale, spent just over two weeks of his senior year at The Lawrenceville School on a trip to Tanzania.

On Friday night, Bob Adams watched his daughter net 13 points for Penn in a 62-47 loss to Dartmouth at the Palestra. On Saturday, he was on hand in a slightly more active role as the Siena Saints men's team downed Boise St. 93-70 in Boise, Idaho. Such is the life of an NCAA referee and basketball dad.