Villanova great Porter dies after beating Howard Porter, one of the greatest players in Villanova basketball history, died Saturday. He was 58. He was found brutally beaten in an alleyway in Minneapolis 10 days ago, and was then hospitalized until he died.

Gilly Lane used to laugh at the thought of playing professional squash. But then again, that was four years ago. That was before he had four All-Ivy and All-American selections under his belt, before he became the first Penn squash player to win the College Squash Association's Skillman award, and before he represented the U.

Lightning lit up the sky over Philadelphia Sunday night, but it also lit up Franklin Field in the form of the women's lacrosse National Championship game between No. 1 Northwestern and No. 3 Virginia. When the Cavaliers scored four straight second-half goals to close a 11-7 deficit to 12-11, the stadium was electric.

This year the Penn women's lacrosse team earned its first Final Four berth, achieved its highest national ranking ever and went undefeated in the Ivy League for the first time. So it wasn't unexpected that the team would end the season on another historic note.

School's out, but the work isn't over. Penn rowers, the victims of the three-season sport, have extended their stay well into May, competing in several events as well as their league championships, the EARC and EAWRC Sprints. All three teams - heavyweight and lightweight men and women - have placed in the top ten at their respective championships, with a fourth place and two ninth place finishes.

Despite a 13-game winning streak and a No. 2 national ranking this season, the Penn women's lacrosse team is no blueblood in the sport. In fact, this year's appearance in the NCAA tournament is only the third in team history.

This year the Penn women's lacrosse team, in its best season in program history, earned its first ever Final Four berth, achieved its highest national ranking and went undefeated in the Ivy League for the first time. So it wasn't unexpected that the team would end the season on another historic note.

As usual, a small but strong Penn contingent will be competing in the men's and women's track and field NCAA Regionals. The teams are going to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend. But instead of taking in the sun, they're taking on some of the best athletes in the country.

"Freshman, get to the back of the bus," Penn golf's senior captain Sean Barrett ordered as the team prepared to head out for its final round at the NCAA West Regional in Tempe, Ariz., last weekend. With the Quakers in 23rd place (of 27), this was very likely Barrett's last ride to a course as captain.

After working for 15 of them, I should know by now: What makes a good editor? They should come up with the best story ideas. They should be supportive of the good writing, critical of the bad. They should push me when I should be working harder, but more importantly, they should tell me to take a breath when I'm in a little too deep.

I have a confession to make: I was never really all that into sports. Not at first, anyway. I casually followed baseball and hockey, but wasn't one of those guys who could recite stats or name 500 different players. And I was in the marching band in high school, but really couldn't care less about how our thoroughly mediocre football team did.

When the Penn women's tennis team hits the court at noon Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Williamsburg, Va., onlookers have every reason to doubt the Quakers. This is a team, the skeptics might say, that is bereft of senior leadership in the lineup and outmatched in the singles lineup.

Thursdays at the Penn Relays include many high-school and long-distance events, and this year's wasn't without notable finishes and records. The high-school field events were particularly impressive, with Kimberly Williams of Vere Tech in Jamaica setting a Relays record in the triple jump.

Tim Kaijala won two Heptagonal championships last season, in the 1,000-meter and as part of Penn's winning 4x800m relay team. This year, he finally took home the title in his bread-and-butter event, the 800m, besting the field with a 1:49.76 and leading the Quakers to a fourth-place finish at the Ivy Heps in Princeton, N.

Not 13 minutes into the biggest game of their lives, against No. 5 seed Maryland on Sunday, rock-solid Penn goalkeeper Sarah Waxman and the rest of the No. 4 Quakers were shell-shocked. "It hit me pretty hard," Waxman, a junior, said of the Terps' four quick goals.

The Quakers defeated the Terriers 11-5 behind a hat trick by junior attacker Rachel Manson and solid all-around defensive play in front of a near-capacity crowd at Rhodes Field.

With an 11-game winning streak, a No. 2 national ranking, and only one loss this year - to No. 1 Northwestern - women's lacrosse coach Karin Brower hoped for a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. She didn't get it.