It’s tough for a defender to make a tackle while on the ground. Unfortunately for Penn football’s opponents, they have found themselves in that position often this season.

Just before he returned to University City for football camp, Sam Philippi got a call. He was a match. Only a few months removed from joining the Be the Match registry, Philippi was needed as a bone marrow donor for a 30-year-old leukemia patient.

Another sport, another three-way tie at the top. After winning their third of a title last season, just weeks after the football team, Penn men’s fencing is looking forward to what should be another successful year.

The Penn men's and women's fencing teams are returning a slew of Ivy champions, NCAA qualifiers, and many key fencers from last year's men's Ivy title. But their biggest strength might just be standing on the sideline. Head coach Andy Ma has had an illustrious career in the world of fencing, and as he enters his seventh year as the head coach of both the men's and women's programs, his . His strength as a coach led him to be named the Ivy League men's fencing Coach of the Year last season. Ma was able to lead the men's team to its most successful season in recent memory last year, as the team captured its first Ivy League Championship since 2009, several individuals earned All-American Honors, and the team rose to the number one ranking for the first time in program history.

Penn football will travel to Princeton for a pivotal Ivy matchup Saturday. In advance of the game, we sat down with Tiger junior quarterback John Lovett, the reigning Ivy Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for seven total touchdowns Saturday at Cornell.

Penn volleyball coach Kerry Carr has been coaching the Red and Blue for longer than some of her current players have been alive.

As Friedrich Nietzsche so eloquently said, “that which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” Among the multitude of philosophical quotes that have been and could be applied to this remarkable undefeated Penn sprint football season, this one stands out for its relevance to one of the team's most important players: senior nose tackle Arthur D’Angelo.

The men and women of Penn swimming and diving enter 2016’s spate of races with a strong sense of accomplishment.

One thing’s for sure. Mark Andrew is no stranger to making a splash. After breaking out as freshman and smashing the Ivy League record in the 400 IM, his prowess in the pool has caught a lot of attention, and with the graduation of Penn swimming legend and NCAA champion Chris Swanson, the spotlight on Andrew will only brighten.

Penn Women’s Distance Swimming looks to build on last season’s success and has plenty of reason for optimism The Penn Women’s Distance Swim Team reached nearly unprecedented levels of success for the program last year, and come into this season overflowing with optimism and ready to meet the heightened expectations. It is no fluke that Mike Schnur was selected to be the 2016 Ivy League Women’s Coach of the Year.

Football’s Sam Philippi, men’s soccer’s Dami Omitaomu, and field hockey’s Alexa Hoover were all recognized for spectacular performances that propelled their respective teams to victories this past week.

Penn wrestling is still more than three weeks shy of its home opener, but Philadelphia has already gotten a sneak preview of the Red and Blue’s talents. Last Friday, the Quakers participated in the program’s inaugural “Grapple on the Green” event, setting up a practice session on College Green from 9 A.M.

The new members of Penn wrestling’s freshmen class boast sterling resumes, ranging from academic honors to athletic success.

Been there, done that. As Penn wrestling readies for the 2015-16 season, the Quakers have the security of four returning NCAA qualifiers in Caleb Richardson, May Bethea, Brooks Martino and Casey Kent. “I’ve been there three times and I’ve come up short three times,” Richardson said.

A person like Van Dyke needs no artificial stimulant to prepare for an Ivy League matchup. She feeds off the pressure. But even for a tenured coach with her track record and experience, a little pre-match anxiety can show up every once in awhile.

The articles all read the same. The offense gets the glory and the keeper gets a shout out for a great save. But what about the defense?

In what would have been a poetic travesty, Hunter the Punter didn’t always want to be a punter. “I was asked about doing it the summer before my sophomore year of high school... I tried it out and didn’t really like it,” Hunter Kelley, Penn football’s standout fourth-down man, said.